Multiversal Friendship System-Chapter 172 - 171: I Might Not Be Able to Beat You, But You Can’t Outrun Me

Souta wasn't going to give Mio Takamiya another chance to catch Kurumi.

He drew a portion of his divine power and poured it into his "Half-Cold Half-Hot" quirk.

Mio's body was saturated with reiryoku(spiritual energy)—so dense and potent it bordered on absurdity. Whether a time-stop could even affect her was uncertain, but the sheer energy cost alone made it an unwise gamble.

So, Souta abandoned the high-risk tactic of manipulating time in favor of a direct assault.

"Freeze!"

He whispered, and ice surged across his body.

The power of frost began to creep through the space. In a blink, the ground beneath them was coated with a thick sheet of ice.

The surrounding air plummeted by dozens of degrees in a single second.

Mio turned her gaze toward Souta, who now radiated a biting northern wind—its cold sharp enough to cut like a blade.

Golden light flared from Souta's fingertips, aimed squarely at the mosaic that concealed her form.

Like issuing a divine command, the power of his quirk surged mercilessly into the space, freezing even her arbitrary domain.

Ice thickened beneath Mio's feet, rising swiftly to her waist.

The temperature dove further into the negatives.

Mio felt her spiritual energy begin to slow, her thoughts of pursuing Kurumi fading.

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She redirected her focus toward countering Souta's attack.

"This freezing power... reminds me of a spirit I once created."

As she spoke, she shifted her intent. The rules within her domain rewrote themselves:

—Molecular thermal motion accelerated exponentially.

—Water would no longer exist in solid form.

Instantly, before Souta's cold reached its peak, the ice encasing Mio dissolved entirely.

The frigid air vanished.

"Seems like your attacks are far weaker than your petite companion's."

A soft laugh echoed from within the mosaic.

She was likely referring to the child-form of Shiroyasha.

"My goal isn't to attack. Just to delay you."

Souta wasn't fazed by her mockery.

He estimated the time—he'd bought Kurumi at least a dozen seconds.

Still, to be safe, he needed to stretch it longer.

With that in mind, Souta bent his knees and, with divine power, launched himself skyward.

Like an arrow, he tore through the pressure of Mio's domain, streaking into the sky.

While ascending, he wrapped himself in time-acceleration.

In less than a second, he broke through ten kilometers in altitude and continued climbing.

He didn't teleport—after all, his goal was to stall, not escape. He had to make sure Mio followed him.

"Oh? And where do you think you're going?"

Mio's voice, laced with spiritual energy, reached him instantly—ignoring the normal rules of sound.

Souta glanced back to see the mosaic trailing him, jumping through space, locked on like a hound.

Her ability to teleport wasn't surprising. He had expected this much.

"I've already let the Time Emperor escape—I can't let you go too!"

"Try me!"

Souta accelerated again, vanishing from her sight and climbing into the thermosphere.

The thousand-degree heat of the upper atmosphere didn't faze him—his divine shield absorbed all harm.

Their high-speed chase left clouds torn apart behind them.

Like two meteor trails racing across the sky, they split the heavens and surged toward the stars.

During the pursuit, Mio grew increasingly astonished by Souta's stamina.

Every time she increased speed, he matched it, as though no limit existed.

She had to extend her teleportation range again and again.

Soon, they burst through Earth's atmosphere, plunging into endless space.

"This ends now!"

Mio's voice, amplified by spiritual resonance, rang out against all physical laws.

She dispelled the mosaic and revealed her true form.

A surge of vast spiritual power followed.

She appeared in a flowing white goddess gown. A plush bear hung from her waist. Barefoot, she stepped through the void, bands of light curling gently around her.

An angel's face, a god's presence—Souta's vision was filled with her radiance.

There was a flicker of irritation on her face now.

If she let Souta keep running, he might just make it to the moon.

"Ain Soph——!"

With a low cry, Mio unleashed her second angel.

A budding flower appeared, its petals parting to reveal a dryad-like spirit within.

Roots extended outward, piercing space, each unfurling a Territory.

She was ready to finish this.

"Yes, this is the end."

Souta suddenly stopped, smiling at her.

There was no sound in the vacuum, so he projected thoughts directly—god to god.

"My only goal was to delay you for two minutes. For these last few seconds... why don't you let me set off some fireworks for you?"

He raised a finger toward the sun.

That star, burning for billions of years, was spilling endless light and heat.

"Do you know what's even more complete than nuclear fusion, in terms of matter-to-energy conversion?"

Mio's pupils contracted—her knowledge of human science didn't fail her.

And it immediately led her to one terrifying possibility.

But before she could act, Souta already had.

He spread both hands, activating matter creation.

In his left, he conjured matter. In his right, antimatter.

Wrapped in divine force, the two were temporarily prevented from touching.

Souta glanced at Mio—and then instantaneously teleported the volatile pair right next to her.

Then... he willed the divine barrier away.

Under time acceleration, his thoughts moved faster than light.

Matter and antimatter collided!

In that moment, a brilliant light flared, bright enough to rival a second sun.

The annihilation released one hundred percent of the energy contained in the mass.

It was as if a beast had broken free, baring its fangs at the universe—a blast of pure light and heat.

"You...!?"

Mio activated her domain, trying to rewrite the rules within it to erase the annihilation.

But the energy was too vast—possibly twenty times stronger than a Tsar-level weapon.

Her incomplete territory was instantly torn apart.

A flash of fear crossed her eyes. She shrank her domain to a one-meter radius, compressing its density to the maximum in a desperate defense.

Meanwhile, Souta had already teleported far away after launching the antimatter bomb.

Even so, the shockwave rattled his divine shield.

The explosion lit up his vision, making him think for a second that a second sun had been born.

The aftermath lingered for a while before finally subsiding.

When it was over, Souta used divine power to enhance his sight and looked toward the center of the blast.

There, wrapped in a glowing domain, stood Mio.

She shimmered faintly, her face twisted in anger.

But nothing else—no cuts, no bruises, not even a hair out of place.

Souta gave a respectful sigh. "You really are the Spirit of Origin ... If I'd known, I'd have made it even bigger just to test your limits."

As he spoke, space distorted before him—Mio appeared in a flash.

Her crushing domain slammed into him like steel.

His divine shield shook, on the verge of collapse.

It was clear—Mio had fully unleashed her second angel.

Souta realized he stood no chance anymore.

But the time-buying mission? It was complete.

He looked into her furious face and smiled, sending her one final thought:

"Mio, see you in the future."

With that, he silently invoked a return to his world.

Even though her fully manifested domain had almost frozen him in place, the system still pulled him through.

In a blink, the cosmos vanished, replaced by the sight of a cramped apartment.

The stars were gone.