Chapter 174: The Manipulative Kathryn… Hope?

“Finally, I no longer have to keep up this facade.”

“So? Kranos, how does it feel to be my chess piece?”

The words sounded as though they came from the goddess of death.

The moment he heard those words, Kranos’s heart shook violently.

His gaze slowly turned to Kathryn, whose face held a playful smile.

His heart thumped loudly. He could feel something was wrong.

Kathryn smiled at Kranos, then slowly said,

“Do you really think nothing comes at a price? Who would willingly give out a divine treasure? Do you know the true value of a divine treasure?”

Hearing her words, Kranos felt the uneasy feeling in his heart grow firmer.

Kathryn continued.

“Since you can’t sense the state of your soul, let me show you.”

As Kathryn spoke, her eyes glowed with a faint emerald green hue.

Instantly, Kranos felt his surroundings change drastically.

In his line of sight, a golden image appeared.

It was an extremely tall figure. Kranos took a closer look, and his eyes widened in realization as he saw that it was his own figure.

“What is that?” Kranos muttered with a frown.

On the image in his line of sight, there were towering shackles which bound the gigantic statue down.

From the statue’s expression, it looked as though the towering figure was struggling against the shackles that bound him firmly.

Kathryn’s voice rang out.

“This is the state of your soul. By devouring the soul-cleansing fruit, I have been able to access your soul. Now, all I need is some time before you completely become my puppet.”

“By then, you will lose all memories of anything negative ever happening to you and will become forever loyal to me.”

Kathryn’s face held a playful smile as she spoke.

Since the first time she sensed Kranos’s mysterious aura, she had been plotting this.

Fortunately, everything worked out smoothly.

From manipulating Kranos’s emotions subtly so she could influence his decisions and ensure he wouldn’t be on guard when she gave him the treasure, to collecting the fruit from him…

Using her divine energy, she altered the fruit, placing her will inside so she could shackle Kranos’s soul and control him.

Everything had required meticulous plotting.

But who was Kathryn?

She was one of the most terrifying anomalies. Because of that, she had plotted everything thoroughly.

Kranos felt a chill run down his spine.

“I was… careless.”

“All my efforts… all gone to waste.”

A wave of despair washed over him, and Kranos understood that there was very little chance of survival.

He couldn’t regress successfully this time. With how Kathryn had plotted everything, she had already considered his every step.

Kathryn was always a step ahead of him.

Always in the light while he remained in the dark about everything.

He didn’t expect to be schemed against so deeply.

Seeing all she had done for him, Kranos had subconsciously believed her to be kind-hearted.

“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have trusted her.”

Kranos’s heart was in turmoil.

“I had forgotten that this is the Immortal World, a world where everyone’s goal is ultimate strength.”

“How could I have carelessly thought there was actually a kind-hearted person in this terrifying world?”

“If only I had a second chance.”

Kranos groaned weakly. However, he soon gritted his teeth, his eyes glinting fiercely.

Since he didn’t have a chance to regress, a chance at survival, or a chance to turn back the hands of time to correct all his errors, then…

He would create one for himself.

Eternal Hunger appeared in his hand, and Kranos slowly stood up.

He no longer hid either his time or mana cultivation. Instead, he released everything into the surroundings.

The aura carried a terrifying pressure, almost rivaling that of someone in the God Incarnate realm.

Sensing the unique aura, Kathryn’s gaze changed slightly.

“Let me guess. You have a cultivation technique different from the norm, which is why not only is your cultivation slow but your strength is far greater than others on the same level.”

However, Kranos just ignored her words and continued releasing his terrifying pressure.

There was no need to hesitate.

With the little time he had left before completely falling under her shackles, Kranos felt there was a slim chance of survival.

He wouldn’t rely on the system or anyone else.

He, Kranos, the Primordial God of Time, would overcome the trouble by himself.

The moment Eternal Hunger appeared, it trembled faintly, sensing Kranos’s will. Immediately, Kranos’s figure vanished.

“Kranos!” Kathryn’s voice resounded in a loud shout, then she laughed. “You want to fight me? With just the Divine Illusion Eyes, I can kill you. Do you think you can stand against me?”

Kathryn shouted loudly. At the same time, in Kranos’s line of sight, countless shackles began emerging from his surroundings.

Kranos didn’t panic. Instead, he stared around and then slashed repeatedly.

He moved his thoughts to the system and used the Time Absorption ability, causing everything in his surroundings to wither.

After that, he created multiple time clones.

Immediately, he slashed at Kathryn. His time clones split into more than a hundred fragments of himself.

Boom.

A thunderous explosion resounded, and soon all the chains had been destroyed. However, just then, a large creature that looked no different from a salamander hovered silently above him.

With a roar that split the skies, it tore through the air and headed straight for Kranos.

Realizing he couldn’t react in time to block the attack, Kranos quickly paused time without hesitation.

Everything froze, including the illusion and the salamander.

Seeing this, Kranos once again calmly slashed Eternal Hunger repeatedly at his surroundings, destroying the salamander in the process.

Time flow returned to normal.

Kranos stared at the location of the salamander, which was rapidly disintegrating into wisps of smoke.

At that moment, Kathryn’s voice rang out, echoing around Kranos like multiple whispers layered atop one another.

“Do you know what I love most about the Divine Illusion Eyes?” she asked with a smile.

Not knowing where the voice was coming from, Kranos turned repeatedly, slashing at the air in the surrounding space.

However, none of his attacks landed on Kathryn.

Her voice continued, echoing through the air.

“The thing I love about the Divine Illusion Eyes is that I can cast illusions of any level. Kranos, do you know what it would feel like to face a God King realm expert who has condensed an immortal body?”

Hearing her words, Kranos’s eyes widened slightly.

The next moment, the skies beside him cracked apart, and a black, bald man emerged from the crack.

He was clad in golden-brown robes, and his aura radiated a hint of ferociousness.

Staring at him, Kranos felt a chill.

This person didn’t seem human in the least.

Just then, the cultivator waved his hand, and immediately Kranos’s surroundings changed drastically.

His vision spun. The next moment, he felt his body disintegrate without a hint of resistance.

However, Kranos expected this, and the next moment, time flow moved in reverse. The man returned to his previous location.

The moment he did, Kranos’s body also recovered.

Without hesitation, the moment Kranos regained his consciousness, he sensed the surroundings stir and quickly paused time.

The man’s figure was still approaching him.

“My level of time comprehension can barely restrict him?”

Kranos felt a wave of pressure weigh down on his heart.

Nonetheless, he was unwilling to give up.

Today, he would kill a God King.

Eternal Hunger trembled faintly. Immediately, Kranos used the Heavenly Movement Technique and appeared in front of the God King just as he was struggling against the paused flow of time.

The God King immediately sensed danger. His eyes widened.

Kranos’s sword moved with precision, draining the life out of the expert in one swift motion.

Just as his eyes lit up, they widened again.

The God King whose neck he had cut off was slowly regrowing and reforming.

Kranos hesitated briefly but then summoned the Heavenly Fire.

At the same time, he used the Void Piercing Strike, not giving the cultivator a chance to react.

The cultivator stared at Kranos with his head hanging loosely from his neck. The next moment, all of Kranos’s attacks descended upon him.

The burst of flame quickly engulfed the man. Not giving him a chance to react, Kranos stared in surprise as the cultivator writhed as though he were in pain.

Just then, Kathryn’s faint voice resounded once again.

Kranos felt his heart tighten.

“Let’s stop this joke. The God King is just an illusion. Do you really think you can kill a mere illusion? Besides, if I can create one illusion of a God King, what’s stopping me from creating an army?”

Kathryn was eager to see the look of despair on Kranos’s calm face.

It was something she was particularly thrilled to witness.

She wanted to break Kranos from within and make him understand that no matter how one struggled,

There were situations that were truly insurmountable.

Just like the heavens which towered above all, forcing every cultivator to abide by its will.

She wanted to become Kranos’s heavens.

Kranos opened his eyes weakly to gaze off into the distance.

There, he could see more than a hundred God Kings rapidly approaching.

His eyes slowly dropped. However, he didn’t completely despair or lose hope.

“Is this truly the end?”

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