Chapter 140. Time Eater
A space where time doesn’t exist.
In other words, a space where time is unified.
In that place, the Time Eater summoned the Gauntlet from five years in the past.
Gauntlet, who had been dropped into an unfamiliar space, was momentarily flustered.
It wasn’t the first time he had experienced a boss room via spatial transfer, but it wasn’t something he encountered frequently either.
Of course, this wasn’t exactly a boss room, but still.
In any case, he quickly regained his composure.
After grasping the current situation.
He was sure that this place was a boss room and scrutinized the Time Eater before him.
SSS-rank.
The moment he confirmed the unbelievably high danger level.
"That clock-head’s danger level is SSS-rank? Am I seeing things?"
Gauntlet instinctively took a step back.
And in an instant, countless thoughts swirled through Gauntlet’s mind.
A being of a different caliber than the monsters he had faced so far.
The strongest monster with an extraordinary level of strength.
An SSS-rank threat, whose existence itself had been a mystery.
He questioned whether this place was even reality.
For a moment, he even thought it might be an illusion.
But such distractions quickly vanished.
The identity of that monster wasn’t important at the moment.
There was only one thought that firmly occupied Gauntlet’s mind.
It was finally time to use the fifth opportunity of his unique ability, which he had carefully saved for the past eleven months.
Gauntlet decided without hesitation to use his ability.
***
The moment the Time Eater saw the Gauntlet he summoned from the past, he was certain his decision had been correct.
Compared to the current him, Gauntlet was infinitely weaker, and it seemed that the past Gauntlet didn’t possess any power to weaken his opponent either.
"The past version should be easy to kill. But I won’t let him die easily."
The Time Eater had no intention of letting Gauntlet go peacefully.
Gauntlet was the enemy who had once taken his life.
He intended to give Gauntlet nothing but despair and frustration, tormenting him until he begged for death.
Should he pretend to be weak for now?
Let Gauntlet feel hope, only to crush it later?
What kind of pain should he inflict first?
Thinking about how he would toy with Gauntlet, the Time Eater indulged in the luxury that only the strong possessed.
He thought there would be no problem enjoying this leisurely.
The gap between him and Gauntlet was too vast to be bridged.
The Time Eater decided to start by revealing his name.
It was important to hear the name of the one you were going to kill, but it was equally important for the opponent to know the name of the one killing them.
Just as the Time Eater was about to introduce himself.
[Greetings. My name is Time Eater...]
"Equal Duel, activate."
Paaaah-!
Gauntlet activated the ability, Equal Duel.
In an instant, the space that the Time Eater had created vanished.
And Gauntlet and the Time Eater were dropped into a space called the “Field of Balance.”
The Field of Balance was a modest room covered in yellow wallpaper.
It was roughly the size of a medium convenience store, around 30 pyeong (about 1,000 square feet).
The room was empty.
And there was only one way to escape this place.
One of them, Gauntlet or the Time Eater, had to die.
[W-What is this space...?]
The Time Eater’s voice trembled.
His domain had collapsed.
He couldn’t believe this unfamiliar space had appeared.
What was even more shocking.
In this space, not only could he not manipulate time, but he couldn’t use a single one of his abilities.
"You’ve got a peculiar face, but your voice is just as strange."
It seemed like it would be something to remember for a long time.
As Gauntlet was thinking this.
The Time Eater glared at Gauntlet fiercely and asked.
[Could it be... you were hiding your abilities earlier?]
"What nonsense. You talk as if we’ve met before or something."
The Time Eater's gaze locked onto Gauntlet.
He felt like Gauntlet was now a completely different being than just a few seconds ago.
Unlike before, when he seemed weaker than a bug.
Now, he exuded a force that seemed to match his own.
Before the Time Eater had a chance to process this confusing situation, Gauntlet spoke again.
"You just introduced yourself as the Time Eater, right?"
[......]
"Time Eater. First, let me explain this space and the rules. We can’t start the fight until I explain them to you."
[......]
"Why are you suddenly keeping your mouth shut? Don’t you know the rules? Just think of it as the basic rules for combat in this space."
[What trickery have you pulled...?]
Ignoring the Time Eater’s words, Gauntlet continued.
"And in this space, you can’t use magic, superpowers... well, basically any of those abilities. It’s been balanced for a fair fight. Neither side can have even the slightest advantage. So, in short, only hand-to-hand combat is allowed here. You can’t even use weapons since you’re limited to physical strength."
[What...?]
"Oh, and since your abilities are all gone, your physical strength will have increased to make up for it. So, while your abilities are gone, you’re not weaker. Don’t worry. I’m just as strong as you are now."
[What is this nonsense you keep spouting!]
No matter what the Time Eater said, Gauntlet paid no mind and continued his explanation.
He had to finish explaining the rules to his opponent before the fight could proceed.
"Oh, I also need to explain the name of this space. This place is called the Field of Balance. Right now, you and I are physically at exactly the same level, without even the slightest difference."
After quickly explaining the space.
Gauntlet took a breath and then explained the rules of the fight.
"Lastly, the rules... or rather, the fighting rules. Do you know what a one-punch fight is?"
[One-punch...?]
"To put it simply, it’s a fight where we take turns throwing a punch. It doesn’t matter where you hit. Oh, and if you don’t counter within one minute after getting hit, you lose your chance to throw your punch... or rather, your turn. Keep that in mind. A timer will appear when the fight begins."
[Is that supposed to be a fight? Are you mocking me?]
"Does it look like a joke?"
Gauntlet’s expression turned cold.
Seeing that expression, the Time Eater realized this wasn’t a joke.
He also grasped the situation more clearly.
This was a unique space activated by a power far superior to his own.
If he didn’t accept the fight Gauntlet proposed, there was no way to escape this place.
The Time Eater decided to play along with Gauntlet for now.
[Fine. I’ll accept the fight. But before that, let me ask you one thing. What happens if I lose this one-punch game?]
"You die."
[......]
"You’re not scared, are you? You are SSS-rank after all."
[How dare you. I do not possess the emotion of fear. Furthermore, there’s no chance that I will lose.]
"Confident, aren’t you?"
[But who attacks first? With rules like this, there must be a way to determine who strikes first.]
"There’s no such thing. The first person to strike gets the first move. That’s the only unfair thing in this space."
[What?]
"Explanation over."
A timer appeared in mid-air.
At that moment.
"First strike wins."
SMAAACK-!
Gauntlet’s fist smashed into the Time Eater’s face.
The Time Eater rolled on the ground, and a slight crack appeared on his clock-like face.
[You... you coward!]
"There’s no such thing as cowardice in a fight, is there? Of course, it’s smarter to wait for the right moment and strike quickly."
[What kind of fair fight is this? You knew the rules in advance, so you were prepared to strike first!]
"If you had my ability, you could’ve done the same."
SMAAACK-!
This time, the Time Eater’s fist landed on Gauntlet’s face.
And so, the two began exchanging blows, one after another.
Gauntlet and the Time Eater.
Both of them were now at the same mental state as well.
In this fight, the winner would be the one who struck first.
Or the one who clung to life with more desperation, the one whose will to live burned brighter.
*
*
*
Even if you have the power to manipulate time.
Even if you are a god of time who rules as a higher being in the celestial realm.
You can never meet yourself from another timeline.
Of course, you can’t summon yourself from another timeline either.
Furthermore, killing a being from a specific timeline.
Won’t affect the identical being from another timeline.
In other words, you can’t kill the present by killing the past.
However.
A being capable of making the impossible, possible was born.
His name was Time Eater.
Since his SS-rank days, he was an abnormal existence born with the twisted ability to break the laws of dimensions.
The Time Eater himself knew this.
That’s why he was utterly convinced that, in his complete form, there was no way he could be defeated by anyone.
*
*
*
Inside the Field of Balance.
Gauntlet and the Time Eater had exchanged 8,500 blows.
Both were in a miserable state after the intense exchange of attacks.
Gauntlet’s entire body, covered in blood, was swollen and bruised, with no intact parts remaining.
The Time Eater’s once solid body was now dented and cracked, and more than half of his clock-like face had shattered, leaving him in a pitiful state.
And then.
"Just... die already!"
As Gauntlet’s turn came, he threw his trembling arm with all his might.
Boom-!
Unable to withstand the impact, the Time Eater collapsed to the ground.
Soon after.
Cracks began to form all over the Time Eater’s body.
The tiny fractures crossed the remaining pieces of his clock face, then quickly spread throughout his entire body.
[This... can’t... be...]
His voice scattered into the air.
Cogs, clock parts, and fragments of his body crumbled, and the Time Eater’s body collapsed like a sandcastle.
However.
Even as his existence was being erased, the Time Eater had no regrets.
Normally, one would regret not finishing off Gauntlet immediately.
Regret having wasted time toying with him.
But the Time Eater didn’t feel that way.
He thought it was better to lose his life again than to have easily killed his enemy without toying with him.
And so, the Time Eater vanished as Gauntlet’s final victim.
On that day, Gauntlet gained the body of an SSS-rank.