Chapter 100

Something was visible.

Until just a moment ago, all I could do was desperately fend off the weaponless that Dominus had wielded. But now, my eyes, no, all of my senses beyond vision, were observing a single phenomenon.

This was different from the diorama that emerged when a breath was exhaled, marking the dividing line between life and death in an urgent situation.

The trajectory of life that first appeared seemed whole and mine, but I couldn’t call the current scene the same as that initial one.

Yet, even as my senses recognized the scene etched in my mind, they complained of a suffocating unease.

The scene flowed so quickly that it felt like something was passing by, leaving me only with the recognition that something was flowing away.

It wasn’t until the seemingly meaningless scene started to slow down, and a single scene began to imprint itself at a normal speed in my mind, that I could finally discern anything.

Despite not liking the idea of something other than my memory being imprinted in my mind like a fleeting moment, the most vividly perceived scene did not cause any particular discomfort as it was being imprinted.

It seemed like a scene depicting a happily mundane situation, described without much emotion.

A scene of a man speaking kindly with a pregnant woman, their eyes level with each other.

Through his hand holding hers and her other hand gently caressing her belly, I could sense the emotions of the man watching this woman.

Her hand looked incredibly soft and gentle, despite showing signs of hardship.

Who could this be? Who would make such a scene imprint in my mind while I was in the midst of a battle that crossed the boundary between life and death?

Even as I tried to identify who these people were, who could create such a happy scene, the figures of the two involved were so blurry that their identities were unrecognizable.

But it didn’t matter whether I could identify them or not.

Their feelings were clearly conveyed to me, someone not directly involved.

Unmatched happiness, a simple wish for this moment to last forever.

The assurance that nothing else was needed, and just having this person in front of me would solve any problems in life.

The two people, looking at each other and whispering love without a hint of deceit, were enjoying this immense happiness just by existing for each other.

Even though I could only see the scene and not hear their words, I couldn’t help but believe that everyone involved felt this way.

Their emotions converged into a single hue, approaching me.

The hue of the man was tinged with a dark blue.

It indicated that after walking a dark path where he couldn’t even accept a ray of light, he finally met light and could truly face a bright life.

The darkness in his heart, tinged with dark blue, was gradually fading, replaced by a small, clear sparkle.

Though her face was indistinct, the color emitted by the woman’s feelings was red.

It brought warmth reminiscent of a fire that could warm cold and lonely people, not the ominous connotation of blood.

Despite it being nothing more than a sudden appearance, I found myself smiling softly throughout.

However, it wasn’t entirely pleasant.

What was this scene? What were these feelings? Why was I shown this in such a critical situation?

As the blue glow from the clash of the two swords faded like an illusion, the question arose.

No matter what, important scenes that need to be pondered often disappear without giving the person time to observe them long enough.

—

The blue glow vanished, and my five senses returned to the point where Dominus and the life-and-death duel were happening.

Without a moment to reflect on the chaotic scene in my mind, I had to fight Dominus again, swinging the weaponless to take my life.

‘…What is this?’

I couldn’t help but marvel at the anomaly around me and me when the strange scene was imprinted in my mind.

Time had stopped.

Unlike usual, where I could move alone in the slowly flowing time, the surroundings had completely halted.

This wasn’t an illusion.

Dominus, whose golden eyes gleamed with greed and rage, swung his powerful sword, which seemed to cleave me in two at any moment.

Even if I managed to block this once, continuous attacks would leave me unable to block or dodge, putting my life at risk.

My right arm, which had barely blocked Dominus’s weaponless, received no impact except during the collision.

Although the sudden situation was disorienting, I knew this was a rare opportunity amidst the deadly duel where every breath determined life or death.

I tried to swing the paleord to inflict a fatal blow on Dominus and change the outcome of the duel, but…

‘…It won’t move.’

Realizing that my body wouldn’t move even as I tried to act on the thought.

I should have noticed that everything had stopped, including the flow of time, which was unnaturally sluggish, freezing everything except my consciousness.

I couldn’t even force a smile, but now wasn’t the time to lament.

‘I need to move.’

Even if time had stopped, it wouldn’t last forever.

If the situation ended, I might become prey to Dominus’s menacing sword.

I had to move somehow, either by knocking him down or dodging his strikes.

Only by accomplishing one of these could I find a slim chance against Dominus’s overwhelming prowess.

Shivering—!!

Driven by the strong will to survive, my right arm holding the paleord began to tremble slightly, spreading through my entire body.

This trembling gave me hope that I could break free from this bizarre situation where some unknown force had forced time to stop.

Unfortunately, struggling to break free from this frozen state seemed to be a shared experience.

Even Dominus, who had frozen mid-swing, showed the same subtle trembling in his body.

The trembling was far more intense in him, causing the weaponless he wielded to shake violently, almost as if striking the paleord.

If it had stopped there, it would have been fine.

But seeing the menacing gold glow in Dominus’s eyes, which grew fiercer with each passing second, even the slightest disturbance could provoke a reaction.

I had to suppress the rising anxiety instantly.

‘…Move.’

I tried to move at my own pace without being affected by Dominus’s movements, but…

Swoosh—!!

The sharp sound of wind cutting through the air revealed that the situation wasn’t going as I wished.

The sound was somewhat dull compared to the sharpness of a blade being wielded, but it still delivered a certain impact.

Pah!

Cough!!

Due to the opponent’s physical force, my body was forcibly thrown to the ground, immobilized by the frozen time. A suppressed groan escaped my lips.

Just one kick, but it was a problem because it hit my solar plexus precisely, even with the aggression wrapped around it.

As soon as I rolled on the cold ground, my body was freed from the grip of time.

But the twisted breathing from hitting my solar plexus made even the simple act of breathing painful.

My body, which had only managed to suppress the sudden pain, couldn’t regain proper movement.

Slash—!!

The sharp blade of the weaponless pierced the frozen snow, making a sound like mud being torn apart.

“Pathetic. There was no chance of winning from the moment you were stabbed in the shoulder.”

With murderous intent blazing in his eyes, Dominus spoke in a calm tone, leaving me unable to respond.

My body, which had been restrained by time, was now bound by Dominus’s name.

Unlike the brief moment when I couldn’t move, this time, he was trying to cut off my air supply completely.

“Gah… Ugh…”

Even though it was difficult to breathe due to being hit in a vital spot, I didn’t give up trying to escape the situation.

“Tools lose their value as tools the moment they go against the will of the user.”

Struggling to move under the pain, I couldn’t block Dominus’s death sentence from reaching my ears.

He pulled out the weaponless embedded in the ground and raised it above his head.

He prepared to strike down lightly from above.

The destination of that action was my heart.

The attack was obvious, but in my condition, restrained by pain and unable to move properly, there was no way to avoid the inevitable death.

“Go well. Tool that couldn’t fulfill its purpose. Your brother must feel lonely without you.”

Dominus declared indifferently, holding the weaponless aimed at my heart, descending inescapably like a guillotine.

It seemed this was the end. Frustration welled up as I blamed my inability to move due to pain and my inability to protect those I wanted to protect.

Rumble—!!

With a thunderous roar, the blue lightning embedded in Dominus’s weaponless delayed my death.

The continuous bleeding from his left shoulder and the shock from his kick, which felt like piercing my solar plexus, blurred my consciousness.

The last thing I heard before blacking out was…

“Andy—!!!”

A voice calling out to me desperately, as if burning with worry.