Hero of Darkness

1024 The Dragon

Kahn stood awestruck and rooted as the Dragon behind the future Kahn finally revealed his true identity.

This dragon without any arms, legs, or even wings; leaked the blue fire made of cosmic aether across his body and revealed himself to be an elder dragon.

"Do not be surprised, child. This is not my main body or even my complete soul.

I'm the only Elder Dragon in the history of Vantrea who achieved all 5 enlightenments in the Space Law." declared the Elder Dragon.

Shocked!

Kahn was still recovering from the shock but then the Elder Dragon revealed that he achieved all 5 Enlightements in the Space Law.

Given how current Kahn himself had achieved 3 Enlightements in this law... it was like a student doing their Major standing in front of a person with PhD in that very field.

And this Elder Dragon revealed previously that he was the main reason why future Kahn orchestrated him to choose the Dimensional Law divine ability in the first place.

"Listen to me, child. There's no point in divulging my origins or how I met the original version of you in the future. So I will tell you only what's necessary.

In the original timeline, I could only teach the original Kahn so much about the Space Law.

His growth in this field was nonexistent despite having the same intellect as you because of his divine abilities.

And after learning a secret about the Demon God from a certain someone...

Both of us felt that if Kahn had the Dimensional Law divine ability since the beginning, he would have had a fair chance to defeat the Demon God after becoming a Demi-God." revealed the Elder Dragon in a thoughtful tone.

Soon, he started explaining the secret reason why he made Kahn choose the Dimensional Law in this timeline.

After 10 minutes, Kahn was shaking with goosebumps all over his body.

"Dimensional Law... can do that?!" asked with his eyes wide open, full of disbelief.

"Yes. But you need to reach the 5th enlightenment similar to that of a Sage to use that power.

Look at my current form for example... This is only the 1/10th part of my soul yet it's mostly infused with cosmic aether...

A form of energy derived from the Linchpins of the Multiverse like the one you had in the Conjunction of Space inside the Chamber of Exaltation.

Do you think even a Royal Dragon can survive with such ethereal energy inside their body if they don't have the

Enlightenment in the Space Law?" stated Saalazaar in a proud tone.

Having a Cosmic Form of his own, current Kahn shook his head and nodded in agreement.

Even his own form was not permanent and needed a supply of cosmic aether periodically to use those powers. But the Elder Dragon in front of him felt as if he himself was the source of cosmic aether.

"For every individual, the enlightenment comes differently.

For me, it happened when I was fighting a Godbeast back in my time after he invaded my Dragon Empire.

So it will most likely be different for you as well.

And once you reach the 5th Enlightenment... A new world will be opened to you." declared the floating dragon.

"How... how did you end up like this?" asked Kahn as he looked at the Elder Dragon with admiration and genuine respect.

Saalazaar was like a Hero to a child-like Kahn who wanted to venture into the study of the Space Law.

"To send Kahn back in time, I needed to create a separate realm that would be unaffected by the flow of time.

We already had the spell from Hero of Time and his core as the main ingredient. Also with the use of Transcendent Rune of Reminiscene, we already had a way to return in time.

But the problem was that if we did so, the original Kahn's soul or his memories of the future would also get reset.

Unlike the Hero of Time, he did not get a free pass from the Law of Time.

Thus, I... the only being with the knowledge of Space Law and the 5th Enlightenment had to act." revealed the Elder Dragon of Cosmos.

"Creating a dimension of your own is no big feat for someone like me. But sending that realm back in time while linking it to a Transcendent Rune while protecting another soul at the same time...

It takes a huge sacrifice." he iterated somberly. 

"And to do that... I had to sacrifice my original body and most of my soul from the future to make it happen.

This current form of me is what remained of my original body and soul." revealed the Elder Dragon in a gloomy tone. "Now, I need to impart some of my knowledge to you in a way that would help you in the battle against the Demon God." declared the dragon.

For the next couple of hours, he revealed too many shocking methods and secrets to current Kahn.

And like an earnest student, he listened and absorbed every single teaching.

"I... I really was an ignorant moron. Thinking that I knew so much about the Space Law just because I achieved these enlightenments on my own...

What a fool I've been." spoke Kahn with despondent countenance.

"Do not worry, I was the same at that stage. So hopefully, your growth will be much faster and more perfect than me." said the Elder Dragon.

"With this... I have told you everything needed and how you need to do it." declared the Elder Dragon of Cosmos.

In return, all current Kahn could do was offer a bow of respect to his short-term mentor.

The knowledge that the Elder Dragon shared, was something he possibly wouldn't have found on his own even if he explored the entirety of Vantrea.

So in a sense, Saalazaar saved him centuries of time and effort after telling his secrets that took him thousands of years to master.

Kahn's gaze then turned to the Martial Emperor as he asked...

"How strong were you before the regression?"

"Like I mentioned before... I was a Peak 8th-stage saint capable of even fighting against the Demon Emperor.

The one time we fought, the battle ended in a draw as the Demon God himself was forced to intervene.

I was one of the 4 Heroes who reached that rank in my timeline.

Only Hero of Light, Hero of Space, and Hero of Lightning were just as strong as me." revealed the Martial Emperor. "However, all of us are hostile towards each other.

And I also had my divine weapon by that time in the future, which is 12 years from now.

You also have Amaterasu in this timeline. Maybe you'll do a better job than me." iterated future Kahn solemnly.

"Now listen... there are few mistakes you shouldn't make in this timeline, the kind that even made me regret my decisions." stated the martial emperor in a commanding tone.

"There's someone that you will want to kill as soon as you see them. But you must not... if you don't want to mess things up in this timeline that is.

There are 3 people you must kill only after becoming a Demi-God.

You have already saved Maximus by killing the Hero of Fire so there are only 2 people you must save.

And finally, there's 1 entity you should absorb in this timeline using the divine abilities." he explained.

But soon, his expression turned grim.

"Also, there's someone who will betray you when you won't expect it.

And when that day comes, I hope you have contingencies prepared for it." said the Martial Emperor.

Soon, he gave the new Kahn the list of people in each category.

"Seriously... who are these people to you? And why do I need to find them?" asked current Kahn.

"Don't ask for too many spoilers. You'll know the reason why when you actually meet them." spoke the Martial Emperor in an admonishing tone.

"Wait... What happened to Rathnaar in your timeline?" asked Kahn.

Because so far, the future Kahn barely mentioned the Peak Saint as if he was not a major part of his life.

In the very next moment... Future Kahn's expression turned sullen.

"That... I can't tell you. It's something you'll have to know for yourself."

Those were the only words he spoke while clenching his fist tightly as his eyes were filled with regret.

"From now on... Brace for all the possibilities.

And remember... Try to make more friends than outright killing those who try to kill you.

Do not make hasty decisions just because the situation has forced your hand." said future Kahn in an imploring tone.

"And trust the 'benefactor' I told you about. Because of the way I have impacted the timeline by changing 'our' path... Many events have changed. Although they have changed in our favor and might actually help in the war against theNôv(el)B\\jnn

Many events have changed. Although they have changed in our favor and might actually help in the war against the Demon God...

From this point onwards..." spoke the Martial Emperor in a grim voice.

"The Timeline itself will be your enemy."