He continued to fight without breaks.
‘Will you stop already!?
‘Give me a break!’
The voice of the Angel echoed through the skies, reverberating off the shattered landscape.
‘It’s not like you can defeat me! Stop pestering me!’
No matter how many times it crushed the human, he rose again.
And again.
“Why should I stop?”
The red-eyed human walked towards the countless pillars scattered across the battlefield. His naked feet left deep, bloody marks on the cracked land.
His long hair reached the ground.
His body was covered in scars. The injuries left by Void repeatedly ended up becoming permanent, not healing even with the revival.
‘Just stop! I’m sick of you already!’
‘Give me the Sacred Treasure and I’ll leave. Why do you even keep fighting? Your world is gone!’
Needless to say, Neo had no intention of following its request.
The ‘him’ in the fourth vision of the Sphinx had given up.
He had sat inside a hut he had built in the dying world, writing a diary.
But Neo was different.
He never gave up.
Not even for a moment.
He fought relentlessly for centuries.
His body broke countless times, yet his spirit remained unbroken.
“Why do I keep fighting?” Neo asked.
His sword, which looked like a black offshoot of shadows, was plunged into the ground, crackling with dark energy.
“It took me two centuries to realize this, but there is a way to save everyone and defeat you.”
‘What is it?’ The Angel asked, its voice weary, yet still filled with venom.
“I just need to stay alive. As long as I’m alive, I’ll win.”
…
Gap of Dimensions, Between Shadow World and Earth Dimension
Time between different dimensions wasn’t uniform.
While Neo had endured what felt like centuries, only a few seconds had passed for Jack.
However, Jack wasn’t aware of it.
“He is an Immortal?” Jack asked, his voice trembling with disbelief. “How will that save him?”
The words of the Gatekeeper, J #48, only deepened the feeling of despair clawing at his chest.
Her eyes seemed to pierce through him.
“Doesn’t that mean he will be tortured endlessly in that place?” he asked.
Despite her attempts to calm him earlier, Jack could no longer contain his emotions.
The truth of their circumstances was too despairing.
“It seems the Supreme has given us the permission to tell you the truth,” J #48 said.
She looked at Jack with an unwavering gaze.
“The trial is still ongoing. Neo Hargraves staying behind is the only chance you have to clear the Shadow Trial?”
“What…?”
His heart skipped a beat.
Her words had caught his attention.
Jack raised his head and stared into her eyes.
Desperation flared in his chest.
“What do you mean by that?”
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“The trial is still going on. As long as Neo Hargraves is alive, he has a chance to clear it.”
“Didn’t you tell us the trial was already completed? We also got the rewards!”
Jack’s frustration grew.
“It was a part of the trial,” J #48 explained. “As for your rewards, participants of the Shadow Trials are allowed to give up at any moment they wish.
“Your reward was something that was always possible.
“The participants who leave aren’t allowed to go back, but the Supreme made an exception for you, Jack Hanma.”
Her words hit harder than the chill in the air.
Jack’s mind raced as he struggled to keep his focus.
“He had expectations from you.
“But you have disappointed him.
“You, despite being able to use Divine Energy, made no significant contribution in the final battle and ended up getting your Seed of Existence corrupted and losing your abilities.”
Jack felt the heat of her condemnation settle over him.
His throat tightenened.
“While it is true your performance before the final battle – for decades – helped society calm down, it cannot cover for the blunder you’ve shown us,” J #48 continued
Jack didn’t hear any part of the explanation.
His attention was focused on only the first part.
“If my wish wasn’t a wish, what about Neo? Did not he ask about awakening his Shadow element?”
“Neo’s Shadow element was not awakened because Surpemed stopped his Shadows from leaving the Shadow Plane.
“Surpeme wouldn’t count giving his Shadows back as a reward.”
Jack couldn’t describe his emotions.
They were a jumbled mess.
His fingers clenched at his sides, and his gaze wandered around. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
“Th-then what about the Trial? How can it be cleared?”
“Jack Hanma, the world core of the past was destroyed, which was why mana was destroyed and no one could use it.
“But you and Neo could. Why could you use Divine Energy?”
J #48 continued.
“After all, the world was destroyed in the past. It shouldn’t have existed in the future.
“With no World Core in the future, you should’ve become powerless like awakeners too,” said J #48.
Hearing the doll’s words, Jack’s mind spun.
“It was a paradox. But what does a paradox have to do with our current situation?” he answered.
“A Paradox is the only hope you have. Neo Hargraves is still alive, and he has decided to stay within that world forever. His future is now eternally living in that world,” said J #48.
“…?” Jack frowned.
His face contorted in confusion.
“His future is now eternally living in that world.” J #48 repeated her words.
Her eyes gleamed and a smile appeared on her face when she saw Jack’s bewildered expression.
“It seems you have calmed down, though now you are confused,” J #48 chuckled softly.
…
Demigod Academy
Four Months Before Neo Entered the Shadow World
Professor Daniel looked at Neo.
Although his face didn’t show it, he was proud of Neo’s achievement of having awakened a unique manifestation of the Time element.
He couldn’t help but recall how many times Neo had regressed and entered the labyrinth to awaken his Time element.
A smile replaced his usual stern expression.
The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the scent of blooming flowers from the academy’s courtyard before they entered the room through the windows.
“Even if no one remembers the struggles you’ve gone through during your regressions, I do,” Professor Daniel said.