"They… are my friends." Mumei's eyes were complicated as she nodded.
"The Iron Fortress is about to depart!" someone shouted nearby.
Though Horobi still had her doubts, this wasn't the time to question anything.
"Move," she said coldly.
There was no time to waste—if they didn't get aboard the Iron Fortress, even as Kabaneri, both she and Mumei would die.
Tatsuki sighed faintly. Everyone seemed so frantic.
Time… stop.
Clang!
The Sanctuary expanded. In an instant, all sound in the world vanished. The Kabane's maddened howls, the Iron Fortress's whistling steam, the terrified cries of the fleeing crowd—everything ceased in a single moment.
Mumei and Horobi felt a piercing ring in their ears. Then came silence so complete they could hear a needle drop.
They looked around—and their eyes went wide in disbelief.
Everything was frozen. Even the droplets of blood hanging in midair stood still.
What was happening?!
They weren't the only ones stunned. Even Vivi and the others were dumbfounded.
Vivi: "Eh? Why isn't anyone moving?"
Seitenshi blinked once, then quickly composed herself. "It must be Tatsuki's power."
In her eyes, Tatsuki was capable of anything.
"Time Stop," Kusuo Saiki's calm voice echoed directly in everyone's minds through telepathy.
He glanced at Tatsuki, lips unmoving. "You're an esper too?"
Tatsuki nodded. "Something like that."
The chat group immediately exploded.
Momonga: "Time Stop?! Did I see that right?"
March 7th: "If Tatsuki admits it, it's gotta be true!"
Tushan Honghong: "Tatsuki-nii is so amazing!"
White Blood Cell: "Stopping pathogens makes killing them easier."
Platelet: "I don't really get it… but it sounds awesome!"
Momonga: "Boss, you're unbelievable!"
Silver Wolf: "Tatsuki, you can even do that now?"
Tatsuki: "Yeah. It's an ability I got from Mikoto Suoh—pretty handy."
Mikoto Suoh: "..."
Kiana: "I thought my 'Golden King's Authority' and S-rank 'Void Queen's Power' were insane—but you can control time?!"
Nami: "Wait, you guys all became King-bearers?"
Hai Xiaomei: "Not me! I just got an A-rank ability—Frost Domination. I think they call it an Outsider Authority."
Tatsuki: "Mine is the Colorless King's Authority—S-rank, the 'Chrono King's Power' that manipulates time."
Aqua: "A Time King and a Space King? You two should totally be a couple."
Silver Wolf: "Time and space… could that make a Spacetime King?"
Tatsuki: "..."
Kiana: "..."
Kiana: "Hmph! As if I'd ever!"
Bronya: "Anyway… it's amazing how easily you gained S-rank and A-rank powers. I'm jealous."
Nami: "Same here!"
Aqua: "Is this some kind of divine blessing?"
Mikoto Suoh: "No. It's from the Dresden Slate—the source of the King powers."
Kisara Tendō: "I wonder if I'd get a power too if I went there."
Mikoto Suoh: "I can't say."
Tatsuki: "Anyone with enough points can give it a try."
Still, he doubted the odds. The Dresden Slate's energy was limited—granting two S-rank and one A-rank power, plus sustaining the existing King and Outsider systems, might already be stretching it. It was just a special energy stone, and when Tatsuki last sensed it, the energy had nearly run dry—barely enough to maintain the Kings and their clans.
Silver Wolf: "If the slate's the source, doesn't that mean the powers only work in that world?"
Mikoto Suoh: "No."
Mikoto Suoh: "After my King power evolved, it seems completely detached from the Slate—it's mine now."
Mikoto Suoh: "When I went to Reinhard's world, my power worked perfectly."
Reinhard: "Same with my Divine Blessing."
Tatsuki: "Looks like the chat group's upgrades can convert abilities into part of your essence."
Silver Wolf: "Emmm, incredible. Keep doing Apocalypse Journeys and you'll surpass the Aeons themselves."
Silver Wolf: "How come you always get picked, anyway?"
Tatsuki: "No idea."
Emilia: "Maybe because Tatsuki-kun's the admin?"
Mumei: "..."
Good grief—the chat had gone on so long they almost forgot about Mumei and Horobi. Tatsuki closed the chat window.
Mumei and Horobi were both staring at him, wide-eyed.
"Time stop…"
That was the phrase they'd heard—and looking around, it was obvious this man had frozen time itself!
But… could a human really do such a thing?
Then Horobi noticed Seitenshi—radiant, haloed, angelic—and fell silent. Perhaps… they weren't even human.
She turned to Mumei. The man who had stopped time had said they were her friends.
Facing Tatsuki and the others, Horobi dared not speak rashly. She tried to get answers from Mumei—but was disappointed to see the same shocked look on her face.
Kusuo Saiki: "Mission—how do we complete it?"
He had already removed his limiters. Facing a world overrun with monsters, he saw no reason to restrain himself.
Tatsuki noticed the motion and offered a reminder. "You can use the Apocalypse Battlefield. There, you can unleash everything without worrying about destroying the world. Learn to control your power."
Kusuo Saiki's eyes flickered. He quickly browsed the chat functions and found it: Apocalypse Battlefield—a place where destruction had no consequence.
Perfect. His power was constantly growing, and he couldn't always train freely. That's why he'd needed the limiters. But if such a place existed—he could finally master his full strength.
"…Thanks," Kusuo Saiki said softly.
Tatsuki nodded, then spoke. "Kabane infest the entire world. Let's take care of the demonic cultivators first."
"Demonic cultivators?" Mikasa tilted her head curiously.
Her sharp battle suit and odd 3D Maneuver Gear contrasted with her calm, expressionless face—a perfect kuudere impression.
"I've already found them." Tatsuki had grasped this world's structure completely.
Every mind was laid bare to him—and those demonic cultivators were far too loud inside their own heads.
Snap!
He snapped his fingers.
Two figures materialized before everyone's eyes—two men and one woman.
The girl looked every bit the noble lady. One man was a black-haired youth in blue samurai garb. The other was a handsome man with long pink hair, dressed finely and smiling madly.
"They're the demonic cultivators?" Vivi asked in surprise.
The three stood motionless, frozen mid-action—the girl apparently shouting orders, the samurai calm and faintly smiling, the pink-haired man grinning with open arms, laughing wildly.
"This one isn't," Tatsuki said, nodding toward the girl—Ayame Yomogawa, eldest daughter of the Yomogawa family, rulers of Aragane Station.
The samurai beside her was Kurusu, her loyal bodyguard. However… the current Kurusu was not the real one.
Through control over his memories, Tatsuki had already understood the truth—
the man's body was possessed by a reincarnator, a soul reborn from another world.
A cultivator of demonic arts—a Magus in the truest sense.
And the pink-haired man? Another reincarnator—another demonic cultivator.
Two reincarnators in one world—how amusing.
At the sight of the pink-haired man, Mumei and Horobi both cried out.
Mumei: "Brother!"
Horobi: "Young Master!"
"You know him?" Seitenshi asked, puzzled.
Mumei's face was pale. "He's my older brother."
Horobi stepped forward defensively, drawing her sword. "What do you intend to do to the Young Master?"
Tatsuki's eyes flicked toward the pink-haired man. It was Biba Amatori.
The man who conducted cruel experiments in his quest for revenge against his father. Tatsuki found him distasteful.
"Kill him," Tatsuki said coldly.
"What?! I won't allow it!" Horobi shouted, drawing her blade.
But before it even cleared the sheath, her weapon crumbled to rust in an instant. An unseen force lifted her helplessly into the air, frozen in place— her eyes wide, unable even to speak.
"You think I need your permission to kill?" Tatsuki said dryly.
A pawn was still just a pawn—what use was loyalty to something like that?
...
For every 50 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.
Read 50+ chapters ahead on Patreon! [patreon.com/METARLN]
Use code FREE2ALL for 30% OFF!