In the dimly lit hall, the heavy scent of blood hung over hundreds of lifeless bodies sprawled across the floor. It was a scene of pure carnage—a massacre. In this scene, a man clad in all white and a beautiful woman stood face to face. From just their mana, the space around them distorted violently.

Despite the incredible show of force, the two individuals were far from equals. A red torrent of mana erupted from the woman as waves of weapons seemingly materialized from nothing, hovering above her head before brutally chasing after the man clad in white. The weapons were too many to count and too fast to see with the naked eye, and yet...

Kwang~! The man countered each of them with his sword using minimal movements, movements so slow yet fluid that even I, a person far below them, could follow. Each strike didn't just block a weapon; the moment it made contact, the weapons shattered as if the magic itself was completely destroyed on impact.

It didn't take long for the fight to end. As if finally getting bored with it, the man slashed his sword horizontally without moving from his spot. Even with the short distance between them, the woman's head went flying into the air as her magic power crumbled. The man clad in white finally turned to his side and faced me; who was lying a few meters away. The moment our eyes met, he let out an amused smile and slowly approached me with calm steps.

Thud~! It was only after ten steps that the woman's head finally touched the ground. Only when the man arrived in front of me did the body finally fall, as if it hadn’t realized it had been cut already.

"That's quite the power. To think you could reach such a level of mastery at such a young age," the man said with a smile as he looked down at me — or more accurately, at the large wound on my stomach. The blood that was supposed to have reached the ground a long time ago was at a standstill as if being held by a mysterious force.

It didn't feel good to be looked down on like a clown meant for entertainment. At the current moment, countless emotions grabbed onto my heart, so much so, that the only thing I could feel was indifference. I didn't have the time nor the luxury to cry for my fallen comrades.

With newfound resolve, I pushed my body upward and grabbed onto my sword. There was only so much I could do on my own, but because this being found me so amusing, I could at least live a few seconds longer. Needless to say, I would spend each one trying to kill him. 

As if to prove me right, the man snickered as he watched me struggle to stand. He spoke while grabbing his chin, "Time perception. The authority to manipulate how you and targeted individuals perceive time. To think it could evolve to the point of affecting how objects perceive time. Hahaha, this is the closest I have seen a human get to controlling time."

I guess it was meant as a compliment, but in my state of mind, I didn't feel any joy from it. Instead, I kicked the ground and jumped into the air, strengthening my sword with mana. I then brought down the sword with all my strength.

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Kwang~! It was blocked effortlessly. The movements I had perceived to be slow and fluid just moments ago were almost invisible, yet fluid nonetheless. I pulled back and attacked again and again, yet my sword only met resistance. It was at that moment that something changed. For better or for worse, I couldn't tell.

The relaxed expression on the man's face disappeared, replaced by a serious one. 

Is it finally over?

"Human. What exactly is your power?"

"Huh?" 

The question was so unexpected that a confused gasp escaped my mouth, but immediately afterward, I realized he wasn't looking at my face. I looked down to where he was staring—back at the wound on my stomach. An amazing scene unfolded before my eyes: the blood that had been stopped by my power was now flowing backward, and the wound itself was getting smaller—albeit slowly.

I was also confused. My power, Time Perception, only worked with the natural flow of time. I could only accelerate or decelerate objects; even 'completely stopping' an object was impossible. Instead, I could make it move so slowly that it gave the illusion of completely stopping. That was why the blood flowing back into my body was something completely beyond my abilities.

But, I didn't say anything. If it was another evolution of my power, my goal right now didn't change. I kicked the ground and prepared another attack. Taking my reaction as non-compliance, he grabbed my sword, which was still approaching him with his bare hands. It was an effortless movement that painted a clear picture; that this being could kill me anytime he wanted.

With my sword stuck, I didn't stop. I released my sword and channeled mana into my fist, then immediately attacked once more. Slack~! Blood spilled onto the floor, and a thud sound reached my ears. I had lost an arm. I glared at the being standing in front of me. His serious expression had changed, replaced by a look of utter disappointment.

It wasn't an expression I expected.

"Tsk. So you made a deal with that bastard Lazarus."

Lazarus? The god of time?

I didn't know such beings could even interact with lowly humans like ourselves, but at the same time, the man in front of me contradicted that thought.

One of the Three Evil Gods.

The Divine Swordsman, White.

He looked down at the floor next to me and I followed his eyes. What unfolded there was enough for me to believe his words. Droplets of blood and a hand floated in the air, enveloped by a green hue of mana that seemed to be pulling them toward me as if time itself was flowing backward. I didn't have time to come up with a logical explanation for what was happening, but one thing was for certain—I might have a chance!

I looked back at White, who now wore a bored expression. Although the revelation surprised him, it didn't seem like he felt any other emotion other than slight surprise and extreme disappointment.

"It's a pity, but unfortunately..." He moved his sword above the space between my fallen arm and what remained of it, and as if the phenomenon itself was cut, the blood splattered back to the ground and the arm fell with a light thud.

"There’s nothing I cannot cut."

White's expressionless face was the last thing I saw as the world turned upside down and my consciousness faded, along with any hope I had for humanity’s victory.

Tring~! Tring~! In the next moment, the familiar sound of my alarm clock woke me up, and confusion slapped my face as a sharp sting caressed my cheek.