55: Chapter 55 Who is Homura Akemi?

Su Bai looked at the frozen scene before him. Li Qingyue was in the middle of turning her head, her silver-white hair suspended in mid-air. Lin Xiao's mouth was wide open, her Ice Bow Card still hovering in the air. Director He Jin's glasses had slid down to the tip of his nose, and his hand was outstretched as if he wanted to push them back up.

Everything had stopped.

Like a three-dimensional photograph.

Su Bai took a deep breath.

Then he reached out—and flipped the hourglass again.

Time resumed.

No one noticed anything unusual. Because during the Time Stop, the outside world had no perception. To Li Qingyue, there was absolutely no gap between that frame and the next.

But to Su Bai—

he had just stayed in the Time Stop for a full three seconds.

Three seconds.

In battle.

Three seconds.

was enough for him to take down an entire platoon of enemies.

"So that's how it is..."

Su Bai muttered to himself, looking at the soul gem on the back of his hand. "This is Akemi Homura's way of fighting. Time Manipulation, shield storage, non-magical weapons—"

"What is Akemi Homura?"

Su Bai suddenly looked up.

Li Qingyue was staring at him. The "so cute" look in her crimson eyes was gone, replaced by the seriousness of examining something unknown.

"You mentioned that name when you made your wish just now," Li Qingyue said. "Akemi Homura. Who is that?"

Su Bai froze.

Because he suddenly realized—in this world, no one knew about Puella Magi Madoka Magica. No one knew Akemi Homura. No one knew of that silent girl who had looped dozens of times just to save a single person.

He was the only one who knew.

"...A very powerful Magical Girl,"

Su Bai finally said.

"How powerful?" Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan also leaned in.

"She can manipulate time."

"Mani—manipulate what?!"

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan's voice pitched up half an octave.

"Time."

Li Qingyue's pupils constricted instantly.

She was the founder of space-time theory. She knew the weight of the words "Time Manipulation" better than anyone. Space could be folded, warped, and leaped through—she had walked this path for thirty years, and only by using space to affect time did she finally gain a portion of authority over time.

But now...

Su Bai could manipulate time?

A mere Tier Two kid had touched the laws of time?

"You just said—" Li Qingyue's voice was extremely low, "that Magical Girl named Akemi Homura can manipulate time?"

"Yes."

"How does she manipulate it?"

"She stops it."

Su Bai held up a finger. "She stops time. As long as the sand in the hourglass isn't exhausted, theoretically, it can be used continuously."

Li Qingyue didn't speak.

But her small hands clenched tightly.

"...Su Bai."

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea? If this ability could really be mass-produced—if it could be attached to any card—the rules of the entire battlefield would be rewritten. Not improved. Rewritten."

"I know, but time-type abilities aren't something just anyone can obtain... It's considered one of the top-tier abilities,"

Su Bai said.

Then he looked at Director He Jin.

"So—Director He. Do you still want to test it now?"

Director He Jin's face turned pale instantly.

Not because he was afraid.

But because Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan's hand had landed on his shoulder.

"He Jin."

"...Yes."

"Didn't you say you wanted to test it just now? Go ahead. Suppress your strength to Level 19. I'll record the data for you."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait—she just said she can stop time!!"

"Then we definitely have to test it."

"Deputy Commander Xiao!! You heard that, right?! Time Stop!! How do we test an ability like that?! I won't even have time to defend—"

"So you need to provide the data before you die."

"What do you mean 'before I die'?!"

Director He Jin's voice cracked.

Then he turned to Li Qingyue, looking at her with the eyes of a dying man grasping at a final straw.

"Y-Your Excellency Qingyue—please say something!! This is time magic!! This has already exceeded—"

"I am very curious,"

Li Qingyue said.

Two words.

Director He Jin's expression froze.

"...What?"

"I said, I am very curious."

Li Qingyue's gaze shifted away from Su Bai and landed on Director He Jin. There was no pity in her crimson eyes.

"Su Bai's transformation effects—the stat increase rate, the maximum mana output, the actual combat efficacy of the exclusive magic. All of these require actual combat data. Since you actively volunteered to test—then test."

"I didn't volunteer!! Deputy Commander Xiao called on me!!"

"It's all the same."

Li Qingyue walked to the window, stepped onto the windowsill barefoot, and crossed her arms against the window frame. "Begin. I will record the entire process."

"Wa—"

"Begin."

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan slapped Director He Jin's back.

The force was so great that it sent him flying.

Director He Jin tumbled about half a turn in the air and crashed right into the center of the reception room in an extremely pathetic posture. His glasses flew off, but Lin Xiao's quick reflexes saved them.

"Th-thank you—"

"You're welcome. Good luck," Lin Xiao said expressionlessly.

Director He Jin scrambled up from the floor.

He took a deep breath, pulled a few cards out of his briefcase, and held them between his fingers. Then, he suppressed his mana fluctuations to the lowest level—the threshold of Level 19.

"Alright. Let's do this."

He pushed up his glasses.

Su Bai stood opposite him.

Wearing a dark dress and dark gray boots, the purple soul gem on the back of his hand gleamed coldly. On the shield on his left hand, the silver sand in the hourglass began to flow.

"Su Bai," Kyubey's voice echoed in his mind. "This is your first actual combat. I suggest you first familiarize yourself with the basic mobility of a Magical Girl. Although Time Stop is very powerful, it consumes a vast amount of mana. With your current mana pool, using it twice in a row will completely exhaust it."

"Understood."

Su Bai took a deep breath.

Then he moved.

He didn't shout any move names. He didn't strike any transformation poses. He just lightly tapped the tip of his foot on the ground—

And his entire body turned into a dark afterimage.

"So fast?!"

Director He Jin's pupils shrank. He instinctively activated his first defense card—a translucent barrier of pure mana materialized in front of him.

"But Su Bai's target wasn't him."

It was the ceiling.

He kicked off the ceiling, changing direction in mid-air to flip over Director He Jin's head before landing soundlessly.

The mobility of a Magical Girl.

Director He Jin spun around.

His second card activated—[Lightning Chain]. Several blue-white Lightning Chains shot out from the card, rapidly spreading along the floor and walls toward Su Bai. This wasn't an attack card; it was a binding card. The chains' purpose wasn't to deal damage, but to restrict the opponent's movement space.

Su Bai dodged to the side.

The first Lightning Chain grazed past his shoulder.

He leaped backward.

The second swept beneath his feet.

He flipped.

The third one—he failed to dodge.

The Lightning Chain wrapped around his left ankle.

"Got you—"

Director He Jin didn't even finish his sentence.

Because Su Bai had no intention of breaking free. He rolled forward along the pull of the Lightning Chain, crashing straight into Director He Jin's embrace—and then slammed the shield in his left hand directly into Director He Jin's face.

Bang!!

Director He Jin was smashed back three steps by the shield.

Nosebleed sprayed out.

"...Aren't you a Magical Girl?! Why aren't you using magic?! What kind of fighting style is bashing people with a shield?!"

Director He Jin clutched his nose, his voice changing.

"Isn't a shield meant for bashing people?"

Su Bai replied righteously.

On the sidelines.

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan's eyes burned with fanaticism. Her fingers tapped rapidly on the armrest.

"Strength amplification—at least 300%. Speed amplification—at least 400%. Reaction speed—unquantifiable, but clearly far exceeding the average level of Level 19. And—"

She paused.

"He hasn't even used magic yet."

Li Qingyue didn't speak.

She was looking at the shield on Su Bai's left hand.

That hourglass.

Just now, when Su Bai kicked off the ceiling to change direction, the silver sand in the hourglass had paused for a brief instant—an extremely brief instant, so fast that even the eyes of a Tier Nine powerhouse almost missed it.

But Li Qingyue had caught it.

"...It's not just mobility,"

she said softly.

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan turned to look at her. "What?"

"He hasn't even activated his ability yet. Those just now—were just the basic stats of a Magical Girl."

"You mean—"

"If he used his full strength right now, He Jin—"

Li Qingyue paused.

"wouldn't even survive a single move."

On the field.

Director He Jin wiped away his nosebleed and pushed up his glasses again. His gaze changed—the "I've been set up" look of resignation was gone, replaced by a serious scrutiny.

"Alright. I admit your basic mobility is impressive. You're faster than me, react better than me, and are stronger than me—but those are just base stats."

He pulled out a few more cards from his briefcase.

"Next—I will use my full strength. Of course, suppressed to Level 19. But you'd better use your magic. Otherwise—"

He activated the fourth card.

[Wind Binding Array]

Four small wind vortexes appeared around Su Bai simultaneously, forming a rapidly contracting wind pressure cage centered on him. The wind pressure squeezed inward from all directions—this wasn't a damage-dealing skill, but a crowd control one. The goal was to make the opponent completely unable to move for a short time.

"—you will lose."

Su Bai was trapped in the center of the wind pressure.

His skirt was whipped up by the wild wind. His dark gray boots slid two shallow marks on the ground.

But he didn't struggle.

He just raised his left hand.

On the shield, the hourglass—

stopped.

The world froze.

The wind walls of the wind pressure cage froze in mid-air. Every wisp of wind was clearly visible, like translucent threads frozen in amber.

Director He Jin's mouth was open, his expression frozen in a delicate state between confidence and anticipation.

Lin Xiao maintained her posture of pointing at Su Bai. Chairman Lin's lips were still held in a surprised curve.

Outside the window, the glass shards shattered by Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan's Flame Throne hovered in mid-air, every single piece completely still.

Li Qingyue stood in place. Her body was frozen—but Su Bai noticed that her eyes were slightly moving.

Extremely slowly.

Extremely faintly.

Like she was desperately using her Tier Nine Mental Power to resist the binding of the laws of time.

But that was all.

Su Bai let out a soft breath.

Then he extended his right hand.

Inside the shield, the storage space opened.

A pistol slid into his palm.

It wasn't a magical weapon. It was a pure, completely un-enchanted, ordinary pistol. The magazine was loaded with ordinary bullets. Gunpowder-propelled. Physical damage.

But in a world of stopped time—

this was a guaranteed-hit gun.

Su Bai raised the pistol.

He aimed at a spot half a meter above Director He Jin's shoulder—a safe zone that wouldn't hurt anyone. For a powerhouse like Director He Jin, even if ordinary firearms hit him directly, it would be hard to cause any real damage.

Then he thought about it.

And changed one gun to two.

Then changed two to—six.

Six pistols slid out of the shield simultaneously, hovering around Su Bai. He used his Mental Power to pull all six triggers at once. Six bullets shot out of the chambers, dragging six visible spiral air currents in the frozen space.

Then he pulled out two smoke grenades and three flashbangs from the shield.

He pulled the pins.

And tossed them at Director He Jin's feet.

Then—

He reached out.

And flipped the hourglass.

Time resumed.

Boom—!!!!

Six bullets hit the walls and floor around Director He Jin simultaneously. The smoke grenades exploded, instantly engulfing his vision in thick smoke. The flashbangs followed immediately, blinding white light bursting through the smoke, causing everyone to instinctively cover their eyes.

Then came a muffled thud.

Director He Jin was blown out of the smoke.

He wasn't hit by the bullets—the bullets had all struck the safe zone around him. He was blown away by the shockwave and the concussion of the flashbangs. He tumbled a full two turns in the air, his back slamming into the wall before he slid down.

His glasses fell off.

His briefcase flew to the other side of the room.

The hem of his military uniform shirt was finally completely untucked from his pants.

Silence.

Director He Jin slumped against the wall, his face covered in soot. His expression was no longer "I've been set up"—it was "What the hell did I just experience?"

On the sidelines.

Everyone's expressions froze.

Lin Xiao's mouth was wide open.

Chairman Lin was petrified.

Lin Weiwei had stood up from the corner at some point, holding her phone—probably trying to record, but the screen had long since blurred into a mess due to her shaking hands.

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan leaped up from her chair.

"—What was that just now?!"

There was no joking in her voice, no mockery, none of the schadenfreude of "I want to see all the military old guys turn into little girls." It was real, deep-seated shock bubbling up from the bottom of her heart.

"Bullets. Flashbangs. Smoke grenades."

She repeated, "At the exact same instant. The exact same frame. All of them hit."

She turned to Li Qingyue.

"You old hag—did you see it clearly?"

Li Qingyue didn't answer.

She stood by the window.

In her crimson eyes—the hourglass on Su Bai's left-hand shield, which was slowly resuming its flow, was reflected.

She was silent for a long time.

So long that Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan thought she hadn't heard.

Then she spoke.

Her voice was very soft, but every word sounded as if it were ground out from between her teeth.

"—Time magic."

Two words.

Dead silence filled the room.

Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan's smile froze.

Director He Jin scrambled up from the wall, his hand picking up his glasses freezing in mid-air.

Lin Xiao finally picked her Ice Bow Card back up, but the hand holding the card was trembling.

"What did you—say?" Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan's voice was extremely low.

"Time magic,"

Li Qingyue repeated. She jumped down from the windowsill, stepped onto the floor barefoot, and walked toward Su Bai step by step. With every step, the light in her crimson eyes grew brighter.

"At that moment just now—he stopped time."

She stopped in front of Su Bai.

She raised her head.

And looked up at him.

"Su Bai."

"Yes."

"How long can you stop it for?"

"However much sand there is currently, that's how long I can stop it."

"Sand..."

Li Qingyue chewed on those words in her mouth. Then she suddenly smiled.

It wasn't a cold, condescending smile.

It was the kind of smile—that a scholar, trapped in their own theoretical dilemma for thirty years, would make when they suddenly saw on someone else's paper a derivation process they had never conceived of but was completely correct.

"I see. It seems your magic is completely different from my puppet. It directly materializes into an hourglass that controls time. What a terrifying ability."

She asked curiously, "If cards can be activated in rapid succession... during the Time Stop, wouldn't you be able to activate an infinite number of cards? Well, at least to others, it would seem infinite."

Su Bai was stunned for a moment.

Then he realized the meaning behind Li Qingyue's question.

What was a Card Creator's way of fighting?

Activating cards.

Activating every single card required time—Mental Power injection, mana circuit operation, and effect release. High-level Card Creators could shorten this time, but shortening didn't mean eliminating. No matter how strong a Card Creator was, they could only activate one card at a time.

But what if—

What if they activated cards during a Time Stop—

Then, at the exact same instant—

They could unleash a massive number of cards.

"Theoretically," Su Bai's voice was a bit hoarse, "as long as my mana is sufficient... during the Time Stop, I can activate all the usable cards in my hand."

Li Qingyue's pupils contracted slightly.

Then she turned around.

And looked at Director He Jin.

"Director He. You can add another entry to your risk report."

"A-add what?"

"[The owner of this card possesses the ability to unleash multiple cards in rapid succession in actual combat.]"

She paused.

"[This ability, within all currently known combat systems—has no effective countermeasure.]"

Director He Jin's mouth was wide open.

Then he looked down at the crumpled risk report in his hand.

"...Fuck."

he said.

This was the first time in his twenty years of service that he had cursed in a formal setting.