Power of Runes-Chapter 167: Time Stop

Two eyes appeared in the darkness. Massive, glowing red eyes, far larger than anything Ash had ever encountered in his life. They stared directly at him, steady and unblinking, fully aware of his presence.

What... is this?

For the first time in a long while, Ash genuinely surprised seeing that.

But instead of fear tightening his chest, a slow smile formed on his lips, one that carried a strange sense of thrill.

"This is getting interesting. Is it an illusion? Or maybe some kind of projection?" he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

Then, without any warning, everything around him froze. The entire space turned eerily silent, almost as if the world itself had taken a breath and refused to exhale.

The air grew unbearably heavy, the surrounding mana trembled in agitation, and every instinct inside his body screamed at him to prepare for something worse than death.

Only three meters remained between him and the heart.

And then it happened.

The heart began to pulse with a deeper, more violent rhythm, almost as if it had awoken completely—and time stopped.

What the...?

Ash froze mid-motion, one foot extended, body tilted forward. The momentum of his run had halted unnaturally.

But his thoughts, sharpened by Omni Thought, continued without a single pause. Through his unmoving eyes, he observed the frozen world around him, where even the drifting particles of mana hung suspended in absolute stillness.

Don’t tell me this bastard actually...

He didn’t need anyone to confirm it. Knowing how his luck usually worked, the conclusion was already clear in his mind.

...has the power to stop time.

But that wasn’t the only thing bothering him.

Then why am I still able to think clearly, even though everything else has stopped?

His thoughts raced, seeking a different explanation. Maybe it wasn’t true time-stop magic, maybe it was some kind of advanced body-restricting curse or skill that mimicked it. But within a fraction of a second, he had already tested the theory.

He tried to activate Transcendent Step, but absolutely nothing happened.

Right... of course. My mana is frozen too.

That confirmed it—this wasn’t just a paralyzing effect. It was genuine time-stop magic. And yet, his thoughts still flowed freely.

Then that must mean only my mind is outside its effect...

Is this because of the Rune of Knowledge? Does it protect not just the mind from interference but also allow thought to continue even when time itself is stopped?

He didn’t know for sure, but that seemed like the most logical explanation. And truth be told, it was proving to be more useful than he had ever expected.

Quite the handy Rune...

Even with everything frozen, his mind remained calm, assessing everything down to the last possible detail—his instincts, his mana levels, his next steps.

And he was already preparing for what came next.

While Ash’s mind was still racing with thoughts, the familiar black and red magic circles that had formed around the demonic heart began to change in appearance.

The red shade darkened, and a faint violet hue started to mix with the black, forming an unnatural color that gave off a strange, ominous glow.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened.

The peak-ranked spirits, the ones that had stood motionless and silent since the battle began, started to dissolve.

Their forms wavered for a brief second before they were forcefully sucked into the now glowing magic circles. Their bodies, their energy, their essence—all were absorbed without resistance.

But that was just the beginning.

Once the peak-ranked spirits vanished, the high-ranking ones followed. Their forms were pulled into the circle just like the previous group, as if the spell had no intention of sparing any of them.

Even the mid-ranked spirits, those who had fought with fury just moments ago, were dragged into the consuming whirl of magic.

And as for the low-ranked spirits, most of them had already been wiped out earlier by Ash and Serena.

The few that had survived up until now were also pulled into the spell, disappearing into the eerie light without even a scream.

And then, a voice echoed once again.

This time, it was much clearer than before. The distortion was still there, like multiple people speaking at once, but the words could now be understood easily.

[These useless spirits are resisting even after being corrupted. There is no reason for them to continue fighting.]

[They are not giving their all in battle. Instead of fighting with everything they have, they are simply trying to die.]

[But since they cannot die without my permission, they attack half-heartedly, waiting for death to come. Their instincts are still tied to life, and even in corruption, they have not completely forgotten it.]

Hearing this, a quiet understanding sank into Ash mind. The scattered pieces of the puzzle began to connect.

Was that why they were so easy to fight earlier...?

If he had been able to move, his expression would have reflected a deep and piercing coldness, the weight of bitter frustration pressing heavily against his heart like an invisible chain he could not break.

Just a while ago, he had started to feel a bit of pride in how well he was holding his ground in the battle. And now, with just a few words, that fragile pride was shattered like thin glass.

So they were going easy on me this entire time. They were letting themselves die. Unbelievable. Fuck!

But he knew full well there was nothing he could do to change the truth.

The voice, however, continued its monologue, ignoring Ash’s thoughts completely.

[It is better to use them as sacrifices. Their remaining power will be more useful that way. With this, I shall kill these pests quickly. And within one more month, I will reach the innermost chamber of the world tree. After that, everything will unfold exactly as ’he’ wishes.]

[I will enslave the entire elven race.]

[Slurp!! And that girl at the behind ... she looks quite delicious. Once I regain my physical human body, I will enjoy every beautiful girl on this continent.]

The voice grew twisted, laughter bubbling out as it rambled on with depraved joy.

[I will start with the little queen over there. Her body looks perfect. I will release all my centuries of frustration on her, and once I am done, I will move on to the next.]

The distorted laughter echoed endlessly in the space.

[Kekeke... kekekekeke...]

Listening to those disgusting words, Ash felt something churn inside his chest. There was no fear, only disgust.

Pure, burning disgust.

But even though the voice was loathsome, Ash kept his mind steady and clear. From the way the demon spoke, it seemed as if it was talking to itself, unaware or simply not caring if anyone else was listening.

And Ash understood the reason why.

Talking to oneself was one of the method to prevent madness in isolation. Ash knew that because Dark Ash had done it too.

He had experienced those moments, where silence could break a man’s sanity faster than pain ever could.

But thanks to the demon’s careless self-talk, Ash was able to gain another vital piece of information.

That means... in the novel, the reason no one from the elven race ever joined the fight against the demons was probably because they were already taken down before they could do anything...

And about enslaving the entire race... I don’t know how he plans to do that, but it must be something even worse than death.

Ash’s thoughts grew darker.

If this is what happened with the elves, then is it possible that the other races were also being suppressed by something just like this in the novel?

The idea made sense. And if it was true...

Then I honestly don’t care.

Whether they die or survive, it’s not my problem.

He had already decided what mattered to him. And everything else could burn for all he cared.

And while he was still thinking, right in front of him, all the previously scattered magic circles began to merge.

It was completely unknown phenomenon, even he didn’t knew about it.

One by one, they combined and expanded, becoming even larger than before, pulsing with an ominous glow. From within this enormous, newly formed circle, something terrifying emerged.

It was a massive spear, engulfed entirely in violent violet flames. The fire twisted unnaturally, flickering with demonic intensity, radiating overwhelming heat and malevolent power.

Ash with his still eyes stared at the incoming weapon.

Haha... looks like I really might die this time. But that girl standing behind me... she doesn’t have any kind of Death Rune. If this hits her, she’ll die without a doubt. What should I do...?

His thoughts sped up, trying to find a way out.

I can’t just let her die. I spent so much time helping her, teaching her, and guiding her through those ancient texts. After all that effort, how can she just die without even repaying a single favor?

His brain was moving faster than ever before, every possibility flashing in front of his mind’s eye.

Time was still frozen.

The massive spear had not yet moved, but Ash knew that once it launched, there would be no time to react. If it reached him, he would die instantly, and if it passed him, Serena would be the one to fall.

But how long can he even keep time frozen like this...?

If this is just the power of the demonic heart alone, how terrifying will the actual entity be once it fully awakens?

And as though answering his very thoughts, that twisted, overlapping voice echoed again. It was more focused this time, a little clearer, yet it still sounded like several people speaking in unison.

[Even so, I did not expect this human to be strong enough to force me to use my time manipulation so early.]

[Tch... in my current weakened state, I can only use this once every seven days.]

[I should just end them now, then make contact with those fools and have them assign at least someone to oversee this place.]

Hearing those words, Ash went completely silent.

But inside, his mind accelerated even more. The gears in his head turned like wildfire, using every bit of the information he just learned.

There are two ways I can handle this situation.

First, I can try to go into the Overload state. That should allow me to temporarily force my body to move, even within this frozen time. The mana in my body is frozen, yes—but the mana inside the Primordial Core is not. That alone proves how superior it truly is.

The second option... is to wait. Simply wait for this demonic bastard to end the time stop himself.

Ash weighed the risks.

He was at least 25 % confident he could break the time freeze with Overload. But, it was still not 100% and if Serena died because of his gamble, it would all become meaningless.

Even so, he chose the second option.

If it’s within her fate to live... then she will survive. That’s all there is to it.

It was a cold decision, but not without weight. He had done what he could. He had helped her grow. He had given her knowledge, tools, and power. He had risked his own life more than once. If fate wanted her alive, she would live.

If not... then she wasn’t meant to be part of the future he was building.

He would not throw away his potential for someone he had known for only a month.

Then came the final command from the voice.

"Go. Kill them."

The distorted laugh echoed again, stretching and warping as it filled the space like a plague.

"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!"

Ash watched silently as the massive violet spear began to move. It came toward him like a falling star, cutting through the frozen world without hesitation, radiating pure destruction.

And behind him, Serena stood, completely unaware of the death that was rapidly closing in on her.

***

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