Gunther stood motionless for a while, staring at the three gods who towered majestically over the corpse of the Evil God.

“.......”

Something spread slowly through the depths of his chest, a feeling difficult to put into words. It wasn’t just the memories of the years they had spent side by side. Anyone, standing before this blood-soaked trio, would have felt the same.

Beings who carried the hopes and expectations of humanity on their shoulders. Those who walked a thorny path in silence, with no guarantee of reward.

— Wow, if you keep looking at us with that tragic expression, I’m going to get even more curious about who you are.

— Settle down, Kalos. There’s no time for chatter. If Rahenia brought him, he’ll be useful. And if Baldrak isn’t attacking him, then he must be a decent person.

— Heh, I know you’re just as curious. You’re just holding back because you’re afraid of Rahenia nagging you.

Alphonse of Red Street smirked as he wiped the blood running down his chin.

— Speaking of Rahenia... why is she so quiet? Shouldn’t she be dragging Dietrich around by the hair right about now?

As Alphonse had pointed out, Rahenia wasn’t angry. Without rage or reproach, she simply looked at her companions with an indifferent face. But Gunther could feel it—she was in unbearable pain.

Her azure eyes moved slowly. They slid over Kalos’s burned face. Then stopped at Dietrich’s empty shoulder.

Surely, she had a lot she wanted to say. But Rahenia swallowed every word. And then—

Whoooooosh—

A calm mana spread through the air. Pure droplets of water blossomed at her fingertips. Filled with clear light, they slowly flowed, washing soot and blood from the bodies of the three gods.

— Ow, that stings! Is this saltwater?

— ...Why would it be.

Contrary to Gunther’s expectations, silence fell over the surroundings. The presence of enemies could no longer be felt. But then why was his heart pounding faster and faster, as if he had been running uphill with all his strength?

It felt like standing in the eye of a storm, watching winds and torrential rain crashing in from all directions. An ominous premonition of catastrophe—one you could neither escape nor defend against.

Rahenia spoke slowly:

— When I got here, I understood why you chose such a reckless invasion. Was it that woman who told you?

Dietrich nodded silently.

— Yes. It was a revelation.

“...That woman? A revelation?” Gunther sharpened his hearing.

— It was a revelation that if we did not come here today, humanity would meet its end. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t blindly trust the words of such a suspicious individual... but this time, she was absolutely right.

After finishing his sentence, Dietrich looked down at his feet.

After the recent fierce battle, the Papal Palace had lost its former shape. The grand outer walls, the refined galleries—all of it had been shattered into fragments and turned into heaps of rubble. However, something had been exposed among the ruins.

A ridiculous door embedded directly into the ground.

Ding!

[Heavenly Mechanism Vision (Lv. 2) is activated]

[“Serpent’s Nest” (Lv. 3) is activated]

Gunther’s senses seeped underground.

...There was something there. A vast space. So massive it felt as if an entire city district had been buried beneath the earth.

“......?”

But something was wrong. He could clearly sense the existence of a gigantic space, yet beyond that—nothing at all. Normally, his senses would catch onto something, even in an empty room: walls, air currents, the faintest vibrations.

...But here, it was as if he were probing the emptiness of open space itself.

Just as he sank deeper into that strange sense of dissonance—

Blink.

Alphonse winked at Gunther. His lips moved silently:

— You’re amusing. Controlling snakes? Where’d you pick that up?

“...From you.”

While Gunther briefly averted his gaze, the conversation between Rahenia and the King of Knights resumed.

— So, to fulfill that woman’s revelation, the three of you decided to act without me.

Fortunately, Alphonse didn’t press further and shifted his attention back to Rahenia.

— Hey, hey, Rahenia. Don’t say it like that, it hurts my feelings.

Alphonse’s expression turned serious.

— You know it yourself. In the last battle, your divine authority took a heavy blow. With a body that can barely even sustain existence in this world, you wouldn’t have been able to do anything. You would’ve just gotten in the way. And you think we should have taken you along?

El lightly shook Alphonse by the shoulder.

— Watch your words, Kalos...

— I’m saying it like this because it hurts me too. We deliberately left her behind out of concern, and she rushed straight into the heart of death.

The words were rough, but there was no anger in them—only worry. Rahenia understood that, and so she remained silent.

Gunther decided it was time to step in. And the moment he made the decision, he acted.

— So what’s the outcome?

— Gunther deliberately raised his voice.

— Has humanity’s end been prevented? Or is it still in progress? I’d like someone to explain what the hell is going on.

“.......”

The gazes of the three gods pierced him at once, then, as if by agreement, shifted to Rahenia. A silent request to explain who this uninvited guest was. Rahenia let out a short sigh.

— ...I’ll explain later. It would take too long. But I guarantee he won’t cause harm.

— Hm, later. Will we even have a “later”?

Ignoring Kalos’s remark, Rahenia turned to Gunther.

— I’ll explain briefly. You know the ultimate goal of the Luthien Theocracy, right?

Gunther answered without hesitation:

— Of course. The manifestation of the Seven Evil Gods.

— Correct.

Rahenia’s gaze turned cold.

— You may not know this, but in this timeline, they have almost achieved their goal. Over the past century, they have fed half the population to the wombs of the Evil Gods. You could say the price for their manifestation has already been paid.

— ...I see.

— But we didn’t just sit idle. We eliminated high priests whenever we could, delaying the ritual...

After a brief pause, she corrected herself:

— ...No. We thought we were delaying it.

Her gaze fell again on the door in the floor.

— The Evil Gods will soon descend upon this world. If we don’t stop them.

Gunther let out a quiet groan. He already knew that the situation in the “Distorted Era” had been far more desperate than in the present. The three gods had mentioned it before in passing.

“The manifestation of the Seven Evil Gods.”

The worst ending—the one that occurs if Luthien is not destroyed before the final chapter. As a beginner, he had seen that ending many times. But facing it in person was an entirely different matter. Even if this was the distant past, he couldn’t help but tense up.

Boom!

At that very moment, the King of Knights forcefully flung open the door leading underground.

Shhhhh—

A sinister energy burst out from the opening, washing over him from head to toe, but it was neutralized with a single swing of his sword.

Wooooooo—

[The sword “Common Origin” resonates.]

[You have witnessed the pinnacle of swordsmanship of a single origin.]

[Witnessing supreme sword techniques greatly increases swordsmanship proficiency.]

[A clue to comprehending the “Swordsmanship of the King of Knights” has been detected.]

...A sword of such level that his stats rose just by looking at it. While Gunther marveled, an abyss revealed itself beyond the door. El murmured quietly:

— Has it already been consumed by the “World of Light”...?

Even when pouring mana into his eyes, nothing could be seen. And yet, the King of Knights stepped forward without hesitation.

— You’ve recovered somewhat, so it’s time to move. We don’t have time.

El and Alphonse immediately took position behind him. Grinning, Alphonse glanced back at the others.

— Well, as for Baldrak and Rahenia... even if I tell them not to come, they’ll follow anyway.

Baldrak, who had been silent until now, slowly raised his massive head.

— Grrr... I’ll be useful. Grrr... Worst case, I’ll become a living shield.

— Thanks. That’s reassuring.

Alphonse shook his head and jumped into the darkness below. No sound of landing followed.

Clap—

El followed without hesitation. In the darkness, her alchemical sigil flashed with golden light for a moment before fading. There was no sound of her landing either.

Three remained. The King of Knights Dietrich, Rahenia, and Gunther. Dietrich’s gaze slowly shifted—and, surprisingly, stopped not on Rahenia, but on Gunther.

— What do you intend to do?

Gunther took a deep breath before answering.

— Well, of course I’ll—

— Gunther will go with us.

Rahenia cut in, interrupting him outright.

“......?”

An oddly decisive tone. The strange firmness in her voice made Gunther pause for a moment.

Of course, he had already intended to go. That was obvious. He still didn’t know the conditions for leaving this timeline. Death wasn’t an exit. Escaping the disaster zone didn’t seem like the right answer either. Only one path remained—forward.

“...Besides, there’s something I need to confirm.”

Still, he hadn’t expected Rahenia to declare it first. Dietrich nodded calmly.

— There is divinity within him... so he should be able to endure it down there. Whether he survives, however, is another matter entirely.

— I’ll try not to get in the way.

A faint smile crossed Dietrich’s lips.

— You’re brave. If we had met somewhere other than this hell, we might have made fine comrades.

— ...I’m sure of it.

And they would. Even if it would take more than a thousand years.

Knowing what hardships these three gods would endure over those unimaginable centuries, Gunther fell silent for a moment, his heart heavy.

Clank—

Dietrich lowered his visor.

— Rahenia, your hand.

— ...Alright.

The two figures merged and leapt into the darkness without hesitation.

— Grrr... Still scary. Grrr... Don’t tell them I said that.

The beast, voicing its true thoughts only after his companions disappeared, also vanished into the abyss.

...And silence fell.

Left alone, Gunther clenched his fists and stood before the opening.

— ...Alright.

He exhaled quietly.

— I’ll finally confirm it.

From the moment he had accidentally been thrown into this era. From the moment he had felt that inexplicable “someone’s will.” Gunther had been waiting for this exact moment.

“The moment I stand before this opening.”

He didn’t know exactly what lay below. Judging by the mention of a zone consumed by the “World of Light,” it was a place where the dimension of the Seven Evil Gods and their apostles overlapped with this world. An incredibly dangerous, unknown space not even recorded in official history.

...And yet. There was one thing Gunther was certain of.

“Down there... is the God of Time.”

A mad conclusion—but not a baseless one. Gunther already knew the “result” of this battle. The three wounded gods would ultimately prevent the manifestation of the Seven Evil Gods. That impossible future was already predetermined.

Future Rahenia had explained the reason for that miracle like this:

“A contract infused with the entirety of accumulated divine authority... a contract that cost them their very existence...”

“They had already reached the edge of the rank of Higher Deities. And what kind of being forms a contract with those who sacrificed even themselves? With whom... what kind of contract did they make?”

...The mysterious entity that formed a contract with El, Dietrich, and Kalos when they reached the limits of their divinity. The entity that, at the very beginning of his regressions, sent them to aid him. The entity that gave humanity of the future one more chance.

Wasn’t it obvious?

This was why Gunther had come here, even at the cost of seven death counters. To meet the one who stood at the beginning of his arrival in this world—and at the end of all its mysteries.

“Let’s take a look at that smug face of yours.”

Gunther no longer hesitated.

Whoooooosh—

He threw himself into the darkness.

.

.

.

Ding!

[Condition to unlock the attribute “???” has been met]

[The true name of the hidden attribute “???” is being revealed]