To catch just one of me, thirteen slaughter puppets had been sharpening their blades for a month.
Constellation Killer, a synonym for terror among the constellations, recognized me as [clearly a more powerful being] and had been preparing to hunt me down.
"I discard the memories of the past 30 days."
This was the result.
"Kuh, ugh… Keuh, hak…!"
In the end, I vomited blood. It was the price paid for dispersing my aura to protect Fox and Shiny.
Thanks to that, Fox and Shiny were safe. However, the aura that proudly flowed through my veins had dried up, and the aura that had filled my heart had also hit bottom.
'I'm going to die. This is it.'
I knelt down.
'No, let's die.'
Blood continuously flowed from my mouth.
'Let's die and return to the day before. I know what strategy the enemy will use, so I can counter it next time. Let's die. Dying is the only way to survive.'
Even amidst excruciating pain that wrung my head, I was searching for that lone path of life, no, a path of death.
'There's no aura left to block the next strike anyway. Don't block it. Let it be. I'm going to die!'
Cough.
I spat out a lump of blood.
And I waited for the sixth attack that was about to hit me. I hadn't expected a hunter as great as Constellation Killer to treat himself as the weaker party and me as the stronger, to attack me with all his might. But it was just this time. Only this time I hadn't known. Next time, in the next battle, I must…
"Cough! Kuh, hu… ugh…?"
Why.
"What are you, doing…"
The next attack did not come.
"Hurry up and kill me, please…"
I struggled to raise my head.
Bright blue pupils.
Pupils.
Nine pairs of blue surrounded me from all sides, looking down at me.
"I will not kill you."
"What…"
What.
"I will not kill you, The Sky That Gathers Screams."
Out of the nine slaughter puppets, five approached me. Right arm. Left arm. Right leg. Left leg. Each limb was grabbed, and even the nape of my neck was firmly pressed. My whole body was literally blocked by the puppets.
"I've done a lot of research on you."
As they pressed on my nape, I couldn't even move my mouth freely. It was hard to breathe. No, it was a struggle just to breathe given how they blocked my veins.
"Many constellations have taken an interest in you. I went around to each of them, wanting to know the facts they knew about you. Only after I annihilated nine constellations did your outline become clear."
It seems that not only did they deploy all thirteen bodies to catch me, but they also killed nine constellations just for information gathering. This crazy bastard.
"You are strong. And you became strong too quickly."
"Kuh, heuh…"
"It's abnormally quick to say you grew within a limited time. You might have immense talent, but I proposed a more rational hypothesis. Namely, that [time is not limited for you]."
Damn it.
I recalled the conversation I had with Constellation Killer before the fight started.
『We have definitely met before.』
『I see. Are you a time manipulator?』
At that time, Constellation Killer had responded very plainly.
I thought it was just his personality to be straightforward, but perhaps, he had already suspected I possessed time powers even before the fight began.
He had been so bland because he already anticipated it.
"Of course, I couldn't figure out how you were manipulating time. There were too many possibilities. However, no matter the case, it was clear that [time] was your resource and your strength."
Thinking about it.
Constellation Killer was always a hunter.
He only went into battle after understanding who his enemy was, why they were strong, and what their weaknesses were.
Already it feels like a long-lost past—- When I first faced Constellation Killer on the 50th floor, didn't he also refuse to hunt monsters saying,
『To kill the 'one who dies split in half', as the name implies, one must precisely split in half.』
『The true form of the 'Screamer' lies in its scream, thus kill it by drowning it in sound.』
A strategist who meticulously studied the enemy's weaknesses.
That was Constellation Killer.
And this time, Constellation Killer had thoroughly studied my existence before making his move.
"Therefore, I will not kill you, The Sky That Gathers Screams. I will merely seal away your time."
Sealing.
"How, exactly…"
"It's simple. I will distort the space-time here from the outside world. And I will encase you in ice, leaving you here. This ice isn't ordinary ice. It's ice that will never melt."
"You will forever be trapped here where time has stopped, unable to escape. I will make it so."
Damn it.
"To put a person… in eternal torture, you say those words… quite calmly…!"
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Constellation Killer tilted his head slightly and pulled a dagger from his pocket.
"You are not a person, are you?"
Fwoosh!
A chilling touch sliced through my chest and pierced my heart.
['Frost-stained Claw – Replica' begins to seal you.]
The dagger Constellation Killer embedded in my heart was made of ice. As someone who had roamed worlds for countless eons, he must have acquired a variety of bizarre items. The ice dagger, part of Constellation Killer's collection, produced extraordinary effects as soon as it burrowed into my chest.
[Warning. After the seal is completed, you will only be able to think with your consciousness.]
[Your world will be sealed in a moment.]
[Remaining time, 61 seconds.]
Crackle, crack-, creak.
Ice formed from the spot where the knife was embedded. First around the chest, then the collarbones and shoulders spread out like blue flower buds blooming.
"Even if you send a message to your comrades now asking for reinforcements, it's already too late."
Senses fading.
"It's utterly impossible for anyone to arrive here within 60 seconds to save you. And after one minute, this stage will be isolated. I will make it so."
And as my senses faded, I realized that I had felt this coldness burrowing into my chest somewhere before.
"Winter…"
"What did you say?"
"Martial world… the sealing technique used on [The Yellow Dragon who stays at the Dynasty Lake]… is this it?"
Constellation Killer slightly tilted his head.
"Yes. It's surprising that you know even that."
"..."
"While searching for ways to defeat you, I found this item. I used multiple items when sealing [The Yellow Dragon who stays at the Dynasty Lake], and there are clear records that this item was used alongside others."
How could I forget? This sensation. This coldness. This chill.
None other than the ice and snow where my master's world was eternally frozen.
[The Yellow Dragon who stays at the Dynasty Lake] was originally a constellation that ruled over my master's world. The Dragon had a sword of compassion embedded in its chest and rotted away, unable to die for eternity. It was Constellation Killer's doing.
At the moment I realized that not only the sword of compassion but also this item now embedded in my heart had been used by Constellation Killer when he sealed the Dragon.
So.
The winter that killed my master's world was now trying to kill me.
[Remaining time, 21 seconds.]
If I still had any strength left to clench my teeth, the grinding sound would have echoed throughout this space.
[Remaining time, 20 seconds.]
Yes. Constellation Killer.
I acknowledge it.
You are a fearsome hunter. I finally understand why the Sword Emperor couldn't kill you, and how you managed to draw with him. This time I truly realize it.
You, who deployed thirteen bodies and poured all your effort, are undoubtedly on par with the Sword Emperor. You would not be outclassed even compared to the only one who reached the 99th floor.
[Remaining time, 19 seconds.]
So, he pushed me into defeat. Not a simple death, but a true defeat. If things continued this way, time would stop for me, the 81st floor stage would be isolated and fall away, turning into a deserted island unreachable by my comrades.
Yes.
If I had been alone.
[Remaining time, 18 seconds.]
If I had been a solitary being like you, I would have no choice but to face defeat.
[Remaining time, 17 seconds.]
Raviel.
['The Sky That Gathers Screams' sends a message to 'The Lady of the Silver Lily'.]
I'm sorry.
['The Sky That Gathers Screams' requests death from 'The Lady of the Silver Lily'.]
Please die now.
"...?"
Constellation Killer looked at me and tilted his head again.
"I don't understand."
The ice now covered my entire body. It was cold. My whole body was cold. The only parts not yet wrapped in the eternal frost were my face, just my eyes and mouth. Constellation Killer was observing the bare skin of my face that hardly spanned a palm's width.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Ha…"
Is that so? Am I smiling?
The ice had crawled up near my lips, and I hadn't even noticed. But surely, my lips were curved upwards. It wasn't a sneer, but a smile genuinely born from happiness.
"Can you imagine…"
"What?"
"Someone who would die for you, not even 10 seconds after hearing the request."
My left eye was covered by ice.
"Do you have such a person?"
My right eye was trapped in ice.
"No, you don't."
The bridge of my nose.
"For hundreds of years, you had the chance but chose not to take it… always choosing to be alone."
Eventually.
"That's why you lost to me, Constellation Killer."
My lips.
[Remaining time.]
[5 seconds.]
My heart.
[4 seconds.]
Just before freezing.
['A Regressor's Love (EX)' activates.]
[3 seconds.]
My breath stopped.
[You share a timeline with the other party.]
[The timeline ends.]
[2 seconds.]
Death closed my eyes before the winter could cover me.
[You have died.]
[1 second.]
In my head, two voices overlapped.
[Seal complete. You are sealed—–]
[You will return 24 hours earlier.]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Again.
When I opened my eyes.
"What should we eat today?"
"Well, I feel like having Fish and Chips after a long time."
"Ahaha, that's quite an unexpected choice!"
It was a place all too familiar to me.
A communal living space.
In the middle of a place where my comrades, friends, and family would gather whenever they wanted, talk whenever they felt like it, and eat whatever they craved, sitting on the sofa, I opened my eyes.
"...."
I had returned 24 hours earlier.
"What do you think, master?"
The Heretic Questioner, sitting on the opposite sofa, turned to look at me.
"No matter what, Fish and Chips are a bit too much… Huh? Master, you look strange."
"Huh?"
Following the Heretic Questioner's words, the Black Dragon Master, the Count, the Venomous Snake, and the Crusader also looked at me. Those who had shared time with me and promised to share more were staring at me.
"It's true. You do look strange."
"Exactly. Like a tuna that thought it was biting into food but realized too late it was a plastic bag."
"Hey, what kind of face is that…?"
"Nisha. This is all because you suggested eating something bizarre like Fish and Chips. I'm convinced it would be better just to eat the French fries only."
"Ah, French fries sound good. Let's go with French fries. It's been quite a while. Back in the day when we were working hard, there were days when we had hamburgers for all three meals."
"Hmm. That's a story from a very long time ago indeed!"
I smiled.
"Ahaha…."
Really.
It seems unlikely that I would lose.
"Bambolina."
"Yes, master?"
"Sorry, but could you bring me the alarm clock?"
The Heretic Questioner took out his smartphone and activated the alarm clock app. As he handed me the phone, he tilted his head in confusion.
"I will give it to you, but why are you suddenly looking for an alarm?"
"Well, it's not exactly an alarm I need, but a stopwatch… Let's see here."
I pressed the timer button.
The clock, which had been at 00:00:00, immediately started.
I nodded my head with a smile.
"Yes, that should do it. Wait, let's see how long this takes."
"…? I don't know what this is about, but if Master needs it, then by all means, use it!"
"Thank you."
I leaned back into the sofa.
My friends looked at me as if I were strange, but eventually went back to their chatter as if it were just another day. The menu for the night's snack was decided to be French fries. Venomous Snake went to the kitchen with Sylvia to fry the potatoes.
1 minute.
A comfortable amount of time passed.
3 minutes.
Crusader and the Count engaged in a lovers' quarrel disguised as an argument.
6 minutes.
The Black Dragon Master hit both of their heads with her flip-flops to stop them.
7 minutes.
8 minutes.
9 minutes.
And when the phone screen marked 00:09:21———–.
"Hey, you can't do this here!"
The outside became noisy.
One of the Four Demon Lord's voices, who was in charge of the dorm's security, urgently cried out. Thud. Thud. The sound of footsteps, not just one person's, but dozens, echoed through the hallway into the living room.
The Black Dragon Master and the Heretic Questioner immediately stood up. Dressed in gym clothes and flip-flops, and even though the Black Dragon Master was missing one slipper, they both wore infinitely guarded expressions. They stared down the hallway from the living room door at the approaching footsteps.
"This is a place where the heads of our tower gather. It's problematic to behave like this no matter the situation…"
"Shut up. You're noisy."
Boom!
The living room door was blown off.
The friends, who were about to rush in thinking it was an attacker, paused when they saw who appeared in the doorway that had just lost its door. Their eyes widened in astonishment as they stared at the intruder.
"Hmm."
However, the intruder didn't care about the glares of the homeowners at all. With dozens of knights behind her, the intruder slowly turned her head to survey the living room.
Our eyes met.
The moment our eyes locked, I couldn't help but smirk.
"9 minutes and 43 seconds. Raviel."
"For you, it was 13 minutes and 27 seconds. It has been proven that I am much faster than you. Gong-ja."
Raviel smiled.
Her red eyes half-closed.
"So, which bastard do we need to beat down?"