I Don't Need To Log Out

When Arlon finished checking over his body, his sword, and every scrap of gear in the frozen world around him, he took one last breath and swung.

The blade sliced through the air, cloaked in layers of enchantments and the gathered power of preparation. The moment after the swing started, he gave the system a mental command.

He canceled the time-stopping item.

It had been a system-gifted artifact, and system-gifted things could be used or dismissed through system control. He hadn't needed to touch it.

A quiet pulse passed through reality as the effect lifted.

And then, the world screamed.

More precisely, Asef screamed.

His left arm was no longer attached.

It spiraled through the air in a wide arc, bloodless and severed cleanly at the shoulder.

Arlon didn't hesitate. He leapt back, distancing himself as the dust kicked up from the sudden reentry into normal time.

He steadied his breath.

Asef hadn't moved fast enough. Not because Arlon had used an ability—he hadn't.

That was the point. If it had been a technique, Asef might've sensed it. Might've seen it coming.

Normally, an ability could be seen through.

Even Blink wasn't instant. As the level of an existence rose, their perception also increased, letting them react in shorter times.

So, Blink could be countered.

But now, Arlon hadn't moved since the time was frozen.

He was on the ground for one moment and swinging his sword smallest amount of time after that moment.

There was no way for anyone in the physical world to react.

And Arlon had chosen his target precisely.

He had seen Asef's life and knew that since he had learned sword before magic, he was using the sword in his right hand and magic with his left.

Now, the left hand was gone, and Asef was panting.

Now Asef was crouched low, clutching at the space where his arm had been. His breath was ragged. His teeth grit tight in pain.

But Arlon narrowed his eyes.

"You're overreacting," he said.

Asef didn't respond. Just stared at him, panting, furious.

"You're in a Zeno, same as me. Pain reduction should be working. That shouldn't hurt that much."

Asef's eye twitched.

Arlon tilted his head slightly.

"Are you trying to deceive me?"

He didn't get an answer.

No time had passed for anyone other than him, and Arlon knew this.

The item had operated exactly as he thought it would.

He remembered his theory. Two flowing times—one for the universe, one for perception. It had felt groundbreaking when he first thought of it.

But after doing his research and checking Agema's book, he'd learned it was only partially correct.

There weren't just two timeflows. There were many.

Still, he felt a small sense of pride.

He'd discovered half of what Agema had figured out. Not bad, all things considered.

In the end, Arlon knew that the others perceived this as, at most, one minute after Arlon's Another Chance was activated.

He was about to move again when Asef finally looked up, fury darkening his face.

"How did you move like that?" he asked, more to himself than to Arlon. "Why didn't you do that earlier?"

Arlon was wrong; Asef wasn't trying to deceive him.

What Arlon didn't know was that Asef couldn't use Zeno's damage reduction after releasing the power of whatever was inside him.

But Asef wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't give away something that could be a weakness.

Instead, he was questioning Arlon's movement in his mind.

If he could use this ability continuously, he would be no better than a dead man walking

So, he had to bet everything he had on the chance that this was a limited ability.

Maybe he could use it once or twice more.

But Arlon's answer was, once again, different.

Asef froze.

Then, slowly, his head turned, eyes blazing.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand," he growled. "I don't care where you learned about it. Don't say his name."

"He didn't kill her. He was trying to protect you—"

"Shut up!"

Asef hurled his sword. It spun fast, a blur in the air—but Arlon sidestepped it with ease.

A split-second later, Asef raised his remaining hand's two fingers and cast a spell.

It was nothing like what Arlon had seen before.

A red beam of pure destructive energy surged forward.

Arlon blinked to dodge—but the beam twisted midair like it had hit an invisible mirror and redirected toward him.

It chased him.

Wherever he moved, it followed, warping and bending in impossible ways.

Arlon cursed under his breath.

Of course. This wasn't normal mana.

Asef didn't have mana. He was using the parasite's magic. A twisted kind of power Arlon couldn't predict.

But he had experience.

He stopped running and focused.

A moment later, he cast Slow on the area where the beam would next pass.

Then blinked.

As expected, the beam hit the slowed zone and dragged, its velocity dropping sharply.

In the window of time he bought, Arlon sprinted toward Asef and slashed.

Asef was forced to cancel the spell. The beam vanished.

But before Arlon could press the advantage—

Something else came.

From the forest.

A glow. Blue. Blinding.

It looked like a Fireball at first glance, but it was massive, as big as a house.

And colder than any flame.

It hit the ground between them and exploded, sending out a wave of frostwind that made Arlon's breath catch.

He raised his arm to shield his eyes from the icy gust.

When the dust cleared, the battlefield had changed.

Carla's body lay sprawled in the center of the crater. Still. Lifeless.

And from the forest came June.

Her robes tattered, her steps uneven—but she was alive.

Arlon blinked.

Did she win?

"Don't come closer!" he called out, voice firm. "It's not over yet."

June didn't reply. She stayed at the treeline, watching, wary.

Arlon checked Carla again. No movement. Her body had cracked with the last hit.

She was dead.

But Asef wasn't.

And the fight was still his.