Igni had only used this skill with no name once. She didn’t have any idea about how she actually activated it, so she has been unable to reproduce the same skill ever since. So, I have no choice but to analyze her memory from the moment we were fighting the Demon Shark.
While praying that Zeshion lasted a bit longer against Noir, I closed my eyes and delved into my own mind, analyzing the memory I copied from Igni from several angles, multiple times a second.
The moment she activated it, her body became covered in flames. However, it wasn’t similar to how her [Flame Clad] skill works. I focused on that instant, analyzing the energy patterns, flow, and properties one after another. After a short while, I finally got a gist of what the skill’s activation process was.
“Now, time to test it!”
We had no time to waste experimenting, so I could only use it on myself without any practice. I could only fail once or twice; any further delay, and Zeshion would probably die. The pressure on my shoulders felt heavy, as if the fate of the world lay on it.
“… D*mn!”
I cursed, slapping my cheeks to straighten my mind. This is no time to be discouraged!
I quickly pushed Igni and Fang away, moving a short distance from them. Then, I covered my body in flames. It wasn’t the Flames of Regression or Evolution, but rather normal flames mixed with a certain element, the Time Element, which was actually one of Igni’s derived elements.
Using the flames’ inherent property, I started to quicken the rotation of the time element around me. With that, the preparation is done. The next step was a mental one, but I had no idea what Igni was feeling back then.
Instead, I improvised, thinking about making myself as strong as possible and waiting for the time element energy around me to show a reaction. I just started concentrating when a voice suddenly entered my ears. It was a somewhat familiar, but foreign, voice.
[Oh, looks like this is that time… Well, I guess I’ll go for now. Ember, Igni, watch over the territory while I’m gone, alright?]
The voice called for Igni and Ember, making me realize who the owner of the voice was.
‘This voice… is my own voice from the future!’
At that moment, my vision blurred before my consciousness faded. I didn’t feel any sense of dread, however, but rather a serene sense of safety. For some reason, I knew that when I opened my eyes once more, everything would already be over.
—
Zeshion and Noir were fighting an intense battle. Zeshion, with his dreadful black blade, was trying to close the distance with Noir, who was focusing on creating more distance between them.
The gap between their speeds was minimal, so it was hard to gain space enough to launch a deadly attack. If he stopped for an instant, he knew that the black sword would cleave him in half.
*BOOOM!*
[…!]
“What the…!”
Both Noir and Zeshion stopped in their tracks, forced to turn behind them. After all, an explosion of power beyond anything they had felt before surged behind them. From the aura alone, it was definitely more powerful than the current Noir!
The two were looking at a large pillar of light, something they had seen for the very first time, despite the two of them living for a long time. In the middle of it, a lone figure stood—a familiar but also unfamiliar face. It was Will.
“Hmmmph!”
The pillar of light faded. No, it was condensed. The light covered a few inches around Will’s entire body, making him look like some sort of deity, glowing with divinity. He stretched his arms as if having just woken up before cracking his neck to loosen himself.
“Well then… It has been a long time since this battle happened, so I forgot most of it already.”
Will smiled; his face was the very definition of confidence. However, he didn’t attack but rather placed his hand on his chin, thinking.
“But most of my skills now can’t be used, lest the timeline get messed up once more, hastening the coming of the singularity. Ahh, I should’ve memorized the girls’ recollection of this moment!”
He roughly scratched his head, appearing troubled, before staring up at the black void of space.
“Hey, *#%$! You can hear me, right?”
Will shouted out loud, but rather than a response, a drop of blood fell from his nose.
“Oh, sh*t, I forgot! The [me] in this period can’t call your name yet!” 𝘪𝘳.𝘤𝑜
Rather than a physical rebound, it was his soul that got shook, damaged partly. It wasn’t anything too serious, however, but more like a warning. Will wiped the blood away with his thumb, sighing deeply.
“Still, it’s quite something to see someone who died already stand before me again…”
His gaze contained mixed emotions, staring not at Noir but rather at Zeshion. The person in question was confused, seeing the pitying look he was given.
*CRACK!*
“Oops! I’ve dallied for a little too long. Time to do my work.”
Seeing the small crack that appeared on his left hand, Will started to walk forward. That was what Noir and Zeshion saw, but before they noticed, Will was already standing between the two of them, his hand placed on Noir’s shoulder.
“For now, get back down there.”
With a light push, Noir flew down like a falling meteor. His body crashed against the ground, tilting the entire floating island for a short instant. A large crater formed, with Noir lying down in the middle of it, his eyes quivering in both confusion and anger.
[You… Who are you?!]
Noir roared telepathically, his voice filled with cautious anger. Will winced a little, as if hearing an annoying sound, and used his small finger to clear his ears.
“Come on, don’t shout at someone’s ears. Are you a kid? And also, I am still Will, but probably not the Will you know.”
A grin appeared on his face as he landed gently on the ground. The white aura around him turned into bright rays of light, making him look almighty and holy.
“It’s useless for you to know, but I’ll also tell you just in case. I came here to hammer the last nail in your coffin.”
Updated from 𝘪.𝘤𝑜𝘮