Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1090: Catalyst

(Meanwhile, in the wider universe, the Great Clan Gods)

The failed attempt to assassinate Mauriss weighed heavily on the Great Clan Gods, as it left them in a constant state of unease, as they felt uncertain of when the Deceiver might choose to retaliate.

On one hand, the attempt proved that Mauriss was no Soron, and that together they possessed enough strength to overwhelm him if necessary, even in the presence of an origin metal weapon.

Yet on the other hand, Moltherak’s brazen involvement, and the manner in which they ultimately chose to retreat, told a very different story.

A story of how at their core, most of them were cowards despite being Gods.

And a story of how they had all grown overly reliant on the ’alliance’ to cover for their weaknesses, rather than they themselves growing stronger to make up for it.

"I don’t get it.... I used to be so fearless in my prime?

I wasn’t afraid of getting stabbed... or taking twenty enemies at once.

So just when did I go from being that man to the coward that I am now?"

Mu Shen said to his wife after the fight, as for the first time in a long time, he returned to training after the events at Helion-6, as a dormant desire to grow stronger and refine his abilities stirred within him.

"I need to become my own man again, Maggie.... I need to become Mu Shen again...."

He said, as he spoke with iron-clad resolve.

However, he wasn’t alone in this realization, as across the Great Clans, almost all other Gods felt the same way as him.

Many of them had not realized it before, however, back when they were still mortals chasing immortality, many of them had drastically different personalities to those that they had now, and the reason behind it was more complex than what a common man could easily decipher.

As mortals chasing immortality, they had once been something entirely different, as they were hungry, ruthless individuals for whom growing stronger was not a matter of ambition, but survival.

Back then, the universe had not been a place of order.

It had been a battlefield.

A world where one either stood at the top as a predator, or fell beneath it as prey, as every step forward demanded blood, sacrifice, and an unyielding will to dominate.

They had lived in that world.

Thrived in it.

Because in those days, hesitation meant death, and weakness invited extinction, as only those with the courage to seize power could carve out a place for themselves.

And when they finally rose.

When they broke past mortality and ascended into godhood, their personalities had not changed overnight, as for a time, they remained the same men who had clawed their way up from nothing.

They took revenge.

Settled old grudges.

Crushed those who had once stood above them, until eventually, there was nothing left.

No enemies worth pursuing.

No goals left unfinished.

No chains tying them to the past.

And once everything that once drove them had been fulfilled, the fire that had once burned within them began to change.

Because now, there was nothing left to chase.

No higher realm to ascend to.

No greater enemy to overcome.

And so, their mindset shifted.

From gaining power.

To preserving it.

And that was the moment they began to lose their balls.

Because once the fear of death disappeared, and the hunger for growth faded alongside it, what replaced it was something far more insidious.

Comfort.

Security.

The desire to hold on to what they had built, rather than risk it all for something greater.

Which was why the Great Clan Alliance was formed.

Six God backed clans, bound together, watching each other’s backs, as in doing so, they removed the chaos that once defined their existence, and replaced it with a structured safety that ensured none of them had to stand alone again.

At the time, it seemed like the smartest decision.

With the Timeless Assassin hunting Gods in an era of unchecked violence, unity had been survival, as standing together meant none of them could be picked off so easily.

And then, when the Timeless Assassin fell, that unity evolved into submission.

Because instead of rising to fill the vacuum left behind, they chose the safer path.

They bowed.

To Mauriss.

To Helmuth.

To Kaelith.

They became vassals to the Universal Government, trading independence for stability, as in doing so, they bought themselves two and a half millennia of uninterrupted peace.

However, unbeknownst to them, in those millennia, something within them quietly died....

Because peace dulled their instincts.

Comfort weakened their resolve.

And without war to sharpen their edge, the ferocity that had once defined them began to fade into something unrecognizable.

They stopped fighting.

Stopped risking.

Stopped growing.

Until eventually, when danger appeared once more, their first instinct was no longer to confront it.

But to avoid it.

To retreat.

To survive.

Which was why, when Moltherak arrived, almost none of them had the conviction to stand their ground, as instead of meeting him head-on, they searched for escape, as though that had always been who they were....

As though they had always been such cowards.....

However, only they knew, they hadn’t.

Because once they returned to safety.

Once the immediate danger passed.

Once they were left alone with their thoughts—

That realization hit them all the same.

This was not who they were.

This was not the attitude that had supported them on their way to godhood.

And that the current them had no balls.

Because the old them would never tolerate such cowardice from anyone.

"The edge I have lost must be regained...."

Yu Kiro said to himself after retreating, because just like Mu Shen, he too understood that cowards could run, cowards could hide, however, cowards could never win....

Because, history was never written by those who chose safety.

It was written by those who stepped forward when others stepped back, as in an era where the universe was beginning to turn chaotic once more, the question was no longer whether conflict would come, but rather who would rise to meet it when it did?

Because the wheel had begun to turn again.

And if they wished to remain relevant in the era that was about to unfold, then they needed to find their balls again....

Or be reduced to nothing more than legends of a forgotten age.