Chapter 121: Age Seal |
The Valkyrie! Dimaria! One of the Spriggan 7!
According to the original timeline, the great Alvarez Empire was supposed to have twelve Spriggans, but due to Yeruashi's overwhelming influence, that number had been reduced to only seven.
At the head of the Spriggans stood Erza's mother, Irene Belserion, while the other members were roughly equal in power. Each was no weaker than God Serena; they stood at the very pinnacle of magic.
In this world, it could be said that their power was surpassed only by the ancient dragons and the Priestess of the Phoenix.
'...What an incredible magical power!' Wendy froze in shock, spotting Dimaria nearby. Beads of cold sweat broke out on the young mage's forehead, her large eyes wide with disbelief.
The Dragon Slayer didn't fear Dimaria in the slightest—not with Yeruashi close by. She was simply rattled by the instinctive fear triggered by the sheer pressure of the magic radiating from one of the Spriggan 7.
This magical energy was powerful—far more potent than that of any wizard she had ever encountered!
Yeruashi's strength had long since transcended the boundaries of this world. It had reached a point where even his breath could trigger a catastrophic disaster, which was why he usually suppressed his aura.
Of course, there was also Eclair, but she likewise held back to avoid overwhelming Wendy.
"A Dragon Slayer, and such a strong one at that. You're definitely not from the Alvarez Empire." Dimaria looked at Wendy with casual indifference.
When their eyes met, the young mage felt as if an ominous shadow had loomed over her.
She instinctively recoiled a few steps. Then, with a determined exhale, she wreathed her slender arms in a swirl of white light and leaped backward. Faced with such a daunting opponent, she chose to retreat immediately, refusing to behave as recklessly as Natsu would have.
"Heh-heh-heh..." Seeing her cute little intruder take flight, Dimaria stepped forward with an air of nonchalance. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and the corners of her lips curled into a smirk.
Whish... All sound died away. The wind vanished. It felt as if the entire world had frozen!
Everything came to a standstill, including the fleeing Wendy, the surrounding troops of the Alvarez Empire, the swirling air currents, and even the ether itself.
This was... a total time stop!
Each of the Spriggan 7 possessed not only immense magical power but also extraordinarily potent unique magic.
Dimaria, for instance, wielded Time Magic, the power of which far surpassed Ultear's Arc of Time.
This was an older, more complete, and infinitely more powerful form of Time Magic!
Within the stillness of space and time, only the caster, Dimaria, could move.
Carefree and unhurried, she strolled forward and stopped in front of Wendy, who hung suspended in mid-air. Even the turbulent currents of magic surrounding the girl's small body were frozen, looking like brushstrokes on a canvas.
"So cute!" Dimaria smiled brightly. She slowly reached out and pinched the frozen girl's cheek.
Wendy offered no reaction whatsoever, as if she were a mere statue rather than a living person.
Clink! After teasing the young mage's face a bit longer, one of the Spriggan 7 drew a long broadsword. She smirked playfully, resting the blade against Wendy's shoulder. "I can't wait to see the look on your adorable little face."
Dimaria harbored a rather sadistic hobby, and she particularly favored cute girls like Wendy.
Naturally, with the ability to stop time, she could end any battle in the blink of an eye.
To keep herself from getting bored, she had taken to savoring the panic and confusion of her victims.
She especially enjoyed toying with pretty young things.
Typically, after freezing time, Dimaria would shred a girl's clothes to ribbons before releasing the spell to delight in their panic, embarrassment, and bewilderment.
But... something strange happened just as Dimaria was about to swing her sword while eyeing the motionless Wendy.
The Spriggan felt her broadsword slowing down unmistakably as it drew closer to the girl.
'I'm slowing down... what on earth...'
Initial confusion quickly gave way to a surge of shock and disbelief. 'No, it's not my movements that have slowed—it's time itself... But how?!'
As the caster of the Age Seal, she knew this sensation perfectly well. It was the feeling of time being stopped. But it was impossible! The world's time was already frozen, and she alone held the authority to move within it.
Then, from behind her, a calm voice drifted through the air, answering her frantic thoughts.
"It's quite simple. You stopped this world's time, so I stopped yours. Nothing is impossible."
Not far from the Spriggan stood Yeruashi, clad in a white wizard's robe.
Then— Snap! He raised his hand and gave a sharp snap of his fingers.
In the very next instant, the motionless Wendy blinked and lunged forward, freed from her temporal shackles.
Naturally, the young mage had no idea what had just occurred, as her own perception of time had been suspended.
One moment she was running; the next, Dimaria was suddenly right in front of her, pointing a sharp blade at her.
Then she noticed Yeruashi standing nearby, appearing out of nowhere. He seemed to have completely frozen the formidable Dimaria in place.
"Oh... That's..." Wendy skidded to a halt after another ten meters and looked around in total shock.
The whole world was frozen!
Only two people could move: herself and Yeruashi.
The Dragon Slayer concluded that the terrifying wizard must have tried to attack her at unimaginable speeds.
But Yeruashi had intervened at the last second, stopping time for everyone else!
In reality, things were a bit more complex, but the distinction didn't matter much to her.
"How... did you stop my stopped time... it's impossible!" Dimaria remained conscious only because Yeruashi willed it.
In truth, he hadn't fully stopped time for her; he had merely slowed it down to an infinitesimal degree.
Now, Dimaria felt danger—immense, overwhelming danger!
In truth, the Age Seal was not invincible.
For instance, it was no easy feat to restrain an opponent of equal or greater caliber, such as Zeref.
She had tried to use the Age Seal on the Emperor of the Spriggans before, and it had proven completely ineffective.
But this... This was the first time she had been frozen within her own frozen time!
The Spriggan frantically reached for her massive reservoir of magic, but she still couldn't break free from the temporal chains binding her.
'Damn it...'
"God Soul: Chronos!"
With no other choice, Dimaria turned to her ultimate trump card. She summoned a fragment of a god's soul and power, making herself its vessel!
Boom!!! A terrifying, unparalleled power crashed down upon the earth. Chronos, the God of Time, had descended into this world!