Chapter 177: Kranos True Death! A New Novel Begins…

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Countless years passed in the blink of an eye…

Nestled in a quiet valley where time seemed to rest, an old stone cottage stood surrounded by vast meadows of gently swaying grass and towering, ancient trees.

Petals from wildflowers drifted in the air, their fragrance blending with the crisp breeze that stirred the leaves in soothing rhythm.

Golden sunlight streamed through scattered clouds, casting a warm, ethereal glow upon the modest home.

Vines clung to the cottage walls, and nearby, a small river murmured quietly as it wound its way through the land.

Birds chirped in harmony with the wind, completing a scene that seemed pulled from a dream.

Inside the cottage was a small family of three.

A teenage girl, around sixteen, stood with her arms crossed, frowning slightly.

Her golden hair shimmered under the sunlight seeping through the window, cascading down her back like a silken stream.

Her emerald eyes, wide and expressive, held a stubborn light as she looked at the two adults before her.

Her father, a tall man with light brown hair and deep, obsidian eyes, stood by the wooden railing of the porch.

His weathered robes fluttered softly with the breeze, his gaze distant as though searching the horizon for answers.

His presence was commanding yet weary, like one burdened with countless battles behind him.

Beside him sat her mother, a woman with flowing black hair that framed her pale, ageless face. Her eyes, a piercing shade of ocean blue, carried a mix of wisdom and melancholy.

She held a slender silver flute to her lips, and a haunting melody floated from it, resonating with the rhythm of the trees and birds.

“Mom, it’s finally time. You said you were going to tell me who this is and why you and Dad cherish this drawing so much,” the girl demanded, her voice tinged with urgency.

The mother lowered her flute slowly, the final note lingering in the wind like a farewell.

Her eyes remained fixed on the girl for a long moment before she turned to her husband.

“Annabelle, I think it’s time. We should tell her about him,” the man said, his voice heavy with sorrow. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he stared out over the golden fields.

A flicker of regret flashed in his dark eyes.

He remembered Kranos, the boy with a calm stare and unknowable depth, who had once carried so much promise.

When Kranos awakened his extraordinary element, he thought his son would be safe, invincible even. He had trusted too much in fate, too little in precaution.

But the boy died far too abruptly.

Even after all the passing millennia, the wound had not healed. It was not merely a scar. It was a gaping void in their hearts.

Annabelle slowly turned toward the girl and studied her features. Though Angel bore golden hair unlike Kranos, there was something eerily familiar in the tranquil focus of her eyes.

Angel stepped forward, her anticipation unmistakable.

Annabelle sighed and patted the seat beside her on the wooden bench. “Come. Sit here. Let me tell you the story of your elder brother.”

Angel’s face lit up with excitement. “Woah, my brother. I knew it. I always suspected you were hiding something from me. So where is he? Is he as strong as Father?” Her voice bubbled with curiosity.

Annabelle’s eyes dimmed. The air grew thick. The sun seemed to lose its warmth, and even the birds outside fell silent.

“Yes… your brother. Kranos.”

As she recounted his tale, the mood shifted. The cheerful glow of the afternoon dimmed beneath the weight of sorrow.

Angel’s smile faded as tears welled in her eyes. “So… Brother died?” Her voice broke.

She could not stop the sobs from escaping. She buried her face in her hands and cried openly, the pain raw and heavy.

Her parents sat in silence, letting her weep.

After some time, Angel looked up, her expression earnest. “Is there a way to resurrect him?”

Her gaze held a flicker of hope.

Knowing how powerful her parents were, capable of treading the forbidden paths, daring the chaotic battlefield, even challenging the Twelve Calamities, she believed there had to be a way.

Yet neither Annabelle nor Raphael answered.

Their eyes met briefly.

They had tried again and again. But there was no way to bring Kranos back. His soul was not simply gone.

It was as if he had been wiped from existence, erased from the timeline itself.

Even memories of him had begun to fade once, devoured by a mysterious force, until Raphael stopped it just in time.

That alone confirmed it. Kranos’s death had not been natural. It was something far more sinister.

But to uncover the truth, Raphael knew what he must do.

He had been preparing.

Very soon, he would step into the Forbidden River of Time.

He turned his gaze back to the horizon. His eyes darkened, then began to shimmer faintly.

His vision pierced space and dimension, stretching across timelines, until it reached a colossal river suspended in the void.

The River of Time.

He stared into its churning current, but no clarity came. If he had been able to see deeper, he might have noticed a delicate creature fluttering within the stream.

A silver butterfly.

Its wings glowed with celestial light, shedding stardust as it danced along the current. The butterfly weaved playfully between fragments of time, utterly unaware of the danger that loomed.

But the river was cruel.

Waves rose, violent and unpredictable. The currents surged forward and battered the butterfly’s wings, bending them out of shape. Still, it flitted on, undeterred.

Soon, the damage became too much.

The first tear appeared. Then another. Until finally, its once-glistening wings had been shredded by the weight of time.

The butterfly trembled. Its silvery glow flickered with something close to fear.

And then, with a quiet splash, it fell into the current.

Its wings gone, it could no longer fly. The River of Time swallowed it completely.

Now, it could only drift, pulled by forces far beyond its strength.

…

The moment this occurred, Kranos’s eyes snapped open, and he turned to glance at his surroundings in shock.

A horrifying anger leaked out of his body, causing Kathryn and Kevin, who were in the other rooms, to glance in his direction. However, they didn’t think anything was wrong.

’Kathrynnnnnnnnn!’

Kranos’s heart was filled with rage, and he almost impulsively left his room to kill her without hesitation.

However, recalling the terrifying divine illusion eyes, he knew he couldn’t be impulsive.

He had to take things one step at a time.

Kranos glanced around and took in his surroundings.

He calculated the time internally, and his eyes immediately widened in shock.

’Roughly two months? I’ve traveled roughly two months into the past!’

’This… how is this possible? Why is this possible?’

’Could it be the mastermind behind the scenes controlling everything?’

’Did he send me this far back into the past, certain that I can escape certain crises?’

Kranos had this thought, but he shook his head.

There was little evidence of that happening. However, he had a second guess.

Since his soul had been injured previously by regressing twice, then the reason for his regression so far was most likely because of…

The Soul Cleansing Fruit!

’As a fruit at the divine level, not only did it completely cleanse my soul, but it also healed me and caused me to regress so far back in time!’

Kranos now understood the importance of the soul treasure.

’I should be grateful to Kathryn. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have a third chance to rewrite fate. However, nothing will stop me from killing her!’

No matter what, Kranos would reach the ends of the earth if he had to, just to kill the scheming woman known as Kathryn.

His thoughts shifted, and he noticed something else.

His cultivation hadn’t been lost as he had feared.

It would have been a shame to restart cultivation.

By then, Kathryn wouldn’t even hesitate to kill him.

The Starlight Sword and everything else were still as they were supposed to be.

Kranos activated Rapid Thoughts, and countless simulations began passing through his mind.

He had about two months to escape certain death.

He could run away. However, he didn’t want to miss the chance of obtaining the Soul Cleansing Fruit in this timeline.

If he could get it, he would have a guaranteed chance of regressing more than a month into the past.

By then, he would be less fearful of dying.

Besides, he would never let Kathryn off.

They had spent years together, yet Kranos had never known her true colors.

Another concept rang in his mind.

He still recalled the words Kathryn had told him about the anomalies.

The terrifying anomalies!

Kranos felt his heart shake once more.

If everything Kathryn had said was true, then he had to be very cautious of her.

As someone who regressed, she must have had a few more tricks up her sleeves.

There were also the final words she said…

“What exactly are the Twelve Calamities?”

“Are they so terrifying that even someone who regressed so far back into the past could only survive up to the eighth?”

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