One Year Later
Far away from the bustling streets of Planet Diamond's capital, hidden within a quiet residential district surrounded by lush trees and crystal lakes, laughter echoed through the peaceful neighborhood.
Three children chased one another across a wide grassy field.
Leading them was a handsome teenage boy with messy brown hair and a carefree smile.
Henry.
Unlike most young Initiates who spent every waking moment cultivating or hunting monsters, Henry never forgot how to enjoy life.
He laughed loudly as he sprinted away from his two younger brothers, deliberately slowing down every few seconds just so they could almost catch him.
"You'll never catch me!"
The two little boys burst into laughter.
"We will!"
"You cheated!"
"I didn't cheat."
"You teleported!"
Henry grinned shamelessly.
"That's called using my abilities."
The younger brothers immediately protested.
"That's cheating!"
Henry laughed so hard that he nearly tripped over his own feet.
For a brief moment...
He wasn't the infamous Ghost.
He wasn't an Initiate feared throughout the Spiritual Realm.
He was simply an older brother enjoying a peaceful afternoon with his family.
Yet if anyone from the Spiritual Realm happened to witness this scene, they would struggle to believe their eyes.
Because the smiling teenager before them was the very same Ghost whose name had spread across countless human citadels.
Although Henry remained only an Initiate Demon, countless hunters already regarded him as a monster.
Ordinary Initiates couldn't even survive against Awakened creatures.
Henry hunted them.
Not merely ordinary Awakened creatures.
Even Awakened Mythics had fallen beneath his arrows.
Many believed the rumors were exaggerated.
Those who had witnessed him fight knew otherwise.
Ghost never confronted powerful opponents head-on.
Instead...
He appeared where nobody expected.
A single arrow.
A single teleport.
Then another.
By the time his enemies understood what had happened...
They were already dead.
His twenty-meter teleportation seemed ordinary on paper.
In battle...
It became a nightmare.
The strangest part was his Flaw.
Most people considered Flaws to be weaknesses.
Henry somehow transformed his into a weapon.
Whenever danger became overwhelming, his body gradually lost weight.
Eventually...
He floated.
At first it had been embarrassing.
Now...
He deliberately abused it.
Unable to reach him, many creatures could only roar helplessly while Henry calmly rained arrows upon them from above.
More than one hunter had jokingly claimed that Ghost didn't fight monsters...
He bullied them.
Henry suddenly stopped running.
His sharp hearing caught familiar footsteps approaching from the nearby house.
He turned.
A tall man stepped outside.
He resembled Henry enough that anyone could immediately recognize them as father and son.
His hair had begun turning silver.
His face carried countless scars left behind by battles fought over centuries.
His eyes, however...
Still carried incredible vitality.
This man was known across humanity as...
Anvil of Time.
One of humanity's greatest Transcendents.
A man whose mastery over time had made him almost impossible to kill.
Years ago...
He had challenged the Divine Trial.
He had failed.
Barely escaping with his life.
Since then, Anvil had chosen retirement over ambition.
Or at least...
That was what everyone believed.
Anvil watched Henry quietly for several seconds before speaking.
"Henry."
Henry immediately became serious.
"Dad."
Anvil folded his arms.
"I've been thinking."
Henry raised an eyebrow.
"That's usually dangerous."
Anvil ignored the comment.
"I've made my decision."
Henry immediately sensed something unusual.
His playful smile slowly disappeared.
"I'm going to challenge the Divine Trial again."
Silence.
Even the younger boys stopped playing.
Henry stared at his father.
For a moment...
He genuinely didn't know what to say.
Then a slow smile spread across his face.
"I knew it."
Anvil chuckled softly.
"Knew what?"
"I knew that spark hadn't disappeared."
Henry crossed his arms confidently.
"You've been pretending to enjoy retirement."
"But every time someone mentions Grandfather Asterion..."
"You start thinking about becoming stronger again."
Anvil couldn't deny it.
After hearing that Asterion had entered his final Trial...
Something inside him had awakened once more.
The desire to climb higher.
The desire to surpass his own limits.
The desire...
To become a God.
Anvil sighed.
"But before I leave..."
"I want you to complete your Awakened Trial."
Henry frowned.
"So soon?"
Anvil nodded.
"Time waits for no man."
He looked toward the distant sky.
"Your mother entered her Sovereign Trial a long time ago."
"We still don't know when she'll return."
"If both of us leave at the same time..."
The sentence remained unfinished.
Henry understood immediately.
Someone needed to protect the family.
Someone needed to become stronger.
Henry sighed dramatically.
"Dad..."
"This isn't fair."
Anvil smiled.
"When has life ever been fair?"
Henry couldn't argue with that.
Anvil suddenly placed a hand on Henry's shoulder.
"But I believe in you."
"You've already become stronger than I imagined."
Henry scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"You really think so?"
"I know so."
The younger brothers suddenly rushed over.
"Dad!"
"Dad!"
One grabbed Anvil's arm.
The other hugged his waist.
Anvil laughed warmly before kneeling to their height.
"So..."
"Who wants to see Dad control time?"
The two boys' eyes immediately lit up.
"Me!"
"No, me first!"
Both began jumping excitedly.
Henry watched the scene with a smile.
Then quietly muttered beneath his breath,
"The so-called mighty Transcendent of Time..."
"...is basically just the strongest babysitter alive."
Anvil slowly turned his head.
"Did you say something?"
Henry immediately looked toward the sky.
"Not a word."
Anvil laughed.
"I definitely heard something."
The family walked back toward the house together while laughter echoed throughout the peaceful neighborhood.
Henry remained behind for only a few more seconds.
A mischievous grin slowly spread across his face.
"I guess..."
"...it's finally time to visit my slaves."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"They've probably collected enough resources for me by now."