“What the hell...!” Chang-Sun gnashed his teeth.
He had struck Sadalmelik first to stop the Outer Celestial from approaching Worldline #802, but it had actually triggered the altars in Eos to activate.
‘Then let’s change the order of how I do things.’
Eos was the only place that was under the influence of Sadalmelik and Alioth, so Chang-Sun could take over Eos with Arin and her Revolutionary Army the way he had done the first time. If Chang-Sun struck Sadalmelik afterward, making those human sacrifices would be impossible.
Chang-Sun was unsure who was Rollbacking him to this time period, but he had been given a new chance. Based on his mistakes, Chang-Sun could avoid stepping on landmines again.
At least, that was what he believed at first...
* * *
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
‘...I failed again.’ Chang-Sun clenched his teeth after seeing the execution site for the third time.
Chang-Sun’s plan had been good, at least. After partnering up with Arin, Chang-Sun had successfully taken over Eos and used the Channeling in him to capture Alioth and get to Sadalmelik.
‘The problem is that she made Alioth and her people into sacrificial offerings right away.’
Was Sadalmelik the type of person who blindly self-destructed if she believed she was going to lose? Chang-Sun had thought that she was the most wicked and sly Zodiac, but perhaps he was mistaken because he had never seen Sadalmelik in a situation where she was cornered. Perhaps Sadalmelik had made that choice because she blindly believed that her wish would come true with sacrificial offerings. Whatever her reason was, though, one thing was clear.
‘I can’t attack Sadalmelik directly. No matter how I corner her, she’s going to use herself as a sacrificial offering to summon the Outer Celestial.’
It looked as if the easier solution would be to locate the Channeling between Sadalmelik and the Outer Celestial in Nyx, or destroy their Terminals.
‘It won’t be easy to find them,’ Chang-Sun thought. However... ‘I’ll still try.’
Chang-Sun tightened his grip on [Gungnir].
* * *
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
Chang-Sun’s fourth attempt failed. He had tried to gain Alioth’s favor and approach Sadalmelik to find the Channeling and Terminal, but he had failed to avoid Sadalmelik’s suspicion.
‘Then let’s take a different approach,’ Chang-Sun thought, starting his fifth attempt.
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
Of course, the attempt failed.
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
The sixth attempt was the same.
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
The seventh attempt was the same.
.
.
.
Chang-Sun tried dozens of times afterward, but all his efforts were futile in the end, because he could not avoid Sadalmelik’s suspicion. Sadalmelik never lowered her guard, like a bristling porcupine. By aggravating her fight against Chiron or driving a wedge between her and Castor, Chang-Sun had looked for a vulnerable moment... And yet, Sadalmelik chose to summon the Outer Celestial every time to overcome her crisis.
Chang-Sun felt as if he would go insane. It did not matter what method he used or how detailed his plan was, as Sadalmelik always summoned the Outer Celestial in the end...
...As if it was a fixed outcome.
Chang-Sun briefly thought that perhaps he would be able to stop the summoning process with magic. However...
‘I can’t find Odin.’
Chang-Sun could not find the person he should have been able to find in his subconscious realm without a doubt. Before this Rollback loop started, Odin had found a new body, but that event should have been negated after the first Rollback. The other past reincarnations were the same as ever, but only Odin was missing, as if he had never bee in Chang-Sun’s subconscious realm.
‘You know something about this, don’t you?’ Chang-Sun asked Perkwunos, who ruled over the subconscious realm with Odin.
Perkwunos only scoffed, but not because he was staying loyal to Odin. It was more as if Perkwunos did not want to be bothered with what was going on right now.
―Aren’t you a better expert in magic than me?
Perkwunos’ answer was not wrong, so Chang-Sun could not doubt him anymore. The other past reincarnations' responses were no different.
―Odin?
―Come to think of it, Odin vanished.
―Where did he go?
―Did he get set free?
―Then me too! Take me too...!
After escaping from his subconscious realm, which had turned uproarious again, Chang-Sun organized his befuddled thoughts to find a solution. He had to.
* * *
You.
After who knew how many times, the Outer Celestial, who had always brought <Extinction> to Worldline #802, talked to Chang-Sun for the first time. Chang-Sun remained vigilant.
Why. You. Keep. Bother. Me.
‘...The Outer Celestial remembers me?’ Chang-Sun thought, widening his eyes.
He had been feeling trapped in a fixed time loop like a prisoner, causing his daily interactions with other people to seem as if he were interacting with machines... until he discovered the Outer Celestial’s awareness of the Rollback loop.
However, after giving it some thought, he realized that it was only natural. The Outer Celestial existed in Nyx, outside the Great Universe, and was away from Worldline #802; so they must have seen the timeline being rewound. However, if it was just a simple rewind of a Worldline’s timeline, the Outer Celestial would not have cared—no, would not even have noticed, because they did not seem to have any particular interest in Worldline #802 either. Regardless, they had already been summoned to a Worldline and destroyed it, but the Worldline continued to be restored. That was why they had destroyed it again, and yet the cycle repeated. Things were bound to get cumbersome for the Outer Celestial.
What. In. World. Have. You. Done.
Although the Outer Celestial had not been particularly interested in Chang-Sun, they had to pay attention to him now. Thanks to the Outer Celestial’s question, Chang-Sun realized one thing. ‘They don’t know why this is happening either.’
Up until now, Chang-Sun had believed that the time loop was repeating because of an Outer Celestial who was as powerful as <Deus Ex Machina>. At first, Chang-Sun had suspected <Deus Ex Machina>, but there was no way it could be him.
[The <Management Bureau> has discovered severe damage in Worldline #802’s law of causality, declaring an emergency!]
...
[<Deus Ex Machina> has received the request of the <Management Bureau>, and is tracing back the damaged Data.]
[<Deus Ex Machina> has scanned the Data log and discovered that Worldline #802’s law of causality has been damaged 42 times.]
[<Deus Ex Machina> is searching for the cause.]
[<Deus Ex Machina> frowns because Worldline #802 could be endangered due to the extreme damage.]
[<Deus Ex Machina> is compiling a list of suspects, but he is suffering from a headache due to the lack of physical evidence.]
...
A Rollback was no everyday occasion. Judging from how the law of causality was damaged after every Rollback, it was evident that it greatly affected the entirety of Worldline #802, severely stressing <Deus Ex Machina>.
[<Deus Ex Machina> glares at you!]
Similarly to the Outer Celestial, <Deus Ex Machina> had witnessed every Rollback from the Changgong Library. Even though Chang-Sun had briefly been his suspect, it did not take long for <Deus Ex Machina> to realize that Chang-Sun was also a victim, so he only expressed his annoyance from time to time. That was all.
Thus, how could Chang-Sun think <Deus Ex Machina> was the cause of this Rollback loop? Perhaps <Deus Ex Machina> was acting not to rouse anyone’s suspicion... but why would he bother to do that?
<Deus Ex Machina> was a supreme being, not bound to the categories of Eros or Nyx, which meant he had no need to tiptoe around others. Thus, he had no reason to put up an act. Besides, it was too far-fetched to think that he was helping Chang-Sun at the cost of ruining the law of causality, which was practically his own Divine Rank.
<Deus Ex Machina> was very reluctant to make any interventions in the Great Universe, so the suspects could be narrowed down to two. One was...
‘...Another Outer Celestial who is on bad terms with that Outer Celestial,’ Chang-Sun thought.
Another Outer Celestial could have started this endless Rollback to screw over the first Outer Celestial. Of course, there was a flaw to that speculation.
‘That doesn’t explain why my memory remains intact.’
This was the problem. Chang-Sun remembered everything about the past even after Rollback, as if he was the one who had started this Rollback loop. Other people never remembered what had happened before, and were always surprised as if this was their first time. That meant the one who was behind this Rollback loop had a goal they wanted to achieve by using Chang-Sun.
Perhaps it was to stop the Outer Celestial or the <Extinction> of Worldline #802. Maybe there was another reason that Chang-Sun could not come up with right now... In any case, Chang-Sun was a mere pawn on the chessboard. It could have been different if Chang-Sun had a hint about that person’s goal, but he did not have the slightest idea what it could be, frustrating him. No, Chang-Sun was unsure whether anyone was capable of doing this. It would be possible for Mephistopheles if he gave it a try, but judging from the circumstances, it was evidently not his doing either. In that case...
‘...It’s the other one.’ Chang-Sun’s gaze turned sharp.
Although he was uncertain, there was someone he suspected could be the culprit—Hsan. That person had also sent Ithaca to Worldline #801, where Chang-Sun was.
‘I don’t know how high his Divine Class is. Regardless, only he would have the kind of ability to rewind a Worldline’s timeline.’
Of course, everything was just Chang-Sun’s speculation, as there was no reason for Hsan to hide his involvement even if it was his doing. Perhaps it was the conspiracy of a third party whom Chang-Sun had never taken into account, or he did not know who they were at all.
Regardless of what the reason was, Chang-Sun thought that there was a limit to this Rollback loop, as <Deus Ex Machina> would soon intervene to prevent irreparable damage to the law of causality.
Chang-Sun believed that it was for the better that the Outer Celestial had started to talk to him. In fact, he was also mentally very fatigued right now. His forty-something attempts were wearing down even his tenacity, which had previously seemed limitless. It could be very dangerous if the situation persisted. Chang-Sun thus thought he needed to persuade the Outer Celestial somehow.
“It doesn’t matter how I’ve done it,” Chang-Sun said, acting tough as if he could always start Rollback anytime he wanted and continue to bother the Outer Celestial. “It’s your decision that matters.”
What. Decision.
“You don’t want to be stuck in this endless time loop with me, do you? I only have one demand. Don’t answer Sadalmelik’s summons no matter what happens.”
Silence filled the air for a brief moment, which was suffocating for Chang-Sun. He could never let the Outer Celestial know that he was bluffing, but he tried not to reveal his anxiety.
No.
When he received the Outer Celestial’s answer, Chang-Sun had to act tough again. He replied, “Is that so? Then let’s continue to suffer together.”
Chang-Sun’s mouth dried up from anxiety.
“What the hell...!” Chang-Sun gnashed his teeth.
He had struck Sadalmelik first to stop the Outer Celestial from approaching Worldline #802, but it had actually triggered the altars in Eos to activate.
‘Then let’s change the order of how I do things.’
Eos was the only place that was under the influence of Sadalmelik and Alioth, so Chang-Sun could take over Eos with Arin and her Revolutionary Army the way he had done the first time. If Chang-Sun struck Sadalmelik afterward, making those human sacrifices would be impossible.
Chang-Sun was unsure who was Rollbacking him to this time period, but he had been given a new chance. Based on his mistakes, Chang-Sun could avoid stepping on landmines again.
At least, that was what he believed at first...
* * *
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
‘...I failed again.’ Chang-Sun clenched his teeth after seeing the execution site for the third time.
Chang-Sun’s plan had been good, at least. After partnering up with Arin, Chang-Sun had successfully taken over Eos and used the Channeling in him to capture Alioth and get to Sadalmelik.
‘The problem is that she made Alioth and her people into sacrificial offerings right away.’
Was Sadalmelik the type of person who blindly self-destructed if she believed she was going to lose? Chang-Sun had thought that she was the most wicked and sly Zodiac, but perhaps he was mistaken because he had never seen Sadalmelik in a situation where she was cornered. Perhaps Sadalmelik had made that choice because she blindly believed that her wish would come true with sacrificial offerings. Whatever her reason was, though, one thing was clear.
‘I can’t attack Sadalmelik directly. No matter how I corner her, she’s going to use herself as a sacrificial offering to summon the Outer Celestial.’
It looked as if the easier solution would be to locate the Channeling between Sadalmelik and the Outer Celestial in Nyx, or destroy their Terminals.
‘It won’t be easy to find them,’ Chang-Sun thought. However... ‘I’ll still try.’
Chang-Sun tightened his grip on [Gungnir].
* * *
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
Chang-Sun’s fourth attempt failed. He had tried to gain Alioth’s favor and approach Sadalmelik to find the Channeling and Terminal, but he had failed to avoid Sadalmelik’s suspicion.
‘Then let’s take a different approach,’ Chang-Sun thought, starting his fifth attempt.
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
Of course, the attempt failed.
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
The sixth attempt was the same.
[You have died!]
[Rollbacking Worldline #802.]
The seventh attempt was the same.
.
.
.
Chang-Sun tried dozens of times afterward, but all his efforts were futile in the end, because he could not avoid Sadalmelik’s suspicion. Sadalmelik never lowered her guard, like a bristling porcupine. By aggravating her fight against Chiron or driving a wedge between her and Castor, Chang-Sun had looked for a vulnerable moment... And yet, Sadalmelik chose to summon the Outer Celestial every time to overcome her crisis.
Chang-Sun felt as if he would go insane. It did not matter what method he used or how detailed his plan was, as Sadalmelik always summoned the Outer Celestial in the end...
...As if it was a fixed outcome.
Chang-Sun briefly thought that perhaps he would be able to stop the summoning process with magic. However...
‘I can’t find Odin.’
Chang-Sun could not find the person he should have been able to find in his subconscious realm without a doubt. Before this Rollback loop started, Odin had found a new body, but that event should have been negated after the first Rollback. The other past reincarnations were the same as ever, but only Odin was missing, as if he had never bee in Chang-Sun’s subconscious realm.
‘You know something about this, don’t you?’ Chang-Sun asked Perkwunos, who ruled over the subconscious realm with Odin.
Perkwunos only scoffed, but not because he was staying loyal to Odin. It was more as if Perkwunos did not want to be bothered with what was going on right now.
―Aren’t you a better expert in magic than me?
Perkwunos’ answer was not wrong, so Chang-Sun could not doubt him anymore. The other past reincarnations' responses were no different.
―Odin?
―Come to think of it, Odin vanished.
―Where did he go?
―Did he get set free?
―Then me too! Take me too...!
After escaping from his subconscious realm, which had turned uproarious again, Chang-Sun organized his befuddled thoughts to find a solution. He had to.
* * *
You.
After who knew how many times, the Outer Celestial, who had always brought <Extinction> to Worldline #802, talked to Chang-Sun for the first time. Chang-Sun remained vigilant.
Why. You. Keep. Bother. Me.
‘...The Outer Celestial remembers me?’ Chang-Sun thought, widening his eyes.
He had been feeling trapped in a fixed time loop like a prisoner, causing his daily interactions with other people to seem as if he were interacting with machines... until he discovered the Outer Celestial’s awareness of the Rollback loop.
However, after giving it some thought, he realized that it was only natural. The Outer Celestial existed in Nyx, outside the Great Universe, and was away from Worldline #802; so they must have seen the timeline being rewound. However, if it was just a simple rewind of a Worldline’s timeline, the Outer Celestial would not have cared—no, would not even have noticed, because they did not seem to have any particular interest in Worldline #802 either. Regardless, they had already been summoned to a Worldline and destroyed it, but the Worldline continued to be restored. That was why they had destroyed it again, and yet the cycle repeated. Things were bound to get cumbersome for the Outer Celestial.
What. In. World. Have. You. Done.
Although the Outer Celestial had not been particularly interested in Chang-Sun, they had to pay attention to him now. Thanks to the Outer Celestial’s question, Chang-Sun realized one thing. ‘They don’t know why this is happening either.’
Up until now, Chang-Sun had believed that the time loop was repeating because of an Outer Celestial who was as powerful as <Deus Ex Machina>. At first, Chang-Sun had suspected <Deus Ex Machina>, but there was no way it could be him.
[The <Management Bureau> has discovered severe damage in Worldline #802’s law of causality, declaring an emergency!]
...
[<Deus Ex Machina> has received the request of the <Management Bureau>, and is tracing back the damaged Data.]
[<Deus Ex Machina> has scanned the Data log and discovered that Worldline #802’s law of causality has been damaged 42 times.]
[<Deus Ex Machina> is searching for the cause.]
[<Deus Ex Machina> frowns because Worldline #802 could be endangered due to the extreme damage.]
[<Deus Ex Machina> is compiling a list of suspects, but he is suffering from a headache due to the lack of physical evidence.]
...
A Rollback was no everyday occasion. Judging from how the law of causality was damaged after every Rollback, it was evident that it greatly affected the entirety of Worldline #802, severely stressing <Deus Ex Machina>.
[<Deus Ex Machina> glares at you!]
Similarly to the Outer Celestial, <Deus Ex Machina> had witnessed every Rollback from the Changgong Library. Even though Chang-Sun had briefly been his suspect, it did not take long for <Deus Ex Machina> to realize that Chang-Sun was also a victim, so he only expressed his annoyance from time to time. That was all.
Thus, how could Chang-Sun think <Deus Ex Machina> was the cause of this Rollback loop? Perhaps <Deus Ex Machina> was acting not to rouse anyone’s suspicion... but why would he bother to do that?
<Deus Ex Machina> was a supreme being, not bound to the categories of Eros or Nyx, which meant he had no need to tiptoe around others. Thus, he had no reason to put up an act. Besides, it was too far-fetched to think that he was helping Chang-Sun at the cost of ruining the law of causality, which was practically his own Divine Rank.
<Deus Ex Machina> was very reluctant to make any interventions in the Great Universe, so the suspects could be narrowed down to two. One was...
‘...Another Outer Celestial who is on bad terms with that Outer Celestial,’ Chang-Sun thought.
Another Outer Celestial could have started this endless Rollback to screw over the first Outer Celestial. Of course, there was a flaw to that speculation.
‘That doesn’t explain why my memory remains intact.’
This was the problem. Chang-Sun remembered everything about the past even after Rollback, as if he was the one who had started this Rollback loop. Other people never remembered what had happened before, and were always surprised as if this was their first time. That meant the one who was behind this Rollback loop had a goal they wanted to achieve by using Chang-Sun.
Perhaps it was to stop the Outer Celestial or the <Extinction> of Worldline #802. Maybe there was another reason that Chang-Sun could not come up with right now... In any case, Chang-Sun was a mere pawn on the chessboard. It could have been different if Chang-Sun had a hint about that person’s goal, but he did not have the slightest idea what it could be, frustrating him. No, Chang-Sun was unsure whether anyone was capable of doing this. It would be possible for Mephistopheles if he gave it a try, but judging from the circumstances, it was evidently not his doing either. In that case...
‘...It’s the other one.’ Chang-Sun’s gaze turned sharp.
Although he was uncertain, there was someone he suspected could be the culprit—Hsan. That person had also sent Ithaca to Worldline #801, where Chang-Sun was.
‘I don’t know how high his Divine Class is. Regardless, only he would have the kind of ability to rewind a Worldline’s timeline.’
Of course, everything was just Chang-Sun’s speculation, as there was no reason for Hsan to hide his involvement even if it was his doing. Perhaps it was the conspiracy of a third party whom Chang-Sun had never taken into account, or he did not know who they were at all.
Regardless of what the reason was, Chang-Sun thought that there was a limit to this Rollback loop, as <Deus Ex Machina> would soon intervene to prevent irreparable damage to the law of causality.
Chang-Sun believed that it was for the better that the Outer Celestial had started to talk to him. In fact, he was also mentally very fatigued right now. His forty-something attempts were wearing down even his tenacity, which had previously seemed limitless. It could be very dangerous if the situation persisted. Chang-Sun thus thought he needed to persuade the Outer Celestial somehow.
“It doesn’t matter how I’ve done it,” Chang-Sun said, acting tough as if he could always start Rollback anytime he wanted and continue to bother the Outer Celestial. “It’s your decision that matters.”
What. Decision.
“You don’t want to be stuck in this endless time loop with me, do you? I only have one demand. Don’t answer Sadalmelik’s summons no matter what happens.”
Silence filled the air for a brief moment, which was suffocating for Chang-Sun. He could never let the Outer Celestial know that he was bluffing, but he tried not to reveal his anxiety.
No.
When he received the Outer Celestial’s answer, Chang-Sun had to act tough again. He replied, “Is that so? Then let’s continue to suffer together.”
Chang-Sun’s mouth dried up from anxiety.
