★139
ASTERI'S POV
"The Star, Antares. I'm sure you have something that belongs to me."
Feldway spoke, his voice calm yet heavy enough to warp the air around him. Velzard stood beside him expressionless, utterly still, like a sculpture.
"Be specific."
I demanded, despite knowing exactly what he wants.
"I don't need the child. Just hand over the Lord of Hope—Sariel and we'll be on our way."
"If it'll be painless, I would.
I said, a faint, humourless breath slipping out.
"But still… I refuse. As the Grand Lord's right hand, don't you think you've stepped out of line?"
"As long as he's resurrected, I don't care what happens to me."
"Stubborn reply."
I muttered, studying him.
"What if this is just a test the Grand Lord created? His absence… and how the world would function without its creator?"
"I've seen through all the possibilities."
He said, unwavering.
"And I'm not backing down. I'll ask one more time. Hand over the Lord of Hope—Sariel."
A pause settled between us, thick and final.
"I refuse."
This time, I didn't soften it. I gave the answer plainly, letting it stand exactly as it was.
"Have it your way. You're up Velzard and remember, we're short on time."
At his command, she acted like a remotely controlled machine, closing the distance between us, her fist aimed at my head.
I wasn't able to dodge it but my body acted independently pulling me away from harm's way. A Mystic Class sword bloomed in hand, and I came back with a strike.
Wind coalesced at the tip of the blade and it spread and grew in all directions as I charged. By the time I was in front of her, tornadoes appeared on all sides preventing any escape.
With a flick of a wrist, the blade snapped and was destroyed, shocked, a thin layer of ice formed on her arm.
Her fist connected with my chest all my barriers were destroyed, the pain unlike anything I've felt. The force broke my ribs destroying my heart. Had it been I was bound by human constraints I'd perish. Nah, if I wasn't using anything less than 70%, I'd be dead by now.
Taking advantage of that, she unleashed barrages of pure punches beating me to a pulp. By the time she was done all that's left of me was pieces of flesh wrapped around broken bones. I was literally formless, my pride and grace shattered along with my body. I proceeded to regenerate but couldn't, my flesh was frozen.
"Eternal World. Your fate rests in my hand."
She said, her voice almost mechanical.
"Kindly hand over the skill."
She spoke, her breath icy. I chuckled under my breath, the sound brief and hollow, and before the last hint of it could freeze on my lips, I summoned it.
"Ultimate Skill: Formulator. Sub-skill—Artificial World."
At once, the hidden points scattered across space began to connect, threads snapping into place like a design finally revealed. The world itself answered my command, rising and reshaping under my will.
It spread outward in a vast surge, engulfing the entire island, bleeding into the surrounding sea and even catching fragments of the distant continent. The air grew heavier, thicker, as if reality had been rewritten in quiet obedience.
For a moment, everything stood inside a domain that belonged solely to me—bound, and waiting for the next move.
The dimension was raised high above ground to prevent destruction from spreading. From the outside, one can see a huge opaque veil floating in the sky.
"A World-type Skill. Impressive but..."
Her words were cut short as the ice encasing my flesh began to fracture. Thin cracks spread across my body like lightning, splintering outward with sharp, brittle sounds.
Regeneration surged through me, maxed out from the start. Within a minute, I was whole again—heat returning to my limbs, control settling back into place.
I flexed my jaw, shattering the frozen shell that had sealed my mouth, shards falling away as a faint smile forced its way through.
"Strange."
I said, voice steady despite the cold gnawing at my skin.
"Despite everything being under my control… you're still freezing it all."
Even as I spoke, I countered her petrification every microsecond, pushing back against the creeping frost before it could claim me entirely—before I became nothing more than a statue locked in place within seconds.
"My Eternal World has already spread beyond your Artificial World."
She said, her voice calm, almost distant.
"It's still spreading as we fight. Soon… everyone below us will turn into ice sculptures."
I clenched my fist, grey aura wrapping tightly around it. I couldn't afford to waste time—or them. Not a single second.
If I stopped negating her ice, even for a moment, I'd lose immediately. There was no room for hesitation. No room for doubt, so I moved.
I charged straight at her, the air cracking under the force as we collided, trading blows in a blur of impact and recoil. Each strike carried weight, intent, and the quiet understanding that neither of us could afford to hold back.
And through it all, Feldway stood there—completely unharmed—watching the battle unfold as if it were nothing more than a carefully arranged spectacle.
"I'm sorry for hitting you."
I drove my fist forward, but it stopped—halted mid‑reach as if space itself had refused to let it touch her. For a fraction of a second, confusion flickered. Then came the counter.
Her punch landed against my head with crushing force. I felt my skull give way, the impact detonating through my senses as the blow hurled me back. Darkness swallowed me for a heartbeat before I snapped back into awareness.
I came back too late. Cold had already claimed me. My body was completely frozen, locked in place before I could force another movement. Then a massive lance of ice formed and fired, tearing through me in a clean, merciless line.
It sliced me in two. The severed halves hung there, suspended and instantly sealed in ice, frozen solid before they could even fall.
'Lightless.'
I cursed, I was being overwhelmingly overpowered.
I never expected my fight with Velzard to spiral into this. This? And I'm already pushing a 78% of my capacity?
I can't use void—not here, not in the Cardinal World. I can't call on Energy either. I've already exceeded my limits trying to force it through a vessel.
I even let Magos destroy some of my Mega Arts on purpose. My arsenal of Skills… only Artificial World is available for battle. And yet… I'm still losing.
'Give me a damn break.'
The frustration roared through me, hot and sharp, clawing at the edges of my control. Everything I've mastered, every contingency I've planned… it feels like it's crumbling, slipping just out of reach.
"It's over."
She declared it so confidently—as if it were already decided—and my Artificial World fell silent, sealed in ice. Completely frozen… or so she thought.
A faint, amused breath slipped through me.
"Hehehe."
A white halo formed above my head, soft at first before stabilising to a solidified light. I felt the rules themselves begin to circulate through my body, flowing like a second bloodstream.
Law and order re‑established and structure reclaimed. With that alone, regeneration became possible again. Slow… but certain.
"You're stubborn."
She said.
"Naturally."
I answered without hurry, lifting my hand and cracking a finger. The sound was small, almost casual, but it carried a quiet defiance.
(Kaneki)
The cold still pressed in from every direction, the battlefield still hanging on the edge of collapse—yet I stood there, piecing myself back together, refusing to fall.
'Who would've thought I'd be losing to a True Dragon?'
I wiped the frozen trail of blood from my mouth, muttering to myself as Feldway, ever the spectator, lifted his gaze to the heavens.
"It's all futile."
He noted, his voice calm, almost bored, as if he'd already seen the outcome behind the frozen Artificial World.
"We shall see."
I replied, voice steady, tinged with a sharp edge. "Lady Velzard, I'm done holding back. You'll have to handle what's coming."
I spread my palm wide, drawing in magical energy from the space around us, letting it flow into my body, fortifying every fibre.
The Halo of Rules pulsed in response—less than three minutes before it faded. Less than three minutes I to turn the tide. I'd made a name it, yes—but if I couldn't finish this within that window, it over.
With my overall stats amplified and eighty percent of my power unleashed, I charged.
We collided, a storm of force and intent. The Halo of Rules kept my body beyond ordinary limits, pushing speed and strength past even hers. My fist finally connected… but she didn't flinch. Didn't take a scratch.
'More durable than I am?'
I couldn't accept those results and so I pushed further, absorbing more and more to the point my vessel was cracking under the forces of magical energy and overdosed self-applied Laws.
The table was turned immediately and I couldn't help but smile.
"You think you're winning?"
She asked, a thin layer of ice shrouding her fist and the jab was thrown. I crossed both arms, taking the blow. Despite the reinforcements, my arms broke easily under her force. I was driven back, my body already regenerated but I hesitated to attack.
"That thin ice again… what the hell is that?"
I muttered under my breath, the question grinding against my thoughts as the clash continued.
For some reason, Entares had gone quiet—eerily quiet. Just like Feldway. Watching. Waiting. Saying nothing.
'Say something, you evil bastard.'
'What do you want me to say?'
His voice came out flat and distant.
My jaw tightened.
'You didn't listen, and now it's closer than you think. You're ruining the plan.'
He added.
Silence pressed in for a beat before irritation finally snapped.
"You know what? To hell with your plan. I don't give a damn about it. Just stay hidden in your shell and keep watching."
The anger flared hot, sharp—but I forced it down. I couldn't afford distractions. Not in the middle of this.
My eyes flicked back to Velzard, to the battlefield, to that same phenomenon.
'That thin ice… what was it?'
The question circled again. There were only two paths left. Either they tell me themselves—which was impossible—or I find out on my own.
Before I could act on either option, she was already on me—an icy fist cutting through the air, aimed to put me down for good. It should've reached me and ended me for good. But couldn't. I channelled everything I got into defending. Hell no, escaping.
As I was evading, the world where everything was frozen and had a timeless existence was frozen. I was motionless and she landed a solid hit.
'That feeling...'
Then came another punch then another.
'I've experienced this before...where? When?'
The thought kept slipping away just as I tried to grasp it, and all I could do was take the hits, forcing my mind to search while my body endured.
I focused harder on tracing when I experienced this phenomenon. Thanks to the Thought Acceleration Rimuru taught me, I found it in mere seconds. It was the same attack Guy used when we fought. A Skill that even those who transcend time can't move an inch in that suspended world. A Type I possibly Type 0 Time Stop.
(Possibly.)
I grit my teeth so hard I felt the enamel threaten to crack. Frustration and anger pressed in from every side. I should've forced that skill open back then. I shouldn't have let Magos devour the Mega Art—Mythstasis—the one thing that could've forced me to adapt to situations I'd never faced before. Now I was paying for it.
"You can't even move in the Suspended World."
She mocked as she closed in.
The final blow came down. Her fist drove into me, stained with my blood, and the frozen stillness swallowed everything else.
Tik, tok—the Halo of Rules faded just as my body finished regenerating, the light thinning out above me until it vanished completely. I didn't waste a second in activating Etherium activated at once.
To be continued...