'Who the hell is this guy?' Kahn asked himself, glaring at the man who stood in his way.
When he first appeared without warning, the first thing Kahn's instinct told him was to flee. Though it shamed him to admit it, he had leaped away on reflex—only to regain his senses later on.
'… To flee from a human just like that…'
Still, he couldn't help but be wary. He hadn't even sensed the man until he appeared and spoke. That spoke volumes of his skill.
'Damn it… if only I wasn't weakened like this…'
The mysterious man began talking to his prey, Jared Leonard, completely ignoring Kahn.
Usually, this would be enough to upset the Shadow Demon and drive him into a fit of rage, but he couldn't afford to do that now.
He was weakened, and also wasn't certain of the skill of the young man who had shown up.
'He's showing so many openings… I can attack him now… I can—'
Kahn didn't know why, but he felt like an invisible barrier made it so that he couldn't reach his foe.
It wasn't a physical or magical barrier, but… it existed in his head.
Kahn's instincts—no, his every being—showed a large gulf that existed between him and the man who was currently talking casually to the half-dead child.
The child wasn't so half-dead anymore once the man snapped his fingers and brilliant sparks of different hues enveloped him.
'I—is that healing…? He's healing the brat? In my presence?!'
Did this man not consider him a threat at all?!
Every human he had met—with the exception of the shady one—had been surprised and appalled by his presence.
Was this perhaps an acquaintance of his partner? No. That couldn't be. Why would he heal the kid if they were on the same side?
The man finally turned to Kahn, causing his dark skin to jump in apprehension.
A smile was on his face—his expression told the Shadow Demon that he was confident.
'He's… how strong is he?'
The aftereffects of Jared's magic made him quite imbalanced. He couldn't get a proper read on his Mana levels, or the extent of the man's strength… so he could only rely on instinct.
And instincts told him that his opponent was dangerous.
"… Jared, just this once… I'll show you my Original Magic. Keep your eyes peeled, okay?" The man spoke, still keeping his eyes on Kahn.
>VWUUUUUUUUMMMMMMM!!!<
Kahn felt like he was crushed by the pressure that was suddenly released. No, he was certainly getting flattened.
The Shadow Demon didn't know when he knelt on the floor, feeling his body tremble before the majesty of a presence that far surpassed his own.
The man before him was shrouded in white particles—light fragments that seemed to emit such radiance—enough to obliterate him. His hair also turned white—same with his pitch-black eyes.
Kahn shuddered upon witnessing this transformation.
"Oh, crap! He fell unconscious already! For real?"
Kahn willed himself to rise. The enemy was distracted by the boy behind him, so the pressure that restrained him had loosened a little.
The Demon glared at his target hatefully, and then determined to take advantage of the man's carelessness.
'I have to strike now! I have to—'
"Not so fast…"
>VWUUUUUUUUMMMMM!!!<
The immense pressure returned—this time stronger than before.
Kahn gulped in fear.
'Shit! I'm too weak… if only I was at full strength!'
"…Do you know why I decided not to attack you, even though you've been emitting such bloodlust for some time now?"
The Demon didn't know.
He had thought the man was acting strangely—not paying any mind to his enemy—while revealing many blind spots.
"… It's because there's no point. You're too weak."
That statement hit Kahn like a sledgehammer.
When was the last time anyone had told him that? How low had he sunk to receive this sort of treatment from a mere human?
'Don't spout such nonsense! It's because I'm weakened! If I wasn't in this sorry state, then—!!!' Kahn growled internally.
"It seems you're not convinced. Then…"
The man lifted his index finger, and atop it stood a ball of pure azure energy. It was so bright and condensed with Mana that Kahn felt like it would kill him.
"Let's try this…"
The swirling orb made its way in Kahn's direction before the Demon could even respond.
'SHIT! I'M GOING TO DI—!!!'
Before he completed his thoughts, the bright blue orb made impact, and then…
>SHWUUUUSHHHH<
… A bright explosion covered the area where Kahn stood. No, it wasn't exactly an explosion. It was simply a surge of power that surrounded everything around the scared Demon.
"W—whu—t?!" Kahn was surprised.
What was this that he was experiencing?
He was still within the explosion, but he wasn't harmed. Instead, a strange sensation filled him up. It felt bizarre—like his power was returning to him, but not quite.
'I'm beginning to feel… the same way I felt before… I feel whole… what's this…?''
Before he knew it, the azure light died out, and a new Kahn emerged from the area of impact. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say the old Kahn.
'This is… me… before I attacked this place… what? How…?'
Kahn was beyond confused by what was happening. It was almost as if he had traveled through—
"—Time. That's the simple answer." Neron interrupted the dark being's thoughts.
Kahn was now whole—at full strength—yet he still felt entirely threatened by the man who casually stood.
"W—what are you saying? Time? But that is only…"
"I reversed your time. Do you understand? Currently, you should be at a form before you ever suffered any injuries. In essence, your prime."
Kahn didn't want to admit it, but the man was right. He was overflowing with so much power that his previous—or would he call it future—self felt pathetic in comparison.
"This is my Original Magic: [All The Time In The World]."
Kahn gulped now.
A man who could control time… just what kind of monster was he?
"I made sure to patch you up to your best form. Do you know why?"
The Shadow Demon was frozen. He couldn't make a single sound. In his mind, a name began surfacing. The name of someone who was supposed to be invincible.
"It's so I can inflict as much pain on you as possible. By reversing your state every time you take damage—as long as you're not dead—I can keep you in suffering."
Kahn shuddered, but the thought wouldn't disappear. This man…
"… Are you… Neron Kaelid…?" He croaked.
In response to his question, the white-haired, absolutely powerful being smiled.
"Yes. And you… are going to pay for what you did here."
