RE: LORD OF TIME

Kevin stood in the middle of the battle arena ring, his eyes closed as he waited for William.

Although he had left the class earlier, he had still received all the information about what had happened in the class, including the fact that William had a Legendary Grade Trait.

Although surprised, he was still certain that he would be able to defeat William easily.

As the thought of Legendary Grade Trait surfaced in his mind, Kevin couldn’t help but look at his own trait.

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---) Dread Sovereign (Legendary Grade): Grants its wielder dominion over fear and allows them to exert overwhelming pressure upon the minds of their enemies. The wielder’s presence naturally generates an invisible aura of Fear that suppresses the courage and fighting spirit of their opponents. Enemies with weak mental fortitude may find their bodies trembling, their thoughts becoming sluggish, and their ability to control Aether Energy severely weakened. Once the target is severely affected by Fear Aura and loses their courage, the wielder can manipulate their fear and condense it into Dread Force, which can be used to strengthen attacks or directly assault an opponent’s mind.

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Dread Sovereign was a terrifying trait that could essentially turn anyone with weaker willpower into a scared cat without Kevin even needing to fight them.

Kevin had tested his trait in a Rank One Astral Rift, and all the monsters he came across, including those at the peak of the Star Warrior Realm, had lowered their heads as soon as they met him, trembling in fear.

Even when he killed them, they did not dare to fight back, as the Fear Aura generated by the Dread Sovereign Trait completely overwhelmed them.

’Even some Early Stage Star Commander-level monsters and people find it difficult to resist my Fear Aura. So what if that commoner also has a Legendary Grade Trait? The instant he steps onto the ring, he won’t even be able to lift his head before me, much less fight.’

While he was thinking, Kevin noticed a commotion suddenly break out among the audience.

He opened his eyes and saw a young man with black hair and green eyes walking toward him. His hands were inside his pockets, and despite the numerous gazes fixed on him, he walked toward the ring with an indifferent expression.

On one of the top stands, Noah was standing with a young man who looked around twenty years old.

The man had light brown hair, black eyes, and a handsome face. He stared at William, who was calmly walking toward the ring, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"What’s wrong, President?"

"It’s nothing." The man shook his head. "I just feel like something interesting is going to happen today."

Professor Norman, who had come to the battle arena after the class ended was also standing on one of the top stands, looking at William.

He couldn’t help but recall what had happened when William tested his trait, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Let’s see if what I noticed earlier was right or not."

Similarly, there were many other people who were paying close attention to the battle arena.

In one of the stands, Dominick stood while holding a palm-sized sphere. The sphere was perfectly capturing the area William was in, broadcasting everything live to a certain person who was lazily lying on a bed.

As soon as William stepped onto the ring, he felt that the temperature around the ring was far lower than outside, making him shiver slightly.

He knew that it was the effect of the Fear Aura generated by Kevin’s trait. Although Kevin was controlling his trait because the match hadn’t started yet, it was still affecting the surroundings.

’A powerful trait indeed...’

William thought as he stopped around ten meters away from Kevin.

"I thought you wouldn’t dare to come," Kevin spoke in a cold voice.

"Sorry for making you wait. I encountered a freak on the way, so I got delayed a bit."

Kevin’s mind paused for a second, as he had also heard about what had happened from his minions.

Though he was a bit skeptical about Edrin having such a strange taste, he didn’t care about it since he wasn’t close to him anyway.

"Let’s go, Kevin! Beat him up!"

"Show him what you have got!"

"If you are going to break his legs, don’t forget the third one. Break that as well!"

"Yeah, he even called you a mama’s boy in class, a crybaby who runs to his mother whenever something happens. Teach him a lesson!"

Numerous shouts reached William and Kevin’s ears from the audience stands. Some were normal, while others made both of them twitch their mouths.

Taking a deep breath, Kevin cleared his mind and spoke coldly.

"Let’s get started. I don’t have the entire day to waste on you."

As he spoke, he looked to the side.

A man in his mid-thirties nodded when he saw Kevin looking at him and immediately activated the ring, causing a barrier to cover it entirely so that their attacks wouldn’t harm the people in the audience.

Other than them, there was no one inside the ring. The ring was covered by many arrays that ensured the safety of students battling on it, so there was no need for a referee to stand on the ring and keep everything under control.

"I hope you won’t fold immediately."

As soon as the barrier was activated, Kevin stopped controlling his Fear Aura, letting it spread without restraint.

William immediately felt the temperature around the ring drop significantly, making a chill run down his spine.

At the same time, a strange force enveloped his entire being, trying to make him fall into an abyss of despair and allow his fear to take control of him.

For a moment, his entire body trembled, and dreadful scenes from the original timeline came flooding into his mind, making it difficult for him to breathe properly.

He saw Rosco Barony being attacked by a Monster Tide, swallowing everything in its path. By the time the news reached him and he returned home, all he saw were the ruins of the place that was once his hometown.

His home had been reduced to a pile of rubble, with only traces of blood and gore remaining there that indicated someone had once lived there.

He could only stand before the ruins with a blank expression, feeling nothing but despair.

Then, the scene shifted, and the happy times he had spent with his friends flashed through his mind, but those happy moments were soon replaced by the scenes of their deaths.

Some died inside Astral Rifts, some were killed because of the schemes of nobles, while others died on the battlefield during the war against the Abyss.

All the fears that he had hidden deep inside his heart began to eat away at him from within under the effect of the Fear Aura of the Dread Sovereign Trait.

To the people outside, the instant the ring was covered by the barrier and the match started, they saw William’s body begin trembling.

"What’s wrong with that guy?"

"Of course, he is afraid just by standing before Kevin. Can’t you see how his body is trembling?"

"Hahaha, and here I thought he would at least be able to put up a decent fight since he has a Legendary Grade Trait."

"A commoner is just a commoner after all. How can he stand before us and remain unfazed?"

Some of the commoners from Class A, who had seen everything that had happened in the class, couldn’t help but show disappointed expressions.

After seeing William so easily block Kevin’s sneak attack in the class, they had thought he would be able to face him.

But seeing him trembling in fear just by standing in front of him, they shook their heads in disappointment.

"What’s wrong with William?" Liam couldn’t help but ask in a worried voice.

"I am not sure what kind of trait that guy Kevin has. But I heard from my brother that it seems to be something that directly affects a person’s mind and soul. It looks like he was telling the truth, and William is currently being affected by his trait."

"Something that directly affects a person’s soul and mind?" A look of shock appeared on Liam’s face.

"Then can he overcome the effect of his trait?"

"I don’t know." Alicia shook her head, a deep frown appearing on her face. "But if he fails to overcome the effect of the trait, he will definitely lose."

"President, it seems like although his strength is good, his mental fortitude isn’t strong enough," Noah couldn’t help but say upon seeing the scene on the ring.

"Hmm..." The man with brown hair didn’t say anything and simply stared at the ring.

Norman also stared at the ring with narrowed eyes. Despite the barrier covering the ring, he could clearly see that although William’s body was trembling, his aura was still perfectly under his control, with no sign of him losing focus.

"What is this lad trying to do?"

He couldn’t help but mutter, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Just then, he noticed something, and for the first time in many years, he lost control of his emotions and his eyes widened.

"How is that possible? His control over his trait has already reached the second stage—the Outer Manifestation Realm."

In fact, it wasn’t just Norman. Many powerful people, including the brown-haired man who had come with Noah, had their eyes widened as they stared at the ring in the battle arena.

On the ring, the instant he fully released the power of his trait, Kevin noticed William freeze in place, his head lowered slightly as his body continued to tremble.

For a moment, he was taken aback because he didn’t expect William to lose himself to his fear so soon.

But the next second, he couldn’t help but show a look of disdain.

"And here I thought you would be able to face me for a few minutes at least," He muttered in a low voice and walked toward William.

Stopping before him, Kevin noticed that because William’s head was lowered, his eyes were hidden behind his hair, preventing him from seeing them clearly.

But even without looking into his eyes, Kevin could tell that they were completely dazed at the moment, with William’s consciousness already lost inside his fear.

"I told you to bring someone you know because you won’t be able to walk back on your own..." As he spoke, Kevin threw a punch right at William’s face.

"I am a man of my word, so I will make sure you understand what it means to mess with someone completely out of your league."

"Watch out!"

Liam couldn’t help but shout when he saw this, though his voice was lost among the crowd even before it could reach William.

Just as the punch was about to hit William—

"I always thought I had overcome my fears..."

William’s low voice reached Kevin’s ears, and his eyes widened in shock.

Bang!

His punch was caught by a hand just a few centimeters away from William’s face.

"But to think I never overcame them and was just hiding them deep within my heart."

William slowly raised his head, and his green eyes, which still seemed lost in the memories, met Kevin’s blue eyes.

"If it wasn’t for you, it would have taken a long time for me to realize that I still have a long way to go before I can overcome them."

"You..."

Kevin couldn’t understand what William was saying, but as he tried to pull his hand back, he found that the grip on his hand seemed even stronger than the one he had experienced inside the classroom.

William took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.

"Since you have helped me, I will also show you how to use your trait properly."

Buzzzz!!!

As William spoke, the surrounding air began to vibrate, and an invisible domain unfolded around him, making Kevin feel as if his entire body were being stabbed by countless sharp swords.

William gently pushed Kevin back.

But to Kevin, this gentle push was so powerful that his entire body was pushed several meters backward, his feet dragging across the ground.

"Letting the power of your trait run wild is not the way to use it..." As William spoke, the trembling of the surrounding air intensified.

Woosh!

Blood Moon appeared in his hand, and its entire blade vibrated as if humming a happy song.

"Only by taking full control of your trait yourself and using its power according to your wishes can you project its true power into the outside world."

Buzzzz!!!

A sword hum echoed across the surroundings, making everyone feel a sharp pain inside their heads.

Although he couldn’t see it with his eyes, Kevin seemed to feel a domain of swords enveloping the entire ring, shredding apart the Fear Aura he was releasing through his trait.

RIP!

The leather armor he was wearing began to tear apart, as if someone were cutting it with an impossibly sharp sword and many bloody wounds appeared on his body.

William raised Blood Moon above his head, and the invisible domain began to shake violently, turning the surrounding air into countless wisps of sharp sword energy.

"Try your best to survive." He said calmly and brought the sword down.

As he did, the entire blade of the Blood Moon vibrated, and most of William’s Aether Energy disappeared in an instant.

Rendering Moon Slash!

The entire sword domain covering the ring transformed into a brilliant sea of sword light that engulfed the entire arena.

Kevin watched as the world before him turned into a sea of sword light, and before he could react, his entire figure was swallowed by it.