Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Shepherd Boy
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[Guh, kuhuk! You've appeared!]
For some reason, Abyss cried out in a voice that sounded faintly pleased. He swung his hand through the empty air, and in an instant, slipped free from my grasp.
A rift now clutched in my hand, in his place.
He had escaped through the rift.
'Definitely a troublesome bastard.'
His ability to wield space at will was undeniably overpowered.
If his opponent hadn't been me—with an even more broken power—he would've rampaged freely just as he wanted.
"Hmm?"
What was this? Did he actually have business with me?
For the moment, I tuned in to hear him out.
"I'll cut straight to it. I despise how you dangled me as bait to manipulate that magical girl. I suggest trimming the pointless chatter."
Grasping the gist of my words perfectly, Abyss launched right into his explanation.
"Us? Join you?"
"... ."
The instant I heard him, I knew we were screwed.
'No, damn it—you can't drop that intel right now.'
This bastard had just spoiled mid-story plot.
Normally, Comet would've been handling monsters as usual when she catches on that they're moving with eerie coordination. While investigating, a decoy ploy injures one of her allies, revealing the organization's existence.
'This insane bastard.'
This wouldn't do. Spilling that now? My fragile little magical girl—already so weak—would crumble under the terror of a monster cabal. And charging after them in her current state? Instant dog meat.
Lost in thoughts of the fallout from his spoiler, Abyss mistook it for me mulling his offer. He pressed on with an eager lilt.
"With you?"
As if truly contrite, Abyss dipped his head slightly toward me.
"Because of the time and space connection?"
Abyss extended his gnarled, trunk-like hand toward me.
"...I see."
Yes. Decision made.
As he claimed, the space monster and time-stop monster shared a solid rapport in the original.
Different operating ranges kept them apart, but just before Comet and her team finished Abyss, he glances skyward, smirks, and vanishes.
Upon his eventual return, he credits a time-manipulating friend for the escape.
Later, when the time-stop monster debuts, Abyss hails him as a like-minded ally.
So I clasped Abyss's hand firmly.
Now that I'd settled on a plan.
"Quite the convincing lie."
I seize the flow of time.
Then rapidly dice him into bits with hand strikes.
-Slash! Slash!-
Release the time flow once more.
-Plop. Drip.-
Abyss's chunks tumbling to the ground.
Pity his rift-head couldn't be sliced.
His head-rift bobbed aimlessly, voicing Abyss's shock.
"Monster organization? Such long-winded drivel. Spinning baseless fabrications like that... Comet must terrify you."
My decision.
From here on, I paint him as a liar.
"That 'kill someone every three minutes' bit? Pure bluff. I know you can't."
Lie. Original Abyss racked up at least 30k kills.
But this farce prevents Comet's pointless death.
Truth can wait.
Chasing the cabal now means screaming into oblivion.
As I cast him a liar, life flickered back into Comet's eyes.
"Re... al...?"
Abyss instantly rips a rift toward a person cowering behind a car.
My sharp eyes lock the rift's spot. Time flow seized.
"You're the shepherd boy from now on."
Time frozen, I stroll leisurely to the half-formed rift.
Gently nudge the man just ahead aside, then return.
'Release.'
Time resumes...
"Ugh! Huh? Ah, I... I'm alive...?"
"!! Sir, are you alright?!"
The rift tears open—but the man merely shoves sideways.
"Hm. No killing power after all—just a shove. Impressive rift durability... but fixed form means no crushing people."
Abyss, too rattled for coherent words.
I smirked inwardly at him, then faced Comet.
"Ah, Comet. Falling for trash like this? Korea's sole magical girl title rings hollow."
"!! I didn't know! It twisted that car earlier..."
"Cheap trick. A monster peddling lies about cabals? Twisting metal's trivial."
"I see..."
Tricked—shame and fury flushed Comet's face.
Fury fuels well.
"Eeei...! Fooling me! You won't get away!"
Look at her go.
"Barely recognizable from the sobbing wreck moments ago."
"Quiet! Abyss next—then you!"
Comet levels her staff at Abyss.
Abyss, disbelieving, attempts another rift.
'Fat chance.'
Time seized. Same routine.
"Uwaaak! Huh? S-survived!"
Now Abyss unleashes a barrage.
'Block. Block. Block. Block...'
Perfectly timed halts save each one.
Abyss bellows in fury, image shattered.
"No lethality means no deaths."
"A lone head lacks persuasion."
Abyss swivels his head, scans about, then fixes on me—enlightened.
"Clok...?"
"Hoo?"
He pieced it together.
But no confirming that guess.
"Handy power. Perfect for blocking a stationary generator like yours—pausing time precisely for each save?"
"You believe that's feasible?"
"Even monsters have limits. If viable, I'd rule the world—not loiter here. Or you think my power handles all that?"
'Spot on.'
Er, yeah—it does.
Abyss couldn't know.
"If so, why not crumple Earth itself? Can't manage?"
Stumped for rebuttal, Abyss fell mute.
He tears a rift and vanishes within.
'Gotta let him flee.'
I could've nabbed him, sure—but his absence sparks other crises. So, bye.
"Farewell, Mr. Shepherd Boy."