novelraw Chapter 266: Time Stood Still
Chapter 266: Time Stood Still
The ground quaked as he launched forward, a blur of speed and destruction despite his massive size. Every step crushed stone, every motion sent shockwaves through the dungeon.
Nolan raised his hand, palm out.
BOOM!
Zohar’s fist collided with Nolan’s palm mid-air. Energy exploded outward in a blinding flash, creating a vacuum that sucked in dust and debris, tearing apart the ceiling. Sparks of black and golden light danced across the air, illuminating Zohar’s twisted form and Nolan’s calm stance.
Zohar recoiled, almost stumbling back, but his eyes burned with unrelenting hatred. "You... you’re not afraid?! You... you dare—!"
Nolan tilted his head slightly, observing the monster before him. "I’ve faced worse than you," he said quietly. "And unlike you, I don’t need hatred to fight."
Zohar let out a scream, aura exploding outward, his monstrous horns snapping through the air as his form grew even larger, more terrifying, more unstable. The dungeon trembled under his weight, stones raining down, the air crackling with malevolent energy.
Nolan’s eyes narrowed. "Then show me everything you’ve got," he said, and the calm before the storm became absolute.
Zohar roared, his voice shaking the entire chamber.
"You’re still not afraid?! You still don’t understand?!"
Nolan stood calmly, his eyes sharp, his body relaxed.
"Well," he said quietly, "there’s something I learned from the stories I used to read back then... In every story, the one who talks about destroying everything—who boasts the loudest—always loses."
Zohar’s eyes twitched.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" he roared. "Die!"
He lunged.
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he rushed forward, his fist wrapped in dense, raging energy. The air screamed as it tore apart from the pressure. Zohar swung with everything he had—
BOOM!
The impact cracked the ground, sending debris flying in all directions.
But Nolan wasn’t there.
In the blink of an eye, Nolan had already moved, his body shifting sideways with effortless precision. The shockwave tore through the space he had just been standing in, smashing pillars and tearing through the dungeon walls.
Zohar spun around, fury burning in his eyes.
"Stop moving!" he roared.
Nolan appeared behind him.
"Too slow," he said calmly.
Zohar twisted and swung again—
Nolan dodged.
Another strike—
Nolan vanished.
Each time Zohar attacked, his blows grew heavier, wilder, more desperate. The dungeon trembled. Cracks spread along the walls. Stones rained from above.
"Why won’t you fall?!" Zohar screamed.
Nolan landed a few meters away, brushing dust from his sleeve.
"Well," Nolan said calmly, his voice echoing through the shattered hall, "the only reason you think I’m strong... is because you’re weak."
Zohar froze for a split second.
"You were always like this," Nolan continued, his eyes narrowing. "You mistake rage for power. You mistake corruption for evolution. That disgusting form of yours—" he glanced at Zohar’s twisted body, pulsing with dark energy "—that’s the only difference between you and who you were before."
Zohar’s jaw trembled.
"You think this makes you superior?" Nolan went on coldly. "It doesn’t. It only proves how far you’ve fallen."
Zohar let out a monstrous scream, his voice echoing like thunder through the shattered dungeon.
"SHUT UP!"
Power erupted from him, tearing the floor apart. "I’VE BECOME STRONGER THAN EVER!"
He charged.
The ground caved in beneath his feet as he rushed forward, muscles swelling, veins pulsing with demonic energy.
Nolan didn’t move.
At the last second, he raised his hand.
Red energy gathered around his palm—dense, violent, absolute.
In an instant, he thrust it forward.
BOOM!
The impact landed squarely in Zohar’s stomach. The shockwave rippled outward, shattering stone, bending metal, and hurling debris across the chamber.
Zohar’s eyes went wide.
"G–gh...!"
He staggered back, coughing violently as his body caved inward—then slowly, grotesquely, began to regenerate.
Flesh reformed. Bones twisted back into place.
Nolan watched calmly.
"So you regenerate," he said. "Troublesome... but not impressive."
Zohar snarled and swung wildly, his massive arm tearing through the air. Nolan stepped aside with minimal effort and, in one clean motion—
Slash.
Zohar’s arm was severed.
It hit the ground with a wet thud.
Zohar screamed, staggering back as the severed limb began to reform, dark energy stitching flesh and bone together.
"Gah...! It’s growing back!" Zohar laughed madly. "You see? I can’t die!"
Nolan’s eyes narrowed.
"So regeneration is your crutch," he said calmly. "Then this fight is already over."
He took a step forward, his presence alone crushing the air.
"You’re not powerful," Nolan continued. "You’re just refusing to fall."
Zohar clenched his fists, breathing heavily, hatred boiling over.
"I’ll kill you!" he roared. "Even if it takes everything!"
Nolan’s gaze hardened.
"Then I’ll end this before you lose what little of yourself remains."
Zohar charged forward, his massive body tearing the stone floor apart with every step. His fist came crashing toward Nolan with enough force to shatter mountains.
But—
Nolan smiled.
Snap.
The sound was soft. Simple.
And the world stopped.
Zohar’s body froze mid‑motion, his fist suspended inches from Nolan’s face. Dust, debris, even the wind itself halted in place.
"What...?" Zohar’s eyes trembled. "Why... can’t I move?"
Nolan stepped forward calmly, his footsteps echoing through the frozen space.
"You see," Nolan said, his voice steady and cold, "I stopped time—but only around you. I let your consciousness remain active so you could understand what’s happening."
Zohar tried to scream, but his jaw wouldn’t move.
"There’s no escaping this," Nolan continued. "You were never going to win. The difference between us was decided long before this fight began."
He walked around Zohar slowly, examining him like a broken artifact.
"You thought power was rage. You thought strength came from hatred. But that was your mistake."
Nolan stopped in front of him.
"I’m not just stronger than you," he said quietly. "I exist on a level you can’t even perceive."
Zohar’s eyes shook violently.
"I am not mere human even if am still human," Nolan continued. "I am not demon. I am not even bound by this world’s laws anymore."
He raised his hand.
"I am the dominion of time itself."
Zohar’s pupils shrank.
"No... no, you’re lying—!" he tried to scream. "I don’t care what you are! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill everyone! I’ll kill them all—Linda, the elves, everyone!"
The moment those words left his mouth—
Nolan’s eyes darkened.
The air cracked.
In an instant, Nolan’s hand moved.
There was no flash.
No sound.
Just severance.
Zohar’s head separated cleanly from his body, spinning once before hitting the stone floor with a dull thud.
Blood splashed across the ground.
Time resumed.
Zohar’s body collapsed, lifeless.
Silence filled the chamber.
Nolan lowered his hand slowly, his expression unreadable.
"...That," he said quietly, "was the last mistake you ever made."
He turned away, his cloak shifting as he walked toward the exit.
"I don’t like using my power," he muttered. "But if I must... I will."
As he stepped out of the ruined chamber, he exhaled softly.
"I’ve already sent Damian and Lyra ahead," he said under his breath. "If anyone else plans to turn into a monster... I’ll know."
Nolan walked out of dungeon the remaining knights and soldiers froze, staring in disbelief.
The violent pressure in the air was gone.
The monstrous presence—vanished.
One of the knights stepped forward, trembling.
"D–Did you really... defeat it?"
Nolan gave a calm glance in his direction.
"Yes," he replied simply. "It’s over."
The tension that had wrapped around the entire area finally broke. Some of the soldiers dropped to their knees. Others exhaled in disbelief, their weapons falling from their hands.
Without another word, Nolan lifted himself into the air and ascended toward the castle once more.
He passed through the shattered window, landing silently inside his chamber.
The moment his boots touched the floor—
"Nolan!"
Celia rushed toward him first, her face filled with relief.
"You’re back!"
Linda followed right after, gripping his sleeve tightly.
"Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
Nolan glanced down at them and gave a small, tired smile.
"I’m fine," he said calmly. "It’s over."
Celia let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
"Thank the heavens..."
Linda’s eyes trembled as she looked him over. "You really... you really fought him alone."
Nolan nodded.
"He won’t be coming back."
Nolan stood quietly, his coat still fluttering from the lingering wind of mana. The hall had gone silent again—too silent. The smell of scorched stone and broken magic still hung in the air.
King Zul stepped forward, his expression heavy, no longer carrying the authority of a ruler, but the burden of one.
"Nolan..." he said slowly. "Thank you. What you did just now... it saved not only this castle, but the entire tribe."
Nolan didn’t reply immediately. He simply looked toward the shattered wall, where the night sky was still visible.
"But," King Zul continued, his tone darkening, "there will be consequences. Zohar was not originally from this tribe. He belonged to another bloodline—another faction. His death will not go unnoticed."
Nolan turned slightly. "So they’ll come."
"Yes," King Zul nodded. "And they won’t come peacefully. They will demand answers. They will demand justice. Some may even seek revenge."