Leaving the city, Enzo went straight for the mountains. His speed was slow, almost lazy, as if the idea of danger had never crossed his mind. Yet when he reached halfway up the apex, his steps softened, every movement measured.

A faint smile crept across his face as he glanced through the corner of his eyes. The old tyrant from the alliance was capable, he would admit that much. Still, whatever storm brewed between Enzo and Weavetech was never meant to be his burden.

He could only help him so far.

"Well… it's rude to keep your opponent waiting," Enzo smiled, a spinning dagger sliding into his palm.

On the snow mountain, the dagger whirled violently, shredding every flake that dared drift too close. Snow vanished around it, erased midair, as if the mountain itself was being carved away.

Enzo stood there, still and coiled, like a beast mid-hunt, eyes sharp, breath calm.

From several corners of the mountain, figures began to surface. It was not that they had arrived just now, but that they had been there long before, hidden until time itself decided to reveal them.

"What's the rush? You weren't going to make it up there regardless," a young man said, spinning clocks reflected endlessly in his eyes as he drew a curved war sword.

"Yes, don't be in such a hurry to die," a second voice followed, cold and amused.

Their numbers climbed to five, each presence heavy, oppressive. Every single one of them was a Sanctified Weaver.

It was an absurd sight, five sanctified ganging up on what should have been a common weaver.

Yet Enzo felt no fear. Not even a flicker. In fact, the grin on his face deepened, as though this was exactly how he wanted it.

The first to move was the young man with clocks in his eyes. One moment he was there, the next he vanished, only to reappear beside Enzo with his blade crashing down with full force.

Enzo did not meet the strike. He slipped past it, body twisting as he slid to the man's side, dagger driving toward his stomach in a clean, ruthless stab.

In the past, Enzo relied too heavily on his shadows to escape danger. They had saved him countless times, turning lethal blows into near misses.

But after his second voyage, after hunting demi gods and clashing even with a god, he had learned restraint.

Power that worked once would not always work again. Against the wrong opponent, against an ability that could counter it, a single mistake would end everything.

So as he stabbed forward, Enzo kept his eyes open, mind sharp, already waiting for retaliation.

And just as he expected, it came.

Another assailant appeared from the side, his kick slamming into Enzo's midsection and sending him flying through the snow. Enzo could not evade it, but he twisted enough to protect his core.

For a brief moment, it felt as though they had overwhelmed him.

Until—

Woosh.

The man who had struck Enzo was suddenly swallowed by roaring flames. Fire wrapped around him endlessly, climbing his body with merciless hunger.

"Ahhh!!!" His scream tore through the mountain as his skin blackened and peeled, agony stretching every second into eternity.

"What the…" The youth with the ticking eyes frowned, then his expression hardened as he stared at the burning figure before him.

The flames were not ordinary.

They carried a faint, unmistakable trace of divinity.

Those flames burned unnaturally, refusing to die down, licking at flesh with patient cruelty.

"Don't let him touch you for ten seconds," the young man with strange eyes barked, already retreating and forcing distance between them.

From his pocket, he pulled out a small picture scene, its surface shimmering faintly. He poured all his energy into it, veins standing out as the artifact responded.

If Enzo wanted to play with divine artifacts, then he would play him to death.

"You think I'll give you ten seconds?" Enzo asked calmly, his figure vanishing only to appear directly in front of him.

The young man's eyes widened. Normally, his companions would have already surrounded Enzo, buying him time to fully prepare. Seeing the gap like this filled him with rage.

Yet it was not their fault.

To the side, a giant obsidian lady swung her great sword in wide arcs, each swing cracking the frozen ground. Above her, a bat-like nightmare creature hovered, raining down vicious aerial strikes.

Instead of pinning Enzo down, Enzo had forced them into survival.

"Let me take a look at that," Enzo said lightly, reaching out toward the picture.

The young man barely managed to retreat again, narrowly restoring distance, creating an uneasy standstill between them.

"Catch."

This time, Enzo did not close in. Several claw-shaped slashes burst forward instead, coated in deep red light that tore through the air.

Void cutters.

A weapon unmistakable in nature.

It allowed Enzo to copy five divine powers, using them freely but within limits, their true might diluted yet still terrifying.

Even so, it would eventually run dry. Just not before Enzo inflicted serious damage.

"This isn't how we planned it," the young man cursed. He had activated a demi god treasure, each strike crashing against him and dispersing harmlessly.

But safety came at a cost.

He was locked in place.

"No… this doesn't make sense. I'm sanctified. How is an exalted suppressing me like this?" His frustration boiled over.

Gritting his teeth, he made a decision.

In the next second, he activated his hidden talent, sacrificing his grip on the demi god weapon entirely.

Time around Enzo visibly slowed. Snowflakes hung suspended, movements dragging as if trapped in thick syrup.

"This is the god of time passing," Enzo thought calmly.

From what he knew, Weavetech was divided among five great families, each controlling a distinct concept.

The wielder he had killed on Earth belonged to the old times family.

Their power aged opponents rapidly while feeding strength back to the user, a dreadful ability. One that would have terrified Enzo once.

Not anymore.

Their tracking methods were already useless against him, yet the emergence of a new family's temporal influence was still deeply unwelcome.

"Get use to it"

Enzo whispered to himself, allowing the foreign power to wash over his body, neither resisting nor welcoming it fully.

The key was survival. Endure long enough, feel it, understand it. One day, he would storm Weavetech just like his predecessor, carving a bloody path all the way to their highest echelons.

That future would not come easily.

The young man would never allow it peacefully.

The instant he sensed Enzo's guard slacken, he lunged forward, curved blade crashing down toward Enzo's head with murderous intent.

Cling!!

The strike was blocked, metal screaming as power collided. Enzo was forced back several meters, boots carving deep lines into the snow.

Blood slipped from the corner of his mouth. Even so, the attack was still something he could not endure head on.

"Endure," Enzo growled, fingers tightening around his dagger.

"Hm?" The young man frowned, confusion flickering across his face. He had struck with full force, under the influence of halted time.

That block should have been impossible.

"Again."

Hesitating only for a heartbeat, he struck once more. Then again. Then again.

Each blow carried lethal intent, curved steel guided by frozen moments. Each time, Enzo shattered the suppression, slipping through the cracks of time itself and preserving his life.

"This is unnatural," the young man muttered, finally noticing the flow of energy within him weakening. His face twisted as he cursed inwardly.

Before he could decide his next move—

"Who?!!!"

A gut wrenching voice tore through the skies. The air trembled as a lone figure descended violently, presence crushing the mountain beneath it.

"Tyrant!! Retreat!!"

No further explanation was needed. One after another, the sanctified activated their life saving treasures, vanishing through distorted methods, space folding around them unnaturally.

"I'll kill you next time, I promise," the young man with clocks for eyes shouted, his form blurring before fading completely.

"Or I'll be the one to kill you," Enzo replied calmly with a mocking look.

He straightened, watching the lingering effects of halted time dissolve, snow beginning to fall once more as the world resumed its breath, time settling back into its proper flow, the mountain grew quiet once more.

High above, Master White descended slowly, fists clenched, breath heavy as his eyes swept across the scarred terrain. Broken snow, scorched earth, lingering traces of power all spoke clearly of what had occurred.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips as he coughed slightly.

He had expected Enzo to wait. To exercise patience. Instead, the boy had nearly walked straight into death before he arrived.

"We're going back," he said flatly, already turning away, no questions asked, no explanations demanded.

Seeing this, Enzo followed without hesitation. His steps were light, almost carefree, a sly smile resting on his face as though he had just experienced something amusing rather than narrowly escaping disaster.

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