BXBX NOVEL Chapter 168: A Goodbye
"Why are you so… calm about it?"
"I\'m used to it already."
He stood up.
"You don\'t need to worry about me.
"Even if I didn\'t help you, I would\'ve lost control over Time Slipping sooner or later.
"It always happens."
Neo\'s expression didn\'t change.
Professor Daniel sighed and added,
"I\'ll regain control over my Time Slipping after a few hundred years.
"Just stop worrying about me."
He stood behind Neo.
"Neo Hargraves, you are the fifth person I\'ve taken in as my student.
"I might\'ve needed others\' help in awakening your element, but I\'m still your master.
"Do you accept it?"
"I do."
"Good."
A smile replaced his usual stern expression.
"Even if no ones remember the struggles you\'ve gone through during your regressions, I do.
"I can assure you, your will to continue forward is unmatched.
"You might not be the most talented student I had, but I\'ve never seen someone with a more indomitable spirit.
"I\'m proud of you, Neo."
He hovered his hand behind Neo\'s nape.
Divine Energy flowed through his fingers into Neo.
It crawled over his back, burning his skin, and drew the pattern of a dragon biting its tail, forming a loop.
Neo frowned.
"What did you do?"
"You\'ll know when the times comes."
Professor Daniel stopped infusing Neo with his Divine Energy.
He wiped his sweat and placed his hand over Neo\'s head.
"This might be the last time we\'ll meet.
"As a parting gift, I\'ll read your Future. Do you want me to do it?"
"Why are you even asking about this?"
"Because some people hate knowing their future. They think predicting it will set it in the stone."
Professor Daniel closed his eyes.
His iris glowed behind the eyelids.
After a minutes, he snapped them open.
Tired, he was breathing heavily.
"What did you see, professor?"
Professor Daniel flinched when he heard Neo\'s voice.
He opened his mouth and closed it, unable to form words.
"Professor? Are you okay?"
Neo turned around and stared at him with concerned gaze.
Watching Neo like this calmed Professor Daniel.
"I\'m… I\'m fine."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What did you see?"
"…"
Instead of answering him, he placed his hand on Neo\'s back.
His gaze carried slight fear.
"Professor—!?"
Professor Daniel pushed.
"Goodbye, Neo."
Neo felt a massive stream of Time elementals smash into him.
He was thrown across Time.
The force of Time elementals trying to pull him increased the further he went.
Despite being ageless, his body started to grow younger.
It was a slow process, almost minuscule, but he was aging.
If it was someone else, they would\'ve been Eroded a few times by now.
Just when the force of Time was staring to become unbearable, Neo sensed something move within his clothes.
The green caterpillar came out of his collar as if it was dragging itself out.
It yawned.
The time elementals trying to drown Neo suddenly started to flow towards the caterpillar.
They entered its mouth.
The pressure over Neo lightened.
The caterpillar closed its mouth and returned to sleep after a few seconds.
Neo felt a shift and he appeared in a massive hall.
"Sir, what rank do you want to opt for?"
He looked at the woman and turned his gaze towards the students in the hall.
\'This is the beginning of the ranking tournament—\'
…!?
Suddenly, a massive flow of Time elementals hit Neo.
He tried to hold onto Time.
The caterpillar had reduced the pressure.
However, it was still huge.
He, struggling to stop the himself from Time Slipping, had to let go of the limits he constantly placed over himself.
The Divine Energy pool, unsealed, started to suck Divine Energy from air greedily.
And the Auras he always suppressed burst out.
The students in the hall fell to their knees.
Some of them fainted.
Not even the proctors were left unscathed.
Neo realized he had to suppress his Aura.
The shift in focus caused him to let go of his hold over time—
Neo slipped.
He appeared on a mountain top.
"Your Divine Energy Purity is higher than mine," Morrigan said. "That\'s why you are sturdy."
Her frown worsened.
\'I Time Slipped to the battle between me and Morrigan during the ranking competition.\'
Neo saw Morrigan glaring at him.
\'She really wasn\'t taking me seriously back then.\'
Although it looked she was angry, she had no intention to fight seriously.
Her muscles were relaxed, her stance was incomplete, her breathing was stable.
"There is no shield that won\'t break—"
Morrigan\'s eyes widened.
She swiftly retreated and took a proper stance.
Just like Neo could guess her strength at a glance, she could too.
Her senses were going off like a alarm.
They warned her of the one in front of her.
"Morrigan—"
"Invincible."
Golden lightning crackled around her.
She disappeared and reappeared before Neo in a split second.
Her sword moved towards his shoulder.
Neo felt like he was seeing her move in slow motion
He stepped closer to her.
\'How can he move faster than me?\'
Morrigan\'s eyes widened.
Before she could react, Neo\'s fist dug into her abdomen.
The blow sent her rolling away.
She coughed uncontrollably, having the air knocked out of her.
Neo, intending to end the battle, moved towards her when suddenly the force of Time returned.
It hit him.
He could barely muster any protest before he slipped again—
Neo appeared on a stage.
He looked around.
\'This is the ceremony that happened after the ranking competition.\'
\'I cursed at all the students back then, didn\'t I?\'
Neo could feel Time coming for him.
He would slip again.
While waiting for Time, he noticed the gazes of students were different.
Unlike last time, where they looked at him as if he was a fraud, they stared at him in awe, fear, and respect.
\'The past changed.\'
\'They respecting me now because they saw me overpower Morrigan with a single punch.\'
After he time slipped and left the battle, Neo was sure the \'past him\' would be beaten by Morrigan.
But the fact remained he pushed her back while she was using Invincible—
Time Slipping.
Neo stood in a dark broken world.
Arthur\'s Shadow beheaded Christian and rushed towards Neo.