An Extra’s POV
chapter-707

[Time Stop]

It was an Exclusive Skill that belonged to Feralia—one that served as her ultimate card, but one she also had to utilize sparingly.

Not only could she only use it once a day, but it also consumed a great deal of Mana to utilize. It allowed her to completely halt the flow of time of anything she, or a portion of her energy, had contact with.

In essence, she could freeze any target of hers in time.

The duration for Time Stop depended on how much energy she expended in the period of activation, and since it usually took up a great deal of energy, it usually didn't last very long.

But… things were different now.

Feralia had access to the Mana within the Enchanted Items that she equipped, as well as the boosted effects of being saved by Rey's energy.

She was a far stronger entity than in the past.

Still… even with all of these advantages on her end, there was one thing she had to consider.

This was the first time she would be using [Time Stop] on so many targets at once.

These were thousands of Dragons. There was no way her Skill would be able to work on them normally—not with the strict conditions necessary to activate them.

That was why she first resorted to the Absolute Elemental Storm. This achieved two purposes, and its success was what led to her next act.

With the Storm successfully affecting the army of Dragons, they became vulnerable to the effects of [Time Stop], and since her energy had permeated the entire area, she could cast the Skill en masse.

The result?

~VWUUUUUUM!~

Every single Dragon froze in the sky, completely rendered still by the effects of her [Time Stop].

"Haa…" Feralia felt a bit pale as she watched all the enemies stay vulnerable before her. The horde was at a complete standstill.

"Good. With this, I've bought some time."

As she mumbled this to herself, she couldn't help but feel slightly lightheaded.

'I expended way too much Mana. They'll be like this for a short while, but hopefully that's enough for me to recover my Mana and for backup to arrive.'

~fshiii~

While smiling to herself, albeit tiredly, she failed to recognize the silhouette that manifested behind her. Not until it was too late…

"Impressive…" A voice echoed very deeply, causing her entire body to shiver at that very moment.

It appeared right behind her, and the goosebumps she felt the moment she heard that single word caused her trembling body to freeze.

Her instincts told her to run, but not a single finger could be lifted.

She was paralyzed.

'I-I….!' With her eyes bulging, she witnessed the Dragons get released from her [Time Stop] Skill, all of them now floating towards the Camp as fiery hot energy began to manifest from within their gaping mouths.

It turned out she wasn't able to buy any time at all.

Tears of sorrow would have gushed out of her wide eyes if not for the fear that she was experiencing.

Death was right behind her, raising the scythe to send her to the underworld. She could not even see the face of her executioner.

She only felt the intense gaze and incredible bloodlust they oozed.

It was the end.

~CLANG!~

All of a sudden, the noise of blades clashing together resounded in the air.

Feralia suddenly found herself in the embrace of someone, feeling the familiar warmth and smell ooze through her as she surrendered to the man's grasp.

"Y-you…" She whispered, her voice lacking any kind of strength whatsoever.

Her heart raced—this time not because of anxiety or fear, but because of the man that held her tight. His presence offered her comfort, and the look on his face as she gazed upon him— that confident smile that he had—was out of this world.

She felt, at long last, perfectly safe.

"Sorry I'm late."

As his voice reverberated in her ears, she closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, pressing her body more on his reliable frame.

"No… you're right on time, Rey."

The man who had arrived was Rey, and his blade was currently pitted against the descending slash that would have ended her life.

"Give me a moment." He whispered, and then the next thing that happened became a blur.

~VWUUUUSH!~

The air around Feralia vibrated, and she felt everything around her distort.

It felt like space itself collapsed within a fraction of a moment, and the next thing she realized… she was on the ground—the familiar ground of the camp.

"Stay here." Rey told her, his dark air fluttering with the violent night wind.

His two eyes were exposed, and they shone bright red. His outfit, a dark fur coat, with completely black garment, and traces of red here and there, was in perfect blend with his hair.

Everything about him—the full darkness—oozed both danger and comfort.

As soon as he told her this, though, the figure that appeared behind her back not too long ago suddenly descended from the sky in a flash of lightning.

Feralia was able to see his face for the first time that night, and the moment she did… she was reminded of the angel of death that was responsible for the undying Dragons.

He was the one who put her in such a critical state—the one that Rey had cured.

"Don't worry…" The comforting voice of her savior danced in her ears the moment she was about to tremble out of fear or unease.

"... I'll take care of him."

At that moment, Feralia could not control her feelings any longer. She drew closer to Rey and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you so much… for everything."

As she said this, staring deep into his eyes, he kept his gaze fixed on the enemy, though returning her smile in his usual charming fashion.

"You're welcome."

Before she could say any more—

~WHOOOSH!~

—He had vanished from her arms and now charged towards the enemy.

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