I found myself frozen in midair, a prisoner of time itself. 

The tentacles of the time manipulator, writhing and twisting, had ensnared me in some kind of a temporal stasis. 

My body was suspended in a state of perpetual stillness, a frozen statue amidst the chaos of battle. 

My AI chimed in, its voice dripping with sarcasm. [Well, this is just great. Just what I wanted, to be stuck here for all eternity. How about you, Victor? Having a blast? Glad you decided to go and hunt out some more powerful opponents?]

I gritted my teeth, focusing my mind. 

My system was still active, still granting me access to my powers. I could feel the strength coursing through my veins, the speed and strength that I had been granted when I was reborn in this new world. I had to find a way to break free. 

“Any suggestions, AI? Or are you just going to be insufferable all the time?” I asked through gritted teeth. 

[Oh, I don’t know, Victor,] it replied. [Maybe try using your laser blasts to break the time lock? I’m sure that’ll work. It’s not like we’re stuck in a fragment of literal frozen time and space right now. But hey, it’s not like you’ve got much else going for you, is it.]

The AI’s snark aside, it was worth an attempt at the very least. 

I focused my thoughts, imagining a burst of energy, a barrage of laser beams with enough power to shatter the bonds of time themself and set me free. For a second I thought I could see it, a little pinprick of red at the tips of my fingers, ready to be unleashed in a single burst. 

But nothing happened. At least that’s what it looked like. The tentacles shimmered as they held me in the time lock. Almost as if they’d been hit by a phantom burst of power. Nevertheless, they held fast, the time lock unbroken. 

“Well, that was a waste of time,” The AI quipped. “I’m pretty sure that, if you were able to move, you would have looked like you were taking a really big dump.” 

I growled, frustration building inside me. But I refused to give up. I could feel the time manipulator’s presence, sense its malign intent as it sought to take me out and wipe me out of the Battle Royale. I wasn’t about to let that happen without a fight. 

I tried again, this time imagining a lance of energy, a beam of pure destructive force that would pierce the time lock and shatter it from within. Once again nothing actually happened, but as I focused all of my power into a single point… 

The tentacles shuddered again, the fabric of time buckling under my sheer force of will… and then, for a fraction of a second, the time lock was lifted. 

That was all I needed. 

I seized the moment, my muscles moving with lightning speed as I sprang forward out of the area of effect that the time manipulator had locked me into. 

I rocketed forward through the trees toward where the alien had struck me from.

The air was alive with the sounds of our struggle, the forest ringing with the echoes of our blows as I charged forward, my body a blur as I pushed my powers to their limits.

I could see the time manipulator, its twisted form and writhing tentacles bearing down on me as it prepared to strike once more. But I was ready for it.

With a roar of anger and frustration, I brought my arms up and unleashed a barrage of laser blasts, energy beams that struck the alien with the force of a thousand suns.

The time manipulator staggered back, tentacles thrashing and writhing as it sought to protect itself from my fury. But I wouldn't be denied.

I pushed forward, slamming into the alien with the full force of my enhanced strength and speed. The impact was massive, sending shockwaves through the forest as I knocked the time manipulator clear off its feet and sent it crashing to the ground.

For a moment, everything was still. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and the crackle of energy.

And then, the time manipulator stirred, its tentacles curling and twisting as it sought to rise once more.

But I was already moving, already closing in on my opponent.

With a roar of triumph, I slammed my fist into the time manipulator's head, sending it crashing into unconsciousness.

I stood there for a moment, panting and covered in sweat, my heart pounding in my chest.

I had done it. I had defeated the time manipulator, no doubt one of the most powerful beings that the battle royale had to offer.

I was relieved the fight was over. I hadn’t been expecting something so powerful, especially considering it hadn’t even bothered to try and take out the mecha with the rest of us. 

A cocky grin crept across my face. It might have been powerful. It may have even been able to stop me for a brief moment… but I’d still managed to defeat it. 

And then, as the adrenaline faded, I felt something new. A new power coursed through my veins, a new skill that I had seemingly absorbed from the time manipulator.

It was the ability to manipulate time itself, to slow it down or speed it up at will.

I remembered what the AI had said. I’d gain new skills and new powers just by doing things, by fighting other beings. 

I was elated, my grin widening across my face as I looked down at my unconscious opponent.

“Well, well,” I said, my voice echoing through the forest. “It looks like I just got a little bit stronger.”

And with that, I turned and strode away from the fallen time manipulator, my mind already turning to what I would do next. The future was mine, and I was ready to conquer it.