“Yes, I think he managed to send the Voice of Time to the past, and he hopes we can save the world.”
Kronos chuckled
“In fact, I think the one who sent you the completed World Time Spell is also him.
“The World Time Spell would’ve been completed in the future and that’s where he is.”
Daniel neither denied nor agreed to Kronos’ claim.
The World Time Spell came from the system, not from the guy in Kronos’ dream.
“Are you sure those dreams are real and not… dreams?” Daniel asked again.
“Those with time affinity can see unaltered pasts through dreams,” Kronos replied.
“I see.”
Daniel turned his head.
He stared at the clear sky through the window, where streaks of pink mixed with the blue of twilight.
‘A guy who is fighting alone.’
He shook his head.
‘No way that’s true.’
‘It’s too absurd. No way someone can stay sane after experiencing that much loneliness and pain.’
After Kronos trusted Daniel, the two joined hands.
They revealed the news of Typhaon collecting energy to awaken.
At the same time, they began preparing the World Time Spell as a backup plan.
Typhaon could not collect energy from the awakeners’ battle due to Daniel’s meticulous planning .
The father of Anomalies was forced to absorb energy from the air and earth instead.
His speed of awakening was reduced greatly.
Daniel didn’t let go of the opportunity.
He trained and leveled up at an extremely fast pace.
He helped other awakeners reach their true potential earlier.
The Titans and Awakener Association completed the World Time Spell a lot faster.
This time, it was not the inferior version but the true, complete version.
Then, ‘it’ happened.
Typhaon woke up five years later than he did in Daniel’s timeline.
The Awakener’s preparations had helped them resist Typhaon.
Only for one year, that is.
Their plans were crushed by the overwhelming might of Typhaon.
The skies had darkened with storm clouds.
The ground was littered with the ruins of shattered cities as countless Awakeners died helplessly.
The Father of Anomalies was undefeatable.
With no other choice left, the Awakeners decided to use the World Time Spell.
This time, Daniel wasn’t returning to the past alone.
Dozens more Awakeners were going to the past together.
‘I failed this time. But next time we will win,’ Daniel thought.
His heart was heavy with loss, but he was determined to change the outcome of their defeat.
The World Time Spell was activated.
Bright light engulfed Daniel as runes spun around him in a complex pattern.
His senses dispersed.
He couldn’t see, smell, or taste.
A powerful wave rammed into him, disorienting and endless, like being cast into the heart of a maelstrom.
He swam against the current for what felt like years.
Other presences flickered nearby.
Perhaps, they belonged to Awakeners who struggling against the river of time like him.
Those presences disappeared with passage of time, one after another, until only Daniel remained.
‘Maybe they weren’t the awakeners,’ Daniel thought.
It was possible the power of Time crushed others who were time traveling with him.
But Daniel thought — hoped — otherwise.
He continued to swim for what felt like decades.
Just when he was about to give up, a voice echoed.
“I’m sorry. There is no one named Selene in the rescued people list—”
“Amanda! What are you saying to a patient who just woke up!?”
Suddenly, Daniel’s consciousness snapped back.
He woke up in a hospital room.
The scent of antiseptic lingered in the air.
Machines beeped softly in the corner, monitoring his vitals.
Daniel massaged his head, feeling the lingering ache from the strain of time travel.
The sterile white walls seemed unfamiliar yet oddly nostalgic.
‘Why am I at this point of time again?’
‘The Spell should’ve sent me a few years further into the past.’
Daniel didn’t understand the cause of it.
‘Was the Spell flawed?’
Unlike Daniel, Neo was sure of it now.
Fate had started taking action against them.
It wouldn’t let Daniel go beyond the time where he had regressed to.
“Use Healing Slip,” Daniel muttered.
A gentle blue glow enveloped his body as his injuries rapidly mended.
His breathing steadied as the pain vanished.
He signaled to the concerned doctor that he was fine and, without another word, left the hospital room.
As he stepped out of the medical tent, the fabric flapped gently in the breeze, and the scent of herbs lingered in the air.
A screen materialized before him.
[It has been detected that Host has undergone a second regression.]
[Adjusting Divine System…]
[Please pick one of the rewards:]
[1. 20% of pre-regression stats.]
[2. Any two skills from your previous life (the skill level will be reset).]
[3. Any two System Items.]
“The rewards increased?”
Daniel was pleasantly surprised.
“Choose pre-regression stats reward.”
In the last timeline, Daniel had wasted too much time trying to level up.
Besides, he already had the Time Stop skill from the previous loop, a trump card that was stronger than other skills combined.
“Since I’m already at A-rank, I don’t need to waste my time leveling up anymore. I can meet others quickly.”
A faint smile appeared on Daniel’s face.
He wasn’t the only one who had regressed.
He was looking forward to meeting them.
…
Present
Half of Neo’s body had crumbled away.
His figure was barely holding together.
Arcs of red lightning sparked off his fractured form.
Professor Daniel’s expression was filled with regret.
The realization weighed on him like a crushing tide.
Finally, he knew everything.
He had discovered who had given him the System.
During the Age of Gods, Professor Daniel had regressed thousands of times, desperately trying to save the world.
He had failed countless times, witnessing tragedy after tragedy.
He was the only one who could regress.
Others couldn’t return to time with him.
Traveling more than five years into the past killed others’ time traveling selves.
Only Professor Daniel’s future self could return to the past without being erased by the River of Time.
“What kind of sick joke is this?”
Daniel’s voice echoed hollowly in the desolate silence.
He knew what would happen from this point onward in the Age of Gods.
He had experienced it himself, over and over.
However, he couldn’t tell Neo the truth.
It would create a bigger paradox than the one they had created already.
“It was you who remained with me all those years,” his voice broke as he spoke.
Professor Daniel had gone insane after regressing countless times.
He had cried, raged.
He had indulged in carnal desires, he had turned into a villain and helped with the destruction of the world.
The ‘Divine System’ remained with him through everything.
The System had become his mental support.
It was because of the System that Daniel always regressed by using the World Time Spell.
It was at the System’s urging that he didn’t forsake the world.
Although he hated it, he wanted to save the world.
Continue your saga on empire
“Dammit, dammit.”
Professor Daniel clenched his fists.
The knuckles turned white.
Tears-streaked down his face.
He recalled the end of the Divine System.
It would happen again.
Just like how the Divine System had burned everything to support Professor Daniel, Neo was burning his essence to support the young Daniel.
It was a loop.
A tragedy.
Yet, Professor Daniel couldn’t stop Neo.
Stopping Neo was no different from letting the world end.
All Professor Daniel could do was watch as Neo was erased by Time for creating a massive Paradox.
A Paradox that would save the past, present and future.
A Paradox that would kill him.
Suddenly, Professor Daniel heard an ear-piercing voice.
‘◼@E@DASA◼’
The voice of the Angel was unrecognizable to Professor Daniel.
It gave him a massive migraine.
He felt as if his skull might crack under the pressure.
“What are you doing?” Professor Daniel asked the Angel.
The Angel frowned.
It had tried to speak normally.
However, its voice—filled with corruption—had turned into a mind attack.
After conversing with Neo normally for ages, the Angel had forgotten its voice was an attack in itself.
Neo was the weird one for being able to understand it and talk with it without being corrupted.
The Angel understood it couldn’t talk with Professor Daniel.
It shouted at Neo.
‘Wake up, you fucking bitch!’
Its voice echoed through the desolate world.
‘If you are going to die, die alone! Why are you pulling me down with you?!’
…
Author’s Note:
Two more chapters in a few hours, and yes, the arc will end in 3~5 chapters.