Chapter 682: A Tale of Stopped Time. The Saintess's Teatime
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 682: A Tale of Stopped Time. The Saintess's Teatime
Within the stopped time, all was dark and silent.
A single moment of the world had been sliced away, and in this time that no one else could perceive, only one girl lived. With every person, every sound, the entire universe and its very principles reduced to a mere backdrop, Ruel was lost in thought, as always.
That was undoubtedly Lankart’s Unique Magic. Can the King of Humans use the Unique Magic of others?
It would likely have little effect on Ruel’s own Unique Magic. She was backed up by the Sky God system, a case made powerful by wielding Light Magic with immense mana and Holy Power. Simply having a Unique Magic would be meaningless against her.
But to use another’s Unique Magic… that couldn’t be a simple, literal act. He must have perfectly understood the Spiritual World, the structure, the principles, and the phenomena of that specific power.
So that’s why Lankart is so loyal to him. He must be the only one who truly understands that arrogant Unique Magic, the World of the Right-Handed.
A perfect understanding of another’s psyche. Was it truly limited to just that? To what extent could he understand a human being? Did he know of humanity’s sins, its madness, its instability, and still choose to deny order?
Her contemplation ended. Ruel enjoyed a brief moment of leisure before making her move.
Strictly speaking, Ruel’s power was not a time stop. It was closer to observing a fleeting instant for an extended period. In this stopped time, only light illuminated the world; no one, including Ruel herself, could move. All she could do in this stretched moment was to slowly survey the situation and lose herself in thought.
When faced with a difficult problem, or when she needed to expand her thinking, she would briefly fold the flow of time and allow herself sufficient contemplation. Ruel was exceptionally intelligent, even among the Saintesses. The near-infinite time she possessed had made her wiser still.
Ruel was originally fated to become the Saintess of Wisdom, to share the brilliant knowledge she had learned and mastered with all.
If I hadn’t awakened my Unique Magic through the grace of the light, I would have simply become a girl who enjoys this quiet contemplation.
Such a life would have probably been good enough. But Ruel was a mage as much as she was a Saintess. She felt a thrill in reading, learning, accepting, pondering, and endlessly exploring. A shiver ran down her spine each time she mastered a higher level of knowledge.
In the end, Ruel awakened her Unique Magic and became the Saintess of Light.
All of this was made possible because the Saintess of Origin foresaw it. Oh, Saintess of Origin who blessed me, I, who have inherited your will, offer you this prayer.
After a short, silent prayer, Ruel finally surveyed her surroundings.
Before her stood the King of Humans. Even as his body was being torn apart and burned, he had managed to reach her, and now he wore a serene smile that didn't suit his fierce savagery. It was as if he were offering a friendly morning greeting. If not for the sharp skewer in his hand, Ruel might have believed it.
I admit it, King of Humans. The fangs of savagery are sharp enough. However, fangs can only harm what is right in front of them.
True miracles are built, stacked one upon another, until they are complete.
Like the stonemason who, knowing nothing, stacked bricks to build a tower to see the sky up close. Like the scribe who penned letters one by one to bind them into a book. Like the technician who gathered knowledge passed down through generations to create technology.
Things created over a long period of time must be respected, for they carry the weight of all those years and history.
For the humans of the present are beings who stand upon the past.
Oh, Saintess of Origin who blessed me. Please watch over me in this moment.
She drew a magic circle in the stopped time. Even the most skilled and proficient mage would need considerable time to draw one, but Ruel, drawing a magic circle with light in a frozen world, was free from such constraints.
Glimmering light flowed over her snow-white skin. The magic circle, drawn of light, spread across her entire body. Her revealing attire, which left the contours of her body half-visible, was not merely for show. As the Saintess of Light, there could be no darkness upon Ruel’s body.
To grant physical form to light—that was Ruel’s Unique Magic.
Combining this with the secret arts of the White Ivory Tower, she achieved the Materialization of Light.
And, a miracle that no one had ever witnessed before.
A fusion of Holy Power, mana, and Unique Magic.
Incarnation of Light.
Ruel became light.
She maintained her physical form through the Materialization of Light and continued her thoughts with Holy Power and the power of Foresight. Having become light, she was free from the constraints of time. Even in a stopped world, the Incarnation of Light moved with sublime grace.
No. It would be more accurate to say I can only move in stopped time.
Even if she had achieved the Materialization of Light, she had still replaced her own body with unstable light. If anything were to interfere with the light, her body would be in danger. She couldn't move through darkness, and there was a time limit to how long she could maintain the form.
It was a dangerous spell she would never have dreamed of attempting if time hadn't been stopped.
But the ability to move in stopped time is a miraculous power, worth any and all risks.
The time granted to the Incarnation of Light was a mere nine seconds. It was short, but in a battle where a fleeting moment could decide victory or defeat, it was more than enough. To circle behind the King of Humans, draw a magic circle, and deliver the judgment of light, nine seconds was an overflowing abundance of time.
As long as you affirm human savagery, you will never become a king of divinity. Disappear here. I will wait for the next king to be gentler. I am used to waiting.
“Ruel.”
At first, Ruel didn't understand the situation. When she finally recognized the voice, she dismissed it as a hallucination. But the moment her Foresight perceived the blurry shadow moving before her, she was so startled she couldn't breathe.
Good heavens. Oh, Saintess of Origin who blessed me. Is this also part of your design? Not even the Saintess of the Sky could interfere with my time…!
It was Shei. Her white-streaked hair melted into the light, and her seven-colored eyes were at once nothing and yet held every color within them. The tranquil smile, as if she had witnessed all of creation, did not suit Shei, but it was undoubtedly her.
The last Saintess, whom even the Sanctum could not find. It should have been impossible to interfere with another Saintess’s Foresight. But for some reason, Shei had appeared in Ruel’s.
Shei was blurry. If Ruel was an incarnation of light, Shei seemed to be an incarnation of ephemerality. It was as if she had left most of what constituted her somewhere else, or perhaps scattered it across the world.
From within that ambiguity, Shei spoke.
“Sorry. The time interval is too short, so it’s hard to fix my displacement. I’ll have to talk to you like this. Please answer me in light-speak.”
Coming to her senses, Ruel conveyed her will within the light.
[Did you use Foresight to stop me? What kind of Foresight is this?]
“It’s not Foresight. It’s a power I gained from a future that no longer exists. The Original Sin of Uncertainty. A measurement limit that cannot be overcome, no matter what you do. Like your Unique Magic, I obtained it through a vision.”
[Is it the power of the Divine?]
“Not quite the Divine, and it could never be, not when a fool like me is using it. It’s closer to imprinting knowledge that exists only as a possibility onto my body.”
Foresight could not be shared. Not even between fellow Saintesses. Ruel realized she would never know what Shei had seen.
[That was a meaningless question. It would have been more pertinent to ask your intention for interfering with my Foresight.]
Like a true mage, Ruel’s question cut to the heart of the matter. Shei flickered faintly, as if she had expected it. After blurring for a moment, Shei’s form solidified again as she spoke.
“Please, leave.”
[This is to protect the King of Humans.]
“That’s right. And it’s also to protect you. You might be able to harm Hughes, but he will also inflict an irreversible wound on you.”
Ruel couldn’t believe her ears.
[In this stopped time, he will harm me?]
“Yes. Because it’s Hughes.”
It was impossible. In this stopped time, he couldn't move a single fingertip. He certainly couldn't harm Ruel.
So, Ruel chose to interpret it differently. As a threat from Shei, that if she touched the King of Humans, Shei would harm her.
She probably can’t move freely in stopped time either. That blurry form, much like my light, likely only grants her the qualification to act in this moment. Shei cannot threaten me. Of course, I can’t be certain until I understand her methods.
They were both Saintesses. Since they were both blessed by the Saintess of Origin, they had to show each other a minimum of respect. Before killing the King of Humans, Ruel decided to ask Shei’s true intentions.
[Why are you helping the King of Humans? If you’ve seen even a glimpse of the future, you should know that chaos and savagery will inevitably lead to ruin.]
If someone were to choose the worst possible option, humanity and civilization would meet a futile and cruel end. The world stood upon a razor-thin miracle. For today to be the same as yesterday was a blessing, and we should be grateful that tomorrow will come.
Occasionally, those for whom yesterday was despair would rush to destroy tomorrow. But such attempts almost always returned as a tragedy for all. Those who despaired did not know how to paint a picture of hope; they could only force their own despair onto others.
Ruel questioned the Saintess who sided with the King of Humans, and Shei answered, her voice full of affection.
“I believe in Hughes.”