Responsibility

The Battle-Damaged Guy felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer, and an excessively young face instantly flashed into his mind.

Under the rules of the Entertainment City, the only one who could act against me... must be that old monster of an Anomaly who looks so young and acts like a kid with that parrot, but who knows how many years he's actually lived!

A chill crept up from his heart, but the Battle-Damaged Guy clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

The Battle-Damaged Guy did not give up.

He soothed himself mentally, trying to suppress that inexplicable agitation.

It's already quite good. This situation means that this Anomaly hasn't triggered—or I haven't triggered—any particularly harsh instant-death rules yet.

So it's not a big problem. In such a short time, this influence hasn't had time to take root, and it's not enough to be amplified to a fatal degree.

As long as I immediately put away that damn optimism, I can break free from this invisible shackle.

Even if the wounds all over my body are burning with a searing pain, as long as my talent is still there, as long as I can still mobilize a trace of power, even if I have to crawl, I will crawl out of this hellhole!

The Battle-Damaged Guy gritted his teeth until the taste of blood spread in his mouth.

He summoned every ounce of strength left in his body, once again channeling the remaining power of his talent to try and activate 【Time Stop】.

The surrounding colors gradually lost their luster, shifting from vivid scenes to gray outlines. The clamor of the crowd and the sound of colliding tables and chairs seemed to have been put on slow-motion, weakening and blurring bit by bit.

The Battle-Damaged Guy could clearly see the startled faces of the customers in front of him frozen in mid-air, their mouths slowly opening and closing before coming to a standstill.

Vigilance, and pessimism! Think of the worst-case scenario; I can't deceive myself anymore!

Be vigilant, think of the negatives, don't be so optimistic anymore. Re-examine my injuries, re-plan the route.

He cautioned himself over and over in his heart, like he was wrestling with another version of himself that was spiraling out of control, forcibly performing self-hypnosis to try and escape that influence.

He could clearly feel that his emotions could still be controlled and hadn't completely fallen into chaos.

Good, it seems it hasn't reached the level of Contamination yet, just a similar mental influence.

As long as he stayed conscious, he could keep moving forward.

But in the next second, the black-gray halo spreading around him suddenly froze, as if cut off by an invisible force.

Then, the gray afterimages rapidly retracted, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Colors surged back like a frantic tide. The neon lights stung his eyes, and the surrounding noise, discussions, and screams exploded instantly.

But the Battle-Damaged Guy had no time to pay attention to that.

He lay on the ground, one hand struggling to support his body, the other clutching his chest tightly.

He felt as if his chest were being tightened by a zip tie, getting tighter and tighter, as if he were about to be twisted in two.

Once that layer of false optimism was cleared away, another emotion that had been hidden beneath it—one that hadn't been strong initially—swept through his entire body with several times, even dozens of times, the intensity.

A somewhat hazy, cold voice suddenly entered his ears.

"Hm? You can finally think rationally?"

"Then you should have realized it by now."

"Your leg is broken; you can't walk anymore. Your wounds are bleeding profusely, and your internal organs are already blocked by blood clots..."

"They will slow you down and waste your time. And here, every second is fatal for you."

"Your only chip, your 【Time Stop】 talent, is no longer your reliance, but a reaper coming for your life."

"Every time you activate it, it causes irreversible damage to your body. Every use is personally accelerating your own death."

"There's no need for an Anomaly to act. Before you even walk out of here, your talent will have cut you into a thousand pieces, letting you exhaust your last breath bit by bit in endless agony."

"Using it is merely delaying the time of your death, making you endure the pain for a little longer."

"If you don't use it, you will immediately be torn to shreds by the Anomalies chasing behind you, leaving not even a bone behind."

"You're not getting out of here."

Those words were like a dagger dipped in ice, ruthlessly piercing through his final line of defense.

Under the wash of intense despair, the Battle-Damaged Guy seemed to have even forgotten the "invincibility" rule within the Entertainment City.

He wanted to gasp for air, but his throat felt as if it were being strangled, and he could only let out a faint whimper.

Every heartbeat carried a dull, pulling sensation, the pain causing his whole body to twitch as cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

His mind was still clear; he could still think clearly and remember his situation perfectly, but this clarity only made him suffer more.

Even though he wasn't moving, it felt as if he had run dozens of kilometers. His whole body was weak and limp, unable to even lift a finger.

His vision gradually darkened and began to blur. The neon lights turned into a swaying patch of spots, and a buzzing sound rang in his ears, like countless bees flying frantically.

The surrounding voices and screams sped up and slowed down, sounding far and then near, as if separated by a thick layer of cotton, or as if coming from another world.

He could no longer tell if it was because he was struggling to use 【Time Stop】, or because his dizzy brain could no longer properly process external sounds.

The arm he used to support his body had long since gone numb, the numbness spreading all the way from his shoulder to his fingertips.

His strength drained away bit by bit until he could no longer support the weight of his body.

Then, he collapsed completely onto the floor, his cheek pressed against the cold ground.

So tired.

So painful.

Just give up.

In his daze, he seemed to vaguely hear another voice.

It was the voice of that Anomaly with a parrot on his shoulder who looked far too young.

The tone was calm and gentle, like chatting with an old friend.

As if he were speaking of an insignificant trifle.

"Actually, I still haven't figured out what kind of person you are."

"Among the things you said, which were truths spoken intentionally, and which were lies that even fooled yourself?"

"How much of your free-spirited nature is real, and how much is part of a calculated design?"

"But I'm sorry."

"We both know in our hearts that it's impossible for you to stay here."

"Since that's the case, you are an enemy."

"Your talent is very powerful. Letting you go would be detrimental to my world."

"Therefore, dealing with you is my 'responsibility'."