chapter_0188

As soon as the branches sprouted from the Holy Spear, an excruciating pain surged through Aria’s entire body. She clenched her teeth and let out a stifled groan, barely managing to stabilize her body, which was being pushed back.

She frantically cast every defensive spell she could think of, and only then did the burning sensation on her skin begin to subside. She narrowed her eyes, and through the haze, she could see that time itself had stopped flowing.

‘What’s happening?’

Aria was bewildered. This had never happened before. Whether it was during the times she had broken Laura’s spirit or when she had gathered new parts to sustain the world, her regression had never failed.

Yet now, that absolute faith was shattering before her eyes. Aria stared blankly at the Holy Spear, which seemed to have ensnared time itself, its tendrils reaching out like a spider’s web.

It was awe-inspiring. Despite the fact that it had wounded her and was now obstructing her, she couldn’t bring herself to view it negatively.

‘This is absurd…’

Goosebumps rose on her skin as she realized that the Holy Spear had not only rewound time but had also stopped it in its tracks. What was this thing? What potential did it hold that allowed it to interfere with the very flow of time?

‘I’ve never seen anything like this in the fragments of the world…’

Even in the broken fragments of the world, she had never witnessed such a sight. She had thought that Mira’s slaughter of humans and the Holy Spear’s radiance had marked the end of its awakening, but it seemed she was mistaken.

Even now, the Holy Spear continued to grow more intense, filling the sky with its light. Soon, the world ceased its regression, settling into a profound silence. Time no longer flowed, neither forward nor backward.

‘What… what do I do now…?’

Aria anxiously bit her nails. She hadn’t anticipated this scenario. She had thought it would be a simple matter of absorbing power, exacting her final revenge, and then resetting the world with Mira.

Unfortunately, ‘Hero’ Aria, who had always had everything go according to her plans after absorbing the fragments of the world, lacked the experience to handle this unexpected situation.

“Mi… Mira…”

Just then, a voice she never wanted to hear again reached her ears. The blue eyes that had been dazedly staring at the light now regained their focus, and she saw the ones who had been screaming in panic just moments ago.

They had somehow regained their composure and were now gathering around Mira, unlike Aria, who was still struggling. As they drew closer, the Holy Spear shone even brighter, and a spark ignited in Aria’s eyes.

It was a flame of jealousy.

There was no fundamental difference between Aria and those creatures anymore. In fact, Aria could confidently claim superiority, certain that she could handle all four of them at once with a mere wave of her hand.

‘Mira… why…?’

But why was the golden light protecting them and not Aria? Fate should have been on her side.

‘Must I… destroy them…?’

Jealousy fueled her anger, and anger fueled her jealousy. As her murderous intent grew, Aria sensed something amidst the radiant light. She strained to identify the source of the movement and froze.

‘Huh…?’

“It really… stopped. The regression.”

Rosalia muttered in a daze as she reached out to touch the light emanating from the Holy Spear. With time rewound and the sacred light spreading, the other three, who had been dazed, snapped out of their trance and gathered around.

“How did you do it?”

“My memories returned.”

He remembered the monstrous beings he had faced in the first world and how desperately he had fought them. In hindsight, it truly had been a world gone mad.

Even the appearance of just one of those creatures here could have brought the world to the brink of destruction, regardless of whether it was a demon or a human.

“… Are you okay with the old memories?”

Priscilla asked cautiously. Mira nodded.

“Now I am. I told you earlier, didn’t I? The old me would have been consumed by the past, but I’m not like that anymore. If I were still in that state, I wouldn’t have been able to begin the final stage.”

After all, the condition for awakening had been to have faith in oneself. The old Mira, plagued by self-loathing and traumatized by the Holy Spear, wouldn’t have stood a chance.

He wouldn’t have been able to even start the final stage, let alone complete it.

“And… even if I wasn’t okay, I have you all. That’s what I thought. This is the first time I’ve ever picked up a weapon to protect something, not to kill. So, it’s fine. As long as we stick together.”

What did it matter if it was a little embarrassing? It was the truth.

Just as they had stopped experiencing regression after meeting Mira, he, too, had stopped being tormented by his past memories after entering this world.

“Mira…”

“Ahem, hehehe! Why are you saying such embarrassing things! It’s only natural between us!”

Priscilla’s eyes welled up with tears as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. Rosalia’s face reddened, and she began to fan herself vigorously.

“To see you smile so sincerely, we are relieved as well.”

“Thank you… no, thanks… It really means a lot to hear you say that.”

Elysier, who had been in a panic just moments ago, now wore a radiant smile, and Laura quietly shed tears, though they were of a different nature than Priscilla’s.

As Mira comforted the others, he took hold of the Holy Spear and stepped forward. While it was nice to see them so moved, dealing with Aria was the priority. Who knew what she might do next.

“…”

Something was odd. Just moments ago, Aria had been glaring at them, looking ready to pounce, but now she seemed dazed, muttering to herself. That must have been why she hadn’t launched another attack.

Regardless, Mira seized the opportunity and moved to bind Aria, only to pause as he sensed something amiss. Besides the six of them, he detected three other presences moving within the Holy Spear’s light.

‘… There are others moving besides us? That can’t be right…’

What the Holy Spear had done was akin to forcibly holding back the regression of time. Naturally, the people of this world were left frozen in place. However, the detection of movement was absurd.

Unless there were other Possessors besides us, it made no sense. I decided to figure out what was going on. I directed a sort of will toward the people who were curiously touching the light emanating from the Holy Spear, and it responded by enveloping them and bringing them over to us. At least they weren’t enemies. If they had harbored any hostile intentions, they would have been purified and vanished the moment they were enveloped by the light.

“……!!!!!!”

When the people surrounded by the light reappeared nearby, not only I but also the four behind me and the newcomers themselves were astonished. I whispered, “Nika… Chairman Erestika… Leona…?”

Nika’s lips quivered as she stood frozen in place, while Chairman Erestika looked confused, and Leona was equally bewildered. We were all taken aback by the unexpected situation and hesitated.

“M-Master. What’s going on? Was this holy power yours? Why were they all stopped? Uh, uh, Master. Before you went to the Demon World… compared to before… uh…?”

Nika rattled off a string of questions before her eyes widened in realization. It was understandable. Compared to before I went to the Demon World, the power she was sensing from me had undergone a drastic transformation.

“I’d like to know myself. How are you able to move? And only you three at that.”

I was just as perplexed as them. It was obvious for the four of them since they were Possessors, and the same went for me and Aria. But there was no reason or explanation for these three. Perhaps they were Possessors without realizing it themselves?

“I don’t know… I just felt a flash of light, and when I came to, I was like this…”

Leona was still wearing the coat I had given her, and as she stood up, the length barely covered her, so she kept tugging at the hem with her hands. Even then, a small portion of her backside was exposed.

“Same here. I was on my way back after hearing about the unusual situation at the Academy when I suddenly came to, surrounded by light.”

Ultimately, all three of them had no idea what was going on. As we exchanged confused glances, a maniacal laughter rang out. I turned to see Aria shaking with laughter.

“Isn’t that Aria? What’s going on here?”

“It’s a long story. A very long one.”

While I could at least explain the situation to Priscilla, Rosalia, Laura, and Elysier due to their shared knowledge as Possessors, explaining it to the Chairman would be a whole different matter. I had no idea how long it would take.

“Hahahahaha…”

Aria, who had been laughing hysterically, slowly raised her head.

“Mira, you’re wondering why they can move, aren’t you?”

“…”

“It’s because of you, Mira. It’s because they’re connected to you. Because they were with you… that’s why they can move.”

As she spoke, Aria’s eyes were half-dead.

“I was alone for over a thousand years, and it was only after you escaped and I consumed the remaining fragments that I was able to do anything. But you… after barely a semester, you awaken your self-awareness in a world where time has stopped. That’s unfair, Mira.”

Whether it was truly because of me was uncertain, but it wasn’t a valid comparison. If she wanted to compare, she should compare it to when she first awakened her self-awareness, not after absorbing the world.

Either way, the reason why Aria herself could move remained a mystery, and there was no way to find out.

‘Come to think of it, what about Beatrice?’

If we were going by proximity, Beatrice was by far the closest to me. I checked the Holy Spear, but there were no other detections.

“……This is unfair.”

Those words were the signal.

-Kwaaaaaaang!

“W-What’s that?!”

A massive creature emerged from the depths, tearing apart the earth as it rose. The lower half was like a snake, the upper half like a lizard, with six long necks protruding. Each body had three heads, and on its back were four pairs of fluttering wings.

But that wasn’t all. There was also a creature that swam in the sky instead of water, resembling a combination of a shark and an octopus, and a giant frog-like being that flicked its tongue, which was made of lava.

“……”

Laura’s face turned pale, then white as a sheet. It was understandable. These were the monsters described in the first world.

“Everyone, step back.”

I held back the five who were preparing to fight, except for Rosalia and Laura, and sent them behind me. They all looked puzzled as to why I was doing this but obediently retreated.

I had no choice. The monsters from that world grew indefinitely as they aged, and once they surpassed the size of a house, it was almost impossible to defeat them with ordinary soldiers.

However, the monsters appearing now were not just house-sized, but comparable to small hills or even larger. The first one to appear was about the size of a small hill or slightly bigger.

To be honest, it would be a miracle if we didn’t get wiped out in one hit.

“I’ll take care of those. You all stay back.”

I gripped the Holy Spear, and it responded to my will, detaching itself from the part that was holding the world in place. I assumed a stance. The dragon with sixteen heads glared at us.

From its mouths, a sinister aura gathered. I channeled magic into the Holy Spear, the same magic I had used against Mahbat. The only difference was that this time, the power was far greater.

The eighteen heads simultaneously fired beams of light. The monsters that were hundreds of meters away melted away from the mere aftermath of the attack. A purple beam of light shot straight toward us.

I shifted my weight onto my right foot. I pulled my left shoulder back and then thrust it forward with force, causing my left hand, which had been holding the Holy Spear, to feel lighter. I threw the light that had gathered in my palm.

-!!!!!!

For a moment, daylight came to the world where time had stopped.