Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2678: Temporal Duel 7

The tension in the air was almost suffocating.

Emery and the others couldn’t help but feel a gnawing anxiety in the pit of their stomachs. The figure looming before them wasn’t just another undead horror; it was a corpse of a celestial race, the preserved remains of a supreme being. Even in death, it radiated an oppressive might that seemed to make the space around it heavier and harder to breathe.

A dozen talismans clung to its massive body, each etched with dense, ancient runes. They pulsed faintly, like veins carrying divine energy. Behind the giant, Talaro’s voice echoed—deep, ritualistic, each chant peeling away another layer of the seals. Every time a talisman loosened and fell, the giant’s aura flared, another wave of ancient, suffocating power filling the air.

Dark Emery moved before the next talisman could fall.

The plan was simple: kill the caster and the undead would crumble.

With Vayarel’s mastery of spatial energy surging in him, he became a blur, closing the distance at breakneck speed. His void blade, already wreathed in the raw, chaotic power of Khaos, flared brighter. The weapon grew—twice its original size—an obsidian arc of annihilation aimed straight for the dark elf.

But the celestial undead moved to block his path, the mark of temporal law at work.

Dark Emery’s lips curled.

”FIne!!” he snarled, ”You take this strike instead!”

He brought the massive void blade down in a two-handed strike, the impact screaming through the air, yet before it could land, the celestial raised one arm.

BAM!

The strike stopped cold..

For a heartbeat, both Emerys froze in disbelief.

The void blade—sharp enough to cleave a mountain in half—was trapped in the celestial’s massive hand, the black edge quivering under an unyielding grip.

Then its other arm moved.

The punch came faster than its size should allow, a blur of divine strength. Dark Emery twisted space at the last possible instant, the blow passing through a folded sliver of reality. He reappeared at the celestial’s flank, void blade slashing toward its waist.

The result was... disappointing.

The edge met the celestial’s flesh—and the resistance was like striking into crystallized steel. The slash barely broke the surface, leaving only a shallow gash. Shock flickered across Emery’s face.

That moment of hesitation cost him.

The undead’s turned sharply, and the arm that had missed before whipped around in a vicious backhand. The blow connected squarely.

CRUNCH!

The force hurled Dark Emery back a dozen meters, his ribs shattering under the blow.

However, this strike had exposed the celestial’s back, and the others pounced on the opening. Morgana’s cosmic flames roared from her hands, while Livi’s conjured fireballs burned white-hot, both hurtling toward the target. Light Emery joined in, his Dao Edge humming with the power of eight elemental forces.

BAAMM! BAMM!! BAMM!!

The combined assault slammed into the undead’s back like a storm, detonating in a torrent of flame and elemental fury. A massive scorch mark spread across its back, blackened and searing, the scent of burnt flesh and ozone flooding the air. řаNΟ𝔟ĚS̩

For a moment, it looked like they had done real damage.

But then, before their eyes, the charred flesh began to knit back together. Cracks of lightless energy spiderwebbed over the wound, and in seconds, the burn was gone. The giant rose to its full height once again, towering and implacable, like a sentinel carved from the bones of the cosmos.

Emery narrowed his eyes. Overwhelming as it was, this creature was still undead. That meant two things: its power, though immense, was only a fragment of what it once possessed; and it carried the same weaknesses—fire, and slower reaction speed compared to the living.

That was all they needed.

A plan took shape instantly. Both Emerys would press in close, slipping between dimensions with spatial and temporal techniques, drawing the giant’s focus while Morgana and Livi rained relentless fire from a distance. They would harry it, bleed it, keep it from exploiting its raw strength.

And for a while, it worked.

The celestial’s massive swings met only air, its roars of frustration echoing as fire scorched its limbs and torso. Their coordination was tight, each movement feeding the next strike. Little by little, they were pushing it back.

Then Talaro’s chant shifted.

A snap like the breaking of a seal rang out, and another talisman peeled itself from the giant’s body. In instant, the celestial’s power surged.

Emery’s divine sense caught whispers woven from Talaro’s lips, curling with command.

The celestial undead froze mid-swing. Its burning blue eyes shifted—to Livi.

The weakest link.

In an instant, its towering frame surged forward, the air warped in its wake from the sheer force of its movement.

”Livi!” Emery’s warning came too late.

In a panic, the Baphamoth instinctively triggered her race’s innate life-saving skil. Her body flickered, phasing out of the physical realm and vanishing into the safety of a pocket space.

However,

The celestial reached forward and, with temporal spell it was able to tore open the very fabric of her sanctuary. The rift peeled apart like thin paper beneath its massive hand.

Livi tumbled back into the battlefield, eyes wide with terror. She tried to dodge, but the giant’s hand closed around her waist in a single, crushing grip, just a doll in the fist of a god.

”LIVI!!” Emery’s voice cracked with rage.

Morgana, closest to the scene, didn’t hesitate. Cosmic flame roaring to life and igniting around her hands. At the same moment, both Emerys appeared behind the celestial in a blur, their blades driving toward its back.

The strikes landed true, power enough to wound even a living supreme being... but this creature was already dead. Pain meant nothing to it.

Light Emery snarled and unleashed the roots of the Elysian Tree, thick vines of living energy erupting around the celestial’s limbs. But the giant barely seemed to notice. Muscles flexed, and the roots tore apart like fragile twine.

It kept squeezing.

Bones cracked inside its fist with sickening pops

”ARRGHH!!”

Livi’s scream was raw, her body shaking as blood seeped through her bodies. The sound was unbearable.

Morgana’s flames lashed at the giant’s arms, the fire so hot it charred the undead flesh black and brittle. But still—it would not let go.

”RELEASE HER!!”

The roar came from Dark Emery. His void blade swelled, Khaos energy spiraling into it in an unrestrained surge. The weapon grew, black and jagged, until it was three times its original size—an executioner’s sword forged from the abyss itself.

He swung.

The blade’s edge tore through the air and came down with the weight of annihilation. The undead’s forearms sheared away at the elbows, severed cleanly, the stumps smoldering with the burn of Khaos.

The celestial’s grip fell apart.

Light Emery was already there, pulling her broken body into the safety of his domain.

But any relief was short-lived.

From the edge of the battlefield, Talaro’s voice rose in another chant, dark energy threading into the giant’s wounds. Before their eyes, bone sprouted like twisted roots, flesh regrew over it in seconds. The celestial’s arms reformed—whole, unbroken, as if nothing had happened.

The three who still stood looked on, grim and silent.