Kartora instantly retracted her temporal domain, her expression tensing as she scanned her surroundings for any change.

But the next moment, she felt it—an overwhelming surge of energy erupting from every direction.

Blinding beams of gold and silver light burst forth around her, flooding the space like divine lances descending from the heavens.

In less than a heartbeat, those radiant streams converged upon her, and the entire world was engulfed in searing brilliance.

Kartora's body was instantly scorched—turned into charred remains by the unbearable divine heat.

Yet even as her form disintegrated, Kartora's lips moved slightly. She had already prepared for this.

At the very moment her body began to collapse, she triggered her divine ability: [Temporal Traverse].

The timeline shuddered.

Reality rippled, and in the blink of an eye, the world rewound itself to the very instant when her battle with Kalbira had just begun.

This time, however, Kartora did not strike first.

Instead, she stood still, her expression calm but grave, and said quietly, "This battle between us is meaningless. You cannot truly harm me—and I cannot fuse with you."

Both of them knew she was right.

No matter how fiercely they fought, there could be no decisive victor. To defeat the other would require centuries—perhaps even millennia—of unending conflict.

For beings who commanded the Authority of Time, wounds were temporary.

If either of them was injured, she could simply reverse the flow of her personal timeline, erasing the damage as if it had never existed.

Thus, what began as a battle of will and domain soon became a test of endurance and divine energy.

It was not about who struck harder—but about who could outlast the other.

Eventually, the one whose divine power ran dry first would lose everything.

Of course, reversing time came at a cost. It consumed divine energy, though not an excessive amount.

And for Fake Gods, who possessed near-limitless reserves of faith-born power, even that consumption was negligible.

To kill someone like Kartora or Kalbira outright, one would need to achieve the impossible—a single, fatal blow that left no time to reverse.

But such a thing was nearly impossible when time itself bent to their command.

Just as the equilibrium of their standoff seemed to settle into a weary stalemate, Kalbira's expression changed.

A faint, meaningful smile tugged at her lips—a smile both mysterious and unnerving.

"Kartora," she said softly, "you overestimate yourself."

"You seem to have forgotten something important—my followers are not limited to mere Fake Gods."

Her voice lowered, carrying the weight of ancient years.

"Do you remember what Lord Crossbridge once told us? He mentioned that our old friends—the ones who ascended to godhood—took only tens of thousands of years to reach their thrones."

"But I…" Kalbira's smile deepened, her eyes gleaming with divine radiance. "I have waited for this moment for over a million years. Do you truly think my preparations would be anything less than perfect?"

Kartora's pupils contracted sharply.

A wave of dread prickled through her body.

She turned her head—and immediately sensed them.

Behind her, several Demigod-rank presences emerged from the temporal void, their auras immense and suffocating.

Their divine pressure rippled through the frozen timestream, distorting even the air itself.

Kartora's face paled.

Without hesitation, she attempted to open a portal—to escape this sealed pocket of time before Kalbira's reinforcements could surround her.

But when the glowing doorway materialized, something was wrong.

A dense, unfamiliar sigil glimmered across its surface—lines of golden runes intertwining with silver light.

Her heart sank.

The portal had been sealed.

Across the rift, Kalbira's voice echoed coldly.

"Kartora, I already gave you a chance. You chose not to leave."

"Now, that chance is gone."

Her tone was calm, but it carried an edge sharper than any blade.

"I'll give you one final choice. You may merge with me willingly… or I will erase you completely and take your place."

She raised her hand, divine energy swirling like molten light.

"I know that by doing so, I will also create within myself a future Inner God, a shadow of rebellion waiting to awaken within my mind."

"But to become a true god—this is not only your obsession. It is mine as well."

Her words reverberated through the fractured space, each syllable heavy with conviction.

The frozen timestream trembled under the weight of their power.

Meanwhile, within the Corridor of Time—

Daniel stood before a radiant, ethereal figure. A mermaid of exquisite beauty, her azure tail shimmering beneath the pale light of the suspended realm.

Her name was Isabella.

Daniel's voice was low, measured. "Isabella, do you wish to leave this place?"

Ever since he had entered this realm through the portal, Daniel had sensed that something was deeply wrong.

He could no longer access the Time Stream. No matter how he tried, he could not return to the earlier point in history.

That segment of the timeline—the one he had just left—had been sealed off… or erased.

Only one being could have done such a thing.

Kartora.

Or more precisely, the puppet Kartora, the fragment that called itself Kalbira.

Daniel exhaled slowly. His decision to come here had indeed been reckless.

And now the situation was almost beyond repair—an irreversible paradox.

He despised such situations. He loathed creating worlds that could not be fixed.

But for now, he had no choice but to deal with what lay before him.

The mermaid—Isabella—looked up at him, her lips curling into a sweet, playful smile.

"Well, handsome," she purred, "are you finally planning to let me out?"

Her voice was honeyed, her tone laced with charm. "If you set me free, I'll let you do whatever you want with me."

Daniel's expression did not change.

He had long grown immune to her temptations. He could read every flicker of thought behind her glimmering eyes.

Isabella's charm had no effect on him anymore.

He simply looked at her, calm and distant, and said, "I can let you leave this place."

For the briefest instant, Isabella froze.

Then her eyes widened, sparkling with excitement and disbelief.

"Really?" she breathed. "You've actually decided?"

"Are you sure you won't regret it? Don't forget, as weak as I may seem, I'm still Demigod-rank."

Her tail flicked lazily through the air, scattering ripples of faint blue light. Her smile deepened, half teasing, half dangerous.

"Tell me, Daniel—aren't you afraid I'll come back to take revenge once I'm free?"

Her voice was melodious, but her eyes glinted with challenge.

Daniel knew what she was doing.

She was probing him—testing his resolve, convinced he would not dare release her.

Without a word, Daniel raised his hand.

The Universal Gauntlet materialized around his arm, shimmering with cosmic runes.

The moment its power activated, the ancient seal left by Aurelia—the Goddess of Gold and Silver—shattered like glass.

Light flared across the chamber.

Isabella froze in astonishment, blinking rapidly. She stared at him as though unable to believe what had just happened.

Then her red lips parted in a slow, sultry smile. She licked them delicately and said, "Well, well… you're actually serious."

"Tell me the truth, little brother—have you fallen for me?"

She laughed softly, her tone dripping with mischief. "Don't worry. I'll keep my promise. If you release me, I'll do anything you desire."

Daniel's mouth twitched in mild irritation. Without replying, he lowered his hand.

The Universal Gauntlet faded from existence—

—and at that very instant, Aurelia's seal surged back, reforming in a storm of divine symbols. The binding energy coiled around Isabella, locking her in place once more.

Her smile froze.

Daniel's voice was cold. "If you say one more word of nonsense, you'll never leave this place again."

For once, Isabella fell silent.

Her posture softened, her expression turning meek and pitiful. She looked up at Daniel like a scolded kitten—eyes wide, lips trembling—an image that could melt anyone's heart.

Daniel, however, did not waver.

Still, a hint of amusement flickered in his gaze. He could tell she was frightened.

Isabella had been sealed for ages—isolated in this stagnant corridor for longer than mortal minds could fathom. Now, at the edge of freedom, she feared ruining her one chance with a careless word.

When Daniel saw that she had calmed down, he nodded slightly.

Once again, he summoned the Universal Gauntlet, divine light wrapping around his arm like a miniature galaxy.

This time, he did not hold back.

He poured his will into the gauntlet, unleashing a pulse of raw, universal energy. The seal of Aurelia shattered completely—its fragments dissolving into motes of silver dust.

Isabella gasped. The heavy pressure that had bound her for eons lifted.

For the first time in countless ages, she could breathe freely.

She stretched slightly, her scales glimmering with iridescent hues, her eyes reflecting a mixture of awe and gratitude.

Then, for once, her voice turned serious.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you for freeing me."

The sincerity in her tone was genuine—so pure that even Daniel hesitated for a fraction of a second.

But the moment passed.

Because in the next heartbeat, Isabella's divine aura flared.

Her Charm Domain unfolded.

A wave of hypnotic energy radiated from her body, washing over Daniel like a tide of fragrant warmth.

The air thickened with intoxicating allure—each breath laced with temptation, each heartbeat syncing with her rhythm.

For a fleeting moment, Daniel felt the pull—the whisper of desire brushing against his thoughts.

But then, everything changed.

The seductive warmth dissolved, transforming into a serene, tranquil current.

The Charm Domain shifted, evolving into something pure—a field that cleansed all lust and calmed the soul.

The temptation was gone, replaced by clarity.

Before him, Isabella's form shimmered, her demeanor transforming.

Gone was the teasing siren who smiled like sin itself.

In her place stood a woman of cold, noble beauty—an untouchable ice goddess, serene and distant as the moon.

And yet, despite the transformation, one thing remained unchanged—

Isabella's beauty still captivated the world.

Her presence, whether alluring or austere, remained breathtaking beyond words.

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