Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Kalamus House (16)
The white light of the endless hall began to distort, as if time itself was breaking into thousands of invisible fragments. In front of Jax appeared a majestic figure, wrapped in a cloak of broken clocks and suspended sands. His eyes were nothing but two spheres that spun endlessly, showing impossible pasts and futures all at once.
The God of Time.
Jax clenched his fists, his breath ragged, and roared in fury.
"Where is that damn bitch...!?"
The God of Time raised a nonexistent brow and, after a heavy silence, let out a deep laugh that echoed like shattered bells.
"I’ll forgive your insolence... but be careful, boy. Don’t play with my patience. If you make me angry..."
Suddenly, a white light identical to the one surrounding Jax burst from the god’s body, though far purer and far more devastating. Everything around them began to crack apart: the infinite void of the hall splintered like glass under unbearable pressure.
The very air grew so dense it felt impossible to breathe. The weight of that energy was so colossal it could have destroyed entire worlds.
But Jax, blood staining his lips, let out a wild laugh.
"I’ve felt worse... a worthless piece-of-shit god like you is nothing."
The God of Time looked at him in silence, then smiled with disturbing calm.
"I see... you met him."
Jax’s eyes narrowed.
"Who? Why don’t you just say his name already?"
The god laughed, the echo sounding like hundreds of clocks striking the final hour.
"Clever... but not clever enough. Do you really think I don’t know? If I spoke his name out loud... even I would be annihilated."
Jax stayed silent, his breathing heavy, his fists trembling with energy. The God of Time watched him with unsettling calm, like a teacher staring at a student who still couldn’t grasp the weight of the lesson.
"You’re furious... I get it. Not being able to save her eats you alive. That helplessness makes you bite every word with rage."
Jax’s eyes burned with a silver glow.
"Shut up."
But the God of Time continued, relentless, his voice dripping like venom disguised as mercy.
"I can give you another chance. One more resurrection... just one. Fate itself can bend to me if I desire it. I’ll allow you to save her..."
The white hall shook at his words. Jax’s eyes widened with a fleeting spark of hope, but the god lifted a hand, stopping him.
"...in exchange for listening to me."
Jax ground his teeth in fury, but finally lowered his head, nodding because he had no other choice.
"Talk... but let’s make one thing clear. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for her."
The God of Time smiled, satisfied. His silhouette flickered slightly, like a distorted reflection on still water.
"We are inside my personal refuge. A space built outside reality, where even the laws of heaven can’t easily spy on us... at least, not so easily."
His eyes, those spinning orbs of past and future, darkened with a heavier tone.
"The last time I used it to talk to you this way, I couldn’t make it this stable. I admit I didn’t think they were monitoring me—or maybe they were monitoring you. But in the end, ’someone’... noticed."
The god paused. His voice trembled faintly, as if even mentioning what had happened burned his tongue.
"He interrogated me. I won’t say more. Not even here. But what happened... left its mark on me. Deeply."
For the first time, Jax sensed fear in that god’s voice.
Silence stretched until the God of Time raised a hand, pulling open the white space like a veil, revealing threads of cosmic energy intertwined within.
"This time I was lucky. I used the GRB. I knew you would come here. That event is far above him, and while it lasts, he can’t descend... but the GRB also allows us to approach you more easily."
Jax watched in silence, brows furrowed, still not trusting him.
The God of Time leaned toward him, voice heavy with gravity.
"Now that I’ve explained the essentials, I want you to understand something. We... are not your enemies. But we are not strong enough to face him either. The Moon Goddess abandoned you to protect you—she tried to buy you some time."
The last word echoed thickly, as if the figure was torn inside. Even if he didn’t say it, it was obvious the price paid by his wife was something she could not bear.
"You must understand. You already have a bounty on your back. They will hunt you like a dog. And believe me... the ones coming after you are infinitely stronger than that spider you barely managed to kill. The power you’re using isn’t the power of creation... it’s the power of the laws."
Jax’s eyes glimmered with surprise, but he didn’t interrupt.
"Get stronger. Fast." The god’s voice was now a command, almost a plea hidden beneath it. "The laws of heaven forbid me from telling you how, but I’ll give you one clue..."
Time itself seemed to halt as he spoke that word.
"Faith."
Before Jax could respond, a thunderous roar tore the void apart.
A golden lightning bolt descended from the white sky and split the hall in two, shattering it like fragile glass. The impact was so violent that the entire space collapsed into shards of light.
The lightning struck the God of Time directly, ripping a roar from him that shook everything.
But even as his form broke apart into fragments, the god shouted:
"Don’t worry... this is just a clone. Heaven’s wrath can’t fully reach me. Be careful, Jax...!"
The echo of his final words faded along with the hall, which collapsed until it became nothing.
Jax’s eyes snapped open, gasping, his heart pounding like a war drum.
He didn’t know if what he’d heard was the truth, or just another manipulation.
But one thing was certain.
The hunt had already begun. And he was the target.
Jax knew that with such an attractive bounty, the entire world would come for him—demons, humans, beasts, sea dwellers... all of creation, against a single man.
"Everyone wants to come at me, huh? Hahaha!"
Jax began laughing uncontrollably as bloodlust filled him completely.
"All against me? Fine... that seems fair."
"If one thousand come, I’ll slaughter one thousand. If ten million come, I’ll kill them all without mercy!"