Chapter 369: Esdeath's Time Freeze
This was her Teigu.
Demon's Manifestation: Demon's Essence!
Forged from the blood of a super-dangerous species said to dwell in the northern polar regions, it resembled more a sorcerer's bloodline elixir than a traditional Teigu.
Just a sip—
and if one could resist the spiritual assault of the creature's residual will without going insane,
they would gain control over the element of ice.
But before Esdeath,
everyone who drank the Demon's Essence had gone mad.
Even a small sip was enough to succumb to the remnant's influence.
Then Esdeath appeared.
Not only did she become the Teigu user of Demon's Essence,
she drank the entire container in one go.
And Mahapadma was her Teigu's ultimate technique—
a power that could freeze space and time.
Though its duration was short,
once activated, no living being could perceive the passage of time, much less move.
To them, it was as if time had stopped entirely.
In that sense,
Esdeath was invincible across the Empire and, perhaps, the world.
It had been a long time since she'd used her time-freezing ability.
But this prey… truly wasn't bad at all.
Esdeath sauntered forward, her long legs elegant and curvaceous.
Wherever she stepped, the space around her turned a shimmering ice-blue.
Buzz…
She extended an arm, and a bone-chilling ice blade formed in her hand.
Like a cat toying with a mouse, she thrust the blade toward Erza's chest.
Clang!
The Heaven's Wheel Armor, saturated with magic power, shattered the ice blade on impact.
Esdeath licked her lips, growing more excited.
She adjusted her posture and aimed her next strike at a less-protected part of the armor—
"You can't kill her. Stop."
A calm voice rang out.
Esdeath's wrist was suddenly grabbed by a figure who had been watching the whole time.
She tilted her head slightly
and saw a woman dressed in a shrine maiden's white robe and red hakama—like something out of a temple.
Long black hair, dark and clear eyes, a pale, youthful face.
She was stunning, but there was a deep complexity in her expression.
Esdeath didn't understand.
As a ruthless hunter,
she had never encountered anyone with such an expression,
a strange mix of sorrow and gentleness… yet firm resolve.
A strange woman.
"Who are you?"
Esdeath's brows furrowed deeply, even a hint of tension flickered in her eyes.
It had been a long time since she'd felt like this.
It reminded her of her childhood,
when she'd encountered super-dangerous beasts on the frozen tundra—
a primal sense of danger.
Notably,
the old-fashioned bow on the shrine maiden's back, though it didn't look like a Teigu,
radiated an overwhelming sense of threat.
And most importantly—
She could move freely within the frozen time-space of Mahapadma?
"I am Kikyo. A wandering shrine maiden."
Seeing Esdeath no longer struggle, Kikyo released her grip.
Her gaze was cool and distant,
like a divine statue long hidden in a temple—
immaculate and emotionless.
"She has a strong energy inside her… it's not spiritual power,
but it makes her body incredibly powerful."
Kikyo reached out,
her pale, delicate fingers gently touching Erza's red hair.
This was how she sensed energy.
"You can't kill her.
If you stop now, we can avoid unnecessary conflict."
Kikyo spoke calmly.
"Our current situation seems… special.
This may not be the world we think it is.
Let's sit down and talk."
In truth, she was confused too.
She had just been resurrected by the demoness Kikyō Reiko,
but somehow ended up here in this unfamiliar land.
A strange girl clad in metal armor.
A woman who could freeze time.
Nothing resembled her experiences back in the country of Musashi.
Magic power, bloodline abilities from super-dangerous species—it was all foreign.
In her world, there was only spiritual power and demonic energy.
So she boldly concluded—
this place was exceedingly strange,
and perhaps they weren't even from the same world.
Whoosh…
The ice-blue space froze time like a tide retreating.
As Erza regained consciousness,
she found that Esdeath—previously at a safe distance—was now standing right in front of her,
ice blade in hand,
ready to stab her chest.
Beside her
stood a beautiful, expressionless woman who looked more like a collectible figurine than a person.
Erza leapt back.
"Teleportation magic? …No, the space was sealed?"
Her combat instincts were sharp.
In just two seconds, she deduced her opponent's ability.
What terrifying power…
Compared to this, even Gray's ice magic seemed like a child's game.
This woman could freeze space and thought alike.
"Thank you, Miss Figurine—I mean, Shrine Maiden!"
Judging from her stance,
the woman in red had intervened and ignored the time-freeze to stop the attack.
Erza smiled warmly.
Her dazzling armor, her vibrant red hair, and her striking beauty
made that smile feel like a ray of sunshine even to Kikyo.
But… figurine?
What kind of title was that?
Sure enough… the ice mage, the knight in armor, and herself—
they must all be from very distant worlds.
Kikyo was not only beautiful and powerful,
but also wise—one of the most brilliant shrine maidens in centuries.
It was thanks to women like her
that humans survived through the demonic chaos of the Sengoku era.
"Ughhh… Wakuwaku… I really shouldn't have eaten Anya's brother's liquor-filled chocolate cake. I'm having such weird dreams!"
Wearing a fancy school uniform, a little girl with shoulder-length pink hair and big green eyes
groggily sat up and yawned.
She'd dozed off during her lunch break at school
after sneaking a cake that her older brother had tossed away, claiming it was disgusting.
The sweet liquor filling made her dizzy—
and she'd quickly drifted to sleep.
Now, opening her eyes,
she saw three stunning big sisters—so beautiful they could rival her mama—
locked in an intense staredown.
Ice blades, bows, armor…
It was like a fairy tale come to life.
"Hahaha! I wanna torment them so badly!"
"The red-haired armored one… and that emotionless ice doll shrine maiden—
I wonder what kind of faces they'd make under my torture…"
Anya's eyes widened in terror as her gaze landed on Esdeath's curvaceous form.
Her lingering drowsiness evaporated instantly.
That insane laughter? A woman into torture?
So scary…
Wait, something's wrong.
Anya squinted suspiciously, rubbing her chubby little chin.
"If this is a dream, I should be able to wake up now."
She turned toward the calm, lovely shrine maiden beside her.
"For someone like me, who's already dead… should I really still linger in this world?"
Anya's face froze.
Besides the crazy lady—
now there was a ghost?
Trying to act casual, she very obviously covered her head and dropped to the ground.
The teachers at the academy said
if you're trapped in a nightmare, you should hold your breath—
once your body realizes something's impossible, you'll wake up instantly.
Anya held her breath.
Her face turned red.
She nearly suffocated.
Then she peeked up—
Only to see three cold, unblinking stares fixed on her.
She was done for.
Anya was in big, big trouble.
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