Strongest Nova: Path of Vengeance

Chapter 354: Alone

Stanley saw Gray’s dying body fall to the ground, with black mist dissipating around him at the same time.

"Gray!" he shouted in disbelief. He couldn’t understand how Gray had been attacked. Good thing he had marked him earlier.

He quickly turned back time, now a hundred-fold faster due to his ability to slow down time coming back. Both his Time Reverse and Time Speed-Up powers were tied to the rate of how much he could slow down time.

While his power was gone, the rate was normal. But now that it had come back, it improved every other power at the same time.

Gray’s dying body healed in an instant, going back to how it was before. For some reason, however, the reversed time did not affect Gray’s mind or memory, so when he was healed, he only looked all over himself, confused and surprised.

"What... what happened?" Gray asked. He saw the crawler slam its giant cylindrical black limb on him and it could not bypass the barrier he had created with his aura.

Stanley arrived next to him. "We were attacked," he said quickly, looking around. "That was Raven’s attack. She is here somewhere around here."

"Okay..." Gray said. "But then how did I get hit?"

"I don’t know," Stanley said. "She is—"

He both felt his instinct telling him to dodge and saw a black spike grow out from behind Gray, stabbing him through the back.

Stanley slowed down time at the same time and dodged. His instinct told him the most opportune time to dodge, so right as he did, where he stood before, a black spike appeared, missing him by inches.

In front of him, he saw the spike move toward Gray.

Stanley focused his attention on the spikes, stopping time for just it. The spike stopped moments before it landed on Gray. Only when he knew they were safe did he finally let time flow normally again.

Gray turned around, surprised that he had nearly been attacked again. He was stunned to see that the attack could indeed bypass his defenses.

"Shadow!" Gray said, slowly understanding the situation. "No form, no substance. I cannot dodge it, can I? I’m completely outmatched in this regard."

Stanley nodded. Just then, he felt the attacks come once again. He dodged his as easily as before and tried to stop the attack coming toward Gray.

But in doing so, he had let go of the attack he was stopping earlier, and it continued on its path as though it had never stopped.

Stanley tried to quickly change the target of his Time Stop power, but then the other spike went for Gray. He couldn’t stop both of them at the same time, so he moved to save Gray.

He ran toward Gray, only to slam against the barrier he had created and be flung backward in full force. He flew through the air in slowed time, quickly twisting his body as he approached a crawler. His metal boots sunk into the crawler’s body, digging into its slimy flesh, taking the entire brunt of Stanley’s force.

The crawler flew away, and Stanley landed on the ground. He looked forward and saw Gray stabbed through the heart once again. "Damn it!" Stanley shouted, quickly turning time back once again.

Gray’s body healed, returning to how it was almost immediately. He breathed deeply, understanding what had happened just then.

He turned around, searching for Stanley who was dozens of meters away.

Stanley arrived back. "Are you okay?" he asked again.

"No," Gray said, looking around warily. All of his life, he hadn’t ever been wounded except when he fought the Director. And now, he was not just wounded, but killed twice in a row. Never before had he felt fear of this level.

"I... I..." Gray didn’t think there would be a day he would ever say this. "I don’t think I am of much use to you here. I am more of a hindrance than a help."

Stanley thought for a moment and couldn’t help but reflect the same sentiment. He didn’t need Gray here. He was only a burden.

"How will you leave? It’s dangerous?" Stanley said.

Gray looked up the mountain. "There’s a hole at the top, isn’t it?" he asked.

Stanley nodded. "Amy blew through the ceiling and created one."

"Throw me up there," Gray said. "I should be away from Shadow Nova’s range."

"How do I throw you?" Stanley asked, confused.

"Easy," Gray said. "Just kick me when I say so."

Gray jumped suddenly. "Now!"

Gray was 2 meters in the air, coming down when Stanley kicked him. He could tell there was an aura around him, protecting him, so he wouldn’t get hurt.

Stanley kicked something hard and at the next moment, Gray was flying through the air, reaching higher than the mountain. He seemed to sail the air as if it was nothing and slowly drifted toward the mountain-top where he disappeared.

Once he was gone, Stanley looked around, all alone in the sea of blackness. "You are here, aren’t you? Show yourself."

A spike shot toward Stanley from his own shadow and he cut through it with his sword, destroying it into black mist. "Not going to speak?" he asked.

Raven slowly stepped out from the shadow of one of the giant crawlers. Her long black hair fell to her side and her red eyes seemed to almost glow in the shadows.

Her lopsided grin seemed false, and Stanley could feel the anger behind that look.

"I have you alone, finally," Raven said. "I will have you dead for what you did to my brother."

Stanley gripped his white sword tightly against the Shadow Nova. "No," he said, almost a whisper. "You are the one that will be dying today."

Stanley immediately moved, giving Raven no time to act. He cut through her, splitting her in half. He thought he had killed her, but then her body dissolved into black mist.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Raven’s voice came from all around as dozens of her began appearing from the shadow. "Did you think this would be over that easily?"