Ren Isana began to lead Asuna out of the alleyway. The two of them didn't attract much attention wearing their cloaks, as many people in this world dressed in a similar fashion.
As they emerged from the alley, they saw members of various races. Beings like cat-girls were quite common in this world, and there were also various ground dragons sprinting across the streets.
The surrounding environment was actually somewhat similar to Orario. Many things felt very familiar, Asuna thought as she observed their surroundings.
Meanwhile, Ren Isana was busy gathering intelligence to determine the current time period. Information from the surroundings was constantly being captured and organized by him. Was it currently the period of the Royal Selection?
Interesting. Didn't that mean Ren Isana could also have a hand in this? Directly supporting a nation or something... Emilia would be quite a good choice. In that case, had Subaru already arrived?
While he was pondering this, Ren Isana suddenly felt a special power erupt from somewhere. The entire world seemed to turn black and white. Asuna was also stunned as she looked at the situation around them.
In her perception, everything around them seemed to be moving backward, but this power did not affect the two of them. It was as if something on their bodies was resisting it.
Ren Isana was also somewhat surprised to discover this. He immediately grabbed Asuna's hand and quickly left their original spot. Time was rewinding, but Ren Isana and the others were not affected at all.
Even though they were unaffected, they couldn't just stand still. They didn't know what had occupied their current position in the past, and they didn't want to be tele-fragged or hit by something that used to be there.
Leading Asuna, Ren Isana instantly leapt onto a rooftop. Surely no one would come and crash into them here? Standing on the roof gave the two of them a much clearer view of the situation below.
The world had turned gray and white, and everyone was moving in reverse. The two of them watched it all like outsiders. Perhaps because they were unaffected, this scene seemed to last a long time in their eyes before things returned to normal.
"Did time just flow backward?" Asuna asked Ren Isana, sounding a bit uncertain. This was simply too ridiculous. Who would have believed it if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes?
Ren Isana nodded and looked into the distance. "Let's go. We'll head over and take a look. I've already locked onto the approximate location."
After saying that, Ren Isana jumped down and headed toward the place he had just sensed. Seeing this, Asuna followed closely behind. The two of them began to weave through the narrow alleys.
After walking for about ten minutes, Ren Isana suddenly stopped. In front of them appeared a figure wearing a tracksuit. When she saw him, Asuna was stunned. A person from the modern era?
That kind of clothing was clearly out of place here; he was obviously a modern person. Furthermore, the person seemed to be in quite a hurry. Seeing him and the surrounding environment, Ren Isana roughly understood the current situation.
This was likely just after he had crossed into this world and was experiencing his first Return by Death. Ahead of him was a silver-haired elf girl who was picking up her pace — Emilia! This girl was currently chasing someone.
Asuna's gaze turned toward Ren Isana. Had that power from earlier erupted from that boy in the tracksuit?
Ren Isana nodded and then walked directly forward. Emilia, who was about to lose Subaru Natsuki, also noticed the two people who had suddenly appeared. She stopped abruptly and said warily, "Who are you!"
Subaru was also startled by Emilia's sudden movement. He hurriedly turned to look. When he saw Ren Isana and Asuna, he was also stunned. Were these two people there during his first death?
"Don't be nervous, we're here to find this young man," Ren Isana said as he removed his cloak and put it away. Seeing this, Asuna did the same, taking off her cloak as well.
Subaru was instantly dazed when he saw Ren Isana and Asuna, especially because of their clothing. He couldn't believe it and asked excitedly, "Modern people? Did you guys just get here too?"
Emilia looked at the two of them with suspicion. They were dressed similarly to Subaru; were they all together? However, if they were together, the person next to her probably wouldn't be reacting like this.
"That's right. Did you just reload your save?" Ren Isana spoke directly, saying something that left Subaru completely floored. He looked at Ren Isana in a daze. As an otaku, he naturally knew what Ren Isana's words meant.
Reloading? He had just experienced Return by Death; wasn't that exactly like reloading a save? Thinking of this, Subaru was suddenly dumbfounded. Did they also possess such an ability? Otherwise, why would the other party say such a thing?
"Don't tell me you guys can also..." Was this not a cheat unique to him alone? He thought that by crossing into another world and awakening a cheat, he could encounter a beautiful girl and reach the pinnacle of life. Instead, two people suddenly popped up and told him he was just reloading a save?
Are you kidding me? Subaru was instantly depressed. He thought it was a unique cheat, but it turned out to be common. His fantasy was shattered in an instant.
"It's not that weak. After all, your thing only works on certain people," Ren Isana said, giving Asuna a look. In the next moment, Asuna drew her weapon and swung a wind blade toward a certain direction.
A teal [Wind Blade] suddenly erupted. Asuna threw out this attack with incredible hand speed. Her target was a few old wooden crates. When the [Wind Blade] landed, the crates were instantly reduced to sawdust.
A figure leaped out at extreme speed. This scene gave Subaru a fright, but when he saw the figure that jumped out, his face turned pale in an instant.
He hadn't forgotten that his previous death was caused by that person. This woman, as deadly as a scorpion, had plunged a knife into his stomach and spilled his guts.
Asuna used [Shunpo・Flash Step] to charge forward, her rapier thrusting out rapidly as she engaged Elsa in combat. The rapier in Asuna's hand was incredibly fast, making it impossible for Elsa to react in time. Within moments, several wounds were opened on her shoulders.
Her attack speed was simply too fast. Asuna's combat strength was by no means weak. Although this Elsa's strength was roughly around Tier 4, she wasn't even in the same league as Asuna.
Furthermore, the opponent was an assassin and wasn't suited for frontal combat. Combined with Asuna's continuous long-range attacks, the opponent had no power to resist at all.
"It's her! She's after you!!" Once Subaru regained his composure, he hurriedly shouted at Emilia. His tone was incredibly frantic, as he was absolutely certain of the opponent's intentions, having just died by her hand once before.
When Emilia heard this, her expression turned extremely grim. She could also see that the newcomer was up to no good. She wanted to use magic to help, but after glancing at the situation on the field, she gave up.
Because that girl was completely suppressing the opponent. One might even think the assassin looked quite pitiful... as the wounds on her body grew more and more numerous.
"Stop! What are you doing!" Just then, a voice came from outside the alley. A red-haired young man wearing a knight's uniform walked in from the outside. He frowned as he watched the two people fighting.
"Reinhard!" Emilia was stunned when she saw the newcomer and immediately greeted him. Ren Isana's gaze also fell upon this legendary cheat-like character.
The moment he saw him, Ren Isana didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately activated his talent to frantically copy him. This guy was practically a walking treasure trove!
One must know that this man was known as the strongest existence, possessing more than 200 [Divine Protection]s. And those were just the ones on record; no one knew how many he actually had.
All these things proved that the person in front of him was a cheat — a super cheat. Therefore, Ren Isana wanted to copy the other's [Divine Protection]s without even thinking about it. However, it seemed to be a bit of a failure this time?
Was it because the opponent hadn't used those [Divine Protection]s, so they couldn't be copied? Or was it for some other reason? Ren Isana was a bit puzzled, but he didn't turn off his talent. Instead, he kept it active silently to see what kind of things he could obtain from this cheat.
He didn't know if these [Divine Protection]s were only useful in this world or if they would work in any world. Regardless, copying them now was definitely the right move.
"Lady Emilia, may I ask what has happened?" Reinhard asked with a look of confusion as he listened to Emilia, while also keeping an eye on the situation over there.
That girl using the sword is quite strong. But that boy is even stronger, Reinhard thought, evaluating Ren Isana in his heart.
"That woman is an assassin after Lady Emilia!" Subaru, standing to the side, didn't hesitate to reveal Elsa's identity as soon as he heard the man speak.
Emilia slowly began to explain how her insignia had been stolen, how she had been lured here, and the various details of the ambush set by the opponent.
Reinhard's gaze sharpened upon hearing this. Emilia was currently a candidate for the Royal Selection. Although her status was somewhat awkward, she was still one of the candidates nonetheless.
Wasn't an assassin coming to kill her a direct slap in the face to the kingdom? Once Reinhard understood the cause of the matter, he glanced over at Asuna's side. He realized he probably didn't need to intervene, as the battle was already over.
Elsa was kicked by Asuna and sent flying into a warehouse. Asuna then charged directly inside. However, no more sounds of fighting came from within; everything went quiet.
He could sense that the assassin had been subdued. At this moment, Ren Isana also began to walk toward the warehouse, as there was still a show to watch. Seeing this, Emilia hurriedly followed, and the group entered the warehouse after Ren Isana.
Inside the warehouse, Elsa was pinned to the wall by Asuna's sword. To the side, a large man was protecting a shivering little girl with pale blonde hair. She looked a bit malnourished and was dressed in rags; this was Felt.
"This person's recovery ability is so strong!" Asuna said to Ren Isana as soon as she saw him enter.
The wounds she had just left on the opponent's body had already mostly recovered. From this point alone, it was clear that her constitution was different from that of an ordinary person.
"She seems to be a vampire of sorts. Let's try using a burst of Holy Light!" As Ren Isana said this, a ball of Holy Light condensed in his hand and he smashed it toward her. This kind of magic was a natural counter to creatures like vampires.
Releasing Holy Light Magic Power from another world, Ren Isana fired it directly at Elsa. Although it was just the lowest level [Light Bullet], normally only used for illumination, the moment it hit Elsa, she let out a sharp, piercing scream.
This scene startled Emilia, who had followed them inside. Reinhard's brow furrowed even deeper. This kind of power... didn't seem to belong to their world? Could it be that these two came from beyond the Great Waterfall?
It wasn't a huge secret that people from other worlds descended into this world, but powerhouses like Ren Isana were few and far between. However, he didn't press the issue.
Reinhard scanned the surroundings. His gaze suddenly fell upon Felt. Seeing the insignia she held in her hand and her appearance, Reinhard's pupils constricted.
He stepped forward quickly and grabbed the hand of Felt, who was being protected by the burly old man. Seeing the glowing Royal Selection insignia, Reinhard confirmed the suspicion in his heart.
"Let go of me! What are you doing!" Felt panicked when she was suddenly grabbed by Reinhard. The old man didn't hesitate to use the weapon in his hand to attack Reinhard.
However, in the next moment, his attack was easily blocked. After swatting the weapon away with one hand, Reinhard spoke. "Young lady, I mean no harm. I would just like to ask you to come with me!"
Hearing this made Felt even more frantic. She hurriedly threw the insignia away and said, "I'm giving this thing back to you, alright? I'm not going anywhere with you!"
As she spoke, she began to struggle violently. Wind elements began to gather around her, but these wind elements dissipated instantly upon encountering Reinhard. Seeing that she was unwilling to cooperate, Reinhard sighed. "Please forgive my rudeness!"
As his words fell, Reinhard used a hand-chop to knock her unconscious on the spot. He then hoisted her onto his shoulder. Seeing how practiced his movements were, Ren Isana couldn't help but suspect he had done this countless times before.
"Lady Emilia, I have business to attend to and must take my leave. Please leave that assassin to the other knights. I'm returning this insignia to you; please keep it safe." Reinhard had a much more important matter to deal with now.
Therefore, he could only leave this matter to the other knights. After saying this, he carried Felt out of the warehouse. The giant old man stood there looking like a mere bystander.
From beginning to end, no one had really paid attention to him, and he hadn't said a word. As Felt was taken away, he could only watch helplessly.
"This..." Emilia was a bit dazed at this moment. She didn't quite understand what had happened. Why would that upright knight act like that? Was there something wrong with that girl?
"That insignia in your hand was just glowing when it was in that little kid's hand," Ren Isana looked at Emilia and suddenly said to her.
Hearing Ren Isana's words, Emilia instantly remembered something. Now she understood everything. That girl was also one of the candidates for the Royal Selection! She hadn't expected her to be in a place like this!
And to think it was the person who had stolen her insignia. It was quite unexpected indeed. No wonder Reinhard had made such an expression.
"Thank you!" Once Emilia understood the reason behind everything, she let out a sigh of relief. The insignia was finally back. At the same time, she realized the boy hadn't been lying to her.
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Subaru also let out a long breath. He relaxed, but when his gaze landed on Elsa, he became wary once again.
Currently, Elsa was struggling under the effects of Ren Isana's Holy Light. She was twisting and turning on the wall in immense pain, and her blood had already stained the wall red, since she was still pinned there.
This scene was quite terrifying just to look at. Subaru swallowed his saliva and couldn't help but look at Ren Isana. "Brother, what did you do to her? Is this Holy Light... really that ridiculous?"
He suspected Ren Isana had added something to it; otherwise, Elsa wouldn't be like this. Even if Holy Light countered her, she probably shouldn't be suffering this much, right?
"Maybe she's just not used to it since it's her first time. Pain is normal the first time. After a few more times in the future, she probably won't react like this anymore." When Subaru heard Ren Isana's words, he felt something was a bit off. Had something just run over his face?
"Thank you for your help. If it weren't for you all today, I might have been in serious trouble." Emilia looked at Elsa. Although her kind heart felt a bit of pity, she chose to look away since this woman had come to take her life.
Emilia thanked Ren Isana and Asuna once again. At the same time, she was very curious about the identity of these two, as they didn't seem to be from around here. Their clothing was completely different.
"You're welcome! It was just a small favor." Asuna smiled slightly at Emilia, then looked at Ren Isana before walking over to Elsa and pulling her weapon out.
Losing her support, Elsa collapsed heavily onto the ground. Seeing this, Ren Isana raised his hand and directly released [Ice Magic]. A bone-chilling cold began to spread through the dilapidated warehouse.
The sound of cracking ice could be heard as Elsa began to freeze from the neck down, leaving only her head exposed. Furthermore, this cold instantly caused her to lose consciousness completely. Whether Ren Isana had added anything to it was unknown.
Watching Ren Isana casually release [Ice Magic], a flash of surprise went through Emilia's eyes. Moreover, she had never seen this type of magic before, which made her even more curious. At the same time, she felt even more close to Ren Isana because they both used ice!