Lucien’s body instinctively trembles at the sight of this cursed entity.

He knows...

... it is impossible for him to win.

"I thought it would be a Knight or a President. If it were either of the two, then maybe... I could have somehow survived. But this... this is something else!" As he mutters, he realizes his lips are quivering.

That’s because he knows what this thing is!

"... An Earl!"

’The Ouroboros Sect lied in their report when they said my Kingdom was destroyed by a Monster.’ A wry smile forms on his face as he takes a step forward.

Technically, a Temporal Beast is a monster.

But it belongs in a separate category—one that cannot be mistaken.

Demiurges...

They are cursed creatures that do not belong to this world and should not be allowed to emerge from the confines of their existence.

They are very wretched things.

Unnatural in every way.

They are also the bane of a Leviathan’s Existence.

"It looks like I lied, after all..." Lucien smiles softly as he turns to the house. "I won’t be coming back."

Lucien already knows he is no match for this.

Even if he were a Rank 4 Leviathan, he still wouldn’t be able to win.

He recognizes that fact.

Yet—

’Hehe... Why am I not running away?’ He quietly asks himself as he approaches the descending entity. ’What would be the use? The presence of this thing means I have likely failed this Trial Scenario. In that case, there’s nowhere to run.’

In the end, this is a Trial Scenario within a Secluded Domain.

He is like a bird trapped in a very big cage.

If he escapes the Temporal Beast and it begins to consume the existence around him, it will only cause the cage to shrink until a confrontation is inevitable.

Still, isn’t the instinct of life to preserve itself?

All humans die, right?

However, they try their best to prolong the inevitable for as long as possible.

In the same vein, the selfish Lucien Zevalis should have no problem with extending his life in order to live even a second longer.

And yet...

... he keeps walking forward.

Because he knows that his survival is not his motivation.

Not anymore.

"I made a promise to her... to my mother... that I would stop you... that I wouldn’t leave anymore." He clenches his fist as his expression hardens. "Even if I have to sacrifice myself, I will never abandon my family again!"

Lucien knows that the two people he left behind in that house aren’t real.

At most, they are echoes of time—fragments woven together by this Trial Scenario—just like all the previous ones he has challenged.

But that doesn’t matter.

’They are my family... They helped me remember... and...’

He extends both of his hands as though expecting a hug from a long-lost friend.

"... I love them!"

With a brilliant smile and a hearty laugh that borders on insanity, he overcomes his fears and marches onward toward certain doom.

"You won’t advance from this point on!" he screams. "I won’t let you!"

Such an absurd sight...

Lucien Zevalis, who is only about two meters tall at most, stands face to face with a hulking monstrosity that is thousands of meters in height while possessing an absurd body that maintains no consistent mass.

Even then... his body expressing the fears deep within his heart, his face shows a different mask.

A look of determination.

Of joy!

And... strangely enough, of relief.

’I remember it now... I remember everything!’ He beams.

’How Mum would cook dinner for me when I returned from the old man’s workshop. Her meals were always the perfect mix of spices. Oh, her cake was always a little too sweet... but I didn’t complain because of my sweet tooth. She always went to work every day, especially on the weekends. She was a very hard worker. I didn’t fully understand the nature of her job back then, but I can understand it now. As for my father... I never met him—not once. I was only given a ring from my mother which belonged to him. She made it into a necklace and told me to wear it at all times... that it would protect me. She also said my father was a powerful man.’

Lucien’s smile grows a little distant. ’Heathcliff... so that’s my father’s name...’

RUMBLE!!!

At this point, the Temporal Beast begins to advance.

’It feels... very familiar...’

The terrifying entity closes the distance in an instant, not even giving the melancholic man any opportunity to have a final thought.

CRUNCH!

Thus concludes Lucien Zevalis’ Apotheosis.

It ends in a definite failure!

As for the old toy... it has long stopped crawling.

It tumbles and falls onto the muddy, deserted, and completely empty road.

*****

’What exactly is about to happen?’

I stare at the sudden change within the sphere, half expectant and half afraid.

The rest of the Ouroboros Sect members have shocked looks on their faces, like they know something about what they are seeing, but they aren’t very certain about it.

The fact that the Captain isn’t giving out any orders must mean this isn’t a bad development...

... right?

Before I can answer that question, I witness Lucien’s silhouette shatter into a million pieces within the sphere, causing it to burst at the same time. The dark purple yarn of threads unravels, breaking apart into countless particles before dissipating.

Almost like it is only an illusory dream.

Then—

VWUUUSH!

—A massive wave of colors, illusory and incorporeal, suddenly manifests from the center of the explosion and bursts in all directions.

Within an instant, it spreads outward, covering the entire Capital.

Then, after a few seconds, it vanishes into the distance, permeating everything around without a hint of slowing down.

I watch this with bulging eyes, my heart racing uncontrollably.

My breathing is unnatural.

I can feel my body paralyzed in an instant.

It isn’t simply due to the tidal wave of energy that has now extended itself beyond what my eyes can perceive, but because of its implications.

I look beneath me... and around me... and my eyes witness a completely new world.

Everything... has been reset!

The Capital has been restored, its buildings and occupants now present.

I lower my gaze and watch the denizens of the Randalorion Kingdom going about their business without a single clue about what has just transpired. I see the Royal Palace in the distance, standing tall and resplendent as though it wasn’t in ruins moments before.

The gaping hole that leads underground is nowhere to be found.

No Magivore corpses litter the ground.

I stare into the distance and find myself unable to locate any sign of the Cadre 6 Magivore that appeared not too long ago.

My goodness!

What kind of miracle is this?!

It’s almost as though I dreamed the whole thing.

The only proof of the battle that just occurred is floating in the air with me.

They’re all Leviathans of the Ouroboros Sect.

"What just... happened?" Muddleheaded and a little frightened, I cast my gaze on Alistair, hoping for an explanation. I can see that he, too, is stunned by the development, but I cannot help but suspect that he understands what has just happened.

At least, more than I do.

He glances at me and smiles. "Temporal Implosion."

"What’s that?" Although I blurt out the question without thinking, a few seconds of mental scrutiny causes me to quickly piece it together.

"One of the consequences of failing Apotheosis?"

Alistair nods.

’I only knew of death, insanity, and corruption... also known as falling into depravity.’

So there is Temporal Implosion too.

This means that Lucien Zevalis surely failed Apotheosis.

But how does this result affect the rest of the world?!

That’s my confusion.

"When a Leviathan passes Apotheosis, it is called Ascension. If they fail, we call it Deviation. As you know, failure can take on multiple forms. One of them, and the rarest of all, is Temporal Implosion. This is the first time I am personally experiencing something like this..."

"Me too!"

"Same here!"

"I’m the same."

"Me as well."

"I... know someone who has experienced it before."

"A-ahh...!"

So no one here has ever witnessed such a result before? But this does not answer my fundamental question. How exactly does Lucien’s failure alter reality to such an extent?

All the signs of our battle... and every sense of destruction that existed have been wiped out.

How and why?!

"Temporal Implosion erases the existence of the Leviathan—not just in the present, but also in their past and future. It removes them from reality, completely wiping their influence from anything that has ever occurred or will ever occur."

"What...?"

My eyes stretch to their limits as I let Alistair’s words sink in.

’So the existence known as Lucien Zevalis no longer exists in this world? But why do we remember him? In fact, I still feel all the effects of the battle that just concluded, including having memories of everything that occurred. Ah, Leviathans aren’t affected by this change, huh?’

"You’ve figured it out already..." Alistair smiles while nodding. "As Leviathans, we aren’t under the influence of the Implosion. As such, all of Lucien’s effects on a Leviathan will remain constant and unchanging. If Lucien killed someone or orchestrated their deaths, they will be alive in this world where Lucien no longer exists—well, only if they wouldn’t have died by other means if Lucien didn’t interfere. As for Leviathans, those he has killed will remain dead."

"Ah... I see..."

At first, I was excited about the possibility that came with this discovery.

After all, Lucien Zevalis was the one responsible for instigating Zarius to commit his atrocities. If he didn’t exert such influence, Zarius would have never become a Leviathan.

He would have never come to the Randalorion Kingdom.

He would have never killed my friends and family.

’Unfortunately, Zarius is a Leviathan, so although Lucien no longer exists in any period of time, everything about Zarius remains unchanged.’ I sigh deeply. ’Everyone is still dead.’

Yet, I cannot bring myself to be sad.

After all, this is indeed a miracle of unimaginable proportions!

All the millions who died as a result of Lucien’s interference with the world will now be alive, and everyone he has hurt throughout history will no longer have experienced such tragedy.

That includes his aunt!

For this reason alone, we have to rejoice.

"Javier..." Alistair calls for me, smiling warmly while expressing an uncharacteristic, almost playful wink.

"... We saved Randalorion."

My heart leaps, and I feel a burning sensation in my chest.

Without even waiting for a second, I nod at my Captain and clench my fist in excitement.

"Yes!"

We actually did it!

Although they’ll never know it... we saved everyone!

*****

"H-huh?"

Dustin Aditi finds himself lying on the ground, his body feeling refreshed although his mind aches with a certain indescribable sensation.

’I’m still alive...?’ He asks himself for a moment before quickly remembering what happened.

’Ah, yes... Sir Evernight came and rescued me.’

He casts his gaze on the world around him, shocked to not find any corpses of the Magivores that attacked the village.

He also notices that there are no signs of destruction around.

Why is that the case?

If it were just that he didn’t find any Magivore corpses, he would have assumed that Lord Evernight cleared the area. But why wouldn’t he leave any for him?

That wouldn’t be his style at all.

’Then was it the villagers that cleared everything? But that doesn’t explain how the signs of battle are nonexistent. Besides, how could they have handled everything so quickly? And why would they leave me out here by myself?’

None of these explanations make much sense to Dustin.

He becomes even more confused when he looks ahead and notices his faithful steed—a Cadre 2 Magivore—charging towards him.

This is the Raven Stallion which has accompanied him on many adventures.

’He died during that scuffle with the Ironbloom Magivores, didn’t he?’ Dustin’s face twists into confusion as the beast approaches. ’So... why is he still alive?’

Was everything merely a dream?

But—

’My clothes are in tatters, and my Armament is completely broken. I don’t have any Potions left on me... and I clearly remember everything that happened.’

It couldn’t have been a dream!

But it only makes sense if he dreamed about everything.

’There’s only one way to find out...’ He stares at Zen Village, a short distance from him, and narrows his eyes.

’I will have to seek out the residents.’