With a sweep of An Qingyu's hand, a terrifying pressure descended. The surging time around them tugged at King Mask's body like ocean waves, sweeping him rapidly backward!
Just as King Mask was about to be swallowed by the vortex of time, An Qingyu flicked his finger.
A white chess piece crossed the River of Time and struck King Mask's body, vanishing without a trace along with the turbulent current of time.
The River of Time fell into dead silence once more.
After doing all this, An Qingyu withdrew his gaze, and his figure gradually vanished above the River of Time...
"Lord Merlin?!!"
In the boundless depths of space, Lin Qiye jolted awake from his sleep!
Beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. He immediately searched frantically in every direction, but within the vast, dark universe, aside from countless silently twinkling stars, there was no other figure...
There was no one...?
Lin Qiye stood frozen in place. Then, coming back to his senses, he rubbed at the bloodshot corners of his eyes, a trace of bitterness surfacing on his face.
"Was it a dream..."
The flame of hope that had ignited in Lin Qiye's heart was ruthlessly extinguished... He had dreamed that the Eastern Emperor Bell had rung, and then Merlin had crossed countless stretches of time and space to arrive at his side... He had thought he had finally found a glimmer of opportunity, but it had ultimately been nothing more than an illusory bubble.
Lin Qiye sighed. He could only force himself to pull himself together and prepare to continue using the Hand of Royal Authority to fuse with Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, pressing onward into the depths of the universe.
Just as he was about to activate his Forbidden Ruins, his entire body suddenly froze.
"Wait..."
As if he