ITWOK Chapter 2: No more regrets

Lance and Marsh charged towards Haru from opposite ends. Lance's blade overflowed with his aura, while Marsh's warhammer brimmed with unyielding strength. Aura was the hallmark of close combat fighters, and as they unleashed their barrage of strikes against Haru's barrier, their aura held them steady against its natural repelling effect.

Lance glared at Haru, who now showed signs of concern.

"We have learned since our last encounter with the Ever Knight. If you thought the same old trick would work on us again, you are sorely mistaken!"

Their relentless assault gave Haru no breathing room. The barrier continued to crack, chipping away bit by bit, threatening to shatter at any moment.

Haru wasn't about to sit still like a duck on a shooting block. No, in this situation, he was the one with the smoking guns, literally.

"Let's see you ass wipes dodge this!" he taunted, pulling out two rustic guns and aiming them at Lance and Marsh. He fired, and the bullets traveled past the barrier, aimed directly at their heads. In their old world, guns were the ultimate weapons civilians can use for both defense and attack. Few things moved faster than a bullet, and a headshot was often fatal. However, in this world, it was a different story.

The bullets stopped short, unable to penetrate the aura surrounding their bodies. Marsh laughed with hilarity. "Was that your plan? Did you really think some stupid guns without mana infused orichalum bullets would do any significant damage? Lance, I think we overestimated him because of the Ophelia stone. All we have to do is break it, and it’ll be over."

Lance nodded. “Agreed. Let’s end this, together!”

They readied their weapons and, with a firm swing, unleashed their combined skills.

Three skills collided into one as the cavern shook with a tremendous tremor. The combined force of their attacks created a cataclysmic wave of energy, crashing against Haru's barrier with unimaginable force. The barrier strained and broke apart, leaving Haru defenseless. If it wasn’t for [Minus Strength], perhaps he wouldn’t even be standing right now.

He was fully exposed but there was no expression of fear on his face, just a look of helpless indifference.

“I can’t believe how easy you two are to taunt,” He shrugged with a sigh. “Oh well, everyone here can just disappear.”

He snapped his fingers, and the Ophelia stone began to glow brightly as the air grew increasingly dense. In that instant, all the heroes recognized the impending danger, almost like a PTSD flashback from the first time they faced a similar threat.

“Everyone, behind me!” Marsh screamed out. He slammed his arm shield into the ground and used his skill.

A towering 14-foot wall shimmered into existence before them. The Ophelia stone's energy reached a critical point, and a powerful blast erupted, crashing against the shield.

The kinetic energy from the heroes' attack was transformed and released all at once. The stronger their attack, the stronger it was returned.

Back when they faced the Ever Knight, they had no idea what was happening and lost many friends who didn’t find cover in time. It was the reason they had such a hard time dealing with the Ever Knight the first time around.

Marsh was barely holding on, using every ounce of strength to stay upright. Some of the others immediately supported him from behind while the magically inclined heroes summoned additional barriers to layer additional defenses.

It felt like a crashing wave pounded against them, with only their fragile bodies standing between them and impending doom.

Lance turned to one of the heroes in the back, a skinny male with dark hair. "Poltier, it's just like last time. There's a brief window between the blast and the barrier's regeneration. You have to make it inside before the barrier regenerates! You know what to do."

Poltier nodded, trying to steady his nerves.

‘I have enough mana to use [Time Distortion] two more times. The last time I had to do this, my skill only lasted for 3 seconds at a time. At my top speed, I should reach Haru in five seconds, just a single second before my skill runs out. No matter what he has planned, I can use the skill one last time to stop him!’

As he finished his thought, the blast of energy suddenly ceased.

“Poltier, NOW!” Lance shouted.

Poltier rushed out of cover and immediately activated his skill.

In an instant, time froze. The world around him stood still, the heroes motionless and Haru completely defenseless with the barrier yet to rejuvenate.

Poltier bolted from his spot, the seconds ticking by. Every step echoed through the frozen air, leaving a trail of distortion in his wake. He passed the heroes, still huddled behind Marsh, his eyes locked onto Haru.

As he counted down in his head, the penultimate second passed just as he leapt forward, appearing right beside Haru, who couldn't even react. In the single remaining second, Poltier stood resolute. He could kill Haru, but there were questions that needed answers. Lance's simple gestures made it clear he wanted Haru taken alive.

He waited for the final second to expire.

Time resumed, and the barrier regenerated. Haru laughed mockingly at the heroes. "Want to try again?"

“It’s over, Haru,” Poltier declared.

Haru jumped, the color draining from his face as if he had seen a ghost. “W-What are you doing here?!”

“If you wanted to prevent me from invading your space, you should’ve put more distance between us,” Poltier replied.

“Great job, Poltier!” Marsh praised.

“No way you’re taking me!” Haru raged, retrieving a dagger and aiming it at Poltier’s head.

At this distance, Poltier didn’t even need to use his skill. He effortlessly caught Haru’s wrist as it closed in. Any one of the heroes here was more than strong enough to take down Haru, who was the weakest of them all. Without the Ophelia stone, dealing with Haru was child’s play.

“Give it up, you can’t win now that I’m here.”

“Ah, is that right?” Haru's expression was unnervingly steady for someone who had just been surprised and freaking out moments before.

Poltier sensed something was wrong. Serena, the most skilled of the magic users, suddenly yelled out, “It’s a trap!”

Poltier shifted his eyes and felt the vibrational changes around his hand, realizing Haru had something around his wrist. Danger immediately sounded in his head, but before he could react, Haru’s wrist area exploded.

“AAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHGHHGHGHGHGHGHGH!”

Poltier fell to the ground, rolling in excruciating pain as his head and face were badly damaged. Perhaps due to his own aura protecting him, he still had a head remaining, while Haru’s right hand was completely gone, blood pooling into a puddle.

There was no respite as Haru immediately dove for Poltier, who was writhing in agony. Haru drove his left hand towards Poltier’s mouth, digging his fingers deep into the burnt gums and flesh, burying them so deep that his own fingers cracked, keeping them in a vice-like grip.

Poltier was in absolute agony, unable to grasp what was happening. One moment, he was writhing in agony on the floor, and the next, Haru was on top of him. He managed to catch a glimpse of Haru’s left wrist, and the familiar object was present.

Vibrations began to reverberate.

Poltier’s eyes constricted, and he didn’t wait.

'What's happening?! I need to get out! I need to escape!' Poltier's mind raced with panic. He tried to escape, but the pain and Haru's iron grip prevented him from doing so. He struggled to remove the fingers from his mouth, realizing too late that Haru had planned this all along.

‘This was your plan all along! You were planning to sacrifice your hands to kill me!’

Panic overwhelmed him as he screamed and desperately tried to pry Haru's fingers off, even if it meant breaking them or ripping away parts of his own flesh to do so. But in his panic, he made mistakes. Haru's grip was like a rusted latch; unmoving despite the stilled time.

Physical properties didn't change just because time stopped. A car would still weigh as much as before time stopped, and Haru's grip remained firm despite no longer applying pressure at this moment.

He managed to dislodge the two bottom fingers just enough to pull them out, but time ran out.

BOOOM!

The explosion echoed through the cavern, kicking up a cloud of dust. However, just as quickly, it settled, revealing the lifeless body of their comrade on the floor, the top half of his head gone.

Haru fell to the ground, both hands missing, his breaths ragged as blood poured from his handless arms. For a moment, the only sound was Haru's labored breathing, while the heroes reeled from what had just happened.

“You… you killed him…” one of the heroes finally shouted, breaking the stunned silence.

Haru coughed, his injuries severe, but he still managed to speak. “Yeah… I knew the bastard was the only one who could actually… actually stop me. I knew none of you would take me seriously… and that… even in close quarters, he wouldn't be afraid of anything I could do. That's why he let his guard down, and why I could kill him.”

A pained expression crossed his face as he gritted his teeth. “Ah, bloody hell, this hurts a lot more than I thought it would.

“YOU FUCKER!”

One of the female heroes launched her magic towards Haru, but the barrier had long since rejuvenated. Her magic didn’t even cause a crack to appear. She attacked with reckless abandon, tears streaming down her face, revealing the obvious depth of her relationship with the slain hero.

“Oh, so some of you can still mourn for others… It’s funny. The amount of pain and misery you’ve inflicted on others… You can have a taste of it now,” Haru let out a low laugh.

Lance gripped his blade, rage filling his eyes. “Haru, if it’s the last thing I do, I will kill you!”

The heroes moved in sync, charging towards Haru, ready to break his defenses once more. It didn’t matter if Haru could repel their attacks like before. The Ophelia stone couldn’t do so repeatedly without a deep source of mana, and it was unlikely that Haru had an infinite amount of mana to sustain it.

And indeed, they were correct. Haru had nothing left. Once the barrier broke, that would be it. However, at that same moment, the thing he had been waiting for was finally ready.

"Chrono-time displacement module is ready… Preparing transfer for space-time… Initialization sequence will commence in T-minus 10 seconds… 9… 8…" the robotic voice announced, beginning the countdown.

The artifact hovering above released waves of energy that distorted the entire area. However, the heroes didn’t stop their attacks, determined to bring Haru down. His barrier was breaking down fast.

Haru simply smiled. His consciousness was waning. He had lost too much blood and looked as if he could drop dead at any moment. His gaze shifted to Lance.

‘Lance… you’re an arsehole, but compared to the others, you’re just a douche among monsters.’

His eyes shifted between the other heroes, he had a comment for each of them, until he ultimately landed on Marsh and Serena.

‘I thought about leaving you two alone, leaving the grudges to the past. But I don’t think I can. Until the end of my days, I will always remember what you two did, what you’ve made me do. Don’t worry, it won’t be long before I come for both of you.’

His barrier shattered, and the heroes charged towards him as the countdown soon reached zero. A blinding white light encapsulated the entire area. In his final act, Haru lifted his two nubs, making a gesture that suggested flipping the bird, his final present.

‘This time, I will live life my way. No more regrets.’

***

Haru's eyes fluttered open, the blinding radiance fading to reveal the opulent grandeur of a vast room. Towering marble pillars stretched toward a vaulted ceiling adorned with intricate mosaics depicting epic battles of heroes versus monsters.

A sea of bewildered faces surrounded him. Men and women in everyday attire: business suits, casual clothes, school uniforms, all chatting as confusion filled the space.

He glanced down. Cat-patterned pajamas clung to his frame, his hair a tousled mess. A smirk tugged at his lips.

'It worked. I'm back!'