[Open your eyes…]
A voice spoke to him—mechanical in nature, yet undeniably feminine.
Huh? What…?
Tatsuya's breathing was ragged, his body tense. His eyes remained shut, his mind racing, his heartbeat pounding with every breath.
[I said, open your eyes.]
Tatsuya didn't want to open his eyes, but slowly, hesitantly, he did. There was something about that voice—distant, almost northerly—that brought with it a strange sense of clarity, washing over him like a cold wind.
His breath stopped, his eyes widening in fear as he saw the monster's spear-like tail, barely an inch away from blowing his face apart.
His gaze then fell on the monster, frozen in place. The surrounding raindrops, too, hung motionless in midair—along with splashes that had been suspended mid-fall.
"Why… why is everything frozen all of a sudden…?" he whispered.
[I have stopped time…]
The voice echoed in his head.
"You… stopped time?" he muttered.
[Yes, I did. But it won't last long. The monster is already exerting enough power to resist the time-stop. I am barely managing to bypass its resistance just to hold it still. Move quickly before the flow of time resumes its course—and death's hand grasps your soul.]
Tatsuya's head spun. None of this made sense to him, but he listened to the voice and immediately stepped away from the spot, moving carefully to the side.
[Get ready. Use your powers to defend yourself. The flow of time has resumed!]
My what?!
Time lurched forward again. The monster's tail crashed into the pavement at the exact spot he had been standing, blasting open a massive crater.
"Holy crap!" he exclaimed.
The monster whipped around, its split maw gaping open with another roar. Deep inside its throat, a ball of fire began to gather, glowing hotter with every second.
[What are you standing there for like a damn moron? Attack it!]
With what?!
[So dumb… just raise your hand and say: La Fire: Ignite.]
Tatsuya raised his hand, shouting, "La Fire: Ignite!"
A raging stream of fire burst from his palm, surging toward the monster. At the same time, the beast unleashed its charged fireball straight at him.
The two attacks collided in midair, detonating in a thunderous explosion. The shockwave hurled Tatsuya back, his feet skidding across the slick pavement, while the monster dug its claws into the ground and stood firm.
Tsauya gasped, his heart beating fast, he can left the heartbeat running across this body.
[Get up, quickly! Summon your weapon—you can't beat it in raw power!]
And how am I supposed to do that?! Tatsuya barked as he forced himself to his feet, panting heavily. The smoke cleared, revealing the monster completely unharmed. It inhaled sharply, then unleashed a roar—not just a roar, but a sonic boom powerful enough to make an ordinary human's blood burst from their veins.
[That's it—I'm taking control!]
Suddenly, a strange sensation surged through Tatsuya's body. Before he could comprehend it, his vision blurred—and in the next instant, he was behind the monster. The creature's sonic boom tore through the surroundings, obliterating everything nearby.
Even so, the shockwave caught him, blasting him backwards. His body skidded across the ground, his clothes tearing from the force. Yet his legs dug into the pavement, reducing the impact, until he finally managed to stop, battered but standing.
I can't freaking believe I'm alive… but it hurts like hell!
Tatsuya groaned to the voice in his head.
Oh no… the people in those buildings…
He muttered, staring at the rubble scattered before him.
[Don't worry. There's no one else here except you, me, and that monster. This entire place is nothing but an illusion that mirrors a fragment of your reality.]
Huh?
Tatsuya's voice wavered in confusion.
The monster turned back toward him, ready to strike again.
[No time for chit-chat. I'll explain later.]
Without warning, his right arm jerked upward. A golden sword materialized in his grip, blazing with otherworldly light. His body moved on its own, slashing in a wide horizontal arc.
A wave of invisible force tore forward—cleaving the monster clean in half. Its body split with a wet, sickening rip, each half collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud. Blood and entrails spilled before the corpse began to dissolve, fading into nothing.
[Phew. It's done—all thanks to me.]
The sword vanished from his hand. The strange sensation left his body, and Tatsuya twitched his fingers.
"I… I can move again! I can control my body!" he exclaimed in relief.
[Good. I'll leave for now. Tonight, I'll return to explain everything and answer your questions.]
The voice faded.
The world around him suddenly glitched, shattering like falling puzzle pieces into blackness. Then, in the blink of an eye, reality reformed—the rain gone, the sky clear, the crossroad alive again with people walking and cars moving as if nothing had happened.
Wow…
He looked down, startled. His clothes were perfectly intact, every tear and burn gone. Even the pain had vanished. He touched his arms, legs, and chest, confirming that every wound had healed completely.
That was truly something…
Tatsuya muttered to himself as he walked home, waiting for the answers he'd been promised would come tonight.
Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched. High above, invisible to the people below, Marie and Yuki observed everything—the battle, and now his weary walk.
"So, how do you rate him?" Marie asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Not that great. I was expecting more… I'd give him a five out of ten." Yuki sighed, her expression tinged with disappointment.
"Now, now, don't be so harsh. It was his first day fighting a monster. Besides, you're the one who sent a C-rank at him," Marie replied.
"How was I supposed to know he was that weak? Fortunately, the goddess helped him—otherwise we would've had to intervene…" Yuki muttered. After all, it wasn't her fault the prophecy had exaggerated his strength.
"And that," Marie said pointedly, "wouldn't have turned out well, now would it?"
"True… nevertheless, it's going to be difficult to hide this from my sister," Yuki admitted.
"That's also a problem I was planning to address," Marie said. A sly smile crossed her face. "Why don't we just kill her? It would be a great benefit to us."
"No. We're not doing such a thing," Yuki snapped.
Marie crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Don't tell me you've developed some sort of fondness for her. We both know that's not true."
"Obviously, I haven't," Yuki replied coldly. "But it would be far too dangerous. The branch leader is keeping a close eye on her, making sure she doesn't do anything reckless."
"Ah… somehow that slipped my mind," Marie muttered, slightly annoyed.
"Let's just go. Our work here is finished."
And with that, the two vanished into thin air.
As they departed, another figure lingered on a nearby rooftop. Standing by the railing, gripping it with both hands, was none other than Ezekiel.
He waited until Tatsuya had completely vanished from sight before finally muttering,
"Well, everything seems to be as it should. I thought, because of that dream I had, there might've been a shift in the plot…"
His fingers drummed lightly on the cold metal railing.
"I'm feeling extremely relieved that it isn't the case… but then again, I can never be too sure. I forgot to keep in mind that even the smallest change can spiral into something huge—which, of course, is a common trope…"
He glanced back at the others scattered around the rooftop—men he had hired earlier that afternoon, just after the lunch break.
A cover-up.
Otherwise, it would look far too strange for a teenager to be standing here, staring down so intently at the world below.
Still… where is the Deadly Alliance? I hope I haven't come under their radar. Then again, it's not like they'd be able to find me—not with the other pieces I've set in place…
"Alright, we're done here. Let's move," Ezekiel ordered, and one by one they filed out, leaving the rooftop behind.
But even he was not unseen.
In the solitude of the clubroom, Tsumi sat with the door firmly shut, a faint glow illuminating her face. In her hand, a magic crystal shimmered, replaying the rooftop scene she had been spying on.
What the hell was he doing on that building… just staring at the surroundings like that?
Her grip on the crystal tightened until the light pulsed sharply.
I should've started watching him much sooner.
The crystal's glow flickered again, Ezekiel's image dissolving. Slowly, another form emerged within its depths—Yuta's.
Let's turn my attention back to this guy instead…