Thirty minutes ago.
Mann’s all-out attack was easily deflected by the Masked Man, but he couldn’t block his opponent’s strikes. His injuries worsened, and he was steadily pushed back.
“Damn it!”
“Again!”
Mann charged forward once more, only to be sent flying backward again.
“In your current state, you might as well give up. There’s no way you can beat me.”
“Not that you could win even at full strength, heh.”
“You bastard…”
Mann staggered to his feet, feeling increasingly exhausted.
He glanced at the wounds on his body and clicked his tongue softly.
This space wasn’t like the one he trained in. Injuries were real, and they genuinely affected his condition.
Based on his current state, he probably only had a few uses of Time Control left.
And the purpose of this Trial… likely…
“Oh, you figured it out? Sharper than I expected.”
“That’s right. Your resources won’t be replenished here, and if you die in this space, you’ll die in reality too.”
As I thought…
Listening to the Masked Man’s flippant tone, Mann grew increasingly irritated.
“If I were you, I’d abandon the Trial and spend my final moments in peace.”
“Is that so? Is that how you think?”
Mann jerked his head to the side and spat out the blood that had risen to his mouth.
“Then I’ll do the opposite. I won’t die happy unless I land a hit on your face!”
“Oh?”
At that, the Masked Man’s demeanor shifted instantly.
If before it was mockery, now it was laced with killing intent.
“Fool. Do you have to experience despair firsthand before you change?”
His figure vanished, then reappeared directly in front of Mann.
“Damn…”
The sound of flesh tearing rang out as Mann’s arms were severed cleanly.
At the same time, a tremendous force surged through his abdomen, spreading throughout his body.
In an instant, he was sent flying uncontrollably backward.
“Don’t get too cocky!”
In this endless space, Mann hurtled backward.
In the blink of an eye, the loathsome Masked Man was no longer visible, a testament to the sheer power of that blow.
And his own condition was hardly better.
After taking that hit, he felt completely drained, his consciousness teetering on the edge of fading.
But precisely because of that, Mann was now utterly clearheaded.
That bastard… he could have killed me just now…
Does he look down on me that much?
No.
That wasn’t right.
What if he never intended to kill me from the start?
Things can’t be that simple.
A suspicion suddenly arose in his mind.
But if he guessed wrong, his Advancement would fail completely, and his life would end here.
“Heh, screw it.”
“It can’t get any worse than this anyway!”
Having made up his mind, he immediately activated his skill.
“Retrospection!”
The next moment, his figure reappeared right in front of the Masked Man.
“What?!”
His opponent clearly hadn’t anticipated such recklessness and was caught off guard.
Before he could fully turn around, the glowing Dagger sliced off the arm holding White Fang.
The Dagger clattered to the ground.
Both of their gazes locked onto it simultaneously.
And in that instant, they each understood the other’s intention.
“Jump!”
The Masked Man reacted first, closing in on the Dagger with absolute speed.
Trying to disarm me? No way!
But just as he was about to retrieve his weapon, he felt a chill on his forehead.
A ray of light began to approach, growing ever brighter.
Looking up, he saw a Divine Light Dagger hurtling toward his forehead.
At that moment, a tingling sensation ran down his scalp.
His goal wasn’t the dagger after all?
How cunning!
The next instant, almost by reflex, the Masked Man channeled energy into his fist and launched a fierce attack at Mann.
But what could that change?
Mann Matthews, in the end, you’ll still be the loser!
He had thoroughly assessed Mann’s condition.
Though the injuries had been healed by Retrospection, it couldn’t hide the fact that Mann was now at the end of his rope.
If his calculations were correct, Mann should no longer be able to use Time Control.
“Trying to force me to retreat? You’ve picked the wrong target!”
But hearing this, Mann smiled instead of panicking.
He withdrew his attack and charged at the Masked Man, completely defenseless.
If I’m right,
if he can’t kill me,
if my guess is correct,
then let’s gamble. Gamble with my life!
Sure enough.
Seeing Mann’s sudden action, the Masked Man was momentarily stunned.
And in that instant of hesitation, Mann confirmed his suspicion.
His eyes held no more fear—only certainty.
But to his opponent, that look was unsettling.
Has this bastard figured out that I don’t want to kill him?!
“Damn it…”
What a monster!
The attack that was about to land was forcibly halted.
Then, the Masked Man felt a sharp sting on his face.
“Get lost!”
He kicked Mann square in the abdomen, sending him flying far away.
Mann tumbled awkwardly before finally managing to stop.
“Despicable bastard. Do you intend to pass with this kind of persistent pestering?”
The Masked Man’s furious voice rang out from a distance.
Mann staggered to his feet, feeling an inexplicable clarity in his heart, and burst into unrestrained laughter.
“Ah…”
“Seeing you in such a mess makes me feel a lot better.”
“But then again, I wasn’t planning on following your advice.”
As he spoke, he turned around, holding a grotesque mask in his hand.
“What?!”
“Mann” instinctively touched his own face, only to find traces of blood.
“In a way, I suppose this counts as returning what’s yours?”
With that, he lifted the mask and slowly brought it toward his face.
“Stop!”
“Mann” vanished instantly, rushing to prevent Mann from putting on the mask, but it was too late.
Their positions seemed to swap in an instant. Mann, now wearing the mask, flicked the blood off his Dagger, said nothing, and walked forward without looking back, his figure growing increasingly indistinct.
Meanwhile, a massive wound had appeared on “Mann’s” chest.
Perhaps because his opponent hadn’t tried to kill him, Mann hadn’t struck too hard.
At the same time, the surrounding space and countless clocks began to slowly collapse.
“Well… you’ve got some tricks…”
“Maybe… for once… this could actually succeed…”
“I’ll be… watching you…”
He lifted his head with difficulty, staring at the fading outline of Mann.
“…my other self.”
[Skill Advancement successful.]
[Pseudo Time Manipulation Lv10 → Time Control Lv1]
[Activation conditions no longer bound to Mana.]
[Acquired branch skill: Full Rewind.]
[Full Rewind: Restores the user to a perfect state, but consumes all Mana and stamina after the skill ends. The worse the user’s physical condition, the shorter the duration after use.]
“Heh… could’ve timed it better.”
Hearing the emotionless voice in his head, Mann activated his new skill without hesitation.
Instantly, his consciousness was forcibly pulled back into his body.
He sat up and saw the terrified yet exhausted faces of the others, a pang of pain in his heart.
“I’m fine now. You all get some rest.”
With that, his figure vanished from the spot.
On his face, a grotesque mask was slowly forming.
Just as Sophien was about to be executed, Mann arrived on the scene.
He firmly gripped the Dark Gold Spear, then slashed out with his blood-red Dagger.
The immense energy forced Chris to stumble back repeatedly.
But then…
The mask on Mann’s face began to crumble, and the strength in his body was rapidly drained.
He collapsed weakly to one knee, gasping for air.