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Chapter 80. Time Prison

In terms of pure swordsmanship ability, I’m superior. You can understand this if you fight, and indeed, initially, I was overwhelmed with swordsmanship. However... Perhaps by repeating this many times, he’s starting to grasp the timing of the magical sword techniques I use. He’s trying to decipher my tactics by repeating them over and over... It's exactly like a death game.

"Oh, you're rewound it." 

"...How can you tell?"

I felt the time rewind just before our swords clashed. The fact that he’s asking how I can tell means I’m right. By the way, how I judge it is by the amount of magic power contained in [Yaldabaoth]. Well... I won’t tell Frodil that.

"You’ve rewound it again. Did you figure out how I understand the rewinding?" 

"Who knows? At least, you don't seem like you'd tell me even if I asked."

Of course. While speaking about the fact that time is being rewound might have an impact, revealing how to counter it would be foolish. However, Frodil’s advantage shouldn’t have changed. After all, he has the memory of the rewound time, while I only understand the number of times through sensation. For me, time moves straightforward, but Frodil has likely experienced multiple times.

Normally, such an endless hellish ability would lead to one's ruin, but this man calmly and repeatedly uses this power with a cool face.

"...It’s not infinite. While Grimoires are manifestations of the soul, using them consumes one’s magical power, just like magic. And... Grimoires that manifest weapons, like my [Yaldabaoth], should consume less magic compared to Grimoires that cause specific phenomena, like yours."

"You’ve done your homework."

Typically, Grimoires manifest as weapons or shields in the form of the soul. Like my [Yaldabaoth], Jeremiah's [Michael], Ivy’s [Sariel], Hilalda’s [Gabriel], or Liester’s [Remiel]. Some forms are indefinite but still definitely exist as manifestations of the soul.

Among Grimoires, there are rarely ones without a form that cannot be seen by others even when they manifest. That must be the case with Frodil’s unusual Grimoire, [Sandalphon].

"There is no such thing as an inexhaustible Grimoire. I don’t know how many times you can rewind, but... there must be a limit."

"And this is it."

Huh? Without arguing against my words, he proudly pulled out something that looked like a stone. I have some knowledge of magic, but I’m not well-versed in magical tools, so I don’t know what he means by "and this."

"This is an ‘Azulite Stone’ that converts atmospheric magic power into magical energy, similar to how the human body works. One of these can store enough magical energy for a high-level spell in 30 seconds."

"...So?"

"That means I’m using this to replenish the magical energy required for the Grimoire. It’s a precious item, so I only have... five."

That’s enough.

So... does this mean that the more time he has, the more he can recover his magical power? That’s... quite troublesome.

"In other words, when your magical power runs out, it takes 30 seconds to recover."

"That’s right... My Grimoire has poor efficiency. Even with these Azulite Stones, I can only rewind once... Using all five at once is the only way to manage it."

"Oh..."

So if I corner him, he’ll have an interval to recover. But what’s the reason for him telling me this? There should be no benefit for him.

"I’m telling you this because I need time."

"Time? Just rewind it."

"Don’t say it so easily. Besides... I don’t believe you simply sent the Dragon Squad without a plan."

Ah, so it’s that.

Well... If I facilitated an invasion from the western countries without a strategy, it would indeed be a blunder. I’ve made various preparations... Does Frodil want to know about that?

"Let me see what you were thinking by summoning the Dragon Squad."

"No."

Why should I show Frodil any more of my cards? I’d rather finish this quickly or rewind time.

Releasing the magic power stored in the [Yaldabaoth] for two uses, I also launched slashes from Verethragna. Frodil, who was smiling while avoiding my attacks, irritated me, but there were things I could do if he kept dodging.

"Ha!"

When I deployed the magic circle, Frodil obviously became cautious... Destroying the spectator seats, he conjured a giant rock sword. The moment the rock sword extended towards Frodil, one use of magic power was stored in [Yaldabaoth].

"You couldn’t react, right!"

"Dammit!? You don’t need to keep saying it!"

Frodil, who understands my attack patterns and narrowly avoids them by rewinding time, got a bit irritated when I pointed out that he rewound. For him, repeatedly facing a strong enemy is nothing new, but being called out on it for the first time probably annoys him. If so, I’ll say more.

Since he’s avoiding the rock sword by creating footholds with magic power, I thought he still had a lot of magical power left, but he seems to be conserving it, as he’s not using other spells. If he can rewind time by buying 30 seconds, I might be able to win if I defeat him within 30 seconds after rewinding...

Come to think of it, if he can rewind for 30 seconds, and can rewind for 2 minutes... Doesn’t that mean an infinite loop? Also, does rewinding time restore the Azulite Stones’ magic power?

Hmm... Doesn’t this mean I’m in a stalemate?

"...I see! If he can rewind for 2 minutes, then continuous attacks that he can’t avoid for 2 minutes should work!"

"You... You’re a terrifying man with your ideas."

If I overdo it, he might end up dying continuously within the rewound time, but... maybe I can just knock him out instead of killing him? It seems he activates it by his own will, so I don’t think he’ll reset the moment he loses consciousness.

Alright, let’s go with the infinite loop strategy.