Closing his eyes halfway, Keigo knew that power alone wasn't everything; skills mattered too. Minene, wielding the power of time and space, posed a formidable challenge.
"Of course, I would come. You've done well to lure me, like a firefly in the dark, Mr. Policeman."
Seeing that rifle on his shoulder, Minene couldn't help but scoff. However, her guard remained high; power wasn't the only factor.
"I see, I've done a good job. So... shall we begin?"
Smiling calmly, Keigo closed his eyes slightly, simultaneously releasing his energy.
"Hahaha, I expected nothing less from you, Mr. Policeman."
Feeling the released energy, Minene couldn't help but laugh. However, despite her smile, her eyes stayed vigilant. She wouldn't underestimate her opponent, not after the mistake she made with Yuno.
"Let's see what you can do."
Instantly creating several black spheres around her.
"Take this!"
Without waiting for Keigo to respond, Minene launched her spheres.
*BOOM
Creating a terrifying explosion that razed hundreds of meters, Minene looked down, her attack seemingly unsuccessful.
(Understood...)
High in the sky, Keigo brought another cigarette to his mouth. That area-of-effect attack was terrifying; without accelerating his time, his body would be trapped in that explosion.
"Time, huh? You're troublesome, Mr. Policeman."
Reappearing hundreds of meters in the air, Minene faced Keigo again. This time, however, she frowned. She knew the dangers of time – beings nearly immortal.
"You know, I originally wanted to propose a deal, but it seems futile."
Shaking her head, Minene inhaled.
(I guess it's time to settle this debt...)
Thinking of that little brat in the shadows, Keigo's eyes gleamed. Simultaneously, he prepared the antimatter rifle.
"Do you think that toy of yours can kill me? Aren't you being too optimistic?"
"That's true; I can't kill you with this weapon."
*Bang, Bang
Without waiting for Minene to respond, Keigo fired. Anticipating this, a barrier formed instantly in front of Minene, successfully blocking the projectiles. However, her successful defense made her furrow her brow; Keigo seemed to expect this.
"Is that all?"
"It's not..."
[Replay]
*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Confirming his suspicions, Keigo snapped his fingers, and the sound of multiple shots rang out.
"What?!"
*Shiiiii
Minene's barrier creaked as several hundred anti-tank projectiles were fired point-blank against it. These were no ordinary projectiles but energy projectiles, each stronger than the last.
Keigo had implanted his energy into these bullets, creating super-powerful rounds capable of downing an aircraft.
This was Keigo's ability: the first bullet served as a test, and as Keigo repeated the time-manipulated attack, each subsequent repetition became stronger, creating a terrifying onslaught with every iteration.
This surprised Minene. If not for her barrier, those projectiles would have hit her body.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Minene wasn't one to stay idle. The space around her fluctuated, and more black spheres formed.
*BOOMMMM
Creating another terrifying explosion that nullified Keigo's previous attack.
*Bang, Bang
However, Keigo remained undeterred, continuing to launch his projectiles and repeat the process while his body flickered, accelerating through time.
"You..."
Minene was annoyed. Keigo's attacks were becoming increasingly troublesome, while she continued to launch her spatial bombs.
This continued for minutes until both stopped. At this rate, neither would achieve anything; their vitality depleted, and the chances of victory diminishing. Yet, it was natural; both possessed the power of time, making them challenging to kill.
At least both began considering their options and their opponent's weaknesses.
Keigo was weaker in vitality and energy, giving the advantage to Minene. However, he wielded the power of time, making him difficult to kill.
"You know that this weapon isn't enough, right?"
Indeed, Keigo's weapon wasn't a match for Minene. However, the more he repeated the shot, the more lethal and rapid the projectile became, ultimately creating a bullet powerful enough to break her barrier and kill her.
"I know, but this is all I need."
Smiling while still holding the cigarette, Keigo looked at her calmly. After all, preparations were complete. Without hesitation, Keigo snapped his fingers, consuming a significant portion of his energy.
"You let your guard down... Ninth, did you think I was shooting randomly?"
[Temporal Inversion]
"Huh?!"
Opening her eyes in shock, Minene couldn't believe it. Now she understood why Keigo was so calm and why he relied solely on the anti-tank rifle.
He didn't need it after all.
Around Minene, hundreds of small black spheres formed, and the previous anti-tank projectiles reappeared.
Time was running backward, and each previous attack returned to its initial stage, trapping Minene in a cage of reversed time.
The area around her moved in the opposite direction; she even moved backward due to this, rendering her words meaningless as they were spoken in reverse.
This barrier became a prison where her movements played out in reverse.
(Guh?!)
Things got complicated, and Minene panicked. Although she used the same time to stop this anomaly, she inadvertently accelerated time, making her already erratic movements even more absurd and causing her body to be harmed in the process.
"Time is wonderful, Ninth... It can bring back past moments and let you enjoy them again."
Time alone isn't a weapon of mass destruction on a global scale, not with their energy levels. External factors must stimulate these events, and Keigo, like the other participants, isn't an expert in using time. Merely triggering this phenomenon is a stroke of luck. For instance, Minene barely uses this attribute to heal or accelerate time; she prefers the destruction that space brings. Her inexperience and neglect put her in this difficult situation.
Keigo knew this, which is why he only needed his rifle.
He only needed to make Minene use her own energy to create devastating attacks and evade each of them while concentrating all his energy on activating temporal inversion and bringing back those massive attacks.
His most challenging goal was to escape each attack, and now that he succeeded, his objective was fulfilled.
He knew that using his own energy to kill Minene was impossible, but if it was his own attacks that killed her, it would be a different story.
*Shiiiiii
[April 11, 2:30 PM]
[DEAD END]
With all these pre-programmed events, Minene's diary sounded, predicting her death.
Trapped in the inverted time barrier, Minene was unable to see this message. However, she didn't need to see it; she knew it was written.
Looking at Minene trapped in the reversed time barrier, Keigo snapped his fingers again.
"Goodbye, Ninth."
*BOOOOOMMMMMMMMM
Time returned to normal, and all the attacks that ran in reverse activated, creating a terrifying explosion.
The explosion was so massive that it even surpassed that of a nuclear bomb. After activating the first attack, Keigo continued to snap his fingers.
[Replay!] [Replay!]
*BOOMMMM
*BOOMMMM
Killing a monster like Minene wasn't easy; even Yuno couldn't do it after slicing through space.
That's why, after the first explosion, Keigo sought refuge and continued with the explosions, repeating the previous event, with each explosion more powerful than the last.
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Author's Note: Happy day...
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