Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

His hand slowly clenched as he said that.

”Time rewinding won’t work on something that doesn’t exist.”

Atlas gritted his teeth as the helplessness of the situation became increasingly difficult. He had already faced countless situations where his strength had been insufficient, but this felt completely different. Even worse, when Atlas remembered seeing those future events through his own perspective, the realization continued to hurt him...and that pain came in such a way he did not even understand.

He had watched himself die, had experienced the sequence of events through Seraphiel’s memories, and had then seen exactly what she had done to prevent that future from occurring.

She had known that Atlas would die.

And instead of ignoring it...she had come to him, to save him.

Rage slowly boiled inside Atlas as he lowered his gaze toward Seraphiel. He couldn’t understand why she had been willing to sacrifice herself for him, especially after everything he had learned about her feelings through those memories, ’But...Why did she even love someone like me? I don’t understand.’

Atlas had never considered himself someone worthy of that Kind of affection, hell he did not even consider anyone in the world even loved him. He had spent too much of his life surrounded by death, betrayal, and people who approached him because they wanted something from him.

Even after meeting Seraphiel, he had never even considered that her approaching him could be because of this...affection. But...now that he knew the truth, however, the realization only made the situation more confusing.

He looked toward her unconscious face again.

The pale expression on her face hadn’t changed, but her breathing had become increasingly weak. The mixed Null and Spirit Energy inside her body continued interfering with her recovery, and Atlas could sense that her condition was deteriorating despite everything they had already attempted.

There was no time to remain confused.

He needed another solution.

Across from him, Solaris sat completely still with a hollow expression on her face. She had used one of the highest-grade Relics in the whole world, only for it to fail when it was needed most. Then she had taken the Cataclysm Grade Relic capable of turning back time and poured an enormous amount of Spirit Energy into it, yet even that Relic had refused to activate.

For someone who had spent countless years relying on her own strength, the situation was almost...unbelievable

The highest-grade Relic had failed.

Time itself had failed to provide a solution.

And the person lying in front of her was someone she cared about deeply.

Solaris didn’t even bother asking Atlas why the time-reversal Relic had failed. She could tell from his expression that he had already understood something she hadn’t. Instead, she simply continued staring at Seraphiel as if trying to find another answer by herself, even though she knew there was nothing obvious left for her to do.

Atlas turned toward Solaris, ’Seems like the Queen and Seraphiel are close to each other. I need to find a way...a way to save her and know why she loved me, but how?’ His eyes narrowed as he looked at Seraphiel again, ’How can I save her if even time rewinding doesn’t work?!’

Before he could think any further, a presence suddenly appeared behind him.

Atlas immediately sensed it.

He turned around and found the Dragon Emperor standing there, his expression completely different from the tension surrounding everyone else. There was no urgency in his posture, no visible concern, and no indication that the situation had affected him in the same way it had affected Solaris and Atlas.

He simply looked at the unconscious Seraphiel before shifting his gaze toward Atlas.

”Well, well, well. This situation has taken quite the turn. Do you think I should help? I have already heard what is going on here, and from that I can say with certainty that I can resolve this, but...” The Dragon Emperor paused. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

”Nothing is free in this world, is it?”

Atlas’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the Dragon Emperor. He instinctively tried to gauge the man’s strength. Atlas’s senses spread outward as he attempted to detect his Spirit Energy, his physical strength, and even the killing intent that powerful individuals often unconsciously released.

Nothing.

There was no Spirit Energy.

No Killing Intent, not even the slightest indication of how powerful the man standing in front of him actually was.

Atlas frowned, ’At that time, when he had gazed at me, I could sense his strength to some extent...but why can’t I sense it now?’

The thought only remained in his mind for a brief moment before his attention returned to Seraphiel. Whatever the reason behind the Dragon Emperor’s strange presence, Atlas didn’t have the luxury of wasting time trying to understand it.

If this man truly possessed a method of saving Seraphiel, Atlas needed to know what he wanted in exchange...and most of all she had saved him from death, it was almost like a debt he would never be able to repay without saving her life in exchange, so he decided that even if he had to stake his life in exchange for her, he would do that, ”What would you need in exchange? And...how are you going to help her?”

The Dragon Emperor’s grin widened, ”You will be in my debt through an Oath, an Oath that transcends Eliomor, an Oath of Law in exchange for saving her life.”

The moment those words left the Dragon Emperor’s mouth, Atlas frowned.

He had read about Oaths before, just some days ago in the library. There were also contracts just like between him and Seraphiel.

But an Oath of Law?

That was something he had never heard or knew about, ’An Oath that transcends Eliomor...What does that even mean?’

Atlas stared at the Dragon Emperor, trying to determine whether the man’s words contained some hidden condition. He had no intention of agreeing to something he didn’t understand, especially when the Dragon Emperor had already made it clear that the Oath would place Atlas in his debt.

The Dragon Emperor seemed to notice his confusion, ”Do not worry about not knowing about this Oath. Nobody except me, the Ancients, and four more Individuals know about it.”

Atlas’s expression became slightly more serious.

Only a handful of Individuals knew about it? That alone told him that an Oath of Law was far beyond the ordinary contracts and agreements he had encountered in Eliomor.

The Dragon Emperor continued before Atlas could ask another question, ”As for how I am going to save her?” His eyes gleamed with interest as he spoke, ”Heh, that matter is quite simple. You said that her current state exists as ’Nothingness,’ am I right?”

Atlas nodded without hesitation. That was the conclusion he had already reached after understanding why the Cataclysm Grade Relic had failed.

The Dragon Emperor nodded in response before saying, ”Meaning the timeline in which her state exists does not exist, am I right to assume that?”

Atlas paused.

He didn’t immediately answer because the statement required him to reconsider the problem from another perspective, ’Hmm...It can be deciphered as that.’ Atlas’s eyes narrowed slightly, ’Because her condition couldn’t be like this if that timeline still existed, If it did, the Relic should have been able to return her to the state before the attack.’

He thought about it for another moment before finally answering.

”Yes, you are right. That is exactly the case.” Atlas couldn’t help wondering how the Dragon Emperor had managed to understand the problem so quickly. More importantly, Atlas still couldn’t understand where the Dragon Emperor was going with this. Even if he had deciphered the exact problem, finding a solution was an entirely different matter.

Atlas had already considered using his own Null to completely erase the mixed Null inside Seraphiel when he first approached her. At that time, he had believed removing the foreign Null might allow her body to recover naturally. But after touching her abdomen and somehow receiving her memories, he knew exactly what would happen if he attempted it.

Seraphiel would be erased.

She would experience the same unimaginable pain that Atlas had endured when his own existence had been destroyed.

The thought immediately caused Atlas’s heart to ache.

He frowned, unable to understand the unfamiliar feeling spreading through his chest. It wasn’t simply anger, nor was it fear. The possibility of watching Seraphiel experience the same fate he had suffered made something inside him tighten in a way he couldn’t understand at all.

Before he could think any further, the Dragon Emperor’s voice interrupted him, ”Now, what if I say that I can create that timeline for her current ’Nothingness’ state?”

Atlas’s expression froze, ”Wouldn’t that solve the problem as a whole?” The words seemed to stop everything around them for a brief moment.

Even Solaris, who had remained in a daze until then, suddenly widened her eyes. Her attention snapped toward the Dragon Emperor as she tried to process what he had just said.

Atlas’s pupils contracted and trembled as he stared at the Dragon Emperor in disbelief.

Create a timeline? Not rewind nor restore?

Create one?

Wasn’t that complete nonsense?

Even if the Dragon Emperor stood above the pinnacle of strength within Eliomor, there had to be a limit to what an individual could accomplish.

The Dragon Emperor laughed, ”Hahaha! You might be wondering if that is impossible, but I assure you that it is quite possible because of the Unique Ability I was born with. Hahahaha!” His laughter echoed across the ruined surroundings as he looked at the shocked expressions of both Atlas and Solaris.