Neo did not even know what the Shadow Supreme's Treasure was, yet he thought like that.
"Then, it's time you leave, vermin!"
The black dragon's maw descended.
Neo didn't have enough energy for a Time loop. He grabbed Obitus with his remaining hand.
Divine Swordsmanship Eight Stan-
He stopped abruptly and coughed uncontrollably.
Blood poured out of his mouth.
'I need energy to use Sword Techniques too.'
The black dragon's maw clamped shut around him. Inside, a powerful suction seemed to be pulling Neo in every direction.
His already broken body could not hold together.
He started to break apart.
'This leaves no choice.'
Neo devoured his stomach and liver. He used the energy to take hold of the mimicked River of Time with mimicked Tyrant, and—
He woke up in the past.
Red lightning flickered around him, keeping him alive despite the missing organs.
He concentrated and generated energy before the Dragon came back.
"River of Time takes enough energy as it is, but using it with Tyrant doubles the energy compared to their individual cost.
"But I can't not use Tyrant.
"If I use only River of Time, activating the Concept will take almost half a second. That's too long, and the Dragon would realize I'm going back in time.
"It's thanks to Tyrant that I can instantly use River of Time."
Tyrant allowed him to ease the flow of River of Time, and thus swim back faster.
It was a technique only he could use.
The ceiling broke, and the black dragon descended.
"Hahaha! Such an auspicious day! I found a pure energy source!"
The dragon's words were different from last time. It had happened every time Neo turned back time.
Neo did not have time to ponder on his thoughts. He used All-Shadow to dodge.
He used All-Shadow and moved five thousand meters away, leaving the dragon frustrated.
"Hey, what kind of defense technique is that?" Neo called out. "What element are you using?"
"A vermin dares to question me?"
The dragon roared ferociously.
Neo sensed the strange vibrations of energy in the air and realized the roar was an attack.
Somehow, though, he was perfectly fine.
"What is this... vermin, are you a dragon too?"
"I guess so? Can't say for sure though," Neo's voice was strangely detached, yet calm. A sense of hollowness could be felt in those words.
"I believed you were someone who was brought by Tartarus, but if you are a dragon, you must be part of the Grand Expedition!"
"Does that mean you are a part of the Grand Expedition too?"
"Halt your insolent words, vermin! I'm the Protector of the first Floor of the Abyss of Nightmares! How dare you take me as one of those intruders!?"
The dragon tried to enter the cavern. Its body was too large for the cavern. The ceiling caved in, and the ground collapsed.
'Fifty seconds since the dragon appeared.'
'I've recovered half of my energy.'
Neo grabbed Obitus. He had bought enough time by talking.
'I want to copy its spell, but how do I do that?'
'I've been using Shadow Supreme's Treasure instinctively until now.'
'I never understood how to use it by choice—'
[Sacred Treasure Abyss Mirror responds to your wishes.]
In his mind, he heard the voice of A #22, the Gatekeeper of the World of Treacherous Shadows.
'It seems you have finally decided to use the Abyss Mirror. That means the Abyss Mirror will reveal itself to you.'
'The Abyss Mirror is part of the Shadow Supreme.'
'It will allow you to copy any manner of technique. The time you need to take to copy it will depend upon how much you understand the technique already, and how much you have interacted with the technique.'
'Treasure the Abyss Mirror, Neo Hargraves. It is the reward from the Supreme One himself.'
The voice of A #22 disappeared, and Neo snapped back to reality.
'Interact with technique? How do I do that?'
'Before I could copy techniques by seeing them, but that takes too much time—'
His thoughts were cut short when the black dragon's palm hit him. His body flew back and hit the wall.
"How dare you ignore the Great I, vermin?"
"You... bloody bastard..."
Neo cursed as he tried to stand. His body had taken quite the damage.
If not for him instinctively using Ocean's Embrace at the last second, his body might've broken down completely, then he would've needed to go back to the past again, and it would've wasted the energy he barely gathered.
[Adamant Aegis (Rank: Stage 1, Mastery: Apprentice) +0.1%]
[Adamant Aegis total: 0.4%]
Neo heard A #22's voice inside his head. He instantly understood that Adamant Aegis was the name of the black dragon's defense Spell.
'So getting hit counts as interaction.'
'This is going to hurt a lot. Fuck.'
The dragon crushed Neo beneath its claws.
Burning rage was evident in its voice as it spoke,
"How dare you compare the Great I, the Protector of the First Floor, to the intruders?! How dare you!?"
[Adamant Aegis (Rank: Stage 1, Mastery: Apprentice) +0.2%]
[Adamant Aegis (Rank: Stage 1, Mastery: Apprentice) +0.1%]
The notifications rained as the dragon twisted its claws to turn Neo into paste.
A beat later, the dragon frowned and raised its hand. Neo was badly injured, but not dead.
"I commend your durability, vermin. You don't know how to respect your elders, but at least you know how to get beat up—"
"Hey." Neo called out to the dragon. "In the Abyss, each Floor has three Zones, and each Zone has one Protector.
"In other words, the Floors have three Protectors each, and they guard their area. Why are you lying by saying that you are the Protector of the whole First Floor?" Neo asked.
"What...?" The dragon froze.
"I said why are you lying."
The black dragon growled. Its throat started to shine, and the surroundings heated up.
Stones began to melt. The air wavered.
"Never insult a dragon's pride by calling them liar."