Alex helped his master, as the two flew towards the peak of the tower in which they had lived ever since the bastion's construction. Since William's body was weak, teleportation would make his condition worse since it caused quite a strain.

William was shaking a lot, and he was barely standing up. Alex had a somber expression as he helped his master lay on his bed.

The room was rustic, with countless books piled up on shelves as if the room itself had turned into a library. Alex took pride in the fact that he maintained every book for his master, making sure everything was clean and organized.

William's eyes were hazy as he stared at the ceiling, his expression unfocused. His shaky and wrinkly hands tightly held the amulet as if it were the last thing that kept him alive in this world.

It was fascinating how fast his condition had changed in a few hours. Just this morning, he was tirelessly working on the dimensional device, but now he was at death's door.

'The time dilation elixir's after-effects are finally appearing. Well, it was expected."

He thought, a bitter smile appearing on his mischievous yet bloody lips. It was an obvious result, since nothing came free. He was thankful to even survive this long.

Alex approached him and wiped his lips with a towel.

William looked at his trusty subordinate; his eyes seemed to glow with reminiscence.

"Alex…"

His mouth was dry, and the word came out with difficulty.

"Master, please don't speak, your condition isn't appropriate."

Alex responded anxiously.

"It's fine… I don't have much time anyway… You just reminded me of old Jerome… That guy raised you into a good butler… just like he promised."

William chuckled while remembering his old butler.

"I'm glad you survived, Alex… I'm really glad… Your parents would be proud…"

Alex squeezed his fist tightly as he gnashed his teeth.

Tears started falling from his eyes as he released his grip and grabbed William's hand.

"Master, please don't die! What will this disciple do without you, master!"

He cried out in anguish, unable to hold himself back.

William clicked his tongue but didn't say anything. He was already far too old for things like this. His emotions had died long ago with the passing of his family. The amount of hardship he had experienced had hardened and conditioned him. He wanted to cry but had no tears left.

'If only I could turn back time, with the ability I have now, things wouldn't have ended like this.'

He thought bitterly, removing this nonsensical thought from his mind.

He extended the hand holding the amulet and placed it close to his face, looking at it carefully.

This amulet had been with him ever since he was a baby. It was a family heirloom that, for some reason, was passed down only to him and not his older brother or younger sister.

Well, even if they were the ones that possessed it, he would get his hands on it anyway since they had perished a long time ago, even before the war began.

The amulet was pretty bulky; a big bright green gem wrapped in ropes, and a unique symbol was carved on its back.

He had forgotten how many times he held it like this, reminiscing.

Alex and this amulet were the last anchors that held him in this world.

Wanting to examine the amulet thoroughly one last time, he gently shrugged Alex's hand and pressed his right arm on it, caressing it with care.

He turned to Alex, who was having a breakdown and spoke.

"Alex, my one and only disciple… You are stronger, stronger than any of the survivors… I want you to take hold of my position… and successfully construct the dimensional device…"

He extended his wrinkly hand and grabbed the kneeling Alex, shaking him lightly.

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"Make sure you survive this hellish nightmare… not only for me but for you as well…"

Saying so, he gently closed his eyes, his breathing getting slower and slower.

Seeing this scene, Alex rushed out and called for a doctor. He didn't wish to see his master pass away like this.

William smiled one last time, bringing the amulet close and holding it tightly.

'It's about time.'

He said to himself as mana rushed out from his frail body.

Even though he was only a fourth-stage mage, his mana was enough to destroy the tower if his mana heart went out of control, so he released it slowly from his entire body. Due to the overuse of potions at his age, his mana channels had dried up and any further advancement had become impossible.

Despite his poor upbringing, from homelessness and peddling to being a bard, he refined his magic prowess to the fourth rank with incredible purity and quantity.

Opening his tired eyes, he sighed.

His body started floating upwards as the mana stuck to his skin like glue.

The amulet fell from his weak arm, freely floating around in the air.

He glanced around him, for what he thought was the last time, as his body flew outside of the window.

He controlled the mana gushing out, and rushed outside the bastion.

'Although I said that the dimensional device would be my last contribution, my heart won't let me die in peace before I do one last thing.'

He thought to himself, determination shining in his green eyes.

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Many saw a man floating towards the sky barrier of the bastion, mana rushing out of his body rapidly.

"Isn't that strategist William? What is he doing up there?"

Asked a mage who was currently using magic to dig out a trench.

"I think that's him, what is he doing? He doesn't seem to be strengthining the barrier…"

A knight beside him spoke, awe plastered all over his rugged face.

Suddenly, the barrier covering the bastion split for a second and reconstructed instantly, a figure flying out of it.

"What the--? What is he doing?!"

Said the duo in unison.

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William flew down the peak at absurd speed as mana constantly rushed out of his body.

Although William was a fourth-stage mage, he had used a secret method to boost his level to a peak-level seventh-stage mage for a few minutes.

Instead of shattering his mana heart and causing a massive explosion, he slowly destroyed it, piece by piece.

For that reason, he had rushed down the peak with all his might just for his final stand in this world.

William didn't notice in this situation that the jade-green amulet was absorbing his mana greedily and not letting it spread in the surroundings.

In just under 40 seconds, he had arrived close to the bottom of the mountains, his eyes landing on countless demonic apparitions.

These were creatures and living beings that had been consumed by demonic energy, their minds shattering and their physical forms becoming grotesque.

Rage flashed in Williams's face as he began chanting grand-scale magic.

Countless magic circles appeared in the sky. The circles shone in a vivid violet color as they stacked on each other, creating one massive magic spell.

The spell was too complicated to cast without experience, so the toll on his body was immense.

“[Tier 7 spell, Siren’s Wrath]”

William shouted, wrecking his elderly body even further as blood rushed from all his orifices.

The magic spell lit up brightly as countless violet waves rushed into the surroundings, causing massive damage to the mountain and the demonic apparitions.

Since the spell was of the sound element, it only damaged the apparitions with the ability to hear. It caused William hearing damage due to his inability to protect his body.

William held his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes becoming bloodshot.

He had exerted almost all his force with that single attack, and all it did was hinder the advance of the demons for a few more hours.

Although it was nothing in the grand scheme of things, it gave enough time for the rulers to begin the construction of the dimensional device.

A grin formed on his lips, his bloodstained teeth showing.

Putting what strength he had left in his hand, he grabbed the floating amulet and held it tight once more.

"It's time for us, old friend."

He muttered, his body slowly falling as the mana stopped gushing out. He fell for a few seconds, soon nearing the bottom of the mountains.

His eyes were blurry; the only thing keeping him conscious was the warmth he felt in his chest.

'Wait, warmth?'

His eyes snapped open as he realized that the amulet he had his whole life radiated heat, even though it had never done that before.

He glanced at it, realizing that the rope that held it together had disintegrated into nothing, and the strange symbol on its back burned off slowly.

His blood had covered the crystal, so it was harder to notice, but now that he looked closer, it seemed to have transformed.

It resembled a cube, with countless smaller cubes at its center, endlessly creating a pattern of multiple colors.

William looked at it in disbelief as a thought appeared in his mind instantly.

'The Time Crystal!'

The attribute Crystal thought to be lost long ago was with him this whole time.

Suddenly, a thought came to him. The crystal was about to fall at the hands of the demons after he dies.

It was a serious matter for the demons to get hold of the time crystal since they already were at loggerheads with the leaders when it came to attribute crystals. This last crystal would put them at an advantage.

The attribute crystals were powerful elemental treasures that could overpower all users of the same element. For example, the demons obtained the Fire and Wind Crystals, using them to destroy the world's environment, making it more suitable for them.

'I have to do something, anything to stop them from getting it!'

He was already extremely close to the ground, and any second now, he would become nothing but a pile of mashed meat.

'My mana heart is destroyed and the oxygen I had stored just in case is almost gone from my body, blood circulation has almost stopped entirely. The only thing that has control is the head, which will cease in a few seconds…'

Left with no choice, he did what he would have never expected to do.

He swallowed the time crystal with the last bit of his strength, not caring about the horrible pain of his internal organs getting cut.

'My pain receptors were already cut off anyway, so what was the point of worrying about something like pain? At least, like this, it will be much harder for them to discover the time crystal.'

It was the last thought he had in this world as his body splattered on the ground, turning into nothing but paste.

However, despite his destroyed body, his strategy somehow worked, as the time crystal was nowhere to be seen.