Last Straw

"I'll just read through the series I have been turning down lately." Adam couldn't leave the pocket watch unattended for two reasons.

The first reason was that he needed to constantly supply it with Mana, otherwise, it would stop and break the spell. The second reason was that he now needed to defend it as he had taken it out of the system's grasp.

"To think there would be 5 attempts to steal it already." Every Temporal Piece was an essential part of a universe, and having it was equivalent to having control over the river of time in said Universe.

With it one can go into the past of their foe and prevent their birth, essentially it was a lethal device in the hands of the wrong person. But the ones coming for it now weren't from this universe, and they were interested in it for two reasons, the first was to use it as a commodity and trade it with others to get the artifacts they needed.

As for the second reason…

A little distance away from the Universe Celestine belonged to, several creatures gathered, most of them looked human but some did not. One of such creature was knocked back from the external Defensive layers of the Universe.

[Why is this damn Boundary so tough?] Looking at his eight hands covered in severe burns, he couldn't help but measure the universe's size once again.

[Since when did low-level worlds have such high-level barriers?] And just like him many others did the same, and the answer was nonsensical. There was no way a Universe of this level would be able to keep them out. So, there was only one explanation.

[Could it be that someone already entered?!] The simple sentence was enough to put shake them all, but they had to accept it. Just that not anyone will be able to do that, as they have many things at stake.

[Argh! This is my last chance. I will not last for another hundred years. Please let me in!!] A handsome man with black hair tried to bang on the defensive layer, but being burnt to the bone did not stop him. The purple disk floating in front of him showed a white dot, and that was his target. All of his problems would be solved if he could just get past this flimsy-looking barrier, but it was impossible.

[Poor guy. It isn't every day that a Temporal Piece is taken out. Even some of the stronger Administrators never do that as it is nearly suicide.] The Octopus felt a little pity for this guy as they were in a similar situation. Just that he had more time than this man.

[Where is the sympathy coming from? We will also end in the same way if we don't find a new world.] His brother shook him out of it. They also needed the Temporal piece as much as this guy. And so did everyone else who had gathered here.

[…Yes, let's go we can't waste our time here. We have to rebuild our world or else we will perish just like it did.] They were all desperate to get their hands on it. The second reason why they wanted this device was to allow them to go back to the time when the Administrator was yet to be born, and then take over the world.

This would give them the benefits that came with the position. Normally they would have to tussle with the system to get the Temporal Piece which would damage the universe itself unless they were at a level where they could overpower the system or with special conditions, so they always waited for the device to be brought out.

[The one who made this barrier should at least be a Grade 7 Administrator.] Normally such high-level beings do not bother with Grade 2 level worlds like this one, but there was nothing they could do.

[Mellissa… Lynn… if I don't become an Administrator again, I will not be able to bring them back… No… NO! I promised them!] And with this being his last chance, Raven could not step back. A gigantic hammer appeared in his hands, it burned in the same golden hue as his eyes.

He had always been a lucky being, he was born as an Administrator, with loyal subordinates, and even partners who would stay with him for his long lifespan. Things were always in his favor from the start. Raven gained everything that he could want.

But the problem was that he relied on his luck too much, and that is what cost him everything. Now he was left with nothing, his world, his subordinates, his wives, and his wealth, everything was taken from him in an instant. And he wasn't able to understand what happened, but he knew the one who did it.

"I will not give up till I kill that Bitch!!!!" He roared pouring all of his power into the hammer. It did not matter if his life burned away, if he couldn't get into this world then he would destroy it.

[He's using a Soul-bound weapon, that bastard's lost it! We have to get out!] Attacking that barrier, Raven would provoke the one that had entered the world.

And even if they didn't know who it was, there was one thing that they knew about such beings. For them there was no such thing as 'too far', they were real monsters with no tears or blood as life itself had lost its meaning to them.

[We need to get the Checkpoint Stone!] The older brother shouted. More exclaims were heard from the area far away as Raven's reckless attempt was noticed by others, they all scrabbled for the device as it was the fastest way of traveling through the Ocean of Life.

It was the only means of travel that allowed the creation of warp portals to travel at a set location. Trying to do something like that without this, one would be torn apart by the forces of the different worlds in the middle of their journey, and so far there has been no exception to this rule.

The older brother was anxious because if they couldn't leave before that being came out, they would be killed along with that fool. And even if he was the first one to react to the situation, his plan did not go as he envisioned.

[B-Brother…] All he heard was a whimper which made him turn, and the sight made his blood run cold.

There was no impact from Raven's attack because it never landed. The man along with his hammer was now reduced to stone, there was no Breath of 'Life' from him or the weapon. They had been snuffed out as unnoticeably as a candle on a windy night, but the worst part was that they were still in that area.

His brother's sight was fixed on the Defensive Layer. If there was an example that could show what face one would make when one feels the purest form of fear, it would be his brother's.

His body was trembling yet it didn't dare to move, eyes bulging more than what was possible with his teeth clattering like he was thrown in the Cold Hell.

[B-Brother… save m-!] He was not even allowed to plead, his body turned into stone alongside the checkpoint stone.

'Shit… my body… it's moving… No, this isn't what… I wished for…' The older brother was now experiencing the same feeling as his brother, having no control over his body, he was forced to look towards the bright red defensive layer. But instead of stopping at the barrier his eyes looked past it, and soon a blue planet came into his view, the more he could see of this world the more he panicked.

A figure came into focus—a white-haired man seated leisurely on an old wooden chair holding a book with a flat-faced blonde girl on the cover. His golden eyes, serpent-like and transfixing, bore into the older brother's soul, eclipsing the fear of death itself. In that moment, the older brother forgot the tragedy of his sibling's demise, the purpose of his presence, and the impending doom that had locked eyes with him.

"Why did you guys cause a ruckus when I was getting to the interesting part?" The words, though spoken from a considerable distance, resonated like thunder in his ears.

Attempting an apology, he began, "[Sorr—]" But it was futile. In the blink of an eye, his petrified form disintegrated into dust, joining the ranks of countless others subjected to the same fate.

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