He simply used a more cunning approach.

"The answer is to catch him at the moment he returns to this plane."

Cynthia and Vivian were momentarily at a loss for words. They had to admit that Ethan's explanation was simple, yet it omitted the most critical detail—how exactly to seize that pivotal moment?

Each time jump would cause a lapse in thought, and even Cynthia was not exempt from it.

Just as the King of Gold said, time is their enemy, and the initiative is always in the opponent's hands.

"He told me."

...

?

She hadn't even asked!

Cynthia was stunned, the words on the tip of her tongue were abruptly stopped by Ethan's reply. Though she hadn't said anything, Ethan responded first, as if he had prepared an answer even before her thoughts formed in her mind.

In an instant, a startling suspicion surged in her mind.

"Yes, it's exactly as you think."

Ethan answered her once more.

Like everyone else, he couldn't avoid the mental blanks caused by time jumps. Fortunately, before the King of Gold activated his powers, he revealed everything he was thinking.

Listening to others' innermost thoughts, using this ability wisely, was akin to peering into the "future."

The King of Gold used a method of disturbing the timeline to turn the mausoleum into a temple, achieving the exact opposite effect.

And just now, as the Golden Giant fell, Ethan heard another thought from the King of Gold.

—Only a fool would fight to the death in a place like this!

This meant that before they even arrived, the King of Gold had set up a plan. If he found himself at a disadvantage in battle, he had another contingency prepared.

Ethan felt no joy in successfully landing an attack, as it merely dispersed the King of Gold's gathered energy, not necessarily causing him serious harm. Right after, the King of Gold swiftly changed tactics, hiding in the Golden Pool, never to easily show himself again.

This fit Yoda's description of the King of Gold.

In the year 407, the one who cut off Merlin's head was the King of Gold. However, before that, Merlin's heart had already been pierced by a cursed spear, stripped of the Goddess's blessing. The King of Gold merely delivered the final blow.

This was the King of Gold's usual style; he never even confronted Merlin head-on.

However, all descriptions missed one crucial piece of information.

Where did that spear come from?

And why was it able to break the Goddess's curse?

Perhaps that was the contingency the King of Gold prepared before coming to this plane.

At this moment, the temple was dead silent, and the lightning elements could no longer detect information about the King of Gold. After the giant fell into the Golden Pool, there was no more movement, and the liquid gold in the pool stopped bubbling. The scalding temperature dissipated with the arrival of the ice elements.

The King of Gold was as quiet as if he were dead.

Or rather, he wanted everyone present to believe he was already dead.

Suddenly, Ethan thought of something and said, "Vivian, repeat Merlin's last words again."

"Do not be blinded by illusions, for they are traps woven by time. Follow the wheel's track, and the treasure is hidden there."

Though slightly puzzled, Vivian complied.

Before this, she had concentrated all her efforts on interpreting the last line, concluding that the treasure Merlin left was hidden in the Royal Family's mausoleum. As it turned out, her conclusion was correct; Merlin did hide something here, yet the King of Gold got there first.

The young King mentioned that these words were secretly told to him by his father before he died. Before Ethan and the others arrived, he had kept this secret buried in his heart, never mentioning it to anyone else.

And at the first encounter with the King of Gold, the latter spoke similar words.

—Here, time is your enemy.

...

Was this truly the message Merlin left for them?

Or is it what the previous King of the Gallog Dynasty heard, truly what Merlin intended to express?

The King of Gold could easily alter the structure of the Royal Family's mausoleum; leaving a false message in the past was even simpler.

With this in mind, Ethan immediately ascended the stone steps. If this was a false message left by the King of Gold, that meant he wanted to meet them there.

The King of Gold had enough time to gradually reshape the Royal Family's mausoleum to meet his ideal.

During the recent encounter, the liquid gold nearly destroyed the entire platform, yet the altar at the center remained completely unaffected.

Ascending the stone steps, Ethan almost immediately noticed something unusual about the altar.

Each symbol of the Array was outlined with golden brilliance, and the flowing liquid gold traced its contour. Yet unlike the searing, turbulent energy below the altar, the energy attached to the circular Array was incredibly stable.

Humble, longing, and yet fearful.

Ethan easily glimpsed the emotions contained within this energy.

The arrogant King of Gold, beneath the gaze of the Goddess he revered, appeared humble to the extreme.

"I did not alter Merlin's last words."

Faint whispers echoed on the altar, "After all, that would disrupt the course of history, but the charm of language lies here; by slightly shifting the focus of a sentence, vastly different interpretations can be produced."

—Do not alter history's course in any way.

This was the meaning Merlin intended in the first part of his message.

When predetermined fate is altered in a way the Goddess wishes not to see, unimaginable calamities will ensue.

"It's unfortunate Merlin couldn't convey everything he knew to the aging King, resulting in a misunderstanding."

Nevertheless, the King of Gold spoke with a tone of schadenfreude, "After all, he knew the 'players' well; they are the group most keen to attempt changing fate. However, you can't blame them, for once possessing the power of resurrection, recklessness becomes inevitable; it's a human trait."

The ground beneath vibrated, the circular Array underfoot seemed to respond to some call, as if something was tearing open a rift in time and space.

The King of Gold observed the changes on the altar silently.

The outcome of the battle was trivial to him; he never clung to it.

Only the survivors can laugh last, and from the start, he had no need to fight Ethan to the death; his goal was solely to lure this destabilizing element here.

"I know you too, aware of your actions in the Empire."

Faced with circumstances similar to the Gallog Dynasty, and the rampant soldiers in the capital, he believed Ethan would inevitably defy Merlin's intent.

The location of the transfer, every person seen here, and every event experienced could be pre-arranged, and all set for the same purpose.

—"Don't get it yet? From the night you came here, the ending was set in stone!"

Oh, Goddess,

For personal greed, one brazenly distorts the timeline, even colluding with Merlin. In this world, perhaps none more heinous could be found!

The King of Gold prayed inwardly, and a will hidden in another space answered his prayer.

The tremor underfoot intensified, and cracks appeared in the fabric of space.

Before the entity about to break through the dimension, invading this world, all barriers and walls were as fragile as cicada wings.

"Eth—"

Cynthia's voice abruptly ceased. Her mouth remained open, her action eternally frozen in this moment, as with Vivian beside her. Their eyes lost their luster, their consciousness seemed to be wiped away by endless time.

When the first tear in the space appeared, time's flow completely stopped.

In a daze, Ethan saw a nimble figure leap from the rift.

Soft, clean white fur, and big, bright red eyes.

With grace, it stayed on the ground, tilting its head, looking up to meet his gaze.

"Meow~"

Thus spoke the Goddess.