The air inside the dueling arena rippled with unstable energy. Shattered space floated like broken glass, twisting and warping the scenery.
Even Kurono Shinguuji, the principal of Hagun Academy, could feel the creeping danger. Her brow furrowed as she faced the calm young man before her.
"Now's your chance, Amakawa Haruto. Surrender," she said, her tone sharp but not without concern. "If this continues, even I won't be able to control it."
Haruto smiled faintly — the kind of smile that made it impossible to tell if he was joking or serious.
"Surrender? No…" His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. "This is the perfect chance to test something new."
He lifted his hand.
"Freeze."
No frost bloomed. No icy mist spread.
Yet, in that very instant—
Silence fell.
The roar of magic, the crackle of collapsing space, even the cries from the spectators — all of it ceased.
Every sound. Every movement. Every breath.
The world itself had stopped.
Shards of fractured space hung motionless in midair like jewels suspended in still water. The audience was frozen mid-expression, eyes wide, caught in a moment that would never come again.
Only Haruto moved, his footsteps echoing softly as he stepped out of the distorted zone. His calm gaze drifted over the frozen world as though he were strolling through a painting.
"...A clean freeze," he murmured. "Not bad for the first try."
With unhurried grace, he walked toward Kurono Shinguuji — frozen mid-motion, eyes wide in realization, fingers still tensed around her guns.
---
Meanwhile, inside the chat group, chaos broke out.
> Akame: "Uh… why is everyone not moving?"
Saeko Busujima: "@Stella, is your stream bugging out? It just… stopped."
Ayame Yomogawa: "No, it's still live. But it's like… time just froze."
Frieren: "I think I understand."
Mai Sakurajima: "Understand what exactly?"
Frieren: "It's time and space. Both are frozen."
Frieren's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she leaned closer to her screen, her scholarly mind already racing.
> Frieren: "How fascinating… @Haruto, what did you just do?"
Haruto: "Nothing complicated. Just froze time and space in this arena."
Mai Sakurajima: "You froze time and space? Are you kidding me?!"
Akame: "That's… unreal. Can ice even do that?"
Frieren: "Theoretically… yes, if the temperature dropped low enough to halt molecular motion. But freezing time— that's an entirely different principle!"
Haruto: "My power isn't about ice. It's about freezing — the concept itself."
Frieren: "!!! Oh, of course… conceptual freezing! Incredible!"
Frieren: "That kind of ability… I need to study it. Haruto, will you let me examine the mechanics later?"
Haruto: "Later, maybe. I'm kind of busy right now."
---
Back in the arena, Haruto released the freeze. The sound of shattering glass rushed back, the noise of time resuming all at once.
He now stood before Kurono Shinguuji, his sword resting lightly against her throat.
"You've lost," he said softly.
Kurono's eyes trembled. The voice — calm, almost disinterested — felt like a blade itself.
"H–How… how did you escape the fractured space?" she whispered, disbelief flickering in her gaze.
Haruto tilted his head, a faint smirk curling at his lips. "You're not the only one who can mess with time, Principal."
"Time…?" she repeated, realization dawning.
Haruto's eyes glinted faintly.
"Exactly."
A bitter smile crossed Kurono's face. "So that's it… I've lost."
But before she could finish her thought, her expression turned pale.
"Wait—this is bad! The shattered space— it's going out of control!"
The distortions around the arena suddenly began expanding, consuming the marble floor and even the spectator stands. Space twisted violently, tearing through the air.
A scream rang out.
A short-haired girl with a black headband stumbled near the spreading fracture, her body trembling as the unstable energy grazed her skin.
"Damn it!" Kurono cursed. "If that field expands any more, it'll tear through her!"
"You can't control it?" Haruto asked, frowning slightly.
"My power shatters space-time! It doesn't mean I can fix it!" Kurono shouted, her voice laced with panic.
She turned to the stunned spectators in the safer zone.
"Everyone, evacuate the arena—now!"
---
Haruto's gaze shifted back to the struggling girl. Her face came into focus — delicate, frightened, yet stubbornly composed.
That's… Ikki Kurogane's sister.
"Shizuku Kurogane, huh?" he muttered under his breath. "Talk about bad timing."
Then, with a small sigh, he looked back at Kurono.
"Let's add a condition to our wager," he said casually. "I'll save her."
Kurono's eyes snapped to him, her expression desperate. "If you do that, I'll agree to anything!"
"Deal."
The moment he spoke, the world stilled once more.
Freeze — Absolute.
The fractured space froze mid-expansion. Haruto moved like a ghost, walking straight into the deadly distortion. The shards of reality hung motionless around him as he reached the girl and lifted her effortlessly into his arms.
Her eyelashes fluttered. Her lips parted slightly. But she couldn't move — not yet.
"Got you," he murmured.
A step, a breath, and they were back outside the zone.
Time resumed.
---
Kurono's eyes widened when she saw them appear before her — Haruto standing unharmed, Shizuku safely in his arms.
She exhaled, relief flooding her expression. "You… really did it."
Shizuku blinked rapidly, finally realizing her situation — and exactly whose arms she was in.
"Y-you…" she stammered, her cheeks burning.
Haruto glanced down, his tone gentle but amused. "You're not hurt, right?"
She quickly shook her head.
Still, Kurono's voice cut in firmly, "You need to be checked by the medics. Fractured space leaves residual distortion energy. It's not safe."
Then, to Haruto, she bowed deeply — a rare gesture from the usually unshakable principal.
"Thank you for saving her. If you hadn't intervened, the consequences could have been… catastrophic."
She straightened, her tone returning to formal. "As for our wager — and the additional condition — give me half an hour to handle the aftermath."
"Half an hour, huh? Works for me." Haruto nodded, stretching slightly, his tone once again laid-back and almost lazy — as if he hadn't just frozen time itself.
He turned back to the blushing Shizuku still holding onto his neck.
"Think you can stand?"
"...Ah!" She jolted, realizing her position. Her face flushed deep crimson as she loosened her grip.
"Y-yes! Please… put me down."
Haruto set her down gently.
She quickly stepped back and straightened her skirt, eyes darting everywhere except his.
And just like that, the chaos faded — leaving only a frozen silence in its wake, and one man standing calmly amidst it all.