Chapter 337: Checkmate
"Exchange..."
*BOOMMMM
Shifting her body position, Tsubaki controlled various objects around her, accelerating them with her power.
After killing Marco, her power increased, gaining the same Time attribute as Marco. Without hesitation, she faced Minene again, as they were now on equal terms.
[Leap]
*BOOMMMM
Unfortunately, Minene possessed more power and greater control, putting Tsubaki at a disadvantage again, forcing her to use her ability, waiting for an opportunity to strike fatally.
"Do you only think about running?! Don't waste my time, brat!"
Gritting her teeth, Minene became furious as the girl continued to evade.
"I won't..."
However, this was Tsubaki's plan. Debris and destroyed buildings disappeared at her touch.
[Barrier!]
Just as Minene fired again, Tsubaki pressed her hands to the ground, causing gravity around Minene to rise.
"...!"
"I'm not done yet!"
Seeing Minene's movements halt for a second, the vanished objects instantly materialized, falling onto Minene. With increased gravity, the weight of the debris was like that of a small mountain.
*BAM
[Bolt!]
However, it wasn't over. Time bolts materialized around her and were launched at high speed towards the debris, causing explosions, and time around began to expand.
"Ha... Ha... Ha..."
Breathing heavily, Tsubaki clenched her teeth; these attacks had consumed much of her vitality. She aged, now appearing as a 28-year-old woman.
*Clink
"Damn it!"
*BOOMMMM
But that slight distraction proved fatal. Minene hadn't died yet; instead, she sent several spatial bombs that exploded instantly.
"Guh?!"
Relying on instinct, Tsubaki jumped into the future. However, like Marco, those bombs had injured her.
"You brat! Even with increased powers, you'll still fall!"
*Bom
Emerged from the debris with an explosion, Minene, like Tsubaki, had taken damage. Her clothes were torn, and she had lost her left eye.
"Ha... Ha... Ha..."
Seeing this, Tsubaki smiled bitterly. This woman was a total monster.
More than a monster, Minene was a human prioritizing survival. Due to that, she was difficult to kill. Before this final battle, she had taken several countermeasures, regardless of the danger.
She didn't let power get to her head. Consequently, she had fought tirelessly all this time, even against Yuki, she had prevailed.
"Enough of games... This has taken too long..."
They had fought for 14 hours...
If Minene didn't have the power of four participants and the vitality of over 300 people, she would have died long ago.
"You've reached your limit, brat..."
Seeing Tsubaki's vitality draining and her energy fading, Minene smiled.
It had been challenging, but now she could claim victory in this Survival Game.
Even against the impossible, she had prevailed.
*Snap...
Snapping his fingers, a new bomb appeared in front of her.
"You've been worthy opponents, but I've won. Even that brat has gone to rest; it's time for you to rest too..."
Panicking, Minene activated her time power to stop the pink-haired monster and sever her connection to the barrier.
"...?!"
No matter how hard she tried, her Time power had vanished...
"Why?!"
With trembling eyes and body, Minene tried to activate her other time-related abilities, but unfortunately, none worked...
Even her strongest ability, 'Temporal Resurrection,' failed.
All time-related abilities had disappeared...
She suddenly remembered what Yuki had said before...
[They might not have the strength to seal your soul... But I'll keep a part of your power! ....]
"That... Brat!"
Wide-eyed, Minene couldn't believe it. Her strength was there, and because of that, she thought Yuki's attack had failed. Now she understood the terrible mistake she made...
Now that her Time power had disappeared, she couldn't cut her connection to the Time prison where Yuno was trapped. Moreover, she couldn't stop the draining of vitality.
She had reached an inevitable [DEAD END]...
*Creakkkkk...
But this was the least of her worries as the sound of something breaking echoed, and Minene's expression sank.
"Impossible..."
Opening her mouth in disbelief, Minene looked towards the barrier where Yuno was enclosed.
Several cracks appeared, and the barrier's energy weakened.
This almost infinite loop and a Time prison almost impossible to escape.
"No, I can't let her escape!"
In a panic, Minene activated her Time power to try and stop that pink-haired monster and cut her connection to the Time prison.
"...?!"
However, no matter how hard she tried, her Time power had vanished...
"Why?!"
With trembling eyes and body, Minene tried to activate her other time-related abilities, but unfortunately, none worked...
Even her strongest ability, 'Temporal Resurrection,' failed.
All time-related abilities had disappeared...
She suddenly remembered what Yuki had said before...
[They might not have the strength to seal your soul... But I'll keep a part of your power! ....]
"That... Brat!"
Wide-eyed, Minene couldn't believe it. Her strength was there, and because of that, she thought Yuki's attack had failed. Now she understood the terrible mistake she made...
Now that her Time power had disappeared, she couldn't cut her connection to the Time prison where Yuno was trapped. Moreover, she couldn't stop the draining of vitality.
She had reached an inevitable [DEAD END]...
*Shiiii
And just as she thought, her Diary predicted her death again. However, unlike before, she couldn't return from death.
"No... It can't be... That brat!"
Thinking of a way to reverse the situation, Minene's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but smile as tears fell down her face...
"Haaa~... I fell into the trap, huh?"
There's always a higher mountain, and Minene, on her deathbed, could confirm that.
From the beginning, her fate had been sealed.
Even now, Minene could hear Yuki's voice whispering in her ear.
[Checkmate]
Why did Yuki let Yuno and Tsubaki face Minene alone?
Why did Yuki take so long to appear?
Why were Kurumi and the girls summoned to this world, and why did they have to fight a losing battle against Minene?
Why did Yuki engage in a war of attrition against Minene using thousands of clones when he was at a disadvantage?
Why didn't he opt for stealth attacks and conserve his energy?
Why didn't Yuki release Yuno from the Time prison when he had many opportunities?
Why didn't he use Izanami or Izanagi in this battle?
Why did he seal Minene's Time power?
All for this moment...
How to kill an opponent who can return from death?
Use Shiki Fuujin. With this, Yuki could seal her soul and prevent it from returning to her body, creating a cycle of resurrections.
But... what if Shiki Fuujin fails?
The success rate of Shiki Fuujin is very high, almost 100%. There were several cases throughout history, and all were successful. However, with the Demon King, the chances of failure are higher. Due to this uncertainty, Yuki was forced to come up with a plan B.
In case the Shiki Fuujin failed, he wanted to ensure Minene's death. For that, he had to thoroughly study his enemy. With Rasiel, he obtained all the information he needed and devised several plans, which were tested during the battle and failed.
First, using Izanagi or Izanami was useless. Every time Minene returned from death, the effects of Izanami would disappear, making it futile.
Second, he needed to get rid of Minene's vitality. For that, he let the girls fight and wear her down. That didn't work, so he had no choice but to create the Apocalypse Tower and face her with thousands of clones, all to drain her vitality as much as possible and kill her.
That also failed, so it was time to use the forbidden jutsu, Shiki Fuujin, and leave the Time prison where Yuno was intact.
Unfortunately, due to the Demon King, he couldn't kill her and seal her soul. Still, he made sure to strip her of her Time attribute, along with all her abilities.
With all the cards revealed, all that was left was to wait until Yuno could break free from the loop.
And it worked. With vitality worn down by the long battles, the loop weakened, and Yuno could counterattack. Without Minene being able to intervene and return from death, her fate was sealed.
Since her death was caused by her own ability, similar to how Eleventh had died, it was a risky plan. It all depended on Yuno's tenacity, and fortunately, Yuno didn't disappoint.
"I lost, huh? I guess it was my oversight..."
Having the ability to come back from death, Minene had become a bit too confident. But she had the capital to do so, as even drained of vitality, by murder, or even by an illusion, if she could activate this ability, then nothing could stop her.
*Shiiiiii
Unfortunately, there's no medicine for regret, so Minene could only watch as her body aged at a visible speed until a black hole opened in her stomach, swallowing her whole...
[DEAD END]
----
Author's Note: No, friends, the protagonist didn't become an idiot; it's just that Minene was too OP. Killing someone who comes back from death, similar to Subaru's power, is not simple. If I didn't make it easier, it's because I don't want Minene to lose by plot convenience.
TN: You simply wanted to drag this shit ffs
Also *gets revived*