Between space and time, light appeared.
Amidst the dizzying rainbow-colored light that was scattered everywhere, a clear blue light was visible.
Before I could properly examine that pale blue light seeping through a crack in the invisible wall, I was already colliding with it.
With a crack, the fragments shattered like a broken mirror, reflecting the situation I was in. That moment I saw with my own eyes.
Alice collapsing while bleeding.
My body, which had bounced back after hitting something, seemed to float in the air as if feeling a recoil.
The sensation I felt as I repeatedly collided and bounced off something, as if there was an obstacle.
My whole body ached as if it would break, and I couldn’t think logically due to the spinning in my head, yet I tried to look directly at the situation in front of me.
No.
It was all my fault. It had happened because I was too complacent and relied too much on my abilities.
Ever since I got seriously involved in the story, I don’t know how much I’ve helped. In fact, would everything have turned out fine even without me? Each of them would face challenges and grow as they overcome them, understanding each other… Wasn’t it like in the game, where everything just went well?
Didn’t my appearance just complicate things and make the situation worse?
…No.
The situation and everything else. Once I appeared in this world, the story had no choice but to change. I don’t even know why I ended up here in the first place. If the Goddess really exists and brought me here, she was definitely a heartless one. At least she could have explained the reason or purpose for my arrival.
But since that doesn’t exist, I’m just living as I please.
Again!
I shouted to keep from losing consciousness. My body, which had bounced back, surged forward again.
Honestly, there was no need to shout like that with my mouth. I could rewind time just by thinking about it.
Thump. My body collided.
But frankly speaking, I don’t have that strong willpower, nor was my perseverance exceptional either. After working hard while rewinding time, I had to rewind it a few more times to relax; I was that type of guy.
Even knowing it would hurt, if I didn’t do this stubbornly and bump into things, I probably would have given up a long time ago.
Crack. I heard a sound like something splitting, and pain shook my entire body.
But, well, whatever.
No matter how much it hurts, it’s better than getting sliced by a sword or shot by a gun.
I’ve experienced that already. Just a little…
So, let’s concentrate.
I rubbed my blurry eyes and shouted once more.
Again!
This time, I could definitely hear it.
Something is breaking.
*
I got lucky.
I barely rewound back to the moment before Alice was struck by the attack, but due to having to push through something, I ended up toppling forward. Thanks to naturally crashing into Alice from behind, neither of us got struck by the attack.
I felt something brushing past the back of my hair. If I had been even a moment slower, if I had hesitated to charge in, I would have needed to rewind time again.
As I fell, I stretched my hands forward.
Bang!
One shot fired. I felt a strong recoil from the gun in my hand, but this time Lucas evaded it. It seemed he noticed the end of my gun and moved sideways to dodge my shot. I could see the bullet embed itself into the wall beyond where Lucas had been standing.
So that’s how it is.
I gritted my teeth and pushed down on Alice’s back to rise again.
“Sylvia!?”
Because Alice had suddenly been knocked down from behind, she couldn’t get up immediately. Well, I partially intended for that to happen.
“Sister?”
Claire looked at me in confusion.
Ah, for some reason, one side of my vision was red.
It felt like something had brushed against my forehead, causing blood to flow there.
I fired my gun again with one hand. This time, it took slightly longer, so Lucas easily dodged my shot compared to before.
The slide of the automatic pistol stopped with the chamber pushed back.
All seven bullets were spent.
Lucas looked at me with a somewhat surprised expression, but that didn’t mean he slowed his movements.
Lucas’s hand moved toward the sword hilt again—
So that’s how it is.
Again.
*
“Kya!?”
Again, from where I had knocked Alice down.
My injuries were increasing. But at least it didn’t hurt as much as before. That was only natural. Getting hit with a blunt object and scratching a sharp place were completely different impacts.
It’s okay. It’s not a serious injury. At least looking at how I could stand again proves that.
The moment I stood up, I dashed toward Lucas.
“Crown Princess!”
I heard Leo’s voice shouting from behind. Since the masked girl was approaching me instead of Lucas, I fired a shot toward her.
It was a warning shot, but at least it seemed to work as the masked girl froze momentarily.
Why? Are you scared you can’t call off your attack like me?
If you’re mad, then just take a hit like I do.
I might achieve my goal of making you cry if I do well.
Rustle.
Ah.
But maybe because I paid too much attention to the masked girl, I didn’t notice Lucas swinging his sword.
“Sylvia!”
Alice’s voice filled with despair echoed.
It’s okay. I’m not dead yet. Even if my vision is oddly low, my thoughts aren’t stopping.
So there’s still an opportunity.
Again.
*
Bang!
From the moment I shot toward the masked girl.
I had already seen the reaction, so it wasn’t something I needed to worry about. I quickly turned the gun toward Lucas.
The gun spat fire, and the .45 caliber round was fired at Lucas. Of course, Lucas dodged my gun again this time.
It’s too close. He would definitely swing his sword at me before I could reload my bullets again.
It’s okay. I just shot to see how you move.
I’ll know where to aim next based on that.
Again.
*
Seven times, nine times, fourteen times, twenty-eight times.
I went back to the old style. Like I used to practice shooting hundreds of rounds with a single shot gun. I fired repeatedly at the moving Lucas.
In the meantime, I learned a few things.
The injuries I received in ‘reality’ would vanish when I rewound time. I was steadily running toward the past.
However, injuries acquired in the ‘transitional’ process wouldn’t be immediately healed. My physical state would revert back to when I entered that incomprehensible space. Any scratches from coming out of it would remain.
Well, still…
At least I’m glad that rewinding time twice doesn’t lead to amassing scars from the transition.
And one more thing.
The more frequently I rewind time, the slower the space heals. Space doesn’t recover the moment I enter. Although the scars aren’t visible in reality, each time I enter that space, the expanded round slowly gets smaller.
So I only have one thing to do.
As short as possible, down to the second.
Break again and again. Hundreds and thousands of times. If I maintain the situation this way, I could continue using my previous abilities.
Well, it’s still the same as hitting with my body.
*
Lucas instinctively sidestepped to his left, meaning to the right from my perspective.
Even so, the physical difference made it hard for me to hit Lucas—
Bang!
“Ugh!?”
Well, that’s right.
All I needed was one success.
A bullet struck Lucas’s right shoulder. The bullet hit the strap of the small bag he was carrying. It wasn’t completely severed, but…
I immediately jumped toward Lucas.
Lucas swung his sword toward me, his eyes widening slightly—
Thud, the sword buried itself in my abdomen.*
The room went silent for a moment.
Blood surged up from my neck, and I coughed out blood.
But still, I managed to cling onto Lucas.
Grabbing his collar, I said,
“Not… satisfied yet?”
Seeing me grinning with blood dripping from my mouth, Lucas’s expression hardened.
“You, how—”
“Exactly. How could it be?”
I whispered to Lucas.
“I won’t tell you.”
And then, I swung the gun I was holding at Lucas’s head. Whack, Lucas’s head spun around.
Well, I knew this wouldn’t be enough to knock him out or kill him.
I just… felt like giving him a hit.
Again.
*
Returning to the moment Lucas was hit by the bullet, I once more rolled to the side and hit the ground. A sword wave then flew from my back. He must have been preparing in advance. Was it the Sword Saint or Claire? It didn’t seem to belong to the Emperor.
“Ugh!?”
Lucas, not understanding the situation, took that sword wave head-on.
In the meantime, I reloaded my next magazine. Luckily, nothing happened while I was lying on the ground reloading.
Lucas glared at me while gritting his teeth.
Why? Is it that unpleasant for me to use a ‘trick’?
Um… Yeah, it’s probably unpleasant. I would’ve thought the same if I were in his place.
But this isn’t the same situation.
After exhausting all the bullets in the chamber, I switched magazines, leaving six bullets in the gun.
Of course, that was more than enough for me. At least, it was enough to take down one enemy.
With my gun aimed at Lucas, I slowly stood up.
Even after receiving a sword wave directly, Lucas was still standing. Any ordinary person would have been rolling on the ground even if their body wasn’t sliced.
This showed that Lucas’s outfit was defensive gear.
“So, that’s how it is…”
Lucas took a deep breath and then said,
“Alright, I’ll admit it. There’s no way for me to win here.”
He said that.
But before anyone in the room could respond, Lucas had already finished taking his stance.
And then he shot forward.
He knocked down all the knights in front of him and charged toward the door. —
*
Damn it.
Thinking back, I hadn’t been bleeding from the spot where the bullet had hit me. Though I’d been hit, it seemed the protection magic had pushed the bullet away.
I tried shooting a few times at the running Lucas, but it was no easy task to catch him as he poured all his energy into fleeing rather than fighting.
However, even if it wasn’t easy for me, there were certainly people in this room who could.
The Sword Saint and the Emperor.
And Claire, Leo, and Alice.
A multitude of knights.
A flurry of sword waves flew toward Lucas. Every individual strike wasn’t that strong, since they had to adjust their strength so as not to hit the surrounding people all at once.
But it was enough to wear Lucas down.
Thud.
Lucas’s bag fell to the ground. As he bent down to pick it up,
“Tch.”
Seeing the incoming sword wave, he gave up.
After glancing briefly at the few bullets flying towards him, Lucas dashed straight for the door.
I wondered how many knights were in the hallway below.
It was a tower without a single window, and it wasn’t an easy place to break through with any bombardment. Unless Lucas went through them all using his body, he wouldn’t be able to escape.
“Ha…”
Listening to the sounds of screams and clashing swords from outside, I knelt on one knee.
My body shook weakly.
Having smashed through everything blocking me with all my strength so many times…
The repeating cycle of injury and recovery was mentally exhausting.
“Sylvia!”
I heard a voice tinged with tears. It seemed to be Alice.
But I couldn’t respond there.
My eyelids felt too heavy.
Ah, even though the battle isn’t completely over yet. I still need to check on the masked girl.
I avoided falling flat on the ground thanks to someone rushing toward me to support me.
Through the fading and darkening vision, I saw the Emperor moving toward the bag Lucas had dropped.
Seeing the Emperor pick it up was the last memory I had.
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