He had a lot of questions, but it was a single thought which stood out in his mind at the moment: this was definitely something that he did not need right now.

That had been his first reaction, but on second thought… What if it was an opportunity?

Knowing that this meeting would give him the answer, he had decided to come early and wait.

While doing so, he watched as the kid was taken away by his sovereigns to a place where he was safe, and at the same time, those that had been about to attack him were left unconscious on the ground, with red cheeks which would make it seem as if they had been slapped to their current state by someone.

Just before leaving, Eloise had also started a rumor regarding how this group of elite a.s.sholes who were all descended from long-standing families of the Big Four were the ones who were most against their status quo being threatened by the actions of the King. Enraged, they had decided to take out their anger on anyone they could find, but in the process, they had been smacked into submission by a group much weaker than them.

Pride was the most important thing for people like these, so Daneel had applauded her idea which was probably more effective than anything else they could have done.

At the same time, in regards to the ongoing efforts to generalize the idea of a G.o.dking existing in the continent, the two had begun to talk to the kid about this concept, and how he could bring his brand of encouragement to it among the sect members.

This was a long shot, but they had to start somewhere, and already, Eloise had come up with something which showed promise.

Time would tell whether it would be effective, and just as Daneel was about to think further about it, a man appeared in front of him.

In that moment, itself… The King of Lanthanor found out that he was not dealing with anyone ordinary.

It was common knowledge that those who were using apparitions to appear in the world would not feel a sense of danger, as their minds knew that the form they were in was expendable, and hence, they did not need to really worry about saving themselves in case there was a threat to their life.

The only thing that they would be losing was a part of their consciousness which could be recovered even though it was extremely painful, but this threat was nothing comparable to the way in which one's instincts would blare if they were in the presence of something that could end their existence.

Daneel knew this, but for the first time… He wondered whether it was really a fact.

The man in front of him was draped in a strange cloak which looked like it was made from the hide of a snake. His face had rugged features and a scraggly beard, and he wasn't buff like a Fighter. Instead, it looked like his body was optimized for speed and strength, as was the norm in a.s.sa.s.sins, but even then, everything that had been described so far didn't really present that much of a threat.

Where everything changed… Was when one looked into his eyes.

Somehow, they gave the feeling as if they commanded a strength that could reach down and attack the core of one's being, no matter where it was hiding, or how well it was guarded. They were the eyes of a snake which could captivate its prey and even make it feel comfortable and smile as fangs dug deep into its veins and released the sweet poison that would take its life, so it was not an overreaction, at all…when Daneel decided to summon his 100 Heroes.

He had been in no mood, whatsoever, to take any chances at all even though he should not have had to be so cautious as his real body was very, very well hidden. This was just too crucial a time for the continent, and hence, Daneel had thrown all stupid concepts of fairness out the window, and had kept both his force of Heroes and that of the Order on standby.

The latter had not been given a reason, but still, the Overseer had gathered them all using an excuse. If necessary, they could be here within a second, and even though Daneel had initially wondered whether it was overkill to use a force of hundreds of Heroes to take on one man…he now knew that he had taken the right decision.

This was even more reinforced by the fact that after seeing the towering Heroes who were all ready to tear him limb from limb, the man from the Tricobra Sect didn't even flinch.

This meant one of two things: one, they were no threat to him, or two, his body, too, was expendable.

Alas, there were many signs which pointed to the first being true, and before Daneel could go over them…the man chuckled and spoke, driving away all doubts from the King's mind.

"Please don't underestimate me, King. You are familiar with our sect, so you must know that we are comprised of a.s.sa.s.sins. An a.s.sa.s.sin is always in complete control of each and every engagement that he deems fit to take part in. I mean no harm to you. But if you try to attack me, I will have no choice but to burn all bridges between us, as it will be an insult to my sect."

As soon as the last word left the man's mouth, he narrowed his eyes, and for a moment…it felt as if the entire world had come to a standstill.

Daneel felt shock coursing through his veins as he looked up to see an arc of lighting that had been about to strike at a place a few hundred meters above their head pause and slow down, with each and every branch of its mesmerizing structure visible for him to see.

He was using the Basilisk's Breath ever since he had come here so that he wouldn't be caught off guard, so even though it was moving slowly, because of the exacerbated effect, it felt as if it had completely stopped.

Just as this thought came in his head, though, his eyes widened, as he had just realized something.

Why did this feel…eerily similar to the technique which he had just thought of?

He had obtained it a long while back, but even after all these years…its effectiveness had not waned one bit. True, it did not give him as much of an advantage as it used to due to the fact that Heroes had incredible power which allowed them to reach speeds he could not contend with even if he used the technique, but outside of battles, it was still incredibly useful as it allowed him to have more time to do anything.

Perhaps the most amazing thing was that it hardly cost anything, and now that he thought about it…he saw that it was probably the most unique technique he had come across in all his time on this continent.

First and foremost, even its name had been given to it by the system, which had said that it was apt. It had been derived in a hidden form from a rule set down in the Hidden Kill Sect, and at first, he had a.s.sumed that all the sect members could use it with the same effectiveness as him.

It was only later that he had found out that it was a precious inheritance meant to be obtained by those who were worthy, and even then, he had chalked up its specialty to the system, which had done the deriving part.

In numerous instances thereafter, he had been exposed to all the things which set it apart from all other Inheritances and techniques, but taking it as just something which had been created by fluke and could not be improved, he had continued to use it.

Now, though…he wondered whether he had been making a blunder all this while.

As if to tell him that he was right, the system spoke up in his mind.

[Technique resonance in effect. Advanced form of 'Basilisk's Breath' detected. Phenomena a.n.a.lysis Module is attempting to a.n.a.lyze the technique. a.n.a.lysis failed. Reason: Complexity too high. Please upgrade system for successful a.n.a.lysis.]

He was right!

What…in h.e.l.l was going on?

How could someone from the Tricobra Sect have an advanced form of a technique that was supposed to have originated on Angaria?

How could it even advance to a form where it could ACTUALLY slow down time? Wasn't that just G.o.dly?

Was time even being slowed down? Or was it all an illusion being caused by one's mind? Was reality really being affected, or was it all in their heads?

At the moment, the last question seemed to be the most pertinent, so Daneel asked the system.

All of this would seem as if it was taking time, but that was not the case: only a fraction of a second had pa.s.sed since the last word had left the mouth of the man from the Tricobra Sect, and right now, even his face was still set in the same position, as it had not had time to move, yet.

[Responding to host: elementary particles a.n.a.lyzed from area around host dictate that time is pa.s.sing normally. However, host's and host's Heroes' bodies have been trapped in a field of elementary particles that have slowed down time for all those under the effect of the technique. It is similar to the technique used by the individual known as 'Ashah.e.l.l', who changes the perception of time of an opponent by manipulating their mind. As intruding into one's mind is a complex and difficult process, the Path of that individual is meant to act on one opponent, and even then, it does not guarantee success if the opponent's mind is of a higher complexity than that of the individual. In the case of host's opponent, no intrusion into the mind is necessary: the field of elementary particles directly place those under attack into a different 'frame', in which they feel as if time has slowed down to a crawl. Hence, this technique is infinitely more complex than that of the individual known as 'Ashah.e.l.l', and it can also be used on multiple foes. If executed well, it essentially gives one a period of invincibility, without fail, in which one can do as they please.]

Holy…c.r.a.p.

Even Daneel had been reminded of his old foe, Ashah.e.l.l, but he could never have thought that the two techniques could be this different.

It was essentially like comparing a handgun to a bazooka, and hence, it also explained why the system couldn't a.n.a.lyze it, at all.

Well, some of his questions had been answered…but how was it related to the Basilisk's Breath?

Right as he got this question, the system spoke again.

[Technique resonance has been a.n.a.lyzed to show that the same individual has created both techniques. Also, the techniques were created in such a way that this resonance would occur, which would be able to be detected by both casters of the techniques.]

"WHAT?!"

"WHAT?!"

This was the last straw for Daneel. Unable to take it anymore, he shouted out his question, and at the same time…it was heard from somewhere else, too.

Time went back to normal a moment later, but the two who had just exclaimed loudly were looking into each other's eyes, with myriad questions floating around their minds.

Finally, it was the man from the Tricobra Sect who opened his mouth first and spoke in a halting voice.

"You…are the inheritor of that person? When we took her into our sect, she told us that one more would follow…but to think that it would be you! This…changes everything."