One-way traffic

and so.

"So don't give me that self-sacrificing fantasy. I saved your life, so I absolutely won't allow you to die here meaninglessly, understand?"

Bang!! So, Accelerator took immediate action.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Shubi's body and extended the reach of his abilities into her body.

The chaotic flow of electricity was thus forcibly stopped.

Like blood, they flowed in a regular pattern, bringing together the broken parts scattered all over the ground.

Accelerator grabbed all those scrap metal parts.

Ability alone cannot save Hughie.

'Even if I could fix things like electrical leaks, it wouldn't address the root cause. This guy's body is mechanical; to save him, I'd need the corresponding technology.'

Even though he was the number one in Academy City, he didn't have any knowledge in his brain about how to repair such a high-precision robot body.

However, Shubi's body is a machine, not a flesh-and-blood human body, so his method of manipulating blood and bioelectricity to save people, which has always been extremely effective, is useless.

However, this does not mean there is no hope.

If one way isn't enough, you can try finding someone else.

"before that."

He summoned six generators and immediately aimed them at the dumbfounded Hughie.

"You should just sleep quietly for a while."

The first one used a single finger to tap directly on Shubi's forehead.

"ZeroZone!"

——Click.

In some corner of the world, it seemed as if such a sound, like the turning of clock hands, could truly be heard.

Six deep black generators, through Accelerator's abilities, manipulated vectors on the timeline and directed them toward Shubi's body, freezing a power powerful enough to stop time in the entire world at a single point.

Hugh's expression froze.

The body was unable to move, and the leakage of electricity within the body also stopped. The life that was as fleeting as a night-blooming cereus came to a standstill at this moment.

It is neither life nor death.

Shubi's time was temporarily frozen at this moment.

Accelerator stood up again and placed his hand on Schwi's body.

—It will work.

Because time had been frozen, and because Shuvi's body was in a terrible state and she was a machine without flesh and blood.

under such circumstances.

Shubi's body was instead classified by the system as a tangible "object".

With a whoosh, her body vanished from the spot and entered the Accelerator system's inventory.

But this is still not the end.

Simply freezing Shubi's time at this moment would indeed prevent her from dying, but it would also keep her in this state forever. When time resumes its flow, Shubi's life would still continue its march towards destruction.

However—the first person also added the parts that had been gathered on the ground to their inventory.

He said those words precisely because he knew there was a way to save Shubi.

However, before that...

"...In the end, I still have to be a gofer."

Accelerator glared angrily at the silver ring in his hand.

Although he was very annoyed, he still chose to do it.

Looking towards a certain location in the distance, the coordinates have been confirmed; it is near a human settlement—a gathering point for the "ghosts."

That is, Rick's current residence.

"We've gone to such lengths; if we can't save him, you'll be in big trouble."

then.

The next moment, the first person's body disappeared from the spot.

Beneath the devastated battlefield, a figure struggled, trembling in the sand.

It really took a long time after that.

Finally, someone... one of their own kind discovered them.

"Jibriel...?!"

"Why is she so badly injured! She looks exactly like Azriel back then!"

"Take her back to Abant-Heim immediately for treatment!"

The other members of the Skywing discovered Jibril's whereabouts and began a rescue operation for her.

The girl lay in the wasteland, her eyes tightly closed, her face charred.

She was almost unconscious, yet she still murmured something.

What I saw before losing consciousness.

That white silhouette of death, which I could never defeat.

"Who...are you...?"

——————————————————————————————————————————

"…I see."

The voice of the gods resounded throughout the temple.

A colossal being, like a stone statue, the God of War, Artesius.

He seemed to realize something and smiled with satisfaction.

"Is this... the power you possess? One of my destined 'enemies'."

"Although fighting with monkeys on the ground is a good option, I still crave to fight against those who are stronger. And for me... that power is truly worth fighting against."

"So."

He slowly looked out at the world.

—The alliance between the forest elves and the goblins has long been there, confronting the entire Abant-Heim for a long time.

"It's about time we, the 'strongest,' had our showdown on this stage."

——————————————————————————————————————————

It's all over.

There has been no communication, and a long time has passed.

Even without explanation, everyone understands what it means to go out alone and not return during such a great battle.

"...Boss."

The ghosts gathered around the table, looking at their leader, who usually commanded them.

No.

The current Rick is no longer the all-powerful being who could scheme against all races.

His eyes still held a sparkle.

But everyone knows what that means.

"...I'm fine."

Taking a deep breath, Rickrick smiled.

"However, the great battle is about to begin."

"..."

"Shubi's death is indeed regrettable, but... there's nothing that can be done about it. Going out to the very bottom of the main battlefield under those circumstances, it's obviously impossible to come back safely."

He said helplessly, and then walked towards his room.

"But this will soon trigger the outbreak of the war, so I'm sorry, I also need to prepare the detailed strategic content for the next step."

"From now on, whether we live or die, we can all stay here for the time being. All we have to do is wait and see how it goes."

"…knew."

So the ghosts dispersed.

Whether by coincidence or by unspoken agreement, they all left the room without exception.

Bang.

After the stone door closed, and until the last person left, Rick was completely alone in the room.

"…ha."

thump.

The young man's body collapsed immediately.

"Yeah, anyone can tell that the acting is so obviously staged."

Rick's face was twitching.

Everything that just happened—the words, the forced calm in her eyes—was all fake.

Hughie is dead.

After learning about this... how could I possibly be alright?!

"Why...didn't we make a promise?! Shubi, didn't we? I have to die before you! I have to live with you for 892 years...!!"

Silent weeping.

But even that emotional release was tiring. How many times had Rick done this before?

They once forced so many people to their deaths, and now they can't even protect their own loved ones.

It's about time we came to realize the true nature of this world.

"Haha."

It's like a broken heart that has completely lost all feeling.

Rick lay alone on the ground, not knowing how long this had lasted or whether he could hold on any longer.

No, it definitely won't last.

—I can't let you die. Rick will live until Shubi dies.

Those were words his wife had once said.

"Yeah...Shubi's dead...So...it doesn't matter anymore..."

If Hughie were still here, she could have survived anything.

However, this world wouldn't even grant him this last glimmer of hope.

My God...we humans, we insignificant humans...is it really true? That we can't even achieve a single victory?

Enough is enough.

"I'm almost... tired of this world..."

No matter how hard you try, you will not get any reward, and even your last hope will be taken away.

Rick closed his eyes slightly and thus sank to the very bottom of the world.

Even the "heart" dies along with it.

——————————————————————————————————————————

"So, your intelligence network is really not that efficient."