Greatest of All TimeSeason 2 – Chapter 17: Zero State
Rain.
Heavy rain.
It poured over Tiger Village in the middle of the night, covering the mountains in darkness.
The school grounds were empty.
The village lights reflected across the wet streets.
Inside Arashio's room...
Everything was peaceful.
Arashio was completely asleep.
Siya was sleeping nearby, breathing quietly.
For once...
There were no battles.
No monsters.
No gods.
No Dragon King.
Then—
RIIING! RIIING!
Arashio's phone suddenly exploded with noise.
He groaned.
"...Who is calling at this time?"
The phone kept ringing.
RIIING! RIIING!
Arashio grabbed it.
"Hello?"
A voice screamed through the speaker.
"ARASHIO!! WAKE UP!"
Arashio immediately sat upright.
"Leon?!"
Leon shouted,
"THE LEGENDARY SWORD!"
Arashio's eyes widened.
"What about it?!"
"Someone is taking it!"
Arashio jumped out of bed.
"What?!"
Leon continued screaming.
"GET TO THE SCHOOL NOW!"
"The Time God is here!"
The call suddenly ended.
Arashio stared at the phone.
Behind him...
Siya was still sleeping peacefully.
Arashio looked at her.
"...Sorry, Siya."
He quietly grabbed his jacket.
Then—
WHOOSH!
He disappeared into the rainy night.
The School
Rain crashed against the school roof.
Thunder shook the sky.
Arashio landed in the courtyard.
BOOM!
He immediately saw destruction everywhere.
The ground was cracked.
Walls were destroyed.
Students were scattered around the battlefield.
And at the center...
stood Bibek.
The Time God.
His blue eye glowed calmly.
In front of him stood Leon, Kiro, Alice, and several other warriors.
Leon shouted,
"Give us back the Legendary Sword!"
Bibek didn't even move.
"I don't wish to fight you."
Kiro transformed.
His Monster Soul erupted.
"Then we will make you!"
ROOOOAR!!
A massive beast appeared behind him.
Leon charged.
Alice summoned her Monster Soul.
Hundreds of glowing attacks filled the sky.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Every attack hit Bibek.
Smoke covered the battlefield.
Leon smiled.
"We got him!"
The smoke disappeared.
Bibek was still standing.
Not a scratch.
Not even a mark on his clothes.
Alice froze.
"...Impossible."
Bibek calmly looked at them.
"I asked once."
"Give me the Legendary Sword."
Leon clenched his fists.
"Never!"
Suddenly—
Hundreds of students arrived.
Monster Souls appeared everywhere.
Wolves.
Tigers.
Eagles.
Dragons.
Serpents.
Giant insects.
The entire school became an army of monsters.
A student shouted,
"EVERYONE!"
"ATTACK!"
ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!!
Hundreds of Monster Souls charged toward Bibek.
The sky filled with fire.
Lightning.
Ice.
Wind.
Earth.
The battlefield became a storm of powers.
Bibek simply watched.
Then...
He slowly touched his staff against the ground.
TAP.
Silence.
A tiny blue wave spread across the ground.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The entire area entered a strange state.
Everything slowed.
A fireball moved like a floating star.
A bird stopped in midair.
Rain drops hung motionless.
Even the students' movements became unbelievably slow.
Leon struggled to move.
"W-What..."
"Is..."
"THIS?!"
Bibek calmly walked through the frozen battlefield.
"Time."
He looked at the Legendary Sword.
"Give it to me."
Arashio Arrives
A sudden blue flash appeared behind Bibek.
Bibek turned.
Arashio stood in the rain.
His clothes were soaked.
His hair covered part of his face.
He slowly looked around.
"...What happened here?"
Inside his consciousness...
James and Saku were staring at Bibek.
Their expressions had completely changed.
James whispered,
"...Arashio."
Saku swallowed.
"Don't fight him."
Arashio frowned.
"Why?"
James pointed toward Bibek.
"That's Bibek."
"The Time God."
Arashio froze.
"...Oh."
He looked at Bibek.
Then at the destruction.
Then back at Bibek.
"...I think I came to the wrong place."
Saku nodded.
"Good decision."
James agreed.
"Very intelligent."
Bibek smiled.
"Hello, boy."
Arashio slowly waved.
"Hi."
Bibek stared at him.
"You are Arashio."
"Yeah."
Bibek looked at him for several seconds.
Then—
"Give me the Legendary Sword."
Arashio looked toward the sword.
It was lying near the center of the battlefield.
He slowly walked toward it.
Bibek watched.
Arashio reached out.
The Legendary Sword suddenly floated.
FWOOSH!
It flew directly into Arashio's hand.
Arashio grabbed it.
"Okay."
He turned around.
"I'm leaving."
James shouted inside his consciousness.
"RUN!"
Saku agreed.
"RUN FASTER!"
Arashio started running.
Then—
Bibek's voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Zero State."
Everything stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
Completely.
The rain froze.
The thunder froze.
The fire froze.
The students froze.
The atoms themselves seemed to become motionless.
A strange silence covered the world.
But...
Arashio kept moving.
His eyes widened.
"...What?"
He looked around.
Everyone was frozen.
Even Bibek.
Arashio took another step.
He could still hear.
Still see.
Still breathe.
Still move.
Inside his consciousness...
James and Saku were terrified.
"Arashio..."
"What?"
"Don't move."
"Why?!"
Saku whispered,
"Because you shouldn't be able to."
Arashio looked at Bibek.
The Time God slowly turned his head.
His expression changed.
For the first time...
Bibek looked shocked.
"...Impossible."
He stared at Arashio.
"I stopped time itself."
"Even the atoms have entered Zero State."
"Yet..."
"You are moving."
Bibek's eyes narrowed.
"How?"
Arashio looked confused.
"I don't know."
Bibek stared at him for several seconds.
Then his expression changed.
"...Is he?"
"Is he the Avatar?"
He immediately rejected the thought.
"No."
"Impossible."
"The Destroyer wouldn't choose such a weak boy."
Bibek's eyes glowed brighter.
"Yet I can still perceive him."
"I can see his movements."
"But how..."
"How can this boy hear..."
"...when even sound has stopped?"
Arashio slowly looked behind himself.
Suddenly—
FWOOM.
A golden-yellow aura appeared behind him.
The rain around Arashio began glowing.
The darkness became bright.
A massive mysterious presence filled the battlefield.
Arashio turned.
A golden silhouette stood behind him.
The presence was overwhelming.
Divine.
Ancient.
Beyond understanding.
Bibek's expression changed completely.
His eyes widened.
He immediately lowered his head.
Then...
He saluted.
"Lord Destroyer."
Arashio froze.
"...What?"
A deep divine voice echoed across the frozen world.
"Time God."
Bibek bowed.
"Lord Destroyer."
"It is an honor."
The golden aura became brighter.
"This boy is my Avatar."
Bibek's eyes widened.
"...Avatar."
He looked at Arashio.
Then at the Legendary Sword.
The Destroyer's voice continued.
"He must not die."
"Protect him from the Divine Sword."
Bibek immediately answered,
"I swear."
"I will protect him."
"But..."
Bibek looked at the Legendary Sword.
"...I need that sword."
"It is the key to the Heavenly Stones."
The golden presence remained silent for a moment.
Then—
"Take it."
Bibek bowed.
"Thank you, Lord Destroyer."
The Destroyer continued.
"The boy will lose consciousness for one minute."
"Take the sword."
Bibek nodded.
"I understand."
The golden aura slowly began disappearing.
Arashio stared.
"Wait..."
"What is happening?"
The Destroyer's final words echoed.
"Your journey has only begun."
FWOOSH!
The golden light vanished.
Arashio's eyes rolled upward.
His body collapsed.
THUD.
The Legendary Sword remained beside him.
Bibek calmly picked it up.
He looked at the unconscious Arashio.
"...So."
"The Avatar of the Destroyer."
A faint smile appeared.
"This changes everything."
The Next Morning
Sunlight slowly entered the hospital room.
Arashio opened his eyes.
Siya immediately rushed toward him.
"Arashio!"
He sat up.
"Siya?"
She looked worried.
"What happened last night?"
Arashio frowned.
"Last night?"
"Yeah!"
"The school was attacked."
"The Time God appeared."
"Do you remember anything?"
Arashio stared at her.
"...No."
Siya froze.
"You don't remember?"
Arashio shook his head.
"I remember getting a call from Leon."
"Then I reached the school."
"After that..."
"Nothing."
Inside his consciousness...
James and Saku remained silent.
They remembered.
Everything.
But neither understood whether they should tell Arashio.
James finally whispered,
"Maybe..."
"...he's not ready."
Saku nodded.
"Not yet."
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The hospital shook violently.
Siya screamed.
"What was that?!"
Arashio jumped from the bed.
Outside—
The sky had turned dark.
A massive army was descending from the clouds.
Nature-based monsters.
Warriors.
Strange creatures.
An enormous force surrounded the entire area.
A voice echoed across the village.
"NATURE GOD!"
"YOUR TIME HAS COME!"
Arashio rushed toward the window.
Far away...
A gigantic explosion erupted.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Buildings disappeared.
The Tiger Army rushed into battle.
Students screamed.
Siya grabbed Arashio's arm.
"What is happening?!"
Arashio stared at the destruction.
"I don't know..."
Another explosion.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The hospital walls cracked.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
James shouted inside his consciousness—
"ARASHIO!"
Saku yelled,
"GET READY!"
Arashio clenched his fists.
Outside...
The mysterious army continued attacking.
And above the destruction...
A terrifying figure slowly appeared.
The attack wasn't random.
They had come for someone.
The Nature God.
Arashio looked toward the burning sky.
His eyes slowly began glowing.
"...Again?"
The world had barely survived the Dragon King.
Bibek had just arrived.
The Legendary Sword was gone.
And now...
Another war had begun.
TO BE CONTINUED...