Volume Six: What She Lost, What I Gained - Memory's Deadlock

The elder sister, Tia Fais.

I enjoy reading, listening to light music, and watching my opponent's bewildered and silly expression; I dislike musty smells, staying up late, and my younger sister.

This ability is referred to as the "Memory Loop".

Its range exceeds one kilometer, but its maximum capture count is only one.

If we simplify a person's experiences into points, and compare memories to lines arranged in chronological order, then Tia's power is like a pair of scissors, cutting off a section of line around the "fragment that the person is trying to recall," then connecting the ends and tying a knot to form a loop.

These fragments form a loop, containing no more than five fragments in total. For example, a→b→c→a. The victim can only recall from a to b, from b to c, and from c to a, and so on, in a continuous cycle. At the same time, they cannot recall anything outside the loop. If the victim forcibly stops recalling and tries to recall other things, a new loop will form, and they will be unable to escape it.

Memory is one of the most fundamental human instincts. By constantly comparing the present situation with memories, we can determine our own circumstances and recall events, scenes, and other details from our memories when needed, such as where we did what, and so on. Humans absolutely cannot live without memories, so once you fall into this trap, you've basically lost.

Di Fei'er sister Fais.

I enjoy reading, listening to light music, and watching my opponent's clueless and silly antics; I dislike musty smells, staying up late, and my older sister.

This ability is referred to as the "Thought Loop."

With a range exceeding one kilometer, and like its sister, its maximum capture count is only one.

However, in terms of complexity, this ability is even more troublesome than the "Memory Loop".

If the Memory Loop is a line arranged according to the chronological order of events, then the Thought Loop is a mental version of the Memory Loop.

When a person thinks about the future, such as their next actions or short-term ideas, if they fall into Thought Loop, their thoughts—or rather, the progression of their thinking—will form a chain. If the person falls into this loop and thinks of three things in sequence (a, b, c), then Di Fei'er's ability will link these ideas into a chain: a→b→c→a. When the person considers strategies, their thinking can only progress from a to b, from b to c, and then c back to a, never escaping this mental loop.

The Memory Loop makes it impossible to have a past.

Thought Loop leads to a lack of future prospects.

"Marble Barrage!"

Countless marbles shot upwards like an inverted rain curtain. After a loud bang, the audience seats above were completely destroyed. Valentina and Yu Xun rushed out and finally left the backstage area, seeing the long-lost night sky.

The vast racetrack was completely empty, with only a few searchlights still illuminating the scene. The speed of the evacuation surprised even Valentina and Yu Xun. Had Fisher already informed the organizers to prepare for the evacuation? Or was it the organizers' own decision?

But that doesn't matter anymore; fewer people in the way is better.

They finally pushed her to the brink.

Some distance away from the searchlight beam, a white figure, hunched over, leaned against a chair, panting heavily. Haoyue was covered in wounds of all sizes; some were covered with a faint silver light and were healing themselves, while others, due to her "inability to recall," were still bleeding profusely.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Haoyue turned around in a flustered manner, and then—before showing hostility, a look of doubt appeared in her eyes. The memory of "who these two women are" had been shut out.

"Valentina," Yu Xun whispered, "This is an open space. My abilities can only be used in spaces with clearly defined boundaries."

Haoyue stared blankly at them, then, as if suddenly realizing something, looked down at her own body—

"I know, leave it to me—we can't give her that chance!"

A new marble flew out, this time containing a miniature tornado. The bright moon immediately conjured a shield with its radiant light, preparing to withstand the attack, but then—

(Long-Range Snipe - aim, fire!)

A flying object moving at incredible speed swept past, tearing through the air and wind. It clashed with Haoyue's light shield for a moment before breaking through it, passing right where Haoyue's head had been just moments before.

"... Well?"

Despite narrowly escaping death, Haoyue remained oblivious. The "Memory Loop" within her was worsening; memories newly stored in her mind would quickly connect into a loop even without conscious recall! Right now, she had already forgotten the incident of "brushing with death" from her memory loop!

(Very good...)

These are marbles that Valentina placed throughout the racetrack the night before when she came to scout the location. They contain a large amount of energy, and the kinetic energy released when released is enough to accelerate the marbles to their maximum speed!

Valentina suppressed her wildly beating heart filled with excitement. Since Haoyue was trapped in a strange cycle of being unable to recall memories, she would make good use of this characteristic!

(Launch from multiple directions simultaneously... no, launch them one after another!)

If all the sniping were to occur simultaneously, Haoyue would "treat" all the bullets fired at her as a single event, and would likely deploy a powerful, all-encompassing defense to block them all, which would be a great pity.

But what if they were shot one by one? That would be a series of separate incidents. Haoyue might dodge the first two or three shots, but she would quickly forget what she had just memorized, reverting to her clueless state of "not knowing what happened." In that state, could she rely on her overly sharp instincts to dodge the sniper fire?

More importantly—we must never give her the chance to see the words carved on her body!

"Ugh!!!"

Her defenses shattered, and a subsequent sniper shot pierced Haoyue's shoulder, the immense force tearing her entire left arm off! Crimson blood gushed out. Haoyue immediately prepared to use Healing Moon, while simultaneously setting up an even stronger defense—

Wait, what was I thinking just now? My defenses were shattered, my arm was torn off, and I was bleeding a lot. So my defenses were shattered, and my arm—wait, why did my defenses break?

Once again caught in the Memory Loop, in that moment of confusion, a sniper shot came from behind. Sensing the danger from behind, Haoyue immediately lay down and then instantly deployed a full-range light shield defense—

Why lie down? What happened? Why am I preparing to defend myself? Why can't I remember so many things? Who are the two people in front of me?

However, the inscription "The enemy consists of two women" on her left arm was lost, so she could no longer immediately know who the two women were.

Even if her left arm were still intact, Haoyue would never have had time to read the words.

Third shot!

"Guaaaaaaah!!!"

The third sniper shot pierced her ankle precisely—shattering all the parts below her right ankle in the process. Haoyue lost her balance and fell to the ground! At this moment, the Memory Loop activated again, linking unimportant memories together. However, she could no longer recall crucial information such as "why she suddenly lost her right leg," "what situation she was in," and "whether the two women in front of her were friend or foe."

Fourth shot--

"General, Moonlit Tartaglia!"

Boom!!!!

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I've been incredibly busy lately...