Chapter 200: Three Minutes

Xanxus lunged.

Reinhard met him head-on, his Right Hand of God forming a crimson blade that collided with the black-and-white sword. The impact shattered the floor beneath them, but Reinhard held his position long enough for Emily to move.

She raised Tepes and cut through the spatial interval behind Xanxus. A silver corridor opened beside his shoulder, allowing her to attack from an angle his sword could not immediately cover.

Xanxus twisted and blocked her strike.

The collision threw Emily backward, but she used the corridor to redirect herself before hitting the collapsing wall. She landed on a fractured platform and opened her Domain.

Infinity: The Eternal Expanse.

Silver lines spread across the ruined tower, connecting broken platforms and the empty spaces between them. The air shimmered as Emily’s authority settled over the battlefield.

Xanxus took one step forward.

His movement was strangely smooth. The transition between his steps felt effortless, and the black-and-white energy trailing his sword followed his intentions with frightening precision.

He looked down at his hand before turning toward Emily.

"Interesting. Your Domain improves my movements."

Emily kept Tepes raised. "Does it?"

Xanxus laughed and turned toward Reinhard.

His sword descended, forcing Reinhard to block with both hands. The impact drove him backward across the broken floor, and Xanxus followed with another strike before he could recover.

Emily watched the energy surrounding Xanxus.

For a brief instant, it flickered.

She had noticed something similar during their previous exchanges, always after Xanxus made a particularly forceful movement. The disturbance was small, but now that her Domain was active, she could see it more clearly.

She needed to understand what it meant before risking everything on a guess.

Xanxus attacked again. Emily opened a corridor beside his sword, redirecting its trajectory just enough for Reinhard to escape. Reinhard countered, but Xanxus caught the crimson blade with his own.

"You’re getting slower," Xanxus observed.

Reinhard smiled through his strained breathing. "And you’re getting more talkative. I suppose we all have our weaknesses."

Xanxus drove his knee into Reinhard’s stomach and sent him crashing through a broken pillar.

"Reinhard!" Emily shouted.

"Still alive!" he called from the rubble. "Although I’d appreciate it if someone informed him that I’m a husband, not a training dummy!"

Xanxus ignored him and turned toward Emily.

His sword swept across the platform. She cut through the space beside her and escaped the strike, but the resulting shockwave shattered the ledge beneath her feet. She shortened the distance to another platform and landed hard, feeling the strain of maintaining her Domain settle deeper into her body.

Xanxus was forcing her to spend more Mana with every exchange.

Yet when he swung again, the black-and-white glow around his chest briefly fractured before returning to normal.

Emily’s eyes narrowed.

The disturbance appeared after his transformation exerted itself, not when her attacks struck him. She began changing her approach, opening corridors that forced him to change direction and redirecting his attacks so that he had to recover before striking again.

Xanxus mistook the change for desperation.

"You have finally realized that you cannot defeat me through strength alone."

Emily slipped through a corridor and emerged behind him. "You certainly seem confident."

"Why shouldn’t I be?"

He turned and attacked before she could answer.

Emily barely escaped the blade. Her boots scraped across the platform as she caught herself with Tepes, and she looked toward the rubble where Reinhard had fallen.

She needed his help.

A section of the tower exploded as Reinhard emerged, blood running from the corner of his mouth. His Right Hand of God remained intact, and he immediately activated Combat Analysis Enhanced.

Five projected attack paths appeared in his perception, showing the possible directions Xanxus could take before committing to a strike. However, the projections shifted almost immediately as Xanxus moved, making his attacks difficult to predict.

"That’s certainly inconvenient," Reinhard muttered.

He activated Enhanced Veil, concealing the activation of three skills simultaneously, and advanced with his crimson blade raised.

Xanxus turned toward him.

Danger Intuition warned Reinhard of the incoming strike, allowing him to block just in time. The force drove him backward, but he deliberately allowed himself to be pushed toward a broken section of the floor.

Xanxus followed, eager to capitalize on the opening.

That was when Emily moved.

Eternal Moment — Crossroads of Infinity.

Silver corridors appeared around Xanxus, connecting his position to several points across the ruined tower. Emily shortened the routes of her own attacks while disrupting the spatial adjustments Xanxus relied on to defend himself.

Tepes swept toward his side.

Xanxus blocked it, but the movement carried him directly into Reinhard’s attack.

Eyes Of Domination.

Reinhard eyes turned grey and then Xanxus froze. As he felt his mind being transported to a place of pure darkness. One that seemed to drag his thoughts away, leaving him open with his mana reinforcement faltering.

Right Hand of God — Instant Strike.

Reinhard’s crimson blade crossed the distance instantaneously, striking Xanxus across the torso. The blow tore through the black-and-white energy surrounding his chest and forced him backward.

Emily followed with a thrust of Tepes.

But Xanxus recovered from the event horizon as he moved his arms. He caught the weapon between his sword and his free hand, but the spatial force drove him to one knee. Reinhard immediately used Spatial Push, compressing the space around their opponent and sending him crashing through another wall.

Reinhard landed beside his wife, breathing heavily. His Right Hand of God flickered before stabilizing, and the Heavenly Pillars behind him had dimmed considerably.

Emily glanced at him. "You all right?"

"I’ve been better. I’ve also been worse, and on one occasion I was forced to attend a family dinner with Lily after she discovered an unlimited dessert buffet."

"I’m surprised you survived."

"I’m very resilient."

The rubble exploded before Emily could answer.

Xanxus emerged, his body already repairing itself. Black-and-white energy flowed across his damaged torso, sealing the wound left by Reinhard’s Instant Strike.

Emily ignored the healing flesh and watched the energy around it.

It flickered again.

This time, the disturbance lasted long enough for her to see the pattern clearly. The black-and-white light gathered around the damaged area, attempted to stabilize, and then briefly lost its smooth flow before recovering.

Xanxus rolled his shoulder.

"You have improved your coordination," he said. "But none of your attacks matter if I can recover from them."

Emily glanced toward Reinhard and made a small movement with her fingers.

Keep him here.

Reinhard understood without asking why.

He advanced, forcing Xanxus to meet him near the center of the tower. Emily followed from the opposite side, using Tepes to close the routes through which their opponent might escape.

Their weapons collided, and the resulting shockwave shattered another section of the floor. Reinhard held his guard while Emily cut through the spatial interval beside Xanxus, forcing him to turn and defend against her attack.

Xanxus blocked both weapons before releasing a burst of black-and-white energy that threw them apart.

Emily landed heavily on a narrow platform.

Her Mana was running low. Maintaining Infinity against an opponent of Xanxus’s caliber required constant concentration, and she could not keep it active indefinitely. She had found a possible weakness, but she still needed time to confirm it.

Across the chamber, Xanxus examined his sword. The energy flowing along its edge had become more pronounced, and his next movement carried him forward with even greater smoothness.

He seemed delighted.

"My transformation has never felt this stable," he said. "Your Domain is quite useful, Emily Ashcroft."

Emily said nothing.

She allowed him to believe whatever he wanted.

Xanxus looked toward the silver lines spreading across the tower. His own Domain had been consuming power throughout the battle, and maintaining it while fighting two opponents was becoming unnecessary if Emily’s territory was already helping him.

The black-and-white boundaries of Spatial Throne — The Sovereign of Distance began to fade.

Reinhard noticed the change and glanced at Emily.

She gave him the smallest nod.

Xanxus dismissed his Domain completely.

The surrounding space returned to normal, leaving Infinity as the only active Domain across the battlefield. Xanxus’s movements became even more fluid as he devoted his attention entirely to attacking.

Reinhard began to laugh.

Xanxus paused. "What is so amusing?"

"Nothing important," Reinhard replied, wiping blood from his mouth. "I was just thinking that my wife has been very helpful to you."

Emily allowed herself a faint smile. "I’m glad you’re enjoying the assistance."

Xanxus’s sword stopped moving.

He looked from Emily to Reinhard, then down at the silver lines beneath his feet. Suspicion replaced his confidence just as the energy around his chest flickered again.

This time, it did not recover immediately.

A thin fracture spread across the black-and-white glow. Xanxus gathered more energy around his body, but the transformation responded with an irregular pulse.

His regeneration had repaired his flesh. It had not restored the stability of the power surrounding him.

For the first time since his transformation, Xanxus stopped smiling.

"How long?" he asked.

Emily remained silent.

He looked at the silver lines again, remembering the strange smoothness of his movements and the repeated fluctuations around his chest. His expression hardened as the pieces fell into place.

"Your Domain..."

Reinhard’s smile widened. "Now you’re paying attention."

Xanxus lunged before they could say anything more.

Emily activated Eternal Moment — One Unreachable Second, shortening the interval between herself and Xanxus until she appeared beside him before his sword could reach Reinhard.

Tepes swept toward his chest.

Xanxus twisted away, but Reinhard followed with Right Hand of God. The crimson blade struck his guard and drove him backward through the ruined tower.

Emily maintained Infinity, concentrating its temporal influence on Xanxus and the power sustaining his transformation. She could not accelerate everything indiscriminately without exhausting herself, so she focused on keeping the effect around him while using her spatial authority to limit his movement.

The strain was immense.

Xanxus was powerful enough to resist her temporal influence if he deliberately opposed it. Doing so, however, would require him to divert strength and concentration from his attacks. Emily could not force the transformation to expire with a thought; she had to maintain the effect while surviving long enough for its consequences to accumulate.

Xanxus still had not fully understood the danger.

He gathered his energy and tried to force his way through the silver corridors. Emily redirected his route, and Reinhard struck whenever he had to change direction. Their attacks forced Xanxus to expend more energy while preventing him from escaping Infinity’s influence.

The black-and-white patterns across his chest began to fracture again.

"How long has it been?" Xanxus demanded.

Neither of them answered.

He attacked Reinhard with a desperate swing, but the movement lacked the effortless precision he had displayed earlier. Reinhard caught the blade with Right Hand of God, and for the first time in several exchanges, he held his ground.

Emily appeared at Xanxus’s flank and struck with Tepes, driving him to one knee.

Xanxus tore himself free and staggered backward, staring at the energy surrounding his hands. His transformation had been temporary from the beginning, but he had trusted its power to carry him through the battle before its duration became a concern.

He had never expected Emily to turn that duration into the battlefield itself.

The black-and-white light around his chest flickered violently.

"Only three minutes had—"

He stopped speaking and snapped his head toward Emily.

"Your Domain."

Reinhard’s smile widened. "Three minutes. That’s how long your miracle lasted."

Xanxus roared and gathered every remaining trace of power he could reach. The souls he had absorbed stirred within him, feeding energy into the transformation, but the additional power could not restore the duration already consumed.

His body began to change.

The black-and-white patterns spread across his skin, then broke apart as white lightning descended from the sky. The energy struck him directly, tearing through his transformed body while his regeneration struggled to keep pace.

Reinhard advanced, his Right Hand of God forming a crimson blade.

Emily cut through the spatial interval behind Xanxus, severing his escape route before he could retreat.

Eternal Moment — Severing Distance.

Her strike crossed the shortened interval and cut through the remaining black-and-white energy surrounding his torso. Xanxus staggered, and Reinhard followed with The Strike That Crushes, driving him into the fractured ground.

The impact shattered the platform beneath them.

Xanxus tried to stand, but his transformation was already unraveling. His wounds no longer closed instantly, and the patterns covering his body crumbled into fragments of light.

White lightning struck once more.

His sword fell from his hand, and the remaining black-and-white energy scattered into the air.

Xanxus collapsed among the ruins.

For several seconds, neither Reinhard nor Emily moved. They had survived not by producing a stronger attack, but by understanding the limitation of Xanxus’s transformation and turning it against him.

[Target Value Increased.]

[Emily Ashcroft: S → SS.]

A massive jump but it’s expected after what we just did.

Reinhard lowered his hand and released a long breath. "I’m never fighting someone with a three-minute transformation again."

Emily leaned against him, exhausted. "You said that after the last person who transformed."

"Yes, but I was hoping the universe would take the hint."

She managed a tired laugh, and Reinhard wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The immediate threat was finally gone, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, they had a moment to breathe.

Then a white light shot across the chamber and struck Emily.

She screamed and collapsed.

"Emily!"

Reinhard caught her before she hit the ground, but her eyes had already closed. White light spread across her body, and a tremendous wave of pressure erupted from the ruined tower.

Another surge of white lightning gathered overhead.

Reinhard lowered Emily carefully to the ground before stepping between her and the descending power. His Heavenly Pillars were nearly exhausted, his Right Hand of God flickered, and his body was barely capable of standing.

Nevertheless, he raised his arm.

"Whatever you are, you’re not touching my wife."

The lightning crashed down.

Reinhard met it head-on, pouring every remaining ounce of strength into his defense. The force drove him to one knee, and the ground cracked beneath him, but he refused to move away from Emily.

Then the light changed.

A world-shaped mass of white radiance appeared above the ruined tower, surrounded by streams of fire-like light shooting from its edges. Its presence made the remaining Mana in the area tremble.

The sounds of the collapsing tower vanished.

Falling debris froze in midair. Dust stopped drifting. Even the white lightning hanging above Reinhard became motionless.

Time had stopped.

Yet Reinhard could still move.

He slowly raised his head toward the enormous world of white light, realizing that the presence before him was something far beyond Xanxus.

The Will of the Monad Planet had arrived.