Discontinued time was a complex attack that went against the confines of time, the attack on its own had no damage or effect and could only show the multiple possible future that would happen
Which was why even after being hit by two of Diara attacks using discontinued time, Ryan was still unscathed
It was a move used by time users for foresight and prediction but somehow Diara had turned it into an attack
When paired however with connected time, a unique spell Diara came up with herself, She could select any of the events of the discontinued time as the true event, even laying it up with her intent
That was how she took down Ryan
Discontinued time picked the event of Ryan getting hit in two different time scopes, so she fused both together with connected time and made it real, laying up the hit with time seal
The downside to such a powerful move however was it drained every bit of energy Diara had left
If not for being on asteriod in Karl's domain, and adrenaline pumping through her system due to the rage of seeing everything she had built, everyone she knew being killed, she would have fallen right after her onslaught.
She approached Ryan, she wasn't willing to kill him but he had gone too far, this time the blood of Gamora was on her hands too
The signs were there all along but she chose to ignore it and this was the result
"I'm sorry everyone"
She raised her fist getting into a striking stance to deliver the final hit before she froze up, she couldn't feel her chest any longer, but she couldn't ignore the sound she just heard
With great difficulty she turned around, not paying attention to the hole in her chest and turned her gaze upon her foster son, staring at her through the opening in the domain she had created earlier
'No you shouldn't be here Noah'
Things were too far gone and even if she wanted to help she couldn't anymore, so she split up a portion of her soul essence and sent it barreling towards the boy
Passing out just after, with a massive aura surging behind her, she couldn't even confirm if she was successful or not
******************************
The commander had been panicking the moment he found out his target had vanished, he raced over to town and what he found was a sight he'd never forget
The young master was in chains kneeling before the very woman he was supposed to look after
He didn't think twice before summoning his soul weapon a bow, charging it up with and firing it towards the woman, just as she was about to deliver the killing blow
*****************************
Noah arrived on scene just to see a beam going through Diara chest, taking it out
"No"
He screamed as he couldn't believe his eyes, it had to be a dream, everything had to be a dream
He tried moving forward only to be stopped by a great pressure coming down at him
Another beam came straight at him, hitting his head this time around and causing him to blackout
*******************************
'Ahh, just where did it all go wrong?'
'Was it the moment I listened to the instructions of my father and decided to throw it all away'
'When we left the empire to escape the claws of our parents'
'Or staying at Gamora even after finding such a seal on place at the ruin'
Ryan thought as he looked at the woman he loved fall before his eyes, helpless to help because his power was sealed up by her
Even when she was about to strike him down, she could only nutter she was sorry
She never did anything wrong yet she had to shoulder all the blame and faults. This was why he agreed to all this is the first place
He wanted to bring her peace and solace, escape from the hell life had thrown her in, instead he brought her death
She turned around to look at something or someone, he didn't care about that, he just wanted to destroy everything, he'd send the world alongside her to keep her company
As his power came flowing back, Ryan's chain of reason snapped
Regaining his true elemental release state, he destroyed everything in sight
His first target was the commander, the one responsible for her death, he couldn't remember how he killed her as he was in a daze, but bits and pieces of his body was scattered everywhere
Karl too eventually fell under Ryan's relentless assault fuelled by anger
By the time Ryan had come to, he was the only living soul left in Gamora, and was lying within a crater in the middle of town
He returned to his normal state and went back to the town entrance to find Diara's body, he atleast wanted to give her a proper burial
But instead on arriving at the entrance, he met Noah, lying on the floor, a rock piercing through his heart
He was unconscious, but somehow still breathing
For the first time today, Ryan broke into tears.
'Just why did everything turn out this way, I purposely sent you out of Gamora so you'd avoid this fate, I pulled so many strings so no one would ever find you again, so why Noah'
The few years Ryan had spent with Noah made him feel he had a family, a partner in Diara as her rigid heart started opening up more and more due to his presence, and a son in the boy
Since he found out about the event 3 years ago, he had gone over and beyond to train the boy for life out on his own, preparing him for everything he might face, and this missi6was supposed to be his ticket to escape
But fate brought him back to Gamora
How cruel it had been to Ryan and his family
Ryan lifted the unconscious youth with one hand, and walked over to Diara's corpse, lifting it with his other then vanished into the night
******************************
A different squadron arrived at Gamora shortly after Ryan vanished and they were left astonished by the scene they found
There was no intact area in the location at all
The commander of the squadron had sweat running down his back
'This was supposed to be a routine job with no surprises, yet a small backwater town, was able to wipe out the 1st squadron'
'Just what did we get ourselves wrapped up in?'
The commander of the second squadron paled at his thoughts as he tried to maintain a calm demeanor afront his subordinates
"Your order commander?"
"Salvage all that you can, they will contribute to the ritual we're going to hold in a few minutes, do not dally"
It was a shame they lost a whole squadron, but their flesh and blood would make an excellent addition to their ritual
Plus with the first squadron out of the way, his squadron would automatically become the best one
It was a win for him
*****************************
Ryan appeared inside of the ruins at a secret location, he planned to take what he could for his journey, and perhaps something he could use to heal the dying Noah
He had already lost, his partner, he wouldn't want to lose his child too
Once he had found what he came for, he'd leave the area for good, give Diara a proper burial and try to raise Noah
"Your father was right, you'd try to do something foolish afterwards"
A voice came from behind Ryan
Ryan had just set the bodies on the bed, one lying next to the other before he was startled by the presence behind him
He tried to turn around and leave, but he couldn't, he was being crushed under the aura emitted
"Now may I ask you young master, what are you trying to do?
Depending on your response I might have to incapacitate you"
Ryan couldn't even raise a finger, the one interrogating him was a 6th stage ascendant on the cusp of becoming a 7th
"Don't bother to answer, thanks for bringing such beautiful offerings for the ritual, your commitment and desire would be reported to your father"
The figure clapped, and 2 masked ones walked in, taking the bodies on the bed to the seal, where the ritual was about to happen
Ryan could only stand still and watch, biting his lips and clenching his fists until he bled
"Now follow me young master, let's go watch the ritual proceedings together
If those bastards at the institute of research and development were right then we'd have struck gold
Well just use those offerings to seal up the rift, and gain access to the true last floor of the ruin"
Ryan could only follow the figure, not by choice, but because his body wasn't under his control anymore
Such a fine and delicate control of aura wasn't something he could achieve anytime soon.
After a brief walk, the appeared in the last floor of the ruin, a massive hall that had a complex giant magic circle inscribed everywhere on it
The bodies and blood that filled the area was enough to populate a small kingdom, yet they were being used as mere offerings in the hands of the squadron
"As for the offerings you personally brought, why don't we place them in the eye of the circle, what do you young master?"
The figure chucked as he placed a giant stone that had multiple inscriptions drawn on it on Diara's body, and caused it to float alongside Noah's body to the very centre of the room
Only one masked figure was left in the room at the centre as everyone evacuated
"For the empire's glory"