Chapter 96

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Act stands alone in a world that has come to a standstill, facing a man who calls himself an evil deity.

"Y-You've got to be kidding... Why can you move in this frozen world...?"

The man in the mask, who had been posing as a wise general, was clearly shaken.

"My eyes are special."

The Eyes of the Time King. The strongest magic eyes that govern time and space.

The ability these magic eyes possess is [Intrinsic Time Manipulation]. The power to speed up or slow down time within one's body.

By applying this ability, one can move even in a world where time has stopped. Even if the world's time is halted, by accelerating the time within oneself, one can move.

...However, a considerable strain was placed on Act's body.

But he did not show any signs of it.

He believed that doing so would unsettle his opponent even more.

"Gilmas, you're amazing! You're truly incredible!"

Vivul's body, which had been shattered, was restored by Act's [Ultimate Technique].

"...I-I see. You are indeed troublesome."

The masked man, Dostoevsky, took a deep breath and said.

"I thought I had destroyed the world... But you used your eyes to restore it, didn't you?"

"Indeed."

Act and Dostoevsky were both in a state of paralysis.

Act's body was heavily damaged from overdriving the Eyes of the Time King.

But if his opponent knew this, he would launch a counterattack.

The reason he couldn't make his next move was because he was wary of the eyes the man in front of him possessed.

"Heh heh... Ahaha! No, it's wonderful... Truly wonderful, Act-kun!"

Dostoevsky laughed loudly.

"You were seeing the world's destruction through foresight. Pretending to be unable to move was a feint to make me let my guard down. I see... I was completely fooled."

"Amazing, Act... To deceive even an evil deity..."

Vivul and Dostoevsky nodded in admiration.

"But did you really need to destroy the world once? You could have stopped it beforehand, right?"

"I had to create an opening to steal [this] from the evil deity."

Act, despite his aching body, forced himself to move and took out the [Madness Gem] from his pocket.

"W-What...! When did you...!"

Vivul's eyes widened.

On the other hand, Dostoevsky applauded.

"Bravo. I see, humans are most careless when their plans are going well. At the very moment the world was collapsing, you took advantage of my psychological weakness, restored the world, and used your acceleration power to steal it, didn't you?"

Dostoevsky nodded several times.

"What's wrong, evil deity? You're sweating, aren't you?"

"!"

Though he was trying to maintain his composure, the evil deity was in a dire situation.

His ultimate move, time stop, had been countered (or so he believed), and his prized bomb had been stolen.

Surrounding him were powerful warriors, including the Super Hero.

The evil deity did not fully understand the extent of the power of Act's eyes.

He was desperately trying to figure out his next move.

Act could see this clearly.

But, in a way, it also meant that Act was in a precarious position, having to resort to such psychological warfare.

Soon...

A white mist suddenly appeared before them.

"Is this... a smoke screen?"

Vivul looked around with wide eyes.

"Today, I'll withdraw. We'll meet again someday."

A voice echoed from somewhere.

Vivul searched frantically but could not find Dostoevsky.

Eventually, the mist cleared.

"Amazing, Gilmas! That evil deity ran away with his tail between his legs!"

The evil dragon shouted in a high-pitched voice.

Act, however, staggered and fell to one knee.

"W-What's wrong, Gilmas!?"

"Nothing."

The backlash from moving in the frozen time had hit him all at once.

But Act never showed any signs of pain or suffering.

"Vivul, what you saw in this frozen time is to be kept secret."

"Why...?"

"You don't need to know. Just do as I say."

Vivul tilted his head in confusion.

But he soon realized.

By defeating Jaki, the morale of the Hero Party was high.

Lawrence and the others were unaware of the evil deity's attack and the destruction of the world.

If they knew, they would be intimidated by the evil deity's overwhelming power, and their morale would drop.

That's why Act told them to keep it quiet.

"Got it?"

"...Understood."

Act tried to stand up.

But he stumbled and fell to his knees again.

Lawrence, who had been frozen in time, quickly noticed Act's condition.

"Nothing. Hey, horse, carry me."

"Got it."

Vivul transformed into an evil dragon and carried Act on his back, flying away.

"Hey, Gilmas, are you leaving?"

"Let's have a victory party, Act!"

Act turned away from the smiling Hero Party.

"I have my own work to do. If you want to celebrate, do it without me."

"..."

Lawrence nodded, seemingly understanding something.

"Alright, let's have the party without him!"

Everyone immediately realized something was wrong.

They didn't know what had happened, but they could tell Act was exhausted.

"Well, can't be helped. See you, Gilmas. If you join the party later, it'll be too late."

"Get some rest, Act!"

Act did not respond.

He patted Vivul's back.

The evil dragon spread his wings wide and flew away from Lawrence and the others.

'After all, Act is... so kind.'

Vivul said in a surprisingly gentle voice, which didn't match his terrifying appearance.

"What's with the sudden change?"

'You told everyone to keep quiet to avoid worrying them... But, it's not good to keep everything to yourself.'

Act snorted.

But he was quite exhausted, breathing heavily.

'Couldn't you have had Luna heal you?'

"Shut up. There's no need to say anything unnecessary."

'That's true. Telling only Luna and making her keep it a secret... would be a burden on her.'

Act did not respond.

Vivul chuckled at his clumsy kindness.

'...You really are amazing, Act.'

Act was silent, already asleep.

After confirming no one was listening, Vivul whispered.

'...I really like you.'

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