Reversal Hourglass

(Bai Ziye)

She's on a completely different level from the Shark Princess Witch.

The water blade that appeared out of thin air is at least on par with the Hunter Witch who constructed the warship.

But this guy is different.

Although similar, this sweeping and powerful fighting style is completely different from the previous stealthy "hit-and-run" approach, suggesting that another witch is likely controlling this clone.

However, if you combine this with magic, it's not hard to guess her identity.

"The Legendary Witch?"

Why do I encounter opponents of this caliber every single day?

There was no time to complain; the towering water blades crashing down were like an unstoppable gray rhinoceros, almost within reach, yet impossible to halt.

I have nowhere to hide.

The dam beneath our feet wasn't wide; even if we managed to dodge the direct hit of the water jets, we'd be blown away by the subsequent blast.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether the dam itself can withstand this attack. If it were to breach, all districts in the northwest of Skyreach City would be flooded, and there could even be casualties.

Besides, both Heat Haze and Ceruno's mother are in the dam's control room; I must stop this attack from happening...

But how do we do it?

If Gang had been able to get out of the mist sooner, he might have been able to catch her off guard when she was condensing her water blade.

Unfortunately, there's no going back in battle... no... maybe there really is.

"Rewind"

Now that I have inherited Xiao Yi's Crystal, there's no reason why I can't use the magic of the previous generation's Morning Star.

Not to mention I'm currently in the "second transformation" phase.

It's worth a try.

Recalling Xiao Yi's initial guidance and reviewing the process of the water blade slashing down, despite concentrating all my attention, nothing happened.

Just like the water glass that shattered back then, I can't turn back time on the falling hundred-meter-long sword.

Could it be that accelerating oneself to the limit, exceeding the speed of light, allows for time reversal?

Impossible, faster than light or anything like that... I'd be dead before that happened.

The water blades hadn't even arrived yet, but the razor-sharp steam had already hit us.

Even the lingering power was unbearable. If it was just a robot clone, how powerful must the real witch be?

Click--

I racked my brains but couldn't come to a conclusion. Then, the Star Crystal responded to my idea. Just when I was at my wit's end, something appeared at my side.

It was a classic, palm-sized, exquisite hourglass.

It's attached to my belt like a decoration, and it's designed to be flipped over.

This self-evident function is clearly not something that can be considered an attractive decoration.

"... Because I simply couldn't do it myself, did I materialize this power?"

The sharp edge of the water blade stung, but this new power excited me. Since there was no one else around, I decided to give it a try...

"Turn back, time!"

He shouted as he turned the hourglass.

Everything except me slowed down, like a rubber band stretched to its limit, about to snap back in the next second.

I'm going back in time.

The water blade that almost struck my head returned to the sky, then returned to the "witch's" hand and disappeared.

But I myself did not return to the mist she created.

I was not "Rewind".

Is everything except myself regressing?

No, that's impossible.

To trigger a global phenomenon, the amount of magic required is unimaginable; I, who am not even a witch, could never accomplish such a thing.

Time travel to a specific region?

Still...

"Miluno?! Hmm, you really are Miluno, aren't you?"

Falcon's voice rang out as she flew up from under the dam. Being soaked didn't hinder her flight, though she looked a bit disheveled.

But now that she's changed into her Battle Dress, why does she act like she doesn't recognize me?

"Who else could it be but me?"

"Sorry, I can't tell what Asians look like because the style of clothing has changed, so I'm not sure..."

Does this foreigner recognize people by their clothes?

However, the emergence of Falcon proved my conjecture.

The only part that experienced a backtracking was the water jet that I considered my target.

She asked, "What just happened... did you turn back time?"

"Hmm, new abilities after acceleration and deceleration."

"Your magic is way too much!"

Rewind is complete, the hourglass will automatically return to its original position.

The Mechanical Witch was also taken aback, but she seemed to know that her time had been Rewind, since her true self was still on the Other Side, and it was definitely not something my magic could affect.

"Go to the control room to rescue her, I'll stay here and keep her here."

"Good!"

The Mechanical Witch, of course, wouldn't let me have my way. Invisible Blade formed from water vapor rushed towards me, attempting to shoot Falcon down again.

But would I let her have her way?

The hourglass flips again, causing the Invisible Blade to regress to before it was formed.

"Call--"

The magic of reversing time is powerful, but it's a bit... mana-intensive.

Even with the enhanced magic power limit, it's difficult to sustain continuous use.

The consumption of that Invisible Blade is significantly lower, making this kind of exchange very inefficient.

"Snort."

The witch also noticed this, and a cold smile flashed across her inorganic face.

She raised her icy white longsword, once again gathering the towering water vapor.

I almost forgot...

This move was just a basic attack for her.

The witch's magical power is simply too much; it's impossible to defeat her using normal methods. We must defeat her during the time reversal.

I accelerated forward, trying to interrupt her charge with a close-range slash, but she immediately released the half-charged water vapor, and her bare ice sword slammed into my combination longsword.

That's an amazing reaction speed.

Not only that, her blade was as smooth as ice, and it slashed towards my wrist along the side of my sword. After all, it was a long sword made up of short swords, and it didn't have a guard. If I didn't withdraw my strength at this moment, my right hand would be finished.

"This is unbelievable..."

"Sword Fiend? Well, I'll accept that title."

... She... she seems to have misunderstood something.

Let go, step back and dodge to the side.

The witch's sword seemed to have eyes, and it returned like lightning. I turned the hourglass first, and the sword also Rewind its trajectory.

I finally had a chance to catch my breath; the oppressive pressure was truly suffocating.

The Rewind wasn't instantaneous; for her, it was a matter of control, but for me, it was an opportunity.

Since the design of this robot clone is similar to the previous one, certain parts must also be the same.

With this thought in mind, I knelt down with a pure and clear mind and reached out to remove the witch's panties.

"Excuse me."

The expected power button came into view.

With a mind free of distractions, and an inner state completely undisturbed.

Rewind complete.

The witch looked down at me as I pressed the power button on my phone.

[Error, fingerprint mismatch] (System sound)

I was struck hard in the abdomen and kicked away by her.

However, this level of blow is nothing to me now, not even a minor injury.

"Abnormal."

It sounds like a coy, sarcastic rebuke.

"You guys are even more insane for putting the power button over there! And you even added fingerprint authentication, who's supposed to turn it off?"

The witch remained silent as always. She raised her sword and once again condensed cold water vapor.

But Rewind so many times, I no longer have the magic to stop her.

"It's over, you pervert--"

Sizzle--Bang!

A puff of green smoke rose from behind the mechanical witch.

The reason is unclear.

But she stopped running before I did.