Arona's voice echoed in Ryan's mind, low and laden with a melancholic weight.
"Sensei... I know you won't listen to me... But even so, I want to warn you... Give up on this idea."
There was a rare hesitation in her words, a feeling that went beyond the simple cold logic of a system.
"It may seem insignificant to someone who controls time, but, in the state you're in, with your energy almost depleted... Your abilities are divine, but..."
Ryan gritted his teeth. Time was not a luxury he could afford at that moment.
"Just tell me what I need to do, Arona."
His voice came out firm, with no room for discussion. His eyes were fixed on Kuroi's pale face, her body between life and death. Her pulse was weak, her breathing shallow... seconds. Maybe less.
Riko's sobs echoed beside him, a melody of despair that made the air even heavier. And then, Arona yielded.
"Alright, Sensei... I won't go against your will..."
Time seemed to slow down for Ryan. Information began to flash before his eyes in quick bursts, but, strangely, he was able to process it clearly. Arona's voice resonated like a sped-up video, but perfectly understandable.
"I'm not just a system for you and Yuno, Ryan. Although I function similarly to one... As I said, I am a product of your memories and hers, a way I found to be as efficient as possible."
Arona's image appeared before his eyes—only he could see her. The small, blue-haired figure watched him, her eyes glowing with an unusual light.
"But, to be more exact, I am a manifestation of your soul... and also of Sensei Yuno's. Literally, a part of you two."
She raised her small hand and touched Ryan's chest. The warmth that spread from the touch was not comforting. It was... heartbreaking. A piercing pain cut through his soul like invisible razors, but he knew, at that instant, that it was not his pain.
"I love you both like my daddy and mommy... That's why I ask you not to be mad at me, okay?"
Ryan felt his body stiffen.
"I sealed part of your divinity to protect you. Divine power demands painful prices when used without caution."
He wanted to say something, but he felt that Arona wasn't finished.
"Divine energy is complex, shapeless... Very volatile..."
Her little hands trembled. Her face contracted in an almost invisible effort. But Ryan noticed.
"Arona, why didn't you tell me this before?"
Her smile faltered, and it was there that Ryan realized what was happening.
The pain he felt...
The pain that pulsed within him like blades buried in his essence...
It wasn't his.
It was hers.
Ryan's eyes widened, and the truth emerged in his mind like thunder.
"Arona... You said divine energy is unstable. Neither Yuno nor I trained to use it correctly... You..."
He hesitated. The question seemed idiotic, absurd. But he needed to ask.
"You're hurting yourself so we can use it, aren't you?"
Her expression hardened. Her little fingers squeezed his shoulders lightly, and then, she looked away.
"Don't say anymore... Just like you, I won't change my mind."
Her voice was sweet, but loaded with unwavering determination.
Ryan felt a mixture of anger, guilt, and helplessness clashing inside him.
With a heavy sigh, he ran his hand through her hair, the soft strands slipping between his fingers.
"Sorry... I haven't been thinking much about you all this time."
She bit her lower lip and then burst out:
"Mouuu, Sensei no BAKA!"
The light she had placed on Ryan's chest shone one last time before extinguishing, and Arona stepped away, speaking in a slightly spoiled voice:
"I... I temporarily removed the limitation I placed on you. You have 20 seconds to save Kuroi before the energy is sealed again, okay? Not a second more."
She raised a finger, like a teacher giving a sermon.
"As your daughter, you should be taking care of me! But I'm the one who's been taking care of you all this time! Ever since that day in Hinamizawa, when we found that goddess!"
Ryan raised an eyebrow, a tired smile forming.
"Do you have ANY idea how much I hurt myself to do that?!" Arona said, puffing out her cheek.
He sighed, not hiding the guilt in his voice.
"Sorry, Arona-chan."
She turned her little face away, crossing her arms, clearly sulking.
"Hmpf! As payment, you HAVE TO KISS MOMMY YUNO!"
Ryan tilted his head, his voice drawn out in pure irony:
"It's going to be harder to convince her than me, Arona..."
Arona chuckled softly, a sweet and provocative sound.
"Kehehe... Yeah, you're right."
Before disappearing completely, she raised her little finger, her gaze becoming a little more serious.
"Without the limitation, you're going to hurt a part of your soul to transform it into energy. BUT relax..."
She put her hands on her hips, her tone slightly proud.
"I selected a part that doesn't involve my consciousness and existence, so I won't get hurt, hehe. Buuut... you..."
She made a dramatic pause.
"Well, I guess you'll be bedridden for about two or three days."
Ryan smirked, a mocking glint in his eyes.
"Wow, good thing you're not going to get hurt, right?"
Arona blinked, tilting her head with an innocent look.
"You wouldn't want to see me suffer, would you?"
And then, she disappeared.
Ryan remained there, a tired smile playing on his lips as he felt the flow of reality return to its normal rhythm. In his mind, thoughts unfolded like chains, each one heavier than the last.
"Damn... I really need to be more attentive to Arona... Only now am I realizing how important she has been all this time... I'm really an idiot, aren't I? It makes sense that my energy is so well refined... She's the one who's been doing this work for me all this time."
He turned his eyes back to Kuroi, her body already beginning to glow as his divine energy enveloped her. Riko, beside him, pressed her hands against her chest, her breathing unstable, placing all her hope in Ryan. It was a crushing weight, and he felt it.
"Arona has this sweet personality and the appearance of someone who came from my memories... Good thing. Because, honestly, if she were anything like that Yuuki guy, I would have vomited every time I heard those things from his mouth..."
The light around Kuroi pulsed gently, as if reality itself were hesitant to accept the interference. Ryan narrowed his eyes, feeling the pressure of time bending to his command.
"Arona said the appearance came from my part... But what about the intelligence? It came from Yuno!?" A chill ran down his spine. "Damn... She doesn't even seem that smart!"
He completed the energy transfer, feeling his body tremble as he released the power. He needed to be careful. One mistake and he could take Kuroi too far back in time, who knows what would happen if he miscalculated the dosage.
He straightened up, turning to Riko. "Let's step back a bit."
Riko's eyes, still red and swollen, reflected a mixture of fear and hope. She said nothing, just nodded and ran behind him, whispering in a choked voice:
"I trust you, Ryan..."
He let out a long sigh. "Well... I hope I don't screw up..."
Focusing, Ryan channeled his energy, trying to control the force of the reversal. It couldn't be like before, when he reversed the knife. If he applied too much force, he could undo Kuroi to an irreversible state.
The energy around her began to oscillate. The space around her distorted almost imperceptibly, as if the air itself trembled before Riko's eyes.
"I-Is everything alright?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.
Ryan didn't look away. "Yes... It has to be."
Kuroi began to move erratically, as if a video were being rewound. Her body contorted on the ground, her wounds disappearing as blood flowed back into her veins. Broken bones realigned, muscles restored as if being rebuilt by invisible hands.
While reversing, Ryan thought, "Controlling the time of a specific location... It's much harder than just using the technique on all of reality! Damn, why does it have to be like this!?"
It's like trying to scoop water from a river, if you just use a bucket you scoop it all up at once without problems, but it's much harder to try to scoop up just one specific drop.
Kuroi slowly rose, as if being hit by invisible blows in reverse. What had destroyed her before now healed her, each impact being undone in a strange spectacle of force and precision.
She stood up, as if she had just prepared for combat. Ryan's eyes widened.
"Now!"
He dissipated the energy, stopping the reversal at the exact instant.
Kuroi blinked. "Who are you and why are you here?"
But then, something hit her.
"R-Riko...?"
Before she could react, Riko darted forward, throwing herself on her and squeezing her with all her strength, sobbing uncontrollably.
"KUROIIIIIIIIII!" Her voice broke in the middle of the scream, her tears soaking Kuroi's shoulder.
Kuroi blinked repeatedly, her mind spinning. "R-Riko... What about the assimilation?"
Ryan, watching the elevator they used to get there descend, answered without looking back. "Canceled."
Kuroi's arms tightened around Riko, her heart racing. "What's going on? Can someone explain to me?!"
Ryan shrugged. "Stay with Riko. Take good care of her. She'll explain later."
The metallic sound of the elevator echoed through the space as the doors opened. From inside, a figure emerged. Satoru Gojo, covered in blood, his eyes icy and predatory, his presence flooding the environment with a suffocating pressure.
His voice sounded like that of a hunter after his prey. "Where's that damn killer?"
Kuroi looked at him, still stunned. "What...?"
Ryan couldn't help but smirk at Gojo's expression. "Oh, you mean that guy who beat you up and made me solve everything? Yeah, I killed him. Or rather... pulverized him."
Gojo's eyes widened. "What?!" In an instant, he clenched his fists, his frustration evident. "Damn it, Ryan! I was going to show him! I was going to prove that I, Satoru Gojo, between heaven and earth, am the honored one!"
Ryan tilted his head slightly, half-closing his eyes with a tired sigh. "Okay... you can consider that you won just for still breathing." His voice carried a tone of resignation mixed with irony. He then raised his hand in a lazy gesture, calling Gojo closer.
Gojo arched an eyebrow, suspicious. "What is it now?"
Ryan clicked his tongue in irritation. "Stop fussing and come here already."
Gojo narrowed his eyes, frowning in distrust, but obeyed, slowly walking over to him. As soon as he was close, Ryan launched the question bluntly:
"How the hell did you survive? By the amount of blood and the state of your clothes... it looks like you were ground alive."
Gojo crossed his arms, adopting a tone of arrogance even with his serious voice. "When that bastard hit me... he should have ripped my head off. But at that moment, I had a—"
"Great, so you're okay." Ryan cut him off unceremoniously, hurried, with no patience to listen to any heroic speeches.
Gojo's eyes widened, incredulous. "Holy shit, man! I'm already pissed off enough, don't mess with me now!"
Ryan ignored the other's indignation and, in a slow movement, pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. The screen was shattered, but still functional. He held it out to Gojo.
"Here. No password. Call Yuki... my sister."
Gojo took the device, turning it in his hands as he observed the damage. "Why are you asking me to do this now?"
Ryan sketched a wry smile, almost an involuntary reflex. His gaze, once full of energy, began to lose focus, becoming opaque. "Tell her I'm okay and..." His body suddenly faltered, toppling backwards. "hold me..."
Gojo's eyes widened, moving quickly to grab him by his torn shirt before he collapsed to the ground.
"What the hell..." Gojo held the weight of his friend, visibly confused. "Kuroi, looks like you're not the only one who doesn't understand anything that's going on."
Riko, still sniffling, quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and took a deep breath, trying to gather her words. "W-well... I can explain..."
She hesitated for a moment, then hurried to approach, placing her hands on Ryan's shoulders to support him better.
"Hey, don't hold him like that! You're going to end up hurting him even more!" Riko scolded Gojo, her voice wavering between concern and irritation.
Gojo huffed, looking away. "Alright, alright... Looks like it's going to have to be you to tell the story. After all, Geto is taking a good nap... just like Ryan."
He glanced to the side, where Geto was unconscious, before letting out an exasperated sigh.
____________________________
🚨 Unlock Daily Webnovel Chapters! 🚨
Let's bring back daily posts! To make it happen, I need your support on Patreon. 🙏
🎯 The Goal: Reach 20 Patreon Supporters (any tier counts!)
📈 Current Status: 10 / 20 supporters (Thank you! ❤️)
🎁 The Reward: Once we hit 20 supporters, daily chapters return right here on Webnovel! 🎉📖
Help us get there! Become a Patron today and unlock daily chapters for everyone! ✨
👉 [patreon.com/ErisNoSeraph]