The battlefield was a heartbeat from disaster—Li Qing's ice barriers cracking, the Death Queen's poisons evaporating mid-air, Varkus' lightning bolts fizzling into nothing.
Then the Void Emperor snapped his fingers.
Time rewound.
Ten seconds.
The same attacks flew. The same shouts echoed. The same lunch money fell out of the Emperor's pocket as he dramatically raised his arms.
"Foolish mortals! You cannot—wait." He patted his robes. "Where's my—"
Luo Feng tossed the cosmic coin purse in the air, grinning. "Looking for this?"
THE GLITCH EXPLOIT
How It Went Down:
First Timeline: MC noticed the Emperor's "All-Reality Snack Fund" slipping out during his villain monologue.
Rewind: Used the 10-second reset to palmswipe it mid-rewind, because temporal mechanics hated petty thieves least of all.
Aftermath: The coin purse contained:
37 interdimensional credits
A coupon for "1 Free Apocalypse" (expired)
A scribbled note: *"IOU 1 Universe - The Wife of Ashes"*
The Death Queen applauded. "Darling, you're evolving. Next time, steal his pants."
THE EMPEROR'S RAGE
The Void Emperor blinked at his empty pocket, then at Luo Feng, then at the plush demons already auctioning his money.
"THAT'S NOT HOW TIME REWINDS WORK!"
Luo Feng shrugged. "Worked for me."
[New Skill Unlocked: "Temporal Pickpocketing"]
[Warning: May Cause Paradox-Induced Indigestion]
The battlefield fell silent.
Then Li Qing froze the Emperor's sandals to the ground.
"Run," she advised.
They ran.
END OF CHAPTER 74