"I know," Lin Ming said, his voice low and steady, "you probably think I've lost my mind." His eyes darkened, like a man recalling horrors that still clawed at his soul. "But believe me, no one in this world wants Tony dead more than I do."
He leaned forward, fingers curling tightly on the edge of the table as if holding himself together. "It wasn't just me. In the future, everyone tried. We threw everything at him—every weapon, every plan, every sacrifice—and still, we failed." His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Because Tony… he cannot be killed."
Jiang Yu's expression hardened, but she stayed silent, letting him speak.
Lin Ming's tone grew heavier. "When my talent evolved and unlocked its fourth effect—true Time Traverse—we thought we finally had a chance. No matter how untouchable he was in the future, every titan has a vulnerable past. If I could go back far enough… if I could find him while he was still weak… I could end it before it began."
Jiang Yu's voice was barely a whisper. "Did you succeed?"
She already knew the answer the moment the words left her mouth. If he had, he wouldn't be sitting here now, stripped of hope yet still fighting against fate itself.
Lin Ming's eyes turned distant, haunted. "I failed," he admitted flatly. "I jumped back to one year after the Great Awakening. At that time, Tony was only Fifth Tier, far beneath me. I was Eighth Tier—on paper, I should have crushed him." His voice faltered, a tremor creeping in. "But when I finally found him… when I stood before him, blade ready to strike…"
He stopped, his face twisting with a fear Jiang Yu had never seen on a man like him.
"…He wasn't surprised. Not even a little." Lin Ming's gaze went hollow, as if staring into that moment again. "He looked at me and said, 'You're here.' Like he'd been expecting me all along. And then…"
He lifted his hand slowly, clenching his fist.
"…he killed me. Just like that. Like crushing an insect."
Jiang Yu felt a chill spread through her chest. "He was Fifth Tier. You were Eighth. That… that shouldn't even be possible."
"There are only two explanations," Lin Ming said grimly. "Either Tony had already unified every version of himself across the timeline, meaning no matter when or where you meet him, you face his peak self… or…" He took a shaky breath, "…he sensed my intrusion into the timeline and sent his power, his will, backwards, into his younger self."
He met Jiang Yu's eyes, and the weight in them made her stomach twist. "Either way… killing him in the past? Impossible."
Jiang Yu's mind reeled. Could an Awakened really become that powerful? A being that transcends time itself? The thought felt like staring into an abyss that stared right back.
Lin Ming's voice dropped even lower. "There was only one option left. The last gamble we had." His fingers tightened around his knees until his knuckles turned white. "The Resistance's greatest minds decided I had to go further back—before the Supreme Will ever descended, before Awakening even started. Back when Blue Star was still a world of mortals. Kill Tony before he ever Awakens."
He closed his eyes briefly, pain flickering across his face. "We paid everything for it. Every last soldier. Every last soul who dared to dream of freedom. They all burned their lives to fuel my one-way trip. This jump was absolute. Irreversible. And I landed here, in my past self, on the eve of the Awakening."
He opened his eyes, calm now. "You know the rest. I failed. I missed the only chance we had."
For a moment, silence reigned between them. Jiang Yu could feel the weight of his losses pressing against her like a mountain. Yet Lin Ming's voice was steady, even as the scars beneath threatened to split open.
"Before I left," he continued softly, "one of the Resistance's seers told me this: If you fail to kill him, if destiny laughs in our faces again, then you must do the unthinkable. You must let go of your hatred. Protect him. Guide him. Do everything you can to keep him from ever becoming the monster we knew. Because only Tony can kill Tony."
He drew a long breath, his face carved from stone. "And not just that. Blue Star needs strength. Great Xian needs to rise higher, stronger than it ever did in my timeline. If we can build a power that can check him, keep him from going mad… maybe that future can still be averted."
Jiang Yu felt a sharp ache in her chest as she looked at him. A man who had every reason to hate Tony, who had watched his world burn under that tyrant's rule, now being asked to cast away vengeance… and to protect the very one who caused all that suffering. The cruelty of it left a sour taste on her tongue.
"You don't have to pity me," Lin Ming said quietly, catching her gaze. "This was never about my personal grudge. My burden is heavier than that. There's no room left for selfishness." His lips quirked, humorless. "And you were right earlier. The sins of the Demon King aren't Tony's yet. The man he is now… hasn't done a damn thing wrong."
But unspoken words lingered in the air, heavy and unyielding: If Tony were a selfish man, or just a petty villain, Lin Ming would have gladly slit his throat without hesitation. But Tony wasn't. Not yet.
By the time Jiang Yu left the precinct, her thoughts were a tangled storm. She had come expecting a lunatic's ravings or a desperate plea for help. Instead, she had heard a tale that could shatter the world if spoken aloud.
If the public learned of this future, panic wouldn't even begin to describe it.
She let out a slow, shaky breath. "Thank heavens there are taller shoulders to bear this sky," she muttered under her breath. Yes, she was powerful, an SS-tier with the Absolute Edict, but compared to what she had just heard? She was just a child staring up at gods and devils.
And deep down, an image had etched itself in her mind—a shadow of the Demon King Tony, his presence vast and terrifying, an unstoppable will that crushed everything beneath it. That fear clung to her even now, long after she had walked away from Lin Ming's words.
She filed her report, handing the classified intel up the chain. Then she threw herself into her official duties, leading the First Enforcement Squad, striking down monsters spilling from rifts, hunting Awakened criminals who thought newfound power made them untouchable.
Hours later, returning from subduing a rampaging otherworld beast in the heart of New Haven, Jiang Yu was intercepted.
"Captain Jiang," an aide called out, "Deputy Director Liao wants you in his office immediately."
Her pulse jumped. Something felt wrong. Keeping her face neutral, she made her way there.
Liao Xuefeng wasted no time. "Your intel has been reviewed at the highest level," he said, voice grave. "Orders came back fast. The official stance is this: we cannot fully trust Lin Ming, nor can we dismiss him outright. No one knows how much of his story is truth, lies, or deliberate misdirection. But we need our own judgment, our own understanding of Tony."
His eyes met hers, expression strange. "This is too important to delegate. You handled Lin Ming well. So…" He hesitated, then said, "The decision's made. You're going to make contact with Tony directly. Observe him. See for yourself."
Jiang Yu froze, eyes widening in disbelief. "(ΩДΩ)" was all her mind screamed as she forced a stiff nod.
Night fell over the Pearl Residences, casting the quiet neighborhood in a pale wash of moonlight. Jiang Yu stepped out of the unmarked car, a young Awakened from her squad at her side.
"Captain, who are we here to see?" the girl whispered, glancing around with curiosity.
Jiang Yu steadied her breath. "Someone you've definitely heard of," she murmured. "His name… is Tony."
Recognition lit the younger woman's face immediately. "The Tony? The first to clear an Ascension Dungeon?" Her voice brimmed with awe. "Wow… I barely survived a trial dungeon once. To think someone beat an Ascension one before anyone else… his talent must be insane. Are we here to recruit him? If he joined the First Squad, we'd be unstoppable!"
Jiang Yu's lips twitched in a humorless, almost-smile. Recruit Tony as a subordinate? Sure. And while we're at it, let's leash a hurricane.
No, the orders were clear: approach, observe, neither too close nor too distant. Anything that might make him feel threatened was strictly forbidden.
She leaned toward her companion, voice low and sharp. "Qianqian, remember this. If I grab your arm, you trigger your ability immediately. No hesitation."
The girl nodded quickly, understanding. Her spatial S-tier gift could teleport them to a preset coordinate instantly—an escape plan if things went wrong.
They reached the door, Jiang Yu's heart tightening in her chest. She pressed the doorbell. Footsteps approached. A shadow loomed on the other side.
The door swung open.
And there he stood—tall, imposing, eyes like a calm abyss that seemed to weigh everything in a glance.
Tony looked down at them, his lips curving ever so slightly.
"You're here."
Jiang Yu's pupils constricted violently, her breath catching in her throat.