Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Corruption Jewel Extraction Operation - 4
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This frozen world felt incredibly familiar to me.
[The Eye of Omniscience has been used.]
[The current level of the Eye of Omniscience is 3. The highest secret rank that can be viewed is B-rank.]
[The selected condition is ‘The secret between Arald Mohan and Diane Mohan.’]
[The rank of this secret is D-rank. Proceed with viewing?]
When Trail used the Eye of Omniscience, time stopped.
That was why no matter how long I lingered in my seat admiring it, the people around me felt no sense of incongruity whatsoever.
But right now, I hadn’t opened the Eye of Omniscience window just to view a secret.
I wasn’t looking at the screen—I was staring beyond it.
‘As expected.’
The space split open.
And from within that rift emerged a slender, beautiful arm.
The arm was positioned exactly one millimeter away from the Corruption Jewel.
It had been on the verge of seizing the Corruption Jewel. Time had frozen in that precise instant.
[That was close.]
I broke out in a cold sweat and nodded in agreement.
‘Thanks. You timed it perfectly.’
[After all that practice, you think I’d miss?]
I chuckled and recalled last night’s conversation with Trail.
Last night.
[Develop a new technique?]
‘Yeah.’
[No way. You think we can just whip one up overnight?]
‘All my techniques so far have been perfected in a single day.’
[That explains the names.]
‘No, the names took me two extra days of agonizing after development.’
Trail let out a sigh.
[Fine, so what technique, and how?]
‘The Eye of Omniscience stops time, right?’
[Yes.]
‘Then if I could move and attack in that state, wouldn’t it be faster than light? It’d be an incredible skill.’
Trail let out a ridiculous snort.
[Ha. Hahaha.]
‘The meaning of that laugh... means it’s possible, right?’
[It’s impossible!]
‘Why?’
[The time stop applies to you too when using the Eye of Omniscience.]
I already knew that.
When peeking at secrets with the Eye of Omniscience, no part of my body could move.
All I could do was gaze at the screen window.
But.
‘How do we know without trying? That’s why I want to practice tonight.’
[You madman. No matter how talented you are, you can’t defy time! No one is free from it.]
‘I know someone who can stop time and even rewind it to the past.’
[......I’m special.]
‘I’m special too. I can do it.’
Trail warned me earnestly.
[Setting aside possibility, the strain on your body won’t be a joke. It’s on a whole different level from your other techniques.]
‘Idria can tear space and appear anywhere, anytime. And drawing from my memories before regression, it was dozens of times faster and stealthier than even the assassin Offense. All in the blink of an eye.’
[......]
‘And it’s not just this issue—even at night, she could easily snatch or kill me and my companions.’
Trail fell silent.
I pressed on.
‘Before regression, I racked my brain to counter it. Developing the space-tear technique was part of that. Partly for quest solutions too.’
[Hmm. You did a ton of research even before regression. All to protect your party?]
‘Something like that.’
[Blushing, huh.]
‘Sigh. Yeah, back when they were my party members, and now even more so as the hero leading this one. I have to make this work.’
Trail stayed quiet for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
[I swear, you’re hopeless.]
‘Don’t worry. You’ve got just one job.’
[......]
‘When Idria tries something with her spatial authority, automatically activate the Eye of Omniscience for me. Stop time.’
[Hmm.]
‘You can do it, right? You who sensed Idria’s presence from who-knows-where and woke me.’
Trail was hypersensitive to Idria’s presence for personal reasons.
Probably because he was the ‘true hero.’
Anyway, leveraging Trail’s Eye of Omniscience... in other words, time stop, we could develop the ultimate combo technique.
[Fine. Let’s try it.]
‘Thanks.’
[Anyway, to use the Eye of Omniscience, we need a secret. Any secret will do?]
‘Make it the secret between Arald Mohan and Diane Mohan. Default for this technique.’
[Mohan...]
‘My parents. I already know what it is anyway, so no need to look. Best for focusing on the technique.’
Trail tilted his head.
I could tell from the screen window tilting about 15 degrees.
[What secret is it?]
‘Curious? Look for yourself.’
[Nah. Doesn’t seem appealing.]
‘Heh. Anyway, shall we practice?’
Trail hesitated before speaking.
[Don’t die.]
I chuckled and replied.
‘I’ll live to a ripe old age.’
That midnight special training with Trail.
That night, I had to use every top-grade potion in my bag.
Moving alone in the time-frozen state of the Eye of Omniscience truly wrecked my body.
I don’t know how many times I vomited blood or broke bones.
Muscles tore, organs twisted.
But I didn’t give up.
By dawn, as the sun rose, ‘we’ completed the new technique.
[Don’t say ‘we.’ It’s your technique.]
‘Couldn’t have done it without you, so it’s ours. A combo technique.’
[......Hmph.]
‘But I’m naming it.’
[Combo technique, my ass!]
‘Suggest a good name if you’ve got one. It’s rushed, so I need to think. This is my trump card—no random name.’
[Absolute Sword.]
‘Ha. Some sense you’ve got.’
Ignoring Trail’s protests, I slowly shifted my stance.
Crack. Creak.
Ugh. The pressure was no joke already.
Grotesque creaks echoed from my entire body.
“Huff. Huff.”
I slowly drew my sword.
Like a child struggling to lift a massive, heavy sword bigger than itself.
Just like when I first picked up an axe to chop firewood.
“Urk.”
Blood streamed from my nose before I knew it.
My vision turned red—capillaries burst in my eyes.
[Hang in there. Just a bit more!]
‘I’m trying.’
I took one step, then another.
The twisting in my body worsened, but yesterday’s training made it bearable.
Gathering every ounce of strength, I raised the sword high.
This was the fake hero’s sword.
Probably tampered with by Idria.
“How does it feel to be severed by the sword you made? Idria.”
I swung down with all my might.
Slice.
My sword cleanly severed Idria’s wrist.
But the wrist didn’t fall or drop.
Time was still stopped.
[That’s enough now! Any more and you’re really in danger.]
‘Yeah. I felt it cut clean anyway.’
Drop.
The screen vanished.
Time resumed its normal flow.
Thud.
Idria’s wrist fell to the floor.
The rift she’d created had vanished without a trace.
The only evidence something happened was Idria’s wrist.
Plus my mangled body, I suppose.
‘The jewel?’
I hurriedly looked toward Neril.
She wore a shocked expression, but the jewel floated unmistakably before her.
I grinned and said.
“Ah. Fucking hurts.”
Thud.
Then I vomited blood and collapsed.
Neril cried out almost like a scream.
“Jenia!!”
“O Heavenly God! Bestow your merciful hand upon us!”
Soon, warm golden light enveloped my body.
Jenia was impressive, no doubt.
My ragdoll of a body began restoring to normal almost instantly.
Neril grabbed my face, inspecting it frantically.
“What the hell? What just happened?”
“Dizzy.”
“Why’d you end up like that out of nowhere! And what’s with that wrist!”
“Calm down. This isn’t like you to get so worked up...”
I suddenly gasped.
I’d clearly seen tears welling in Neril’s eyes.
She let out a startled “Ah!” and hurriedly rubbed her eyes.
“What’re you staring at!”
“Your tears.”
“I asked a question—answer it!”
“Anyway, don’t cry. I’m fine now.”
Everyone sighed in relief at my words.
“Bro, what the hell happened? Uh, sorry, but Biond, could you step out for a sec? Let me talk.”
“No, I’m curious too...”
Adwin separated Biond’s soul and said.
“It felt like time stopped just now. I blinked once, and bam—no process, just the result.”
“Spot-on description.”
“So whose wrist is that? Why’s it there?”
I explained calmly.
“Idria’s wrist. You know she has spatial authority, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“She appeared through it to steal the Corruption Jewel. I noticed quick and cut off her wrist.”
“Even for you, Maide bro, was that speed possible?”
“I’m not unscathed either. It puts a huge burden on the body.”
Offense chimed in with a deep nasal breath.
“You went easy on me in our fight, huh.”
“Not really. I hadn’t developed this technique back then.”
“Heh. No, not offended. Quite the opposite—I like it. Proves my eyes didn’t lie.”
I just chuckled.
Then Jenia spoke up.
“Treatment seems done, but... any discomfort left?”
“All good. Impressive as always.”
“No, I’m sorely lacking. If only Serein were here...”
“But Serein isn’t in front of me. You are. That makes all the difference.”
She smiled softly.
Neril helped me up.
“You’re really okay?”
“Yeah. No need to help—I’m too heavy for you anyway.”
“Light as a feather.”
Wasn’t that my line to her?
Step by step.
We approached Idria’s wrist.
As I reached for it, everyone freaked out and stopped me.
Soon Jenia picked up the tip of the wrist with a cloth like it was something filthy.
Neril said.
“Hand it over for now. I’ll analyze it later.”
“Yeah. Ew.”
Neril stuffed the wrist into her bag.
While at it, she wrapped the Corruption Jewel in mana and added it too.
She let out a light sigh and asked.
“Won’t Idria come charging in? To get her wrist back?”
“Hmm. Who knows.”
As if waiting, Trail replied.
[No. She seems intrigued instead.]
‘Figured she might. That crazy Demon King.’
[But her interest has deepened quite a bit.]
‘What do you mean?’
[Better check outside.]
I tilted my head.
Then Adwin looked out the window and shouted.
“Bro, sis, mister!”
Offense grumbled.
“Where’s the mister around here?”
“You, Offense mister.”
“I handed you the chance to dodge on purpose.”
“Everyone, come look. Something’s off.”
We crowded to the window and gazed at the sky.
“Huh?”
Bright sun. Pure white sun.
It still hung there, warmly illuminating the land as always.
But beside it...
“Black sun?”
The black sun we’d fought so hard to stop had risen.
With the Corruption Jewel right here?
What the hell?
Clap clap clap.
Idria clapped in genuine admiration.
In other words, she had both hands.
A new hand had already regrown where Maide had bizarrely severed her wrist moments ago.
“What is this? Quite the embarrassment for me.”
Contrary to her words, a smile played on Idria’s face.
‘That guy isn’t Bion Kunze. How can he perform such miracles?’
She’d only seen him as a mere proxy chosen by Bion Kunze.
But in the instant her wrist was severed, Idria intuited.
This Maide would be a greater obstacle than anyone she’d met before.
Perhaps even greater than Bion Kunze himself.
“Humans call such foes archenemies, I believe.”
She stroked her chin like an old man.
If only she could have a drink and a candid chat...
‘But with Bion attached, impossible.’
Oh well.
She was too fired up to retreat now.
Pacing in the sky, she snapped her fingers.
“Then I’ll just push forward with the original plan.”
She’d originally planned to seize the Corruption Jewel and force it to rampage.
But Maide had crushed that miserably, forcing a change.
Nothing impressive about the alternative.
“I’ll just make one.”
She invoked her authority.
She extended her hand and clenched it into a fist.
Red light leaked between her fingers.
Flipping her hand open revealed a small, round clump of black smoke.
“Hmm. Is this the feel? The Three Great Demon Kings’ jewels lack fixed form, making it tricky.”
One of Idria’s authorities.
She could create ‘fakes’ of anything.
Yes.
Just like the ‘fake’ hero’s sword before.
“It’ll be much weaker than the real thing... but enough to test Maide.”
She flung the black sphere with a whoosh.
It grew in size proportional to the distance from her body.
Whoosh.
Ultimately becoming a sun in the sky.
A black sun.
“Crude enough to embarrass the Corruption Demon King if he saw it. But I put in effort, so forgive me.”
She spread her arms wide.
And shouted vigorously.
“Then bestow your authority upon us! Turn every human in this capital into my army!”