Master of Time

Within one of the private offices at the Arcane Academy, Kozak is shocked to see me appearing out of thin air, especially when teleportation is restricted by magical wards and protections around the whole academy.

As if something like that is going to stop me from teleporting in and out of the school whenever I well damned pleased, but that allowance mostly has to do with my power not being magical in nature, thus it cannot be stopped by magic. At least with magic at their levels.

To stop me from using my power, their magical power has to be on the level equivalent to Terra herself or so, and if they are at that level, they might not even bother with running a magical institution.

I did not go and see Kozak in the flesh since there is no point in doing that. Instead, I decide to control one of my avatars, built to my specifications. Taking on my actual appearance too.

Unlike a biomechanical avatar, this one composed entirely of micromachines far too small to see with normal naked eyes individually, not to mention each one is more than capable of casting magical spell to some extents.

Multi-casting ability is very difficult to do, but with Legion at my command, I can do it with little to no effort.

I am also wearing a dark cloak, covering most of my body and face. The cloak has the same designs to the one that I had worn when I first met Sapphire Solare almost a year ago. I had saved her as well as her friends from the goblin giant that is Bruce.

Named him after Bruce Banner because of his appearance.

Speaking of Sapphire, I am somewhat curious to see how she is progressing as a mage. I do have great hope in her and her future, considering her magical potential.

Having potential is one thing. Dedications, hard works and talents is another.

Of course, I will check up on Sapphire after I have a long chat with Kozak. Muscling him into my service in any way I can, I mean. If he does not have the Power of Reincarnation, I would not even bother with him.

This is because Power Users are a league of their own. Having an army on my side and working for me is a very good idea, as long as they are not causing too much troubles for me. There is probably some kind of perquisites to gaining a Power.

Indomitable Will seems to be one of it. The question remains, is Kozak like Zephyr or is he like Zeus.

I actually prefer Zephyr since she seems to be easier to deal with than Zeus despite being blessed with a lot of abilities and traits simply because she is the original owner of her Power of Ice.

"W-who are you!? How did you get into here!?"

Kozak calls out when he finally regains his wit. He is an Archmage, one of several who are lecturing at the Academy. As such, he demands respects and privacies. Well. Not that he needs to demand vocally or otherwise. His presence, aura and magic is more than enough.

But as much as he flares his magical aura and power, it does not affect me in any way as this is just an avatar, not even a biomechanical avatar where my consciousness can inhabit. In other word, my spirit is not within the avatar for me to place a pressure upon. The reverse is not true, however.

"You can try and do that all day, Archmage Kozak, but it will not affect me the slightest."

I tell the man calmly and composedly, not being fazed by his power at all.

Kozak blinks in surprise, as that should not be. He cannot sense any magical energy or power from me, thus he assumed that my power is nonexistence, and how I managed to teleport into this room despite all the protections could be due to someone else.

He obviously wrong in that regards, and he realizes that now.

Magical runes quickly manifest around him, forming an incantation circle within a fraction of a second in air. From the visible runes, I determine that the magic circle is for analysis. It is probably examining me in greater depth. Far more than what is visible to the naked eyes.

Interesting.

Legion immediate copies down that spell despite it already within his repository of knowledge. I have downloaded everything there is to know about Kozak after all, including all knowledges about all kind of spells he has known.

"A metal golem?"

Kozak questions once his magic reveals what I am. Even if I simulate life perfectly through technology, I am still not a live in this state, and with the right spell, he can see through that easily.

As for metal golem, they are golem made of metal. There are all types of elemental golems, and being elemental, they are susceptible to damage from polar opposite element. Acidic spells or similar would be the most effective against metal.

Powerful flame spells too.

Kozak changes his aura, giving it an element. Acidic flames. He can command two elements at once as he is an Archmage.

I do not think much of an Archmage, but for normal people as well as low-ranking mages, those mages of the third-circle are like unstoppable vortex of power. They could destroy a small country with little effort.

Thus, Archmage should not be underestimated. I am not underestimating them in any way. If I actually did, I would not be using an avatar. Besides, the Academy is full of powerhouses from what Legion has managed to detect.

Two life signs are of the fourth-circle within the Academy, yet Kozak is not aware of them himself. No body does, considering that they are spies for another nation. For that nation to use Grand Archmage as spy, they must have an abundant number of powerhouses of the fourth circle.

Should I or should I not kidnap those Grand Archmage? Probably another time. There is way too many things on my plate right now.

"I can assure you that I am not just a metal golem, Archmage Kozak."

I state before pumping near unlimited amount of magical power into my aura.

The eruption of energy is more than enough to make Kozak sweats bucket. Literally. Honestly, it would make everyone in the Academy sweats bucket too, including those Grand Archmage.

Alerting them all to my position as well.

That is why I am only focusing my power on Kozak, and while my magical power is of low quality simply due to me being a mage of the first-circle, quantity is a quality of its own.

My magical aura is a billion times more denser than his thanks to the limitless magical energy powering it. Maybe a trillion time.

There is really no need to check how much energy I am consuming as it is already having the intended effect on Kozak. Even if he is at a peak third-circle of magic, he is still like a rock smacked in the middle of a raging tsunami.

As a giant rock, Kozak can hold on for a while, but the violent waves radiating from me will eventually wear him down, reducing him to utterly nothing. Less than nothing if he continues to resist.

"Please forgive this foolish mage, Great One!"

Kozak immediately apologizes for being arrogance. Against a mage who can kill him like an ant, he has no choice but to be humble.

This is the iron law of Azula. Those who has power can do whatever the hell they pleased without any kind of consequences. They could massacre an entire households or clans, and no one can do anything about it.

Hearing that, I suppress my aura completely, allowing him to breathe normally. I suppose I should also be arrogance in return even if a little. It is fun when I do have the power to back it up.

"If I have increased my power to my actual level or even matching your puny powers, you would have been killed instantly."

I comment casually. It is a semi-truthful and semi-bullshit for I am not of the third-circle or higher. But if I was, that amount of magical energy would instantly vaporize Kozak, turning him comatose.

Being first-circle with unlimited magical power is like having unlimited number of grenades. Being one at third-circle of magic with the same power is like having countless nuclear bombs. Huge different.

And Kozak knows this. Everyone who has any kind of power knows this.

"Yes. Thank you for your leniency, Great One. May I please know your name, so I can address you with deepest respect and sincerity."

Kozak requests humbly. None of his arrogance demeanor remains from before, and since he has learnt from his mistake, there is no need to troll him any further.

I am interested in recruiting him as one of my potential allies, and if he refuses to serve, I will just put him on ice, so he does not cause any problem for me in the near future.

"You already know my name, Kozak. We have met before. Maybe more correctly to say that you would meet me this afternoon, but only if nothing changes this time around."

His eyes widen in fear.

"Master Maxwell?"

Kozak utters. He sweats even more than before, now knowing what kind of monster that I am in term of magical energy. No one has that much magical power. It is not possible.

But then again, what is truly possible with magic? No Azulian knows for sure, and since Terra Discordia herself still uses magic as a mean to get things done, it must be exceedingly useful even for an Aspect.

"Yes, Kozak. You might have known by now that it is not a dream or premonition. I merely reverse the time of this world, giving you a second chance in life. I hope that you will not squander this new life of yours for something so foolish."

I warn him.

Kozak nods repeatedly. There is no way in hell that he would want to face someone like me.

It is better for me to serve me rather than against me, at least until he has found what he is searching for on Azula. His soulmate, I am assuming.

"I will not do such a thing, Master Maxwell. Um. Is the spell to your liking? If not, I will give you any of the spells you desire."

Kozak offers while trying not to look at me in the eyes. Matching my gaze is a sign of defiance here on Azula. Also, it is hard to match my gaze while the dark hood is shrouding my face.

"Everything that you know, I have already known, Kozak, so there is nothing you can teach me in term of magic. I am here to see one of my newest apprentices. Students if you prefer, and while I am doing that, I wish you to heed my advice on the matter of demons."

I tell the man and pause for effect.

"Opening a dimensional rift into Hell just to capture a demon so you can make some uses of the spells you learn in Hell is a bad idea. Yes, I am aware that you retain your memory after you reincarnated. It is not important right now. What is important is that I do not wish to deal with Hellions at the moment, so do not invite them into this universe."

I tell the man, forcing him to blink. He has no clue how I know about what I know, but he doesn't need to. He just kneed to know that I do, and he is in deep shit if he takes my warning lightly.

"I will cease it immediately, Master Maxwell."

Kozak responses.

"Do not think that I am pressuring you into doing things that you do not want to. It is for your wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of this world. You have given a special gift that very few people have, and you should not squander it by chasing after the past, especially when you have a lifetime here on Azula to pursue your goal. Do not be too hasty."

I tell the man, trying to make him understand my point of view.

It might not get through to him, but I will allow him to think about it. He is not an idiot, at least I don't think so. He manages to become one of the youngest Archmage to ever exist. That forces him to have a brain, at least some of it.

"Thank you for your advice, Master Maxwell."

Kozak responses before taking a moment to speak up again.

"If I do not assault the forest in an attempt to take down the barrier, the Kingdom will definitely enlist another Archmage for the task, and the result will mostly be the same in the end, forcing you act once more, Master Maxwell. Perhaps, it is better for me to pretend to take down the forest and then failing at it?"

He questions thoughtfully, and I smile in response.

I try not to smile, but it could not be helped. I like people like him, who can think beyond the immediate problem. He also did not need to tell me that fact, but he did so, meaning he can think ahead.

Whether that is a good thing or not, I will find out soon enough.

"Do what you must, Kozak, but whatever happen to my cute pet and her people, I will personally hold you accountable. As for the army, you do not need to worry about it, as they will have a problem that they have to contend with themselves."

I tell Kozak and then ponder what I should do with the human army encroaching onto the forest. With the barrier protecting the forest still active, there is very little they could do.

They could try to assault the barrier to wear it down, but that would take months.

Months that they do really have, considering how much it costs to keep an army active. Also, to have an army active means other nearby Kingdoms and Queendoms are getting a lot uneasy.

And as much as humans hate other races due to their nature, they also hate each other as much. War is also within their nature, especially on Azula with the current state of civilization.

It is feudalism society after all.

When the people do not have anything better to do, they start conflict with each other all just to show off or in an attempt to annex some better territory. Getting some slaves here and there too.

Humans are as good as slave as elves or dwarfs or werebeasts.

In any case, it is a good thing to leave them like that as a unified humanity is a force to be reckon with here on Azula. Once they make up with each other, every other race on the planet will probably head towards extinction.

Humans are just good at killing things.

Kozak takes a moment to nod in acceptance. He has no choice in the matter, and it is not as complicate as it sounds. Eliana should have remembered who he is, so a little chat with her with the best intention should be enough to solve the problem.

No need to get violent, but they can get a bit violent if they prefer just because I want to watch them fight.

Legion fails to record the battle from orbit, and since I had already reversed time, I cannot view it in a temporal bubble. I could get them to fight, but there is no point really when there are plenty of fights waiting to happen.

"Now, please call Sapphire Solare to your office. She is one of your students, is she not? You have seen her potential, so why haven't you taken her as your direct student?"