A single action different from the Original Timeline creating a branch in time that would bud into a whole new reality!
Such a concept caused Noah's heart to tremble as after the comprehension of Chronos, his mind could see a vast and endless River of Time that seemed to stretch endlessly. This river of time occasionally had smaller rivers stemming from it, and these were all points in time where beings utilized the law of time or the Dao of Chronos to do something.
But eventually, all of these small rivers of time merged back with the main one that churned endlessly forward.
The Original Timeline!
Noah looked at the image of the river of time, seeing the path of his current timeline of him growing up, of his parents falling to the first Beast Tides when the Apocalypse began, of him obtaining a Rank F Fireball skill book up until now when he obtained a Cosmic Dao.
It had many paths and possibilities, but they all led to where he was right now!
He…could not change this.
Any grand changes he made would only put him on another branch of time, something he still didn't understand the consequences of!
Even though he had the mana requirements to go back to even the point before he obtained the Rank F Fireball Skill Book, he did not do so as he still had not fully understood Chronos and Time! He didn't know the effects it would have on everything, and what would happen when he left the Original Timeline he was currently in, or what effects it would have on this timeline!
From his Novus Galaxy to the Dark Universe, and now to the Primordial Cosmos where 9 of its Universes were currently under lock in a process initiated by some of the most powerful beings within the Cosmos…and wherever this would lead.
Maybe when he had fully assimilated Chronos.
At that time, maybe he would understand more about branching timelines and realities, and whether he could truly move without shattering everything.
Maybe when he understood things even more after he obtained the Cosmic Dao of Reincarnation and how that was different from Chronos. Was the Hegemony of Chronos Reincarnating in the Original Timeline this whole time? What about the timeline before he reincarnated? What about..
BZZT!
Noah's mind buzzed with possibilities as he found no answer, only a single word permeating his mind as he calmed everything down.
Maybe…
RUMBLE!
His eyes twinkled with a purple crimson luster as he came out from his thoughts and glanced at the enormous purple crimson clock that his endless mana had created, this clock strengthening out for hundreds of thousands of miles as it caused the vast Legions of Undead and all their Paragons to look at it in awe.
This clock was the manifestation of Chronos, something that Oathkeeper and the others also called forth as they used it as a medium to affect anything to do with time. Now, Noah had called it forth grandly as he unreservedly let it grow with a constant input of mana, giving it its current size that even blinded the eyes of the faraway watching Hegemonies!
Noah stared at this vibrant clock as he thought about its usage.
He was filled with knowledge on how to manipulate time and could do so with a wave of his hands, but he didn't have established skills he could utilize to easily affect time at the utterance of a word.
He didn't have them, so he would just make them.
A few billion of his remaining skill points were used as a simple skill tree with five abilities that could utilize Chronos was created!
As for the name, Noah simply termed the skill tree [Wielder of Chronos].
[Wielder of Chronos] :: A skill tree geared towards a basic application of the Cosmic Dao of Chronos. Abilities include [Temporal Looping] (5/5), [Instantaneous Age Regression and Progression](5/5), [Temporal Manipulation Perception](5/5), [Temporal Halt](5/5), [Temporal Inversion](5/5)
[Temporal Looping] (5/5) :: Depending on the mana used, the user can place a certain area or being on a temporal loop that is extremely hard to escape from. Only those capable of releasing strength to shatter the effects of time itself or beings proficient in the workings of time can seamlessly escape Temporal Looping.
[Instantaneous Age Regression and Progression](5/5) :: The user can cause the instantaneous age regression or progression in a selected target.
[Temporal Manipulation Perception](5/5) :: The workings of time are filled with mysteries, with this passive ability allowing for the user to sense when time has been manipulated and the exact point of its occurrence.
[Temporal Halt](5/5) :: The user can cause a temporal halt around a certain area or being, causing time to come to a stop. The larger the affected area of Temporal Halt, the greater the chance of creating a branch in time.
[Temporal Inversion](5/5) :: The user can inverse the time around a certain area or being, causing time to flow in reverse. The larger the affected area, the greater the chance of creating a branch in time.
"…"
Terrifying abilities that were all under the [Wielder of Chronos] skill tree that had the definition of basic application of the Cosmic Dao of Chronos!
Noah looked at the set of skills with careful eyes as when it came to Chronos, it was like someone had handed Noah a truly dangerous bomb that he could freely change the size of, the effects he could display being extremely terrifying as he himself had to be careful how he used it.
The [Temporal Manipulation Perception] ability was working passively so that he didn't need to worry when others manipulated time. So he himself…would begin slowly studying the Dao of Chronos with the active abilities he created!
His flaming eyes gazed at the 19 Undead Paragons below him that still glanced towards him with utter shock, his figure capturing the eyes of all as at this moment, he floated above everyone as a gigantic purple crimson clock rotated magisterially in the chaotic void above him.
They saw his eyes turn towards them as they shivered unconsciously.
They then heard his words ringing out clearly as to the shock of all, Noah began to use the essence of Chronos wildly for the first time!
[Temporal Halt].
BZZZZT!
The enormous purple crimson clock released a flood of essence of Chronos as it went to watch over just the 1 mile area where Noah, the Sins, and the 19 Paragons were fighting in.
Just a single mile.
But everything within this mile…came to a halt at this moment.
Everything but the terrifying figure of the Demonic Lich Emperor that floated serenely!
He had obtained what he wanted as he had not made a move all this time.
Under the shocked gazes of many beings, he now made a move!
