Chapter 246

Neo nodded once, sharp and decisive. He reached into the glowing crate the mining robots had filled and pulled out every last time stone. One million of them. The stones pulsed with soft blue light in his broad hands, each one humming with raw temporal energy. He stacked them carefully into a reinforced pouch at his hip, the weight settling against his muscled thigh. Then he set the empty box back on the ground. The box’s mouth opened wide with a low mechanical growl and began sucking the robots back inside, one after another, until the clearing was empty again.

Without wasting another second, Neo scooped Martha up into his arms. Her body was soft and warm against his chest. He ran. Hard. His powerful legs drove him forward through the forest paths, boots hammering the dirt. Branches whipped past. The Nyx tribe gates rose ahead. He didn’t slow. Guards stepped aside the moment they saw him. He crossed the courtyard, entered the castle, and pushed straight through to the backyard.

Martha leaned in and kissed him full on the mouth, slow and fond. When she pulled back her eyes were bright.

"Great work, son. I’m going to cook your favorite cookies now."

Neo nodded. He set her down gently. She turned and headed for the kitchens with a light step. He watched her go for half a second, then turned on his heel and strode toward Veya’s laboratory.

The lab door slid open at his approach. Inside, the air smelled of ozone and hot metal. Veya stood over a long workbench, her hands moving fast across a half-finished device the size of a small shield. Circuits glowed under her fingers. She looked up the moment he entered, a spark of pride already in her eyes.

"Look at this," she said. "New device. Time-spacing weapon. It can dilate time effects or slow time down massively. I’m planning to link it with the array."

Neo stepped closer, studying the device for a brief moment. Then he unhooked the pouch and held it out.

"Speaking of time. Take these."

Veya’s eyes widened as she accepted the pouch. She weighed it, then opened the top and stared at the sea of glowing stones inside.

"One million," she whispered. "Thank you for the effort. For both devices... four days. That’s the soonest."

Neo nodded. "Then in the meantime I’ll handle more important things."

He left the lab without another word and walked the long corridor to the throne room. The heavy doors opened for him. He climbed the dais and sat. The throne was cold stone under his back. For a long minute he simply sat there, elbows on the armrests, staring at nothing while the weight of everything settled on him again.

Save Team Support 7. That was still the first goal. Talk to the Dragon Queen and get her to clear a massive area inside her tribe so the two devices could be placed together. That came next. Exploring the demon and angel realms sat far down the list. Those could wait.

A sharp blue rectangle slammed across his vision, blocking everything.

**Quest Notification**

Team Support 7 of the Angel Army is facing a trial. They will be sent to prison. This is a process of cleaning the "good bones" of the Angel Army.

Go and stop the trial, or free them from prison. You have two choices.

**Time remaining: 2 days.**

**Failure: Your death. Everyone’s death. The death of the whole forest.**

**Rewards: Ability to transfer all your harem’s stats into yourself for 5 minutes. Skill rank transfer — A rank.**

Neo’s throat worked. He swallowed hard. Faces flashed through his mind without mercy. Uriel’s steady eyes. Biial’s quiet strength. Metatron’s calm authority. Greenla’s airheaded smile that somehow never failed to lighten a room. He needed them alive. He needed them free.

He put two fingers to his lips and whistled, long and sharp. The sound carried through the castle like a command. Within minutes the hall filled. Women of every shape and power filed in until they stood in neat ranks before the throne. His harem. All of them.

Neo rose.

"I’m leaving on a long journey," he said. His voice carried easily across the stone. "I won’t be back anytime soon."

They nodded as one. No questions. No complaints. Just quiet acceptance.

His gaze moved along the line. Taking someone with him would raise the odds. His eyes stopped on Eva. The bunny-eared woman stood near the front, ears perked, waiting.

"Eva. You’re coming with me."

She bounced once on the balls of her feet, then launched herself forward like a spring. In two bounds she was against him, arms locked around his neck, face pressed to his. Her soft body molded to the hard planes of his chest.

"I’ll help you so much," she whispered against his ear, voice bright with excitement. "Promise."

Neo’s hand came down and smacked her ass once, light but firm. The thick flesh rippled under his palm. He did it again, slower, watching the way it bounced. Then once more for good measure.

"Stop that now."

Eva dropped back to the floor at once, standing straight in front of him, cheeks flushed, ears twitching.

"When do we leave?"

"Now."

He took her hand. The world folded. White light swallowed them both.

They reappeared on polished white stone. Neo’s eyes widened the moment his boots touched the ground. The Angel Army headquarters had changed beyond recognition. Towers of gleaming marble rose higher than he remembered. Wide plazas stretched out in every direction, lined with gold-trimmed columns and floating crystal lanterns. The air itself felt heavier with holy power. The place looked expensive. Ridiculously expensive. He turned in a slow circle, mind spinning.

They spent this much on buildings and left their weapons the same? Have the higher-ups lost their minds?

He grabbed Eva’s wrist and pulled her into the nearest shadowed alcove.

"We hide in the armory," he muttered. "Last time I walked these halls I was under Gabriel’s hire. Now I’m just a stranger who broke in."

They moved fast, sticking to walls and pillars. Every door they passed was sealed tight. Locked. Reinforced. Only one room ahead stood open. An angel warrior woman stood directly in front of it, spear grounded, both hands wrapped around the shaft. Holy light crawled up the weapon until the entire spear glowed pure white.

Neo stepped out of cover and walked straight toward her. His shoulders were set. His voice came out hard and cold, the tone of a man used to being obeyed.

"Get out of the way."

The woman hesitated. Her eyes narrowed as she looked him over from boots to face.

"You’re human. Why do you speak like that?"

Neo met her stare without blinking.

"Don’t you recognize me?"

Her eyes went wide. The spear in her hands flared brighter.

"You were with that cursed team. The one that betrayed the entire Angel race." Her knuckles whitened on the shaft. "They sold us out."

Neo’s mind raced. Cursed team. Betrayal. The words didn’t fit. Uriel, Biial, Metatron, Greenla—none of them had the spine or the desire to steal so much as a piece of candy, let alone sell out their own people. Someone had set them up. That much was already clear.

He cleared his throat and kept his voice steady.

"I didn’t leave. I was promoted. Now I’ve received orders to come back. I already left that team. Didn’t you know?"

The angel woman looked at him for a long second. Her grip on the spear loosened just a fraction. He had indeed left the team earlier. Based on the timeline, he really didn’t know anything about Team Support 7’s betrayal.