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    28 Results in the "Stairs of Paradox" category


    • SOP CH28: Hope in the Box Cover
      by Aria — Sunlight illuminated the morning dew upon the blades of grass, each tiny droplet holding a speck of blue like a fragment of the firmament. Clouds raced swiftly across the sky, a hint of gathering storm gloom hidden within the clear blue. At this moment, two figures sat side by side on the meadow of Everday Hamlet. One was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen, her hair like flaxen thread tangled messily behind her neck and dusted with wheat bran, possessing a pair of deep blue, curious eyes. The other…
    • SOP CH27: Extension of the Nightmare Cover
      by Aria — In a gloomy basement, a young girl abruptly awakened from her sleep. She was currently situated inside a sealed metal capsule, sitting on a leather chair, her hand gripping a brass control lever. The steam apparatus had ceased operations, and the pale vapor formed by the "aether" had already dissipated. It was within this very mystical vapor that she had just glimpsed visions of the future. The sharp pain in her heart seemed to linger, as if a red-hot iron pestle were slowly drilling into her flesh.…
    • SOP CH26: Tales of the Spades Cover
      by Aria — On the verge of death, Madam Spades's memories drifted back to the past— In 1805, Everday Hamlet. This was a small village situated on a high slope. The summer days were exceptionally long, leading people to call it the "Place Where Sunlight Remains Eternal." Thatched cottages were scattered about, accompanied by a small, timeworn church. Lush green grass flourished, and a shimmering river flowed below the slope, picturesque and serene. To the east of the hamlet stood a stone-built farmhouse…
    • SOP CH25: Breaking Through the Thorns Cover
      by Aria — Moonlight drifted down from the firmament, cloaking the Tower of the Crown clock tower in a silvery-white reverie. Yet atop the tower, a cleaner wearing a beak mask and heavy black tweed trench coat sprawled on the ground, staring dumbfounded at the two heavily wounded figures before him. The prototype for all Time Entropy Group cleaners, A-0, and the current Chief Cleaner Quicksand—such a combination was utterly absurd. After a long silence, Raven asked: "Cleaner Quicksand... why are you…
    • SOP CH24: One Hundred Percent Cover
      by Aria — The bright moon hung high in the sky, radiating brilliant light. The chime of midnight reverberated, startling a night owl from a rocky crevice, skimming past the Tower of the Crown clock tower on a gust of chilling wind. At this moment, atop the highest floor, two figures stood locked in a confrontation, their murderous intent chilling to the bone. One wielded a Mauser pistol, the other a short cane inlaid with a pocket watch, engaged in a ferocious struggle to the death. Cleaner Raven drew a sharp…
    • SOP CH23: Destined Frost Bell Cover
      by Aria — The carriage whip cracked down again and again, tearing through the air with violent, shrill shrieks. At this moment, a brutal scene was unfolding within the manor. The wrinkles around Madam Spades's eyes tightened abruptly; brandishing the leather whip with fury, she lashed Morana savagely multiple times. The maid curled into a ball against the wall, her pitted face filled with sheer terror. When Diamond and Quicksand returned to the estate, they saw Morana collapsed on the floor, covered in bloody…
    • SOP CH22: Flower Foam Flooding the River Cover
      by Aria — Diamond's mind was in utter chaos as he stared at Madam Spades, temporarily struck dumb. He recalled the scene when he first met Madam Spades. Back then, Heart had been defeated in his bout against the 2030 Branch Director Monkey Face, and Diamond had just undergone the surgery to donate his organs to Heart, leaving his health in terrible shape. The Clepsydra rebels had suffered a devastating blow, with many members defecting. One fighter had wept to him: "Mr. Diamond, Boss Heart is comatose, and now…
    • Chapter

      SOP CH21: 1805

      SOP CH21: 1805 Cover
      by Aria — Inside the time labyrinth "Stairs of Paradox," the two walked through darkness as thick as ink, a torrent of time fragments rushing toward them. The segments of time within glittered like shattered stars, dazzling and resplendent. Swept up in this torrent, Quicksand felt the world spinning. The stairs spiraled upward at times and descended at others, with no end in sight. In the blink of an eye, Diamond had vanished without a trace. Quicksand called out for Diamond repeatedly, but within the vast and…
    • SOP CH20: Point of No Return Cover
      by Aria — The cold wind inside the room cut to the bone, the atmosphere heavy and grim. Diamond looked around at everyone, his expression filled with shock. Ever since moments ago, he had repeatedly tried to confirm their memories of Madam Spades, yet not a single soul remembered the elderly woman in the black veil who had tended bar for so long. She had vanished entirely from everyone's memories, and no trace of her remained in the photographs either. Brushing past the others' attempts to stop him, Diamond…
    • SOP CH19: Vanishing in an Instant Cover
      by Aria — Rising early in the morning, Quicksand cast a wide net with that old photograph, grabbing anyone he saw to ask, "Have you seen this photo?" Most of the patrons shook their heads. The photograph had been crumpled by time, and the memories preserved upon it had grown hazy and indistinct. Quicksand showed the photograph to Heart, who fell into thoughtful contemplation: "Isn't this a group photo taken long ago? Back then, I was still young. Look at this titanium prosthetic; it was quite fashionable at…
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