A2 hacked with her heavy blade, Sif crushed down with divine power, Android 18 unleashed an energy barrage, and Daisy tore through space with vibrations... One after another, they struck the pitch-black chains with everything they had. Without exception, the rules of temporal order blocked every attack, dissolved it, and reduced it to nothing.
Physical force, mutant powers, divine power, vibrations, elements, psychic force—no conventional means could touch the source of causality.
High above, Lord Sentry looked down on them with indifference. His mechanical voice was cold and merciless. "Cause and effect are fixed. Sin is fixed. None can stop a purge at the source."
"With the order of this mechanical body, I will put an end to all mortal variables."
The chains tightened again. Jean's body flickered between solid and insubstantial, turning transparent as every trace of her existence was erased bit by bit.
Agony, despair, helplessness, and guilt swept through her, one after another. But this time, she did not collapse completely.
She watched the twenty figures before her fight desperately for her, attacking in turn and refusing to give up. They faced an unbeatable rule without fear, ready to die. The obsession, regret, and weakness she had carried for years shattered within her. In their place, something new took shape.
She had been wrong.
She had always believed redemption meant turning back time by herself, bearing her sins alone, and facing every consequence on her own. But she had forgotten: redemption was not a battle fought alone, and protecting others was not a solitary path.
She did not have to shoulder every consequence alone. She did not have to drown in regret forever. She did not have to erase herself to repay a debt of causality.
There were people willing to die for her, fight for her,