Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1095: A Gnawing Suspicion

(Planet V-Star, Leo’s POV)

After the tournament concluded, the first visit that Leo made was to planet V-Star, to consult with the projection of the Timeless Assassin, as he wanted advice from the old man on how best to forge a new fighting style.

"You want to learn the secret behind my seconds walk?"

The Timeless Assassin’s Projection asked, as it stroked its long beard, and shook its head.

"No offense, Cult Master, but you already know all there is to know about how to perform the [Seconds Walk].

The [Seconds Walk] is an application combining your knowledge about the law of time, law of space and law of creation and destruction.

It’s not a novel concept.

It’s not a skill move per se....."

The projection explained, as it scratched its head as though baffled on how best to explain it.

"You see....

The seconds walk I did, was very different from what my son Soron learned.

And that’s because it’s not exactly a skill move with a set framework....."

"You see, I can teach you how to stab.

I can teach you how to spin.

Hell, I can even teach you how to weave.

However, that’s all I can do.

I can’t teach you how to stab, weave and spin in a battlefield full of opponents to kill them and keep moving forward, as that application is something innate.

What you’re asking of me, is to pass down my intellect... and that’s not possible.

You must develop your own version of the seconds walk.

You’ve seen how it works.

Now.... The challenge is to recreate it in your own image."

The projection explained, as Leo nodded in understanding.

"So in the end, learning seconds walk comes down to talent.

Those who are not talented enough, might never grasp it ...

Just like how within sports teams, even though the entire team trains, eats and sleeps together, there are a few who perform at a level much higher to others due to innate talent.

Correct?"

Leo asked, as the Timeless Assassin’s Projection hummed in agreement.

"And how long do you think it will take me to grasp this concept?"

Leo inquired, as the projection stroked its beard thoughtfully with one hand, while the other turned slowly, palm open, as if weighing the certainty of the answer he was about to give.

"It depends on what you’re trying to create.

With your talent, if you just want to replicate the seconds walk alone, maybe a few months to a couple years.

However, if you’re trying to create something even greater.

Something that not even I created, then maybe up to a decade?

Who knows?

Depends entirely on what you’re trying to create.

Because the concepts needed to make something so grand, you have grasped already...."

The projection explained, as Leo let out a long sigh in response.

He had come here today, hoping for some guidance on how to create this new fighting style faster.

And yet.... He got no usable answers that could help speed up his process.

Regardless, he at least received the clarity that he needed on how to proceed, and that alone was enough to keep him motivated for now.

—-----------

(Meanwhile Kaelith)

After the failure to kill Mauriss on planet Helion-6, Kaelith felt as though everything around him was unravelling in a way that he could not control, as for the first time in a long time, he felt depressed beyond salvation, as though he was no longer in the driver’s seat of his own life.

Almost nothing unfolded the way he intended anymore, as outcomes slipped from his grasp one after another, leaving behind a quiet frustration that lingered beneath his otherwise composed exterior.

And to make matters worse, every time he woke after resting his eyes for an extended period, the blindness that plagued him lingered just a little longer than before, as darkness clung stubbornly to his vision before slowly receding.

It was subtle.

Gradual.

Yet impossible to ignore.

Each passing day made it clearer that something within him was deteriorating, as the consequences of past battles and unseen damage began to surface in ways he could not fully control.

*Clench*

Kaelith tightened his fist slowly, as the memory of Helion-6 surfaced with sharp clarity, the humiliation he endured there refusing to fade no matter how much time passed.

Mauriss.

Moltherak.

Two names that now weighed heavily on his mind.

The failed assassination had done more than just expose their limitations, as it had shifted the balance of power in a way that left him vulnerable to retaliation.

Mauriss was not the type to let such an attempt go unanswered, and that uncertainty gnawed at him everyday.

He did not know when it would come.

Or how.

Yet he knew it would.

Which made every passing moment feel like borrowed time.

At the same time, the rage he felt toward Moltherak burned even hotter, as the Dragon God’s interference had not only disrupted their plan, but had left Kaelith in a position he had never experienced before.

Helpless.

Outmatched.

Forced to retreat.

That memory lingered like a stain on his pride, as the desire to tear Moltherak down with his own hands grew stronger with each passing day.

Until both of them were dead, he would not know peace.

That much was certain.

Yet even as these thoughts occupied his mind, there was another presence that refused to leave his awareness entirely.

Leo Skyshard, and the Cult.

He had no concrete information about their current movements, as their silence only made them harder to track and predict.

And yet, despite that lack of information, something within him remained uneasy whenever he thought of them.

A quiet instinct within him constantly warned that the Chapter surrounding Leo Skyshard was not over just yet....

That someday, he would return with the full wrath of the Cult behind his back.

However, Kaelith did not allow that thought to consume him entirely, as he understood that there were priorities that demanded his attention first.

Leo was still a mortal.

A growing threat, yes, but not the one that would decide his fate in the immediate future, as before that, he had to deal with those who stood on equal footing with him first.

Mauriss.

Moltherak.

The Immortals.

As only after dealing with them could he afford to turn his full attention towards an ant like the Cult.