"The first time might just be luck, but if it keeps happening over and over, of course you'd start to suspect something. Especially if you've already been burned by it once before. Surely you didn't think something this obvious would go unnoticed?"
Calm down. Calm down.
This was exactly the kind of moment where the cool-headed one won.
"Besides, no matter how many times I look at it, it's still amazing. Chronos of Greece, Thoth of Egypt, Zurvan of Zoroastrianism, Arianrhod of Celtic myth, Nanna of Mesopotamia... There aren't that many, but there are definitely gods who govern time on the side, so to speak.
"To think you'd imitate even a fragment of their authority. And without even the blessing of [Falna]. The potential of the Lower World really never stops being fascinating."
Right! This was exactly the time to act like a romance-loving man and count primes.
2, 4, 6, 8, 10...
Prime numbers are lonely numbers with only one and themselves.
It was giving me courage, dammit! This was even!
As expected, gods were all a bunch of rotten bastards!?
"But it's still nowhere near enough to call it authority. The range is far too narrow... Still, thanks to it, I was able to use my power for a moment without worrying about anyone else's eyes. In this isolated domain, I can blur things over as much as I like, hidden by the Magus's presence.
"And while I'm at it, let me kindly tell you one thing. Time authority is powerful, yes, but it's also a force built on a delicate concept. If you raise the output of Arcanum to a certain degree and prepare a full-body barrier in advance, it becomes rather easy to defend against.
"It is contradictory to use Arcanum in the Lower World, of course. But since situations like this do exist, please keep that in mind from now on."
No, this was bad.
Maybe because I'd been ambushed so suddenly that I'd been too startled.
My head just wouldn't settle down and kept spinning uselessly.
Let's see, what should I do in a case like this?
"Now then... how should I punish this naughty child? Go on, make an excuse for yourself. Hestia's 'child'?"
Oops. This goddess wasn't even bothering to hide her identity anymore.
Was the fact that she still hadn't returned to her original form some kind of restriction?
Or maybe she still couldn't fully relax?
"Would you like me to take you away from Hestia with 'Charm' right here and now? I'm sure you've prepared something, but how long could you possibly hold out before this goddess's 'true feelings'? Hmm, now that I say it, that sounds rather tempting."
Whoa, this was seriously bad.
Hmm. What now?
For now... I didn't really know why, but maybe I should laugh like that friend from the academy.
"K-kuk..."
"Hm?"
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Freya stared at me blankly as I suddenly burst out laughing like a lunatic.
Ignoring that dazed expression, I gave one loud, refreshing laugh, and only then did my creaking head finally start to come back to its senses.
In that case, first things first: assess the situation.
The time around me was frozen, but one second later, [The World] would be released.
From that moment on, everything in this space would start flowing normally again.
And unfortunately, in this game... no, in this match itself, my defeat was already certain.
As long as I wasn't caught, it wouldn't count as cheating, but I'd already been caught red-handed at the scene of the crime by that troublesome goddess.
In that case, Mr. Darby, who could be called a spirit of contract in his own way, would surely recognize the game itself as my loss and force the contract's fulfillment.
In a case like this, the problem was the soul on the line, so whether I could prove the cheating to others or not didn't really matter.
It was enough that I had broken the rules and that she, as a party involved, had witnessed it.
That alone was sufficient.
In this line of work, if you try to pull something and get caught, your hand gets chopped off. That's the common rule.
If I forced it and refused to admit defeat, that damned familiar would probably just say that was fine and try to rip my soul out instead.
In fact, that stubborn outsider had been looking for a chance to stab me in the back ever since I captured him and remodeled him to my tastes.
I could resist it if I really wanted to.
But would the elf in front of me really just sit there and let that happen?
There was no way. She'd definitely take this as her chance and come straight at me.
And if I really did lose my soul to him in the middle of that, I'd be in massive trouble.
Hmm, then...?
"Ha. Guess I have no choice."
I stopped thinking for a split second.
This was about my limit.
So I safely ended the magecraft while reciting the promised line.
"[Time moves again.]"
Kiiing!
At the same moment, the space here began moving again.
Bang!
"Huh, what?"
"W-what!?"
In sync with that, my foot kicked up the table in front of me and blocked the view on the opposite side.
Then I threw my body backward and fled toward the owner behind me.
The goddess's expression as I put distance between us was pure disbelief.
Hyahha! This is my escape route, goddess!
"M-Magus! What in the world are you...?"
"I'm sorry, Owner. This trick of mine got exposed."
"Th-that...! Y-you bastard!"
At my admission of defeat, the owner's face twisted in frustration as he ground his teeth.
But he seemed to understand the situation to some extent, because after that he started running after me without another word.
Before long, he even took the lead and charged ahead.
It looked like he'd decided on the safest destination.
That much was still going according to plan, at least.
"Stop right there! Ted! Magus!"
"W-wind?"
"Oops, they caught up fast."
This was an unexpected development.
I'd thought the guards from the gambling hall I'd seen earlier would buy us at least some time.
Especially the two who had stayed right beside the owner.
If I remembered right, they'd been called Black Fist and Black Cat.
I'd been expecting a lot from that Level 3 combo, too.
In the end, it seemed the fakes couldn't beat the real thing.
So then, all that was left in this situation was...
"Hold them off! Magus! Buy me time to escape!"
Hahaha, so that's how you want to play it after all.
How could he move exactly as I expected, our dear mark?
Still, since the sugar daddy gave the order, I had no choice.
I stopped my running feet and blocked Ryuu's path, standing guard over the corridor.
I couldn't just let the owner get caught by her.
"Magus! What exactly are you after?"
As I blocked the way, Ryuu also stopped and watched me warily.
Then came the same old question again.
And my answer was only one thing.
Well, it was as obvious as obvious could be.
"That's harsh. I'm just trying to enjoy myself while satisfying my own romance, that's all."
"And in the process, someone else gets hurt. Don't you think that's a nuisance?"
"I always think about it."
It's just that it wasn't worth considering very deeply.
Crack!
At that light reply, Ryuu's expression twisted ferociously, like some vicious demon.
At the same time, she lunged in from my side.
Whoosh!
In response, I used the martial art I trusted most: "Snake."
The target was the back of her neck and her temple!
Tap!
"I still remember that technique."
Ah, as expected, blocked again.
My fist, aimed at her opening and vital point, was stopped with such ease it was almost disappointing.
I'd known full well that she'd already be aware of a technique like this, but having it blocked for real was still pretty sad and frustrating.
Ah, if only I could use [Hundred-Style Kannon] right now.
Of course, that was impossible, so I couldn't!
"Then how about this?"
Zoom punch!
Sure, dislocation hurts, so in reality it was just a visual illusion meant to fool the eye!
"Pathetic!"
Bang!
But my opponent was Ryuu Lion, the Swift Wind.
A veteran among veterans, a Level 4 adventurer.
And not just any adventurer, but a speed-focused vanguard swordswoman.
Something this clumsy was naturally swatted away with a single hand.
Yes...
It was all going exactly as predicted!
Tap!
"Mm?!"
First, I rushed forward at Ryuu as she blocked the first two attacks and charged at me with momentum, and I leaped up along with her.
Then I hooked one leg over her neck, grabbed the arm closest to me with both hands, and twisted it as hard as I could to immobilize it.
After that, I sent the remaining leg upward as well.
The key was to bend the leg slightly so the knee pointed upward.
"What?!"
Ryuu's confusion rang out as the technique chain flowed on like water.
As I said before, she was definitely an experienced veteran adventurer.
Any ordinary trick, feint, or footwork would be quickly countered and broken through by that experience and her tough body.
But what if...
What if she were suddenly faced with the pinnacle of a technique she had never encountered before, something that had never existed anywhere in her past?
I'd already confirmed the answer through "Snake."
There was an eighty to ninety percent chance this would definitely work!
"Ngh!"
Ryuu tried desperately to break free from me, alarmed by the unexpected counter and the ominous feeling of a sudden ambush.
But I also activated the magecraft circuits in my arms and legs to their maximum, holding on to her and refusing to let go.
Thanks to that, the lower leg kept accelerating more and more.
It was my first time using this in actual combat.
But how could anyone underestimate the skill and obsession of this body, which had trained like hell in secret ever since Clock Tower, driven by romance?
Kwang!
"Kkh, huff!"
Result: the upper jaw and lower jaw.
Both landed exactly as intended.
With blood spraying harshly from her mouth, ruined by the impact, Ryuu's body crumpled.
Seeing that brutal result, so unlike a beauty, I curled up the corners of my mouth and smiled with genuine delight.
"A secret art modeled after the jaws of a tiger chewing and crushing its prey."
Its name: [Tiger King].
Thus, this was [Tiger King Complete].
At last, at long last, I'd succeeded for the first time in my life!