*WHAM!* *WHAM!* *BAM!*

Figures were sent flying left and right amongst the crowd. The weapons were flung around, almost piercing those who were near it.

*WHAM!*

A loud bangs resounded through the room, as heaves of air burst forth.

"What the hell... It's just one person... He can't even use his arms and legs properly! Why the fuck haven't we taken him out yet!?" One of the Kessho yelled out as he charged at Gray.

His build was large, gigantic even. He had a large round belly and arms twice the size of Gray's legs. He carried a large battle axe and swung it down at Gray.

[Trajectory Shift.]

[Fast-Forward.]

*WHAM!*

His mouth opened wide to cough out blood, a knee had struck him right in his gut, caving it in.

His giant body burst back, crashing against another two Kessho's which were in his path.

The formation was slightly disrupted but that didn't stop them. They continued to charge at Gray.

*Swoosh* *Swoosh*

Gray weaved left and right with his elbows tucked in, waiting for a chance to strike.

Left, right, down, he ducked on the third strike, barely avoiding a horizontal swing which had come from behind.

*Bang!*

Whilst crouched, he kicked off the ground, crashing his head against another Kessho's chin.

The Kessho's head cocked back, the bottom of his chin had reddened and bruised, but that was it.

With his crystal red eyes resting beneath his bald forehead, he looked down at Gray with a grin.

But the grin didn't last long it was wiped off his face as Gray's bloody shoes were thrust at his head. He had used the momentum from his knee to rotate his body backwards in order to perform this manuaver.

*SLAM!*

[Pause.]

With his face caved in the man's entire figure paused in place, Gray's feet had hit him with so much power that it was a surprise that neither of them had bounced back.

The reason was that Gray had paused not only him but himself, rather a platform behind him so that he wouldn't bounce back.

With the Kessho's body frozen in the air, and with his own back against the platform, Gray began unleashing a barrage of kicks on the Kessho's head, further caving it in as a result.

Gray barely had the opportunity to only execute five kicks, but before he could do anymore...

"What are you waiting for!? Don't worry about damaging the ship, use your abilities!" The beige red haired Kessho shouted.

*SCHREEEEEECH!*

Blood popped out of Gray's ears, his eyes widened as a strong sound wave crashed at him.

With each second that passed, the feeling of his earbuds exploding grew stronger. It was too much for him to handle.

[Pause Step.]

With his ears still ringing, he appeared beside the first Kessho he had attacked. The beige red haired one with glowing fists.

He was probably the most respected one there since they were all listening

With his feet pressing against the chest of the Kessho beside the respected one, veins bulged out of his leg before he leapt off of it to header him.

The beige red haired Kessho grinned and swung an upper cut right at Gray's face as he drew closer to him.

To Gray's surprise, another sound wave came crashing towards him from the sides. The one causing it wasn't worried at all about attacking their companions, and they were too lost in rage to care either.

[Sonic Scream.]

But that wasn't all.

[Force Field Generation.]

*Thud!*

To Gray's surprise, his head crashed against a mysterious blue spherical forcefield which had appeared around the Kessho.

His pupils dilated, as the red glowing fist was now right before his eyes.

He was going to be hit, a direct one too.

Could he really survive another one?

[Pause Level ???: Incomplete time Stop.]

The colours in the room were vanquished, everything had turned black and white.

All movements had seized, all except for Gray's eyes which scanned the surroundings left and right.

What he saw sent a chill down his spine.

It wasn't just the sonic scream, the glowing fist and the forcefield which he had to worry about.

To his left, two ability users had their weapons and arms in a motion of a swing towards him, an ability had activated and launched different, sinister looking projectiles towards him.

But that wasn't what creeped out Gray.

It was what he saw above him.

In the ceiling he could see the face of a Kessho, looking down at him.

Just a face.

It's entire body was submerged into the ceiling leaving only the head poking out. It's eyes were glued to Gray.

He hadn't even felt it's presence.

A grin grew on Gray's face as he muttered. "Interesting."

He proceeded to look back at the attacks which were making their way towards him.

The sound shockwave was the closest out of all of them, if it hit him he could really go death.

[Future Sight: Level 1.]

To his surprise, the artifact worked even in the world of stopped time.

He could see the paused outlines of the attacks striking him, and based on what he could see...

They were all going to hit.

On top of that he had been fighting for a whole minute straight without breathing at all, it was only thanks to his high stamina stat that he was able to hold on for this long.

But he was already running low on air, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold his breath.

Gray sighed inwardly.

'I warned you all...' He thought to himself with a cold gaze.

[7 seconds remaining.]

Gray's body dropped to the floor, with his Katana in between his elbows, he swung it towards the head of the beige red haired Kessho, slicing through his neck in one clean swing.

Although the water was still attached to his body, it's time was resumed. However it wasn't making any progress.

Rather... To Gray's surprise, it was as if the water's consciousness had vanished, while it remained active, it had relatively weakened and no longer covered his mouth.

Gray grinned upon seeing this.

He made sure to soak in as much air as he could whilst he attacked the other

*Spurt*

The blood which spurt out from their cuts instantly paused once the sword left contact.

Without wasting any time, Gray blitzed through the room, swing his sword relentlessly as he slashed at the necks of all the Kessho's in his path.

Swing, Swing, Swing.

[Fast-Forward.]

It didn't work, none of his skills worked in the world of paused time. But it was fine, he kept going.

[4 seconds remaining.]

Countless blood particles were suspended in the air. All the Kessho who had unleashed their abilities on him had been slashed up in his dash.

[2 seconds remaining.]

With just two seconds remaining, Gray had finished the last of all the ones who had surrounded him to attack him.

Their necks were all sliced off their head, in the very same spot.

And there was nothing they could do about it.

[1 Second remaining.]

Gray leapt off the top of the head of one of the Kessho's heads which he had sliced and made his sliced off, before making his way up to the ceiling.

Thanks to his superior prowess, even without pause step, he made it to celling lamp with just a single leap.

Gray clenched tightly down on his elbows to get a firm grip on the Katana, before swinging it vertically towards the face which was staring at him.

He could feel that it was the most dangerous Kessho he had encountered. His instincts were screaming it.

[Time resumed.]

*Slash!*

'Did it- What?'

Gray's eyes widened, his heart skipped a beat as his Katana's blade ended up going right past it. He hadn't even felt a connection.

The eye of the Kessho also widened as it noticed Gray's sudden appearance.

Before Gray could make any other moves, it's head sunk into the ceiling and before it vanished.

Gray clicked his tongue as he landed on top of a platform.

He looked left and right, to confirm it.

It had gotten away.

Still, he kept his guard up. Since he couldn't sense it's presence, there was no telling when it could come back. It probably went to call for reinforcements.

"Speaking of reinforcements..." Gray muttered as he looked down at the surprised Kessho's

The beige red haired Kessho had a confused look on his face, as he glanced around. Not just him but the other Kessho.

"Where'd he go- Huh...?"

The beige red haired Kessho was interrupted as the world suddenly flipped upside down.

With a confused look on his face, the last sight he saw, was one that would haunt him even after death, if there was anywhere waiting for him.

The sight of not just him, but all of them being decapitated, along with their bloods spurting out and painting the room, shook his very soul.

'How...?'

That was the one thought which flashed by his mind before everything became pitch-black.

[You have killed a Kessho.]

[You have killed a Kessho.]

[Kills exceeded expectations.]

[Calculating total kills.]

[You have killed 20 Kessho's in total.]

[You have earned 2610 XP.]

[Congratulations, You have levelled up!]

[You are now Level 7.]

The notifications rang inside of Gray's head like chimes, just hearing them alone, he even he couldn't hold in the Joy he was feeling from it.

The girl in her liquified water form, trembled in fear. She didn't even bother to attempt to drown him anymore, as she watched the sight unveil just like he did.

But that wasn't what shook her the most, it was the expression he making.

His cheeks were flushed red and he had a wide smile on his face, he seemed genuinely happy.

That expression, it made her realise... She had messed with the wrong person.

'Is it too late to beg for my life? No... I must prevent him from passing, even if it costs me my life, and besides...'

*Cough*

Gray coughed out blood, as he dropped to his knees on the platform.

His heavy pants turned into gurgles, as his insides and throat were filled with blood from many of his organs having been ruptured, making it much harder for him to breath.

[Warning, Health has reached a criticial state.]

If he was in this condition, then it was now or never. She'd be able to take advantage of him in this case without a doubt.

Instead of begging for mercy, this was what she chose to put her faith in.

[Liquification: Drowning.]

Her water covered his bloodied, mouth and nose making it so that he couldn't breathe.

And yet like some sort of lunatic, he was still smiling.

'Why...? He's chugging down the water, he'll be dead from drowning within seconds at this rate. So why...?! Why is he smiling!? And what... Just what is he looking at!?'

A wide smile was present on Gray's face, after all the most unexpected outcome had reached him.

His eyes were glued to the screen in front of him, with his remaining strength he moved his elbows forward to press on the screen.