Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 470

Chapter 470: Chapter 469- Alone
[A few minutes ago]

Adrian had told them he needed to freshen up—to wash away the slugginess weighing him down.

That was only half the truth.

What he truly needed was time.

Time to think about how he could keep Annabelle and Ruby from accompanying him.

He knew it already. The two of them must have heard Nytharos’s words—his invitation to end this battle once and for all.

Adrian had always known this moment would come.

But not now.

It was too early, and he was nowhere near prepared.

Yet that fragile strand of reason was easily drowned by the rage boiling inside him.

Ariana had nearly died again.

And once more—he hadn’t been there.

Nytharos wasn’t confronting him directly. Instead, he was striking at those close to him, deliberately chipping away at his mind and soul.

And it was working.

Adrian couldn’t remember the last time he had felt anger this raw, this overwhelming.

The only reason he was still keeping himself in check was Ruby and Annabelle. He didn’t want them to see this side of him. He didn’t want them to worry.

But this had to stop.

To prevent any further ambush—on Ariana, or on anyone else close to him—Adrian had to finish this today.

And that was where the real problem lay.

Ruby and Annabelle.

There was no chance they would allow him to go alone.

Yet Adrian knew one thing with absolute certainty—if he didn’t arrive alone, Nytharos would strike Ariana again. The bastard was hell-bent on leaving permanent damage on him, regardless of how their battle ended.

That was why Adrian was going alone.

No matter what.

‘System… can you keep them inside the Time Chamber for a few hours?’

It was the safest place he could think of—one where Nytharos couldn’t reach them.

He hadn’t asked for a World Transfer. The deities—or whatever beings governed spatial passages—might refuse to let him move so many people at once. Or worse, once he crossed over, the system might be obstructed again, trapping him there with no way back.

He wasn’t willing to take that risk.

Not when everything was already balanced on the edge of a blade.

[Host, before giving the answer, the system would like to remind you that time does not function the same way inside the Time Chamber. It does not follow the normal flow of time or continuity and, as such, cannot be comprehended by a normal human mind. The system allows the host to cope with this discrepancy in time flow—but for others, it would be maddening.]

Adrian frowned.

“You mean to say they would be harmed inside the Chamber because of the frozen time within it?”

[Yes, host.]

Adrian clicked his tongue in irritation.

So even that was off the table.

He needed to think of another place… a safe place where he could leave them behind.

But no matter how much he thought, the conclusion remained the same.

Nowhere was safe for Ariana.

Nytharos had somehow marked her—branded her in a way Adrian couldn’t perceive—and because of that, he could reach her anywhere. Barriers, traps, reinforcements… none of it mattered. They were meaningless before him.

The realization settled heavily in Adrian’s chest.

This wasn’t just a pursuit.

It was inevitable.

Just then, the system spoke again.

[There is a way, host, to use the Time Chamber as you intend. And it appears this method would be the most ideal.]

Adrian hummed softly.

“What do you mean?”

[Even if the system allowed individuals other than the host to remain inside the Time Chamber for several hours, once they exited, time outside would remain unchanged. Thus, the host would still be unable to alter any events.]

Adrian paused.

…Right.

How could he forget something so basic?

Was he really that mentally strained?

[By removing the time differential, the Time Chamber would become inhabitable for someone other than the host—for approximately one hour. However, once that limit is reached, the residents would be forcibly transferred out without prior warning.]

Adrian let out a slow sigh.

Only now did he realize what this truly meant.

The system was bending—no, outright breaking—its own rules to help him.

It had always been strict about who could witness his working space, who could learn what he knew, who could stand where he stood. Those rules had never been flexible.

And yet…

Was it possible that the system had developed something akin to human sentiment?

Or perhaps… this was its own way of choosing a side.

“An hour would be enough.”

….

Adrian knew Annabelle and Ruby would be worried—terrified, even—after realizing he had locked them inside the Time Chamber with no way out.

But this was the only way.

He had already prepared everything he could for this battle.

He didn’t know what awaited him at the destination. And because of that uncertainty, he hadn’t held anything back.

“Okay… let’s see.”

As Adrian arrived at the Barren Lands on the eastern side, the air itself felt wrong. The place throbbed faintly, saturated with the lingering presence of an ancient creature—as if the land remembered something it shouldn’t.

Yet there was no army waiting for him.

No battalion. No formation.

Just two men.

Both familiar.

Both despised.

“Well, well, well… it’s nice to see you after so long, Mister Lockwood,” said the green-haired man, a nasty grin stretched across his face.

Abraham.

A man who was supposed to be dead—killed by Valor just a few days ago.

And yet, there he stood.

Breathing. Smiling.

Very much alive.

“It’s said a roach has several lives,” Adrian said calmly as he pulled his gauntlets from the Inventory. “You seem to share that trait.”

On the throne sat the man Adrian had truly come for.

Nytharos.

He rested there in utter composure, as if Adrian’s arrival meant nothing—no surprise, no irritation, not even interest. As though Adrian were no more than a passing thought.

Abraham, on the other hand, looked thrilled.

A wild gleam burned in his green eyes as he sneered, “You’ve walked into a graveyard where the tombstone bearing your name is already carved. Do you really think those laughable armaments of yours will help you?”

Adrian answered without words.

He drew another pair of weapons from the Inventory—daggers forged from silver, the strongest material in existence, their edges threaded with the fourth strand of power.

His breathing slowed.

Mana surged, then settled—wrapping around him not like a raging storm, but like a warm, steady embrace. Controlled. Absolute.

The precision of it shattered Abraham’s grin.

His body tensed, instincts screaming as the pressure in the air shifted.

Adrian lowered his stance, crouching slightly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“This time,” he muttered, “there will be no room for escape.”

Abraham lunged first.

Mana burst from him in a violent wave. Circles formed in the air—complex, layered, beautiful in a way only a master sorcerer could shape. The ground cracked as fire and wind twisted together, turning into a rushing spear aimed straight at Adrian’s chest.

Adrian vanished.

The spear tore through empty air and exploded behind him.

Abraham’s eyes widened—just a fraction.

Adrian reappeared to his left, daggers already moving. Water flowed along the blades, thin and sharp, clinging to silver like living glass.

Steel met spell.

Abraham threw up a barrier at the last moment. The daggers struck it with a shriek, water slicing into the surface, carving lines before Adrian twisted away and teleported again.

Goddamn, it was fast.

Abraham stepped back, hands flying as spell after spell formed. Ice spikes erupted from the ground. Lightning cracked down from above. The air screamed under the weight of raw mana.

Adrian didn’t block.

He moved.

Teleport—step—slide.

Water burst from his daggers, turning the dust beneath his feet slick. He used it, spun low, cut through the base of an ice spike and sent it crashing sideways. Lightning struck where he had been.

Abraham breathed hard.

He hid it well, but not well enough.

His torso churned. Blood seeped through his robe where Valor’s strike had once completely torn him in half. His spells were strong—but slower than they should’ve been. The mana flow wasn’t clean.

Adrian noticed.

Abraham raised both hands, teeth clenched. A massive sigil flared behind him, pulsing green. The ground trembled as chains of magic shot forward, trying to bind Adrian in place.

Adrian met it head-on.

Water exploded outward.

Not a wave—pressure.

The chains shattered mid-air as Adrian charged through the spray. He was suddenly there, inside Abraham’s range, where spells needed time and space.

Abraham panicked.

He tried to step back, to cast again—but his body wasn’t built for this. His foot slipped on the wet ground. His breath hitched.

Too slow.

Adrian’s dagger slashed across his ribs. Silver bit deep. Water followed, rushing into the wound like a blade of its own.

Abraham screamed.

He hurled Adrian away with a desperate blast of force. Adrian skidded back, boots carving lines in the dirt, but he stayed on his feet.

Abraham staggered.

His barrier flickered.

His hand shook.

“Damn you—!” Abraham spat, trying to form another spell, but the circle wavered. His mana surged unevenly, reacting badly with the old damage inside his body.

Adrian didn’t give him time.

Teleport.

Behind him.

Daggers gone, his gauntlet clad fist clenched.

In the next moment, Abraham’s words exploded.