"Father" reached out toward me, wanting to pat my head.

In an instant, the blood in my veins seemed to freeze. My mind went blank. I stood rigidly rooted to the spot, watching helplessly as that hand drew closer.

Shink.

An ice knife suddenly streaked past, slashing "Father's" hand and causing his movement to pause momentarily.

It was Sylvia who had cast the spell. After forcing out this attack, she coughed a mouthful of blood onto my chest, her body going completely limp.

I finally snapped back to my senses. Channeling all my remaining mana, I activated the Fourth Rune!

"Stop right there!"

Necross's body froze in mid-air once more. Time had halted again at the critical moment.

"Sylvia! Sylvia!"

I hurriedly looked down at Sylvia in my arms, carefully releasing the temporal stasis on her, calling out desperately. But her eyes were tightly shut; her face was as pale as paper. There was no response.

Not only that, her body temperature was dropping rapidly, even colder than when she usually cast her frost magic!

An icy wave of despair crashed into my chest, making me heave dryly. Hot tears uncontrollably spilled from my eyes.

Damn it! Damn it all! Why did I fall for the trap so easily? Because of this, Sylvia can't see me as a true companion!

How much time does she have left? Can we make it? Silverleaf Workshop... Wilson, Father, the Star God's prophecy...

As my thoughts churned into an incomprehensible mess, Sylvia's lips moved again, forming two syllables.

"Adam... run."

The voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet my heart twisted because of it.

This isn't the time for regret or despair. Even if I die, I have to deliver Sylvia to safety. Calm down, assess the situation properly!

Two seconds... no, three seconds had already passed.

I squeezed out the last of my remaining mana, pouring it all into Sylvia's body, desperately trying to stall her deterioration. I didn't have time to silently undo the death magic; I could only slow its progress like this.

Five seconds passed.

I carried Sylvia into the street.

It was only here that I realized these standing mages either had their necks split open or chests pierced through... They were all dead. Probably killed by Necross when it came from the Silverleaf Workshop.

It had deliberately arranged these bodies at just the right angle, preventing me from seeing their wounds when I came from behind the stalls. If I had thought of this, if I had used my perception rune in advance... Stop thinking about it.

The Silverleaf Workshop should be just a few turns away, very close. But that was absolutely not a distance I could cover in five seconds.

I looked around frantically, searching for usable cover or an opportunity.

Soon, my eyes locked onto the tavern Wilson had visited, at the street corner.

In front of the tavern still stood a large wooden sign used to attract customers during the festival, painted with a comical mug of ale. It looked big enough to hide Sylvia and me.

...There didn't seem to be any more suitable hiding spot.

Also, Coinsmith Street should have been crowded, but now not a single person was in sight. Where had they all gone? No bodies either. Surely they hadn't all been dragged into that world of the dead?

Seven seconds passed.

Never mind. It doesn't matter.

I rushed behind the wooden sign, grabbed the third mana potion from Sylvia's waist, and crushed it.

If only my mana capacity were several times larger. As it is now, even if I drank all the potions at once, the excess beyond my limit would quickly dissipate. At best, I could keep my mana at full capacity for only a few minutes.

Eight, nine... ten.

As the mana absorption finished, time resumed its flow.

The frozen glass fragments remained in the air, not falling to the ground with a sound.

I held my breath, pressing myself quietly against the back of the wooden sign.

Father's voice came:

"Oh my, there it is again. What a peculiar magic. It's almost as if time has stopped, isn't it?"

It guessed!

My heart tightened, but I immediately gritted my teeth and forced myself to stay calm.

So what if it guessed! The Stasis Rune is a perfect magic that cannot be defended against! As long as I calculate the timing carefully, as long as I still have potions... I can shake it off again and again!

Sylvia's voice came:

"Stopped time... hmm, about 10 seconds, right? Am I correct, Adam? Tell me."

I strained my ears but still didn't hear even the slightest footstep.

It wasn't approaching. In fact, it didn't seem interested in searching for me at all. It was just endlessly spouting boring provocations.

...This bastard! What exactly is it trying to do?! Does it think such cheap tricks will make me lose my composure again?

Anger and humiliation surged in my heart again, but I forcibly suppressed them. Calm! I must stay calm!

Alright! Time, stop for me again!

Mana drained, the invisible wave expanded once more. Without hesitation, I rushed out from behind the wooden sign and ran toward the alley leading to the Silverleaf Workshop.

I glanced at the main street and noticed those mages, their bodies already controlled and assimilated, were still in place, but Necross himself had vanished.

...How is this possible! Where did it go? Not a single sound.

A foreboding feeling gradually rose within me.

Damn it... I have to find support within these ten seconds, settle this. Otherwise, defeat is certain!

I moved my hand toward Sylvia's waist, feeling for the last potion. Absorbing its mana, I dove into the alley.

Three seconds passed.

The alley was long and narrow to begin with, and scattered among it were several crates filled with apples and pumpkins, probably meant for the apple fortune-telling game.

I maneuvered around them, about to burst out of the alley, when a soft sound came from behind me.

...What?

Five seconds passed.

I turned back in disbelief and saw half a woman's head perched on top of the apple pile. Her eyes floated above the apples, watching me with a smiling expression.

How is this possible? It wasn't there just now! Time... hasn't time already been stopped by me?! Why is something still appearing?

And this woman's face looked somewhat familiar. Wasn't she one of the dancers I saw in that "world of the dead" earlier?

...Wait.

The Stasis Rune is magic that stops time in "this world" for 10 seconds.

Could it be that Necross has infiltrated the world of the dead... and is tracking me from there?

"Six seconds have passed... still a bit more."

A figure flooded into the corner of my vision. At the same time, a voice sounded clearly in my ear.

A chill shot straight to the crown of my head.

I turned my head in terror. Another dancer had appeared beside me. His hand was almost touching my cheek, but it had frozen in place just a centimeter away.

Not daring to delay any longer, I maneuvered around the dancer and burst out of the alley.

Seven seconds passed.

Grey Wilson's figure finally came into view.

He was standing in the middle of the street about a hundred meters ahead, his back to me, looking up at the sky as if observing something, his expression thoughtful.

He wasn't at the Silverleaf Workshop! He was right here!

Ecstasy welled up within me, immediately followed by despair.

No... it's still too far!

Before I could reach him, Necross would find me first! Damn it, is there any way? At least, at least let me pinpoint its location...

In my panic, a whisper sounded in my ear again!

"...Over there."

I turned pale with fright, but then realized the speaker was Sylvia in my arms. She tremblingly raised a finger, pointing toward an empty direction.

...She can already see that world now.

I had no time to think. I immediately mobilized the mana I had just recovered, forged several extremely fine ice needles infused with Permafrost power, and without hesitation shot them toward the direction Sylvia had pointed!

Eight seconds passed.

Sure enough, a third dancer appeared right where the ice needles were aimed. The needles, imbued with Permafrost power, instantly pierced through it, rendering it completely immobile!

Seizing the moment, I rushed toward Wilson!

Nine seconds passed.

Sylvia's wrist turned ever so slightly, again pointing toward some position behind my right.

"There."

Without the slightest hesitation, I forged more ice needles and shot them in that direction.

Ten seconds passed.

Time resumed its flow once more.

Almost at that exact instant, Necross's main body indeed appeared at the spot behind my right where the ice needles were aimed. Caught off guard, it was violently pierced through the chest by one of those needles!

I didn't look back to see its reaction. While sprinting desperately toward Wilson, I shouted to Sylvia, whose breath was growing ever fainter in my arms:

"We're here... we're safe! Just a little further!"

Sylvia's mouth curled up ever so weakly, forming an almost transparent smile.

"Mmm... thank you, Grey..."

Forget it.

I shook off that final shred of distracting thought. Using the last of my strength, I took large strides to stand before Grey Wilson. Breathless from the intense running and agitation:

"Mr. Wilson! Hurry! Save Sylvia! She's been hit by Necross's..."

Wilson turned his head. His face showed none of the surprise or urgency I had anticipated. He simply looked at me calmly, then reached out his hand toward me. His tone was as gentle as a spring breeze:

"Is that so... Don't rush. Let me take a look at her first."

I bit my lip and handed over the unconscious Sylvia. Wilson took the girl, then smiled.

He opened his mouth and spoke with my father's voice.

"Adam, you guessed wrong again."