But it had more important things to do now. You human can perish along with them!
"Hmph, being trapped in the past is no longer enough for you. Now I'll erase your future as well!"
After delivering its threat, the clarinet and the enormous whale construct beneath its feet suddenly vanished into thin air amid a distortion of rainbow-colored light.
Having lost his footing, Ash was pulled by the terrain's gravity and fell straight down alongside the screaming girl beside him.
"Warp... no, is that a time-travel reaction?"
The moment he saw that familiar rainbow light, Ash recognized what it was. But this was no time to think about that—he was still in free fall!
Timing it precisely, he summoned his strength and drove a steel pipe into the concrete building beside him. A piercing metallic screech rang in his ears as sparks sprayed everywhere, heating the pipe until it glowed red. Pain nearly tore through his arms as his body shook violently, and Ash immediately realized things were going badly.
Damn it, I underestimated this!
"Crack—!"
There was a reason it had been discarded. Right before Ash's eyes, the red-hot steel pipe split cleanly in two with a crisp snap. Clutching the remaining half in midair, Ash felt his descent, which had only just slowed, begin accelerating again.
Damn...
Ash's eyes widened as he watched the broken pipe slip from his hand and plummeted headfirst toward the ground.
"Too late—what an ugly sight..."
"What are you doing?!"
Almost at the very instant before he hit the ground, a figure streaked through in purple light like an angel descending from heaven. A soft arm extended from a sleeve wrapped around him, catching him and absorbing the impact of the landing.
Feeling himself pressed against a soft body and held in