Time had stopped. I didn't move an inch, remaining suspended in the air. I needed a breather; things were happening too quickly for me to digest, even with my enhanced mind processing spell. I brushed the dust off my robes, then scanned the whole environment.
My eyes stopped at the dead carcass of that useless demon. Muzan Kibutsuji. I don't know what Demiurge or Mare did to him, but whatever it was, it wasn't enough. The demon was meant to wear down its targets, but it was defeated before it could even begin.
A strange sensation caught my eye and senses. A strange permeating miasma, it was like a powerful debuff that announced itself. My eyes stopped at the shouting youth; he was trying to wake his allies from the time-stop effect.
A futile effort, but very curious indeed.
The youth was clearly low level, but there was something protecting or shielding him from the effects of stopped time. The youth wore a neatly pressed suit, and there was something emanating from his chest.
A black mass? A curse?
Whatever it was, it was enough to catch my attention because aside from me, he was the only living being that was moving. Well, aside from Albedo and Cocytus.
I think his name was Subaru? Sabaru? Well, whatever. He can be dealt with later; it seemed he had no way to break or affect the temporal spell. A fish out of water.
"I. Am. Going. To. Take. The. Knight's. Sword."
Cocytus muttered as he freed himself from the ground; his head showed some signs of heavy damage, but his overall exoskeleton still remained firm. For this red-haired knight to affect Cocytus, this knight must be dealt with quickly and decisively.
"Are you okay, Cocytus?"
Albedo asked as Cocytus grunted in reply. She then turned to the target in front of her, the frozen Sung-bastard with his daggers. She was looking at him with visible disdain, one of the main target.
"Fit. As. A. Fiddle."
Cocytus muttered as he glanced up above; the red-haired knight was suspended. He hummed softly for a moment, then set his weapon aside and folded all four of his arms across his chest.
"Never mind. I can't. Reach. Him." Cocytus muttered.
The youth who was shouting in the background finally irked Albedo. It looked like she wanted to shut him up, a good call. Albedo appeared instantly in front of the youth, surprising him, but as she was about to swing her halberd, the youth held up his hand.
A small pause as both sides glared at each other.
"Are you serious? A feeble attempt to plead for your life?"
Albedo mocked, insulted by the hand gesture. She was about to swing her halberd again when the youth took a deep breath and shouted.
"I can return by de- "
With that, a strange, ominous presence instantly appeared all over the place. I immediately put up my guard and flew away, but the presence was everywhere. Albedo, acting on instinct, swung her halberd at the youth.
However, the youth was able to barely dodge it by stepping back and then falling from the flat roof, hitting the ground.
"A summoning chant? Did that youth just utter a chant? What were the effects"
Then time moved again. The sound of glass breaking was heard all over the area. I was then struck by an extremely powerful force.
"Y-you!"
I managed to utter. Not even a moment passed before time flowed again, yet the knight had already shifted his path to bear down on me directly. In less than a second! What was this guy made of!? Was there even something he couldn't do!?
"It's rude to fly around!"
With that, this damned knight sent me straight to the ground, striking my back against the ground. Some of the damage was nullified, but it still hurt. I was about to rise and take flight again when the knight materialized above me instantly, boots planted firmly against my ribs.
A rapid flurry of punches went straight at my head. Was he still aiming for a critical hit!? I am immune to it, you damned gorilla. Reinhard's whole figure then froze, caged in crystal ice. Cocytus managed to save me.
"Teleportation!"
I cast, creating distance between me and that damned red haired knight. I now know what a concussion feels like; I feel nauseous and sick. Was this a debuff or just the result of a continuous pummeling of my head?
Cocytus charged forward, but the ice cage shattered, and that knight delivered another swift counterattack. Cocytus was struck again in the back of the head, the force driving his skull downward until it smashed into the ground once more, implanting his armored head.
"This guy, goddamned Reinhard."
However, Cocytus expected that attack and was able to encase Reinhard in ice again. This time, Cocytus pulled out a great hammer and crushed the ice cage. Reinhard had blocked the strike — a tremendous force that shattered the ground and laid waste to nearly a quarter of the city.
Cocytus can inflict a serious amount of collateral damage. If Reinhard hadn't blocked that strike in time, this whole city would've been devastated. I glanced at Albedo, who was now handling both Sung and the three shadow maids.
"They know about our time stop capabilities, and they knew how to break it via that boy."
Albedo messaged me. I quite agree with her guess. Some shadow summons appeared near me, but they were quickly warded off with a single punch or swing. Though some rabbits tried to overwhelm me by swarming my body, I easily repelled them with a single ground stomp.
"Subaru, was it?"
I messaged back.
"An uneasy development. I expected Reinhard to do something about temporal magic, not another third party or co-belligerent."
Albedo muttered via the message spell.
"Did you kill him?" I asked because I couldn't see the youth responsible.
"I couldn't." Albedo admitted.
"The moment the time stop spell shattered. That shadow summon appeared. The one with the wheeled crown, Mahoraga. It immediately pounced on me."
"Albedo, it's time you stopped holding back."
"You think I am holding back? I can't even use some of my spells or abilities because it might get cancelled or interrupted. However, this is no issue for me. Cocytus and I can win in a battle of attrition."
That much was quite true the moment Cocytus and Albedo shifted from defensive to offensive. They've overwhelmed most of the shadows, and that Sung-bastard was now covered with injuries.
Not only that, we had World Items but they were an absolute last resort.
Albedo and Cocytus' defenses were top-notch. However, that red-haired knight... he may be getting overwhelmed, but it wouldn't be long until he found something to pull out of his backside and turn the tide again.
As soon as I thought of that...
Cocytus' great hammer was swatted away, and his exoskeleton armor cracked. He was then sent flying, crashing against three already ruined buildings. Reinhard had pulled something out of his backside, it seemed.
"Paranormal Intuition. Curse Sense. Compass of Negativity."
I casted three spells, searching once more for the young man. If the youth died, then Reinhard and the others will be left crippled the moment I activate time stop again.
Albedo and Cocytus may likely win in a battle of attrition but that's assuming Reinhard's sword was taken and Sung's healing and distraction system (Megumi, shikigamis, shadow summons) was dealt with.
Albedo and Cocytus lack combat experience, as my father pointed out. I would include myself in that assessment, but at least I understand my father's thought processes and patterns.
"Ah! Found you!" I muttered, looking at the tall tower. I found that Barusu or Sabaru!
(The next chapter is... conscription...)