Ignoring that familiar choice of words, Greg noticed that Nightmare seemed to know something and quickly asked, "You know what this thing is?"
Nightmare shook her head. "I can only say it rings a bell. It seems capable of controlling time in certain areas to some extent."
Greg asked, "Then what's its weakness?"
"Obviously, the gears on its body that control time."
Nightmare added:
"But only if thou canst strike it. Otherwise, that hardly counts as a weakness."
"..."
Greg had no time to respond to Nightmare, because the Everturning Filthy Clock had already begun its attack.
Its body leaned forward slightly, and the gears in its chest suddenly spun faster, producing a piercing metallic screech.
Then the ground beneath Greg and Ellie began changing erratically. In some areas, the stone slabs became brand-new, while in others, they instantly weathered and crumbled.
Greg immediately realized that the Everturning Filthy Clock was manipulating the flow of time in localized areas.
"Watch out! It can control time!"
Greg shouted to Ellie while activating Shattered Shadow Step, his figure splitting into several afterimages in an instant as he dodged sideways.
A second after he left that spot, the ground where he had been standing rapidly cracked, then collapsed entirely, revealing a bottomless pit.
Ellie reacted quickly as well. Pushing off with her toes, she leaped several meters backward, avoiding the ground beneath her that had suddenly become jagged and broken.
Upon landing, she immediately delivered a backhanded slash, sending a fierce blade of sword energy straight at the Everturning Filthy Clock's head.
However, the Everturning Filthy Clock merely gave the gears in its chest a slight turn. As the sword energy reached it, its speed abruptly dropped, as though it had sunk into thick mud, and the creature easily dodged it.
Ellie's pupils