Gacha System: Reborn In The Hardest World
Chapter 77: In Slowed Time

Chapter 77: In Slowed Time

"SSR Summon: Familiar!" He invoked, casting his singular guaranteed summoning.

[Special Summoning Initiated.]

The problem laid in waiting for the process to finish–

"Heads up!"

–The taunt met his ear from the right, taking his attention there, only to be struck from the opposite direction. Before he could even flinch, he was thrown through a building, opening his eyes to the interior of a living room, occupied by seashell decorations and furniture.

He straightened himself out, coughing out as he looked at the hole left in the wall from his unwilling flight. As he gathered his bearings, the sound of glass shaking brought his gaze over to one of the chalky shelves.

A translucent vase trembled on its stand, along with the other display pieces. Listening in, the barrage of "pops" in the air matched the rhythm of the rumbling; the footsteps of the rabbit.

’This guy is all about speed. If I can figure out where he’s going to hit me, I can defend it...but that’s just the problem,’ he thought.

Staring through the hole in the wall, he clenched his fists. He waited, holding his position instead of making a move against the speedster. With only one way the rabbit-eared man could reach him, he at least knew where he’d come from.

Waiting and waiting as each second dragged on like an eternity, the hum of the footsteps too fast to perceive individually was felt beneath his boots. It intensified; the wind shifted, howling as if a gunshot had been fired–

At that exact moment, trusting his other senses, he held both arms forward. As the vibrations at his feet grew to their most intense, he summoned the twin beasts of fire and lightning from his tattoos, sending the dragons roaring forth.

"Fast enough for you?!" Gael shouted, letting the astral summons crash through the wall, scattering fire and sparks throughout the abandoned home.

"Flashy, but no points for speed."

–The casual remark from behind brought him to immediately abandon his elemental beasts as he spun around. It was a moment too slow as he swung his fist without any sense, missing his mark completely.

Right beside him, he found the albino rabbit-man sling his arm around his shoulder as if getting chummy with an old buddy.

"You almost got me that time," Isidro cheered on before laughing. "Well, not really. But, nice try!"

The aggravating taunts were dismissed with a stomp, emitting a rippling shock wave, though even that didn’t seem to reach the elusive Venator. He looked around, hearing the rapid footsteps again as the room around him seemed on the brink of crumbling from his earlier attack.

’Okay, he’s even faster than I thought...Where the hell is my summon, anyway?!’ He hurriedly thought.

Right on cue, an immaculate influx of lights touched down right in front of him–

[New Familiar Obtained: (SSR) "Esme, Witch of a Thousand Crafts"]

Before him, he found a woman of pale skin and long, jet-black hair with violet bows tied, wearing a flared, black-and-purple dress with platform boots that somewhat made up for her short stature. She was beautiful, no doubt, but the look in her lavender irises was that of a certain avarice.

"You’ve summoned me...Interesting. It seems there is something after death, after all," Esme remarked with a slight smirk, approaching him with slow steps.

Gael’s attention still laid on the rapid footsteps, looking around as he struggled to pay any mind to his new familiar, "Listen–we’re against an enemy here! I don’t know what you can do, but–"

Without the chance to even explain the situation, he found the mysterious woman’s hand running over his chest as she stood by his right arm, propping her chin on his shoulder. He could hear her sniffing him as if identifying his scent, gazing at and feeling his body to measure him.

"You’re my "Master", I see...I am bound to you. You do possess quite the special body, and a unique scent of mana exudes from your pores," Esme remarked with a smile.

Suddenly being felt up caught him off-guard as he moved her hand away, looking at the bewitching eyes of the witch, "Save whatever this is for later. We’re in the middle of battle here."

Esme grinned at him before turning away, seeming to listen in on the rumbling march of the rabbit-man, "I see. You’re facing one blessed with monstrous speed. Tell me, would you rather slow them down or be brought to their level?"

"What?" Gael asked, confused by the question.

"To their level it is, then," Esme decided, snapping her fingers.

Like the hand of a clock turning, an astral gear shifted in the space around him. Everything around him changed; the light whistles of wind became low vibrations; the sediment raining from the ceiling trickled down like snowflakes.

He realized it then as he saw it; what was once a blur—the Demi-human sprinted across the wall, looking at him. Their eyes met, witnessing the rabbit-man’s excited expression turn to shock at being watched.

It was only for that moment before his senses returned to normal, witnessing the blur flash out of the room as the furniture was thrown around in the process.

"Huh—" Gael let out. "What was that?"

"That was Chronorium," Esme explained. "A spell that allows one to move within a world where time sluggishly crawls. It’s not something you can use for more than brief periods without repercussions, however."

With the haste of the Venator taunting him still, he ran out of the building, shouting at the witch behind it, "I’ll trust you to manage it, then! Do it again!"

Esme ran her finger against her bottom lip with a grin, "How cruel you are, Master, ordering me around so harshly...but, I’ll oblige."

As he watched the flashes of the Venator around him, he braced himself as a pair of strikes hit him in the stomach and spine in near unison. In that moment, feeling the impacts ripple through his organs, he questions the witch’s intentions—

"Chronorium."

Again, everything around him slowed to a crawl, all except the demi-human. Though he could now perceive the movements of Isidro, it still remained as though the Venator moved like a bullet. As his eyes tracked the sprint of the rabbit-man, watching as the joyful speedster raced across the side of the west building, their eyes met once more–

As their irises locked, the carefree expression of the demi-human contorted once again; twisted into a challenged look, yet still joyful.

["That’s right. I can see you."]

He sprinted to meet the speedster halfway in the middle of the housing district, gripping the handle of his dagger tightly. Of course, Isidro was still faster, abruptly cutting him off within a millisecond, though Gael remained aware the entire time–

In the world of slowed time, where words could not transmit, everything was said between each other’s gaze. He reinforced his body, maximizing agility as he found himself on the receiving end of the quick kicks.

Seeing them now, they still fired like gunshots, though he was able to move himself out of their way this time. He was still a step behind at all times; evading a kick, blocking another, all led to him being struck by a follow-up.

’Is he naturally this fast? Is it some sort of magical ability–? Does that change anything?’ He questioned, attempting to break through the swift barrage.

Going for a quick slash of the dagger aimed at the rabbit’s throat, it missed as Isidro slipped back as if it never had a chance of reaching. In that moment shared only between them, he extended his index finger from the missed attack, pointing right at the Venator.

Electricity coiled around his arm, extending to his outstretched digit; Isidro’s eyes widened, reflecting the light of the emerging energy. It shot, firing as the small, but potent fang of lightning soared between the rabbit’s eyes.

Inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter, the bolt was drawn to the bare iris of the Venator. Close enough that the unseen strands of electricity dragged across the sclera of his eye, drying out the moisture, the lightning drew before–he moved.

Gael witnessed a blur in that moment as if the rabbit had somehow entered an even higher gear. Just as he witnessed the shift in speed, he felt his chest tighten as though his heart was being clenched. The moment that pain was felt, his perception of time dwindled back to its normal state.

’That’s what she meant by only using it in small bursts–? Well, she has good timing,’ he thought, holding his chest.

Looking back up, he found himself practically naked now against the absurd speed of the enemy. There was no chance to so much as raise his arms before witnessing the blur drive right against him, being tossed back violently. Of course, it was the rabbit’s foot again; he knew that just by the pain against his stomach.

Through wall after wall, he slammed through, attempting to stabilize himself as he coughed out. A quick trip through the houses of the fallen sea folk was stopped as he felt his body collide with a cushion that enveloped him in its soft embrace.