In the world where time had stopped, after asking his question, Cid simply stood there and watched Beta, waiting for her answer.
One minute. Three minutes. Five minutes. Ten minutes.
As time passed in silence, Beta remained frozen mid-swing, her hand blade aimed at Alexia, completely unmoving. Only her face had turned slightly pale… pale?
Cid suddenly realized something and snapped his fingers.
"Snap!"
The instant the sound rang out, Beta's body, which had been completely immobile no matter how hard she tried, finally began to move.
The air that had seemed to solidify started flowing again. Her body, already suffering from a lack of oxygen, instinctively reacted and she gasped for breath.
"Thud!"
But after taking just one breath, her body, suddenly freed and thrown off balance, pitched forward and slammed into something like an invisible wall, producing a dull impact.
Fortunately, Beta's control was solid. After hitting the "wall" once, she quickly adjusted and steadied herself.
Once she regained her balance, she cautiously reached out, but after extending her hand only a few dozen centimeters, she felt resistance, as if something was blocking her.
"Don't bother. That's just air that's no longer flowing, not some invisible barrier."
Watching her movements, Cid paused briefly before explaining.
When time stops, the movement of gases stops as well. Unlike the kind of time-stop abilities you see in certain fictional settings, Cid's version followed a more consistent logic.
In other words, if an ordinary person who was not affected by "The World" entered this frozen world, they would die very quickly.
Flowing air fills every corner of the world. Once that flow stops, it is like being buried inside hardened concrete. You cannot move at all.
On top of that, the air is no longer in a usable state. It cannot be drawn into the lungs to supply oxygen. At best, a person could only survive for a few minutes on the oxygen already inside their body.
That was exactly what had just happened to Beta. By deliberately excluding her from the effects of "The World," the air that normally surrounds and sustains life had instead become both a restraint and a silent killer.
Afterward, Cid extended that exclusion to the area within a dozen centimeters around her. Only then did the air in that small space return to a state where it could flow and be breathed.
Even so, she could only last for about ten minutes at most. Within that limited space, she was the only one consuming oxygen, and there was nothing to replenish it. Once the oxygen ran out, it would still end in death.
So using time stop the way it is often portrayed in fiction to do whatever you want is impossible.
Because his "The World" is true time stop.
To be precise, the so-called "time stop" in certain fictional settings is not even worth mentioning. It cannot even halt blood flow or nerve responses. At best, it is just a large-scale immobilization.
If it cannot stop the movement of air, particles, and even light, how can it be called time stop?
As for why he could move freely in a world where time had stopped…
Cid glanced at the "wall" of air being pushed aside as his body moved.
Something like time stop could not compare to a body like his, forged through relentless training.
For most people who are not affected by time stop, being in a completely frozen world would feel like being buried underground.
For him, though, it was more like swimming in the sea. There was some resistance, but nothing serious.
There was no need to worry about air either. His body had long since overcome the need for water and oxygen. He had never tested it, but he was fairly sure he could even survive by consuming soil or minerals.
"This is my first time bringing someone along while using The World. I did not handle it well. Sorry, Beta."
While explaining, Cid paused for a moment before apologizing.
He had instinctively treated Beta as if she were the same as him and applied his own standards to her. If not for Beta's unusually strong constitution, she really would have died because of his mistake.
Even so, the reason he noticed in time was precisely because of her resilience. She had endured nearly ten minutes of oxygen deprivation before her face started turning pale, which allowed him to realize something was wrong.
Still, a mistake was a mistake. He had no intention of denying it.
That said, if even Beta, with her relatively weak Elf physique, could endure ten minutes without oxygen, then how long could stronger individuals or special races last? It was a bit intriguing.
On second thought, not worth testing. Anyone who could die from lack of oxygen probably was not that strong to begin with.
"First time? This is the first time Shadow-sama has brought someone along? Do the other Seven Shadows know about this, Shadow-sama?"
"?"
Something is seriously wrong with you.
Looking at the expectation in Beta's eyes, Cid fell silent.
He had always known Beta's admiration for him was a bit excessive, but he did not expect it to be this extreme. She had almost died just now. Almost died.
And the only thing she cared about was whether she could brag about this to the others?
Glancing at Beta, Cid felt that it was necessary to properly correct her sense of values.