"Since I’m here, let the girl go." My eyes were swollen almost shut, but I forced myself to lock gazes with the woman in black. Still, I must’ve looked utterly pathetic—she found my stubborn glare hilarious.

The woman in black studied me with amusement. "Not bad. Taking a beating from weaklings without fighting back, all for this girl’s sake? That’s man enough. Release her." At her command, the thugs untied Juyao. "Stream Lord, are you—?"

"Get out. I’ll handle this."

"But—"

One sharp glare silenced her. She only left with a promise to fetch help.

*Just staying away would be help enough.* The thugs parted for Juyao without hesitation—their fear of the woman in black was absolute.

"Tsk, tsk. She ran off so easily. Doesn’t trust you at all, does she?" the woman mocked.

I offered a faint smile. "She trusts me to win."

I summoned the Silver Clock—Time Silver. *Heal first, fight later.* Seconds later, every bruise and cut from the earlier beating vanished. "Now," I sneered at the woman in black, "let’s settle that debt you owe me."

She flinched at my sudden recovery. "Not ordinary at all. Good." She waved the thugs away. "All of you—leave." None dared object. Defying their leader meant death, even if she was a woman with a man’s ferocity and strength.

"Just us now," she said, cracking her knuckles. "I don’t hit women. Walk away, and I’ll let you live."

To her ears, my words were pure arrogance.

"Strength is proven in battle!" She lunged—a true battle maniac. No avoiding this fight.

I flicked four game coins into the air. After sparring with Tia, my Time Ability had sharpened. Now, I could accelerate all four simultaneously: tenfold, twentyfold, thirtyfold, fortyfold. Though thrown together, they’d strike in sequence, each impact amplifying the next.

Time Acceleration was my most efficient skill, but scaling it drained me fast. *Work smarter, not harder.*

My coins missed. She vanished before they flew halfway. *Teleportation?!* Rare, but not as rare as Time Ability. No wonder she’d challenged me alone.

A flying kick slammed into my face before I could react. She paired spatial power with brutal martial arts. I crashed ten meters back, cheek swelling. I triggered Time Acceleration just in time to dodge her stomp.

*She controls the rhythm too well. Only one option left.*

Time Stasis froze her mid-teleport behind me. No mercy—I drove a fist into her gut. She flew backward like I had earlier.

"You teleport too? Interesting!" To her, my movement during Stasis looked like teleportation. But one strike broke the effect—she had time resistance.

Worse: during her teleport, she phased out of this dimension. I had to freeze her *between* jumps to land a hit. Otherwise, I’d just eat her fists.

For the first time, fighting felt thrilling. Usually, I crushed opponents with time powers. But those resistant to time always pushed me to my limits.

Unlike her, I had Time Reversal to heal. Yet she’d learned my patterns—my freezes failed more often, and she’d retreat after every strike.

*Fine. Take the hits. Wait for her guard to drop.*

She appeared before me, a straight punch driving me back. Teeth rattled loose. Before I could recover, her boot crashed down. Pain exploded—ribs cracked. She leapt back instantly, keeping distance.

I lay motionless on the ground.

"Dead already?" she panted, wary.

I stayed still, secretly using Time Reversal to knit bones and stop bleeding. Passing out now meant true defeat.

She didn’t relax. After seeing my healing earlier, she knew better than to trust my stillness.

Silence stretched. Twenty minutes crawled by. Her patience frayed—typical for someone so fierce.

Her thick-soled boots clicked closer. *Closer… closer…* My ability’s range required sight. Eyes shut, I couldn’t freeze her yet.

At two arm’s lengths, I snapped my eyes open. "Time Stasis!"

She froze mid-step, teleportation untriggered.

I rose slowly. Victory was mine.

A single game coin glinted in my palm. At this range, under Stasis, she couldn’t dodge. Accelerated a hundredfold, it pierced her left thigh like a bullet. Blood seeped through her fingers.

"I win," I said flatly. She loved battle, but I wouldn’t kill her. "Don’t cross my path again." I turned toward the church doors.

"Wait!" She gripped her bleeding leg. "I admit defeat. But I won’t lose to a nameless man."

"Cold Creek," I said without looking back.