A conversation with the three gods and the Ruler of the Oceans could have stretched on for an eternity, but before that, I needed to squeeze the last remaining scraps of information out of Ellen.

I firmly decided to do it and had already opened my mouth, but...

— Shh.

Ellen gestured for me to be silent.

She behaved as if there were a child in front of her.

...Could it be that even in this “empty shell,” she sees Gunther?

— Gunther, I know you’ve accumulated many questions.

— That’s true.

— And I intend to answer them. But first, I need to say two things.

Her slender white finger, which had just touched her lips, pointed toward the sky.

Up there, high above, a pale crack was slowly spreading.

— First, we have no time at all.

It didn’t seem like an empty warning: she immediately got to the point, without unnecessary prefaces.

— And second, the moment you leave this place, you and your companions will face a colossal threat.

— A threat...? What kind?

— It’s Luthien.

She pronounced each word distinctly.

— Father has most likely already sensed your presence. More precisely—the fragment of the god of time inside you. Now he will be extremely cautious.

— ...He has no choice.

Having felt that power even to the slightest degree, I understood everything instantly.

No ruler would remain calm knowing that a force exists capable of interfering with time itself and rewriting events that have already occurred. Even if its activation requires absurdly complex conditions.

— The other two fragments they knew about until now are nothing but pitiful crumbs. But you are different. You are the main fragment.

— The other two... You mean ◇ and ◆?

— Yes. They split off at the moment the god of time merged with you.

I hurriedly began to organize everything I had learned before.

To open new possibilities in this closed world, the god of time searched for someone from outside.

And having chosen “me” as the most suitable, he merged with me completely.

So this was the true nature of my abilities.

“Though why I don’t have a single memory of it—I have no idea...”

Either way, in the process of that fusion, two “diamonds” broke off. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Luthien knew of their existence and for a long time considered them the primary legacy of the god of time.

But now the truth had been revealed to them.

Which meant they would throw all their strength into eliminating me.

— ...Am I right?

— Yes. You will become target number one.

Her words were short and dry, like a judge’s sentence.

But unlike before, there was almost no fear.

And it wasn’t just because of the support of the three gods and the generous gifts I had received from them.

I remembered those who had pushed past their limits again and again, who never broke and kept moving forward.

The moment I recalled the time spent behind their backs, there was simply no room left for fear.

[Alphonse of Red Street chuckles]

[The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats turns away, grumbling that he showed the shameful weakness of defeat]

[The Drug-Addicted Saint looks at you warmly]

If they were watching, then I had no right to be afraid.

I nodded decisively and continued:

— So what happened next? After I formed contracts with the three gods, using the fragment of the god of time as a mediator?

— There’s a much simpler way to explain it than choosing words.

— What...?

— Gunther, you’ve already...

Ellen looked straight into my eyes.

— ...started to gradually understand how to control this power.

A shiver ran down my spine.

An unexplainable sensation.

Inside me, something gave a powerful jolt—a second rhythm, different from my heartbeat.

As if something that had been asleep for a very long time had awakened.

Ding!

[Displaying brief summary of edited results]

“Edited results?”

Messages began to pour in one after another.

[The colossal divinity and history accumulated by the three gods became a powerful force. It was not enough to completely erase Luthien’s influence from the annals of history, but intervention in key events allowed their course to be distorted]

[As a result, humanity, which had stood on the brink of extinction, was able to gain a reprieve]

[On the other hand, Rahenia and Baldrak also wished to form a contract with ◈ through you, but their status was insufficient. The contract was not concluded]

[This was also influenced by the will of Dietrich, who did not want to involve Rahenia in a contract. However, thanks to overwhelming will and magic, Rahenia managed to retain all memories except for the details of the moment the contract was made]

[Following this, humanity’s counteroffensive began]

[Thanks to a chain of advantageous causal relationships created by you through the power of the three gods, humanity soon managed to reclaim most of the territories]

[The magical lands disappeared, and the initiative shifted to humanity]

[However, Luthien’s resistance was so fierce that the war ended in mutual exhaustion]

[Both the gods allied with humanity and the evil deities almost completely lost their influence over the earthly world. The era of humans began]

[But Luthien’s fanatics did not disappear completely]

[They went into the shadows, distorting history and preparing for a future revenge]

...And that future had arrived right now.

For more than a thousand years, they had been preparing to summon the evil gods back onto this continent.

What astonishing devotion to doctrine.

Their cockroach-like persistence was enough to make one sick.

Ellen spoke quietly:

— Your abilities... you will begin to understand them gradually. Soon you will be able to do much more than before.

— I hope so. I need something—anything—to fight them on equal footing... By the way, where are my companions?

— They should have already returned as well.

Her tone suggested they had arrived from somewhere, and I tilted my head in confusion.

— ...Returned? From where?

— From the deepest depths of hell.

A grim answer came from behind me.

Turning around, I saw Ryan Parker with completely sunken eyes.

The rest of the platoon’s fighters appeared behind him, and they looked no better.

They looked as if they had spent several days straight in the inferno of the most brutal battle, where there wasn’t a single moment to relax. Even the senior officers, who always maintained composure in front of their subordinates, were now barely dragging their feet.

Ellen explained briefly:

Because of me, a temporal breach had formed, and through that crack they had been thrown into the “Forgotten Era.”

— To the outskirts of the magical lands...?

— In any case, as long as you remain their anchor, they cannot get lost there.

So they had gone through an accelerated field training course.

The evil gods of the “Forgotten Era” had become the best sparring partners for my comrades.

I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

— You know, even though I’m the one carrying the fragment of the god of time, it seems like you can do far more than I can.

— ...That’s a misconception. What I possess is only a negligible fraction compared to your power. And also...

A brief pause.

Ellen’s gaze slid into the distance, beyond the village.

As if she were desperately searching for someone.

— That’s all. Time is up, and I have no strength left.

Hearing the hint of farewell, I hurriedly reached into my coat.

— Wait, hold on a minute!

I pulled out an old notebook. The one the Great Admiral had given me.

Words poured out of me in a rush:

— Since you’re leaving, at least explain what these mysterious phrases mean.

— This is...

— Great Admiral Illian Marest used to secretly write down your ramblings while you slept.

An indignant shout from a middle-aged man came from behind—something about how could you say it like that—but it didn’t matter.

I watched Ellen’s face intently as she read the notes.

Unlike Return After Death, the Tablets, or the Fragment of the god of time, whose meanings had already become clear, these “sleep notes” remained a complete mystery to me.

However—

— I don’t know.

The answer was disappointingly short.

Why?

Even sensing that it was a lie, I didn’t press her or try to dig out the truth.

It was because of her faint, barely noticeable smile.

— Let’s leave it to the me who remains in reality?

— You mean the Ellen who’s imprisoned in Pendrox?

— Exactly.

I looked at her again.

Black hair, azure eyes filled with the depth of the sea.

A quiet majesty that couldn’t be put into words.

The landscape around us began to distort—time really was coming to an end.

...This was a temporal breach.

A point of contact that Ellen from the past had prepared specifically for me.

Her only purpose here was to make contact with me.

In essence, she was not a living being, but rather an idea—or a fragment of consciousness.

And yet her gaze did not linger on me.

With unmistakable longing and tenderness, she looked somewhere toward the village.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but ask... perhaps a completely pointless question.

— Did you ever think about choosing differently?

A prophetess.

A descendant of priestesses.

A being crushed from birth by the heavy burden of duty passed down through generations.

A life in which she even had to turn her own beloved son into a cog in a grand plan.

— It must have been unbearably unfair...

But instead of cursing fate or complaining about injustice, she only smiled enigmatically.

And then slowly reached out her hand.

A barely perceptible touch.

I stood still as she stroked my head—for the first time in decades.

It was warm.

At that moment, the world around us spun into a vortex, and the crack widened.

The forest began to be sucked inward.

The village sank into the ground.

It looked like a catastrophe, but in reality it was a return.

A return to the time where we were meant to be.

To an era where the current “Ellen” no longer exists.

Woooo—

My vision was rapidly swallowed by darkness.

The light faded, my senses dulled.

And in that bottomless instant, a quiet voice reached me:

— We’ll meet again, Gunther.

.

.

.

Gunther opened his eyes.

Ding!

[Hidden scenario: “The old is always better” completed]

[Would you like to view details?]

[Hierarchy advancement task completed]

[Hierarchy: increased to 4th tier]

[Overall stat efficiency increased]

[Resistance to divine damage increased]

[Class change unlocked]

[Would you like to view details?]

Messages poured in a pleasant stream. But before I could read their bluish glow—

Swee-e-e-esh—

Through the interface, like a tidal wave, crimson-black flames surged in.

BA-BOOM!

A massive mace of monstrous weight created a horrifying explosion without even reaching its target.

Hair flying.

A mouth twisted in a furious scream.

Apostle of Justice, Revmael.

She filled Gunther’s entire field of vision, consumed by a thirst for killing.

[You have died]

[Countdown to Return After Death...]

.

.

.

Yes, if I were my former self, that message would have appeared without fail.

That’s what Gunther thought, looking straight ahead...

At the place where, beyond the veil of flames and thunder, his Straight Sword of Despair stood still.

— Insect... How is this possible?!

A dancing shadow crept across Revmael’s face, twisted in horror.