The moment he spoke, an invisible slash wave appeared simultaneously across Aiden's chest, delivering a deep cut while the impact shot him backward with tremendous force that sent him flying all the way until he slammed into the massive gates keeping the denizens of the demon realm at bay.

Without warning Dravion had sent Aiden back using an attack from Longinus that was sure to hit no matter what.

The original Cronyssia who guarded the gates widened her eyes as she saw Aiden tossed back like that and crashing against the side of the very gate she'd been protecting.

This time the blow was even more powerful than before and his HP declined accordingly.

[HP: 5800/12000]

Every single time variant of Cronyssia immediately used their time authority as they stretched their hands toward Dravion.

Each one activated an ability to stop time, and the combined effect kept Dravion static in place.

It took exactly thirty time variants working together to successfully make Dravion succumb to the effects of time being stopped.

However this was only a new challenge that the Demon King's special abilities had started adapting to, so this timestop itself was only going to be temporary.

It was then in that moment that the voice of the original Cronyssia came forth from behind. "Everyone, guard the gate!"

Every variant nearby, including those hovering in the sky, immediately stopped trying to hold Dravion in a timestop and instead focused it on the giant lock, which had started to show more cracks after the original briefly released her hold over it.

The variants in the skies even started summoning more versions of themselves because they would need far more hands over that seal in order to at least replicate the level of power the original had been applying.

Dravion who looked like he was recovering from the disorienting feeling of the timestop authority, didn't get a chance to react further when the original who had stepped into the fray yelled out with power resonating in her voice.

"That is enough from you, Samael!"

Her voice carried along with it the full weight of her time authority which washed over Dravion and encased him in an invisible bubble.

This bubble was a Time Loop.

The time loop placed Dravion in a zone where the events of the last half-hour repeated continuously without end.

Inside the loop he would experience the same sequence over and over again, living through his conversation with Cronyssia's variant, his brief clash with Aiden, and his attempt to close the distance before the loop reset him back to the beginning.

The difference in power between the original and her time variants was at that point significantly established.

The original Cronyssia knew with certainty that her time loop would be able to keep the Demon King being housed by Dravion at bay until his body was unable to keep up and would inevitably be destroyed.

She had also chosen to use this instead of stopping time or regressing him or aging him because Dravion had continuously adapted to those techniques over the last hour.

And so even if her version of those skills were going to be much stronger as the original, it wouldn't hold him as long as a skill he hadn't adapted to would.

—

Aiden on the other hand had actually been healed by the original.

In fact it was the first thing she'd stopped to do after deciding to abandon the timestop at the gate.

She had quickly reverted his state to his optimum level before telepathically communicating to him that she would deal with this, before moving toward the demon lord.

And so the moment Aiden saw the other variants turning around to apply their timestops at the gate, he decided that there was no better time to use this than now.

Even if it was going to help the situation by whatever little amount.

He turned and stretched his hands toward the gate and called out. "Time Stop."

This was the temporary boon that had been granted him by the variant of Cronyssia he had met at that S-rank dungeon.

And its effect was going to last up until he stopped casting it.

The strength of the timestop was currently as strong as any of the other time variants.

Perhaps his role today was not to be the hero that saved the day but instead a much-needed support.

———

Dravion was currently undergoing a countless repetition of events within that bubble, experiencing a replay of the exchange between him and the variant alongside Aiden over and over again.

Dravion within this time loop knew he was in a time loop but couldn't stop himself from repeating the scenarios.

Of course his adaptive abilities were also trying to adapt to the situation and break out but this was going to take much more time.

It had taken him about eight days after leaving the dungeon to adapt and evolve beyond the time field created by the original.

Coincidentally, not long after Aiden and his party entered that same field, Dravion finally overcame it and moved in through it.

And so if this time loop was anything like the strength of the time field, it definitely was going to take him just as long to adapt and evolve past it, and that luxury of time he didn't have.

However even this situation presented itself with best advantage the Demon King could have hoped for.

In fact, from within the demon realm, a grin revealing sharp fangs spread across his face as he muttered quietly, "Right where I want you."

And in that instant a swelling mass of purplish dark energy burst forth from Dravion, widening Cronyssia's eyes and sending chills down the spines of her variants and Aiden, who couldn't help but turn their heads.

This energy, this presence, it wasn't just that of a demon lord's.

This was the Demon King's presence. It felt like he himself was standing before them.

He forced out much more of his power through Dravion's body, and the evidence became clear when the Longinus spear's invisible form began taking on greater substance.

The flickering edges solidified into sharp lines and the shadowy shaft grew darker and more defined.

With that burst of energy, Dravion had adapted and evolved past the time loop and reeled himself free from its constraints.

Dravion's body at this point revealed several purple cracks of light spreading across his skin, which signified that his inevitable end was here but not before he was able to deal one final blow of death.

The shocked Cronyssia was just about to cast another time authority skill when instantly Dravion hurled the Longinus at her.

A spear that moved without the concept of distance while carrying the power of a sure hit proved far too great for even the Dragon of Time.

Before her intended attack could be released that spear had driven through her chest and pierced directly into her dragon's heart.

Cronyssia let out a scream that shook the entire edge of the realm and so did her time variants who began disappearing one after the other like flames being snuffed out.

"No…" Aiden whispered as he realized that with each time variant disappearing more cracks appeared on the giant chains and lock that sealed the demon realm.

Without a doubt, should the last variant disappear, this seal was inevitably going to break and the end of the world as they knew it would follow.

But it was also in that moment that a certain voice rang back into the mind of the dragon Cronyssia who had only just fallen.

"Let us in, Sister…"

This was the voice of Syqora, the Dragon of Destiny.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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