Ending the Battle (4,600-word chapter)

As the Lightning struck, Jason tried his best to dodge, but his injuries prevented him from making such a large movement. So, although his head avoided the Lightning, it still slammed into his arm.

Although the Lightning bolt wasn't particularly powerful, it still reached the threshold of Sequence 5, instantly charring Jason's Devil Transformation arm.

Kronos chuckled. Jason was indeed nearing his limit; judging by that estimate, a few more hits would be enough to end today's fight.

Just as Kronos pulled out several more Scroll, Jason spoke first, "Sir, could you please let me go? Just tell me what you need, and I'll do my best to meet it."

"I am not a wild Beyonder; I come from the Beria Family. I am far more valuable alive than dead." After saying this, Jason continued to explain, fearing that Kronos might not understand.

"The Beria Family is an extremely powerful family, with a history spanning thousands of years. They even possess Angel within their ranks, which would be very beneficial to your development."

Kronos's lips curled slightly. This kind of tactic was useless against a transmigrator like Kronos who was familiar with the plot. The Beria Family wasn't as powerful as Jason had claimed.

The three major Devil families that believe in the Dark Side of the Universe are the Nois Family, the Andariel family, and the Beria Family.

These three families together formed Secret Organizations founded in the Fourth Epoch — the Blood Sanctify Sect.

Unfortunately, after the Demon Monarch Farbauti was corrupted by the Mother Tree of Desire and returned to the Abyss, the Blood Sanctify Sect lived on the continent like an "orphan".

As time went on, the Nois Family fared relatively well, managing to maintain its power, but the Andariel and Beria Family declined considerably, even becoming vassals of the Nois Family.

Although the Beria Family posed a significant threat to Kronos, Kronos certainly didn't believe that there were Angel in the family.

Furthermore, given the state of the Blood Sanctify Sect and the Abyss Pathway, the death of a Sequence 5 in Backlund might not even be investigated, which is why Kronos dared to act.

Even if they did investigate, given the Concealment of Time, Kronos wasn't too worried about being found.

So Kronos ignored him and immediately activated another Scroll.

The skill was aimed directly at Jason, striking him hard in the body and causing Jason to cough up blood.

Watching Kronos compare the Scroll in his hand, seemingly deciding what to use next, Jason was genuinely panicked. He could clearly sense that his Devil Transformation would be shattered the next time, and after that, he would be gone in no time.

"Sir, let's talk. What exactly do you need? I really have what I can offer; I'm very wealthy!"

Kronos glanced at him, then said, "I'm not that greedy; one Beyonder Characteristic of the Desire Apostle is enough."

Jason gritted his teeth and said, "That's easy. I'll talk to my family, and they can send me two portions within a few days. I'll give them both to you. What do you think?"

As if afraid he hadn't given enough, he added, "I still have money and assets, which I can give you. Anyway, I'm leaving soon, so there's no point in keeping them."

Kronos stared at Jason, not because he was tempted, but because he wanted to hear what else Jason had to say. He Western Capital to end up killing everyone and finding nothing of value; that would be a huge loss.

"Oh, and that dog outside, the Sequence 6 Devil. I can help you kill it; its Beyonder Characteristic is worth some money."

Kronos didn't speak, but thought to himself, "Why don't you say more? What you've said now will all be mine after you die anyway."

Seeing that Kronos still didn't react, Jason was getting a little anxious. He knew that only Beyonder Item could pique this person's interest, but he only had one Beyonder Item, and it was already in Kronos's hands. Jason didn't think that this item could still be considered his bargaining chip.

Although he had some money, he hadn't encountered any suitable Beyonder Item since leaving his family, so this was all he had and no other bargaining chips.

Seeing Jason stammering for so long, unable to even draw a single "pie," Kronos knew that this was his limit, so he released another Scroll.

As expected, after Jason took the hit head-on, his Devil Transformation state reached its limit, and the entire state subsided, returning him to his Devil form.

Jason didn't look so bad in his Devil form, but after reverting to his human form, he appeared to be on the verge of death.

One eye was gouged out, one arm was completely charred, there was a penetrating wound in the abdomen, and multiple wounds in the chest. He looked like he could take his last breath at any moment.

Kronos looked at the masterpiece he had "created" and felt a little sorry for it; it was truly a pitiful sight.

I didn't expect Jason to be so resilient. I originally planned to Ambush him twice and kill him, but I underestimated the Devil. Luckily, I was well prepared, otherwise he would have turned the tables.

With that in mind, Kronos decided to give Jason a quick and painless end.

He held a Scroll in his hand, ready to unleash it on Jason.

Jason had given up all hope. He knew he was doomed to lose today. The man in front of him was definitely not after money or Beyonder Item; his goal was to kill him.

Seeing Kronos pick up the Scroll, Jason said, "Can I say one last thing?"

Kronos hesitated for a moment, then nodded to Jason to speak.

"I was born in a forest in Winter County, destined to believe in the Dark Side of the Universe. I have lived my entire life for my faith. If there is an afterlife, I hope I can live more freely. So, I wonder if you could scatter my ashes in the sea, so that I may no longer be bound by these constraints."

Upon hearing this, Kronos's eyes filled with tears. He hadn't expected Jason to live such a difficult life, and that he had actually killed him for a Beyonder Characteristic —it was truly too much.

He Consciousness felt that he should release Jason now and ask for his forgiveness so that his conscience could be at peace.

In the blink of an eye, Kronos's thoughts had drifted to the compensation part. He believed that he should compensate Jason with the Deadly Crossbow so as to show his sincerity and gain genuine forgiveness.

Just as Kronos was contemplating that if Jason refused to forgive him, he would have to become a slave, the Time Stone in his mind suddenly jolted, and this "guilt" instantly vanished.

As expected of an Desire Apostle, he can even manipulate feelings of guilt. Using that pitiful remark just now, he directly affected Kronos's emotions.

If it weren't for the Time Stone, Kronos wasn't sure if he would have fallen for it in the end, but he knew that if he had even a second or two of hesitation, Jason would have a chance to turn the tables and escape.

His thoughts were incredibly fast. Despite the vast amount of thought Kronos had taken, less than a second had actually passed in the outside world.

The moment Jason sensed Kronos's vacant gaze, he was already prepared to fight back and escape. Even though he was covered in wounds, he didn't want to surrender, mainly because he didn't want to die.

However, he didn't expect that as soon as he tensed all his muscles, Kronos would break free from that state.

"Impressive tactic. I haven't used this method at all during our fight, which almost made me forget that you are an Desire Apostle," Kronos praised.

Seeing that Kronos was unharmed, Jason stopped pretending. "It's a pity I'm still no match for you. You managed to break free so quickly. My loss was not unjust."

Kronos knew his own situation; it wasn't due to his own strength, but entirely because he had escaped this calamity thanks to the Time Stone, so he didn't say much, only shaking his head.

Seeing that Kronos had no intention of explaining things to him, Jason simply said, "Give me a clean break and admit defeat."

After saying this, Jason closed his eyes and offered his neck for execution.

At this point, Jason had completely given up on any tricks. Not only did he see no hope, but he also lacked spiritual power.

Actually, if he had chosen to fight Kronos head-on when he was first ambushed, he might not have lost. He could have fought Kronos to a standstill using only fire Spell and Language of Foulness, without even needing to Devil Transformation.

However, he used Devil Transformation twice and Desire Incarnation once, which consumed too much Spirituality, directly causing him to lose some of his abilities.

The Error choice left Jason completely unable to fight back.

Jason had given up completely, and Kronos saw no need to torture him any further, so he simply sliced off his head with a Wind Blade.

After dealing with Jason, Kronos didn't forget there was still a living creature in the yard. So, after confirming Jason's death, he left the Basement and went into the yard, his gaze immediately turning towards the doghouse.

At this glance, the doghouse was completely empty; the Devil Dog that Kronos had personally placed there had vanished without a trace.

That's why this dog has absolutely no loyalty to Jason; it basically just watched its owner get hammered by Kronos and then ran away.

In this way, Kronos has lost one of the Beyonder Characteristic of Devil. After all, it is an Beyonder Item that can Malice Perception. It's quite a loss.

Moreover, it's unknown whether this dog will go out and cause trouble. Kronos isn't a saint, but he would feel guilty if his mistakes led to injuries or deaths of others.

With this in mind, Kronos activated the Eye of Time, attempting to find traces of the Devil Dog.

As time rewinds, Kronos sees the moment the Devil Dog awakens, roughly the time when Kronos first took out his Deadly Crossbow and shot Jason.

The crossbow bolt sent Jason flying; the sound wasn't huge, but it was still considerable, and it awakened the Devil Dog.

The Devil Dog was stunned for a moment, then looked towards Jason's bedroom.

It stood in front of its kennel for quite some time, observing, until the two moved to the Basement and Kronos pierced Jason with an arrow. Only then did it turn and run away without hesitation.

Dogs, the most loyal of creatures, have become so Coldblood. Sensing that their owner was at a disadvantage, they turned and ran away.

Kronos should actually feel fortunate that the dog ran away; otherwise, if it had bitten Kronos at a crucial moment, Kronos might not have been able to win.

Seeing the path the Devil Dog had taken, Kronos followed it out the door.

Kronos wanted to make up for this "Error," but he knew that depended on the Devil Dog not running too far.

The Eye of Time could indeed track it all the way, but Kronos didn't have that much time; he could only spare a maximum of two hours to spend on this Devil Dog.

So much has happened tonight, and the commotion has been considerable; Kronos needs some time to rearrange the scene.

If someone calls the police tomorrow morning, then Kronos must impersonate Jason to receive the Police or church personnel and then perfectly cover up all the problems.

Only after passing this hurdle can Kronos perfectly take over everything from Jason, including his shares.

Kronos followed the silhouette of the Devil Dog beneath the Eye of Time.

He probably underestimated this Devil Dog. From the moment it decided to escape, the Devil Dog never stopped running.

Kronos's speed is naturally no match for a Sequence 6 dog, so he has to constantly control the Eye of Time's rewind time in order to keep up with the dog.

Clearly, this clever Devil Dog realized that once Kronos dealt with Jason, it would be his next target, so it fled at top speed.

Kronos followed the figure from the Eye of Time all the way to a manhole, and watched as the Devil Dog darted into it.

Kronos hesitated. If the dog were only on the ground, he could continue tracking it for a while longer, but now that it had entered the Sewers, things were going to get complicated.

Kronos wasn't being a germaphobe or being fussy; it's just that once you're in the Sewers, you need time for a thorough cleaning, and besides, this place isn't close to Jason's House, where there's still a messy murder scene.

Kronos stared at the sewer well for a long time before finally turning around and leaving, retracing his steps.

The dog was clearly there to make it easier for Kronos to catch up, so it didn't stop for a moment. Even if Kronos went down into the well, the chances of finding the dog in a short time were very small. It would be better for him to turn back and focus more on covering up the murder scene.

As for this Devil Dog, let nature take its course. There's no other way; you have to take care of your own affairs first before considering others.

After quickly returning to Jason's House, Kronos first went to the bedroom and carefully observed what needed to be tidied up.

Actually, the bedroom was fine, only the Washroom was a bit messy, mostly things that were knocked over and broken during the fight. Most things could be straightened out.

As for the items that were already damaged, they can all be replaced; there's nothing that's irreparable.

After observing the upstairs area, Kronos went to the Basement, where the damage was most severe.

The Western Capital caused during the fight was secondary; the destruction from Deadly Crossbow and Sulfur Fireball was the hardest to conceal.

Fortunately, the Deadly Crossbow marks were all in the Secret Room inside. All we had to do was Gate the Secret Room. The West Borough was the Church of Evernight's trump card, and even if they sent the Red Gloves Squad, they wouldn't be able to discover the mechanism of this Secret Room in a short time.

The reason why the Machinery Hivemind handled the matter in the original work was mainly because Klein disguised himself as a follower of the Church of Steam and Machinery, and the intelligence was naturally given to the Machinery Hivemind. Otherwise, such cross-territorial operations would rarely occur, because once disputes arise, it would be difficult to divide the benefits and responsibilities.

Although Portland and Kronos didn't think much of the Church of Steam and Machinery's group of fake scholars, they had to admit that the Gate was easy for them to open.

However, the Church of Evernight doesn't need to worry about this problem. As long as they lock the bad things in Secret Room, there will basically be no problems.

However, there is still a problem to deal with: the Sulfur Fireball all landed outside the Secret Room, so there are still considerable traces of burning and explosion in this Basement. Deodorization is a must, and the traces must be covered up, otherwise even ordinary Police will not be able to hide it.

Kronos himself certainly doesn't have the tools to complete these tasks, so he can only pin his hopes on Jason's tools.