{"id":3522,"date":"2025-10-07T00:12:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T00:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/?p=3522"},"modified":"2025-10-07T00:12:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T00:12:35","slug":"chapter-5-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/?p=3522","title":{"rendered":"CHAPTER 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

THE HERO AWAKENS<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Ughh\u2026 I\u2019m exhausted<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata was faced with an irresistible temptation as she found herself about to be sucked into a bottomless abyss. Memories of times near and far crossed her mind\u2014her life was flashing before her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes\u2026 Now I remember. Even my own dad played with me sometimes, huh?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had been so focused on the \u201cnow\u201d that she forgot all about it, but long ago, she belonged to a normal family. Normal, that is, until her father\u2019s company went bankrupt, and everything fell apart. If her father could\u2019ve kept it together, maybe her mother wouldn\u2019t have gone insane, either. Hinata had too many of her own problems to think about just how much his father suffered. So he kept on hating him, resenting him, trying to pretend her current unhappy reality didn\u2019t exist. She refused to forgive his crimes, judging him in her mind in order to justify her own actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone has weakness in their heart. Her father did as well. And perhaps, if they all supported one another as a family, things might have turned out differently\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s comical for me of all people to talk about justice. Maybe that\u2019s why I kept looking for traces of my father in him\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata always felt saved by his sense of ideal justice, and by his <\/a>bottomless softheartedness, although he\u2019d probably deny it. Whenever her heart felt stretched, ready to burst, he always provided her the gospel of extra breathing room. That was him\u2026but it was all in Hinata\u2019s own mind. If she told him, it\u2019d probably just annoy him. But sometimes she was tempted to anyway, on the off chance that maybe, just maybe, he\u2019d accept her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly what Granville said. I\u2019ve never been able to forgive myself.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Hinata realized that it had all come too fast. She always lived under the idea that she\u2019d never be forgiven. Her mother would never be sad for her; even if she somehow got back to her own world, nobody would celebrate. Only her faith in the idea of rescuing as many people as she could gave her motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now I\u2019m just exhausted. I just want to gently float into this gloomy darkness\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Softly, Hinata\u2019s consciousness drifted deeper into the swallowing dark. Her five senses were already gone, all resentment untangling itself from her heart, and there were already no regrets left\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t fall asleep!!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata\u2019s consciousness awoke to the piercing scream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was that Chloe\u2026?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thought called Hinata back to reality. But this wasn\u2019t reality\u2014it was a very strange place to be. She could see outside through a window floating in space, but she wasn\u2019t seeing with her eyes\u2014rather, it was a sight she felt in her heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s \u2019cause you\u2019re inside me, Miss Hinata.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before she could ask Chloe\u2019s voice what she meant, Hinata recalled the situation she was in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh\u2026 Right. Granville stabbed me\u2026but I\u2019m not dead?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remembering it all greatly confused her. Running her Measurer skill at full blast, she still couldn\u2019t come up with a convincing <\/a>answer. The fact that she could tap into her skills at all was incredibly odd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll explain everything, so do your best to stay conscious for now. I also want you to sync up with me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSync up?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. Can you see the light?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guided by Chloe\u2019s voice, Hinata focused her consciousness. In another moment, she came across a small point of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight! That\u2019s it!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2014or her consciousness, although it felt like she was moving her body\u2014headed for the light. And then, the moment she touched it, her consciousness was greeted with a dazzling rainbow of colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few moments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you awake?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere am I\u2026?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood, you\u2019re stable. So um, Miss Hinata\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust Hinata is fine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026Oh, okay! So anyway, Hinata, you were inside me\u2014or my \u2018soul.\u2019 This is probably the first time for you, so it must be confusing, but that\u2019s definitely what happened. If I didn\u2019t get you out of there, you would\u2019ve been swallowed up in an Unlimited Imprisonment!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Hinata realized where she was. No wonder she didn\u2019t have a body\u2014her soul was inside Chloe, as she now understood. The Unlimited Imprisonment she mentioned was, no doubt, at the bottom of that gloomy darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh\u2026 Well, thanks for reaching out to me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She felt obliged to thank her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that, Chloe explained assorted things to Hinata. According to her, when Hinata was stabbed, her soul moved into Chloe. Normally, when you die, your soul separates from your body, <\/a>dissipating into the air and ceasing to exist. This time, however, Chloe\u2019s soul intervened with it, creating a highly unusual situation. It wasn\u2019t enough to fully convince Hinata, but even before that, she had other concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo is Rimuru all right?<\/em>\u201d she frantically asked. \u201cWhat happened to Lady Luminus? And to Granville?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Chloe coolly said, \u201cI want you to stay calm when you hear this, but right now\u2026we\u2019ve gone back to a long, long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou see that mountain over there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes\u2026 Wait! Isn\u2019t that the sacred peak of the Riola Mountains? So\u2014so where are we? Based on my positional data\u2026 Are we in the Lubelius sanctuary?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata couldn\u2019t be blamed for her panic. There, hazy in the distance, was likely the lofty Riola Mountains. They were visible because there was nothing between them and Hinata\u2014just flat grassland. There should<\/em> have been a city there, but there wasn\u2019t. For a moment, she feared the worst\u2014the city blown away by a war between superpowers\u2014but then there\u2019d be a barren waste here, not a healthy prairie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which meant\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know this is hard to believe, but I swear I\u2019m not lying at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe had to be right. This would eventually become a sanctuary, but now they were in a time far before the founding of Lubelius. Hinata had heard that Luminus moved to this land over two thousand years ago\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you kidding me\u2026?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She understood it was the truth, but she still had to say it. It was just so crazy\u2014but then a question arose in her mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChloe, why are you sure this is the past?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That felt important to ask. Assuming she was willing to accept that this was time travel at work, why did she know they were in the past? Maybe this was far in the future, long after their nation fell. There wasn\u2019t a single other person in sight nor any buildings or ruins, so perhaps the past was more likely\u2014but maybe the ruins were buried deep underground by now. It was impossible to say for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>But Chloe was confident as she smiled at Hinata.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s simple! This isn\u2019t the first time I\u2019ve been here. My power keeps going out of control, you see, so I get sent back a lot\u2014back here<\/em>, too. So I remember it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata had no idea what to say. Slowly, she mulled over Chloe\u2019s words, gradually accepting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMind explaining what\u2019s going on in more detail?<\/em>\u201d she asked in a somewhat threatening tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Chloe\u2019s story was truly surprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turned out her skill involves time travel of a sort\u2014\u201cof a sort\u201d because Chloe herself didn\u2019t understand it too well, either. Apparently, she couldn\u2019t trigger it at will; the best she could do was recall events that happened in her past. But you couldn\u2019t underestimate it, because past<\/em> here meant the past that Chloe herself experienced\u2014and since she was a regular time traveler, this past included events from the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, these memories weren\u2019t perfect recollections. There\u2019s always an element of vagueness in people\u2019s memories. For many, it\u2019s hard to remember exactly what happened when\u2014and if you\u2019re talking about memories from over two thousand years ago, of course it\u2019ll be a tad garbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo how did you discover this ability?<\/em>\u201d Hinata asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe hesitated a bit before replying. \u201cUm, when Mr. Tempest rescued me. He took Alice and me and everyone else to the Dwelling of the Spirits to stabilize us. Then I had a spirit planted inside me, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, Chloe didn\u2019t receive a spirit but an embodiment of her own powers from the future. Even more unbelievably, this embodiment was sentient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026I think I must\u2019ve died at some point in the future, so I guess I just repeat this process of planting that version of me in myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo the Dwelling is where you learn of this process? Like, every time in the cycle?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cNot exactly. I don\u2019t remember anything about it at the beginning, but then once I start going back in time, I do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou mean you\u2019ve been doing this same thing over and over?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think so. I can only really<\/em> recall things from the last time around, but sometimes memories from elsewhere get mixed in\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh<\/em>,\u201d Hinata said, a bit relieved. If she was repeating the exact same life every time, that\u2019d be a sort of living hell. No one is strong enough to continue waging a battle if you knew the end result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Hinata silently listened as Chloe continued. Apparently, her time travel always took place in the same era, in the same axis of time\u2014those were likely the limitations of her skill. Exactly where she was taken depended on the timing of her out-of-control episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the previous cycle, Hinata apparently died in the Forest of Jura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Tempest had died, and Veldora got revived\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh? Rimuru died? Who did it and how? He\u2019s practically unkillable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm, well, with this<\/em> cycle, my memories between when I received myself in the Dwelling and when I get taken to the past are working out pretty differently. In fact, this is actually the first time Rimuru was still alive when it happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata found the sudden shift from Mr. Tempest<\/em> to Rimuru<\/em> pretty funny, but she didn\u2019t point it out. Instead, she lent an ear to Chloe as she recapped her memories up to her last visit to the Dwelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the last cycle, after rescuing the children, Rimuru used Spatial Motion to return to Tempest. He didn\u2019t run into Hinata, missing her by only a few seconds at most. By this point, he had beaten up a lot of the otherworlders who came to Tempest, showing the nations bordering the Forest of Jura that he was no one to mess with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the danger Rimuru posed became common knowledge, the other nations of the world all but froze in place. The Kingdom of Farmus was still around, waiting for their opportunity to strike. <\/a>Some sort of incident took place among the Ten Great Demon Lords as well, but all Chloe knew were rumors that something might\u2019ve happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Rimuru cemented his friendship with Grand Master Yuuki of the Guild, he began to exercise his influence on other nations\u2014but apparently it was rough going, thanks in no small part to Farmus\u2019s interference. But Rimuru didn\u2019t give up, trying out all sorts of strategies. The children\u2019s school was one of them, a place in Tempest where Chloe and the others could get an education alongside monster kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly, though, everything changed. At the behest of the Council of the West, Hinata led a suppression force to attack Tempest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did that?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. It was pretty scary, Hinata.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh. Sorry, I guess.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s okay. You guys kinda made up after that, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Chloe, Hinata and Rimuru staged a duel that ended in a draw\u2014and when the children (Chloe in particular) intervened to plead Rimuru\u2019s case, Hinata put her blade away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you said \u2018I\u2019ll keep an eye on you<\/em>\u2019 and made nice with Rimuru.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sensing something strange with Tempest, Hinata apparently kept up her own investigations of the country. As she did, she exposed the assorted nefarious things Farmus was up to, and that made her begin to trust in Rimuru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five years passed. Rimuru remained leader of the Forest of Jura, never becoming a demon lord, and his days were as busy as ever. Thanks to making peace with Hinata, he was on good terms with Lubelius\u2014Luminus took a liking to him for some reason, which helped preserve the peace. Chloe also grew, becoming stronger and befriending the demon lord Milim as she paid regular visits to Tempest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that peace came to a sudden end on the fateful day when the Empire invaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cYou know, I already liked Rimuru a lot by then. I didn\u2019t want him to go off to battle, so I begged and pleaded with him. The Empire\u2019s so big and strong; they had all these scary weapons, and I didn\u2019t think we could win. But Rimuru just smiled at me and said \u2018Don\u2019t worry! I\u2019ll take care of everything!<\/em>\u2019 I\u2019m sure he was just as scared as me, but he tried to play it off\u2026and he gave me this mask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou mean Shizu\u2019s\u2026?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right. I gave it to her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was an event that happened in the future, but paradoxically in the past as well. It was a precedent that had a knack for occurring repeatedly, as Chloe put it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Rimuru set off for battle. He never came back, and soon the nation of Tempest fell. That was thanks to the suddenly revived Veldora, who flew into a murderous rage. The Empire was destroyed as well, and then Luminus, Hinata, and Chloe and the rest teamed up to take on Veldora\u2014if they didn\u2019t, all of humankind was in danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, though, before they could settle that score\u2026someone killed Hinata. A glinting flash pierced through Hinata\u2019s chest, and then Chloe \u201cwoke up\u201d and got sent into the past. She never did find out what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\u2019s time loops tended to all work out in somewhat similar fashion, although there would often be disparities here and there. Apparently, the death of Hinata was always the key event, and the same was true this time as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time as well\u2026? I die every single go-round, don\u2019t I?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This made Hinata feel a tad awkward. She didn\u2019t know whether to feel sad or pathetic about it. But Chloe pressed on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you know, this<\/em> time is special. Every time I got sent to the past before, Rimuru would always leave the picture before I did. And he never got to see me off. Not even once!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up to now, every time loop involved Rimuru leaving everyone\u2019s life for one reason or another. This time, however, he was still intact <\/a>when the jump happened. Hinata knew that, and therefore, she expected this to conclude in some new, different way. There were a lot of differences from before, and\u2014as Hinata decided\u2014maybe they\u2019d be able to put an end to Chloe\u2019s looping for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026You know him. You can\u2019t help but hold out hope, no matter how illogical, that he\u2019ll figure something out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight? So if we can get back to that time period, Rimuru will still be there. This time, I\u2019m sure we can all survive\u2014and we need to figure out who keeps killing him and you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They could hold out hope for the future. Hinata thought so, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt sounds like a lot changed with this loop. I wonder what caused that\u2026?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHee-hee! Well, to tell the truth, I actually remembered a couple things from my future self at the Dwelling of the Spirits. That\u2019s why, over at Englesia, I pleaded with him and kept him there for a little bit. And then I got this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe took out the mask, seemingly from nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you got it again, this time around? Then maybe there\u2019s a way for you to reach that future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata\u2019s attention was also on the mask. Since her death apparently happened under different circumstances, there may not have been any time for Chloe to receive the mask. If so, there may not be any mask for Shizue to receive this go-round\u2014but if Chloe already had it, that wasn\u2019t a concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very shrewd of her<\/em>, she thought as they worked out their next move. Trusting in Chloe\u2019s words, she decided to place her hopes on the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlso,\u201d whispered Chloe, \u201clemme just say this one thing. I really love you, Hinata, but I won\u2019t let you take Rimuru from me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome<\/em> battles a woman will never give up on, you know. Alice said so!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata smiled at her. She really is still a kid, huh? I mean, Rimuru and me? There\u2019s no way that could ever possibly happen\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She chuckled, even as the thought of it \u201cpossibly\u201d happening haunted her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cDid that upset you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cN-no! Not at all! But we need to get moving!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confronted by Chloe, Hinata decided to change the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Thinking about it, this girl\u2019s retained over two thousand years of memories and experienced them again and again, right? I was tricked by her looks, but maybe I was wrong to treat her as an innocent child\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata had finally reached the truth\u2026and so began their strange journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The first thing they did was travel to find Luminus, one of the few acquaintances of theirs who\u2019d be alive in this era. Chloe immediately started walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know where she is?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. This really huge war\u2014like, crazy huge\u2014had just started, so I went to watch it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVeldora, right?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight. Rimuru introduced him as his friend in this cycle, but he was definitely an enemy the last time. It looked like he was fighting someone, so I wanted to lend a hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh. That was Luminus he was fighting, huh?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. So this<\/em> time, I want to come a little early and help everyone escape before Veldora starts going nuts. I want to win Luminus\u2019s trust and get her to work with us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe sounded remarkably determined. She also had a great sense of direction, unlike Rimuru, so she headed for her destination without any help from Hinata. Before long, they arrived at the demon lord Luminus\u2019s castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo this is Nightrose Castle\u2026 No wonder Lady Luminus was so proud of it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was beautiful, an entirely artificial structure that also boasted the splendor of a natural fortress. Thornlike protrusions were visible across its edifice, serving as standby posts for the castle lookouts. They quickly spotted Chloe, a small herd of vampires bustling over to greet her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cI\u2019m here to see Luminus,\u201d she said to the soldiers surrounding her. \u201cPlease take me to her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata was shocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWh-whoa! You think you can just walk up and demand to see a demon lord?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe paid the frenzied advice no mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay. Luminus is my friend!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s not until after you save her from Veldora, right? She doesn\u2019t even know you at this point!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only then did Chloe realize she was mixing up her memories a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh\u2026 You\u2019re right. I\u2019ve repeated this so many times, I guess I thought that part was done. And come to think of it, I always do<\/em> start with you getting angry at me every time, Hinata\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I knew it<\/em>, Hinata thought as she feared for their future. Yes, Chloe was certainly used to this. Perhaps, since Hinata was experiencing this for the first time, she\u2019d handle this with a little bit more carefulness. So she suggested that she could serve as leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen, Chloe. I\u2019m going to give you advice, but don\u2019t reply to it right away, okay? Don\u2019t talk until I\u2019m done telling you what to do.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm, all right. That\u2019s probably a good idea. If I say something weird, I might wind up changing history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata was relieved to see Chloe readily accept the offer. At the same time, the portent behind what she said made her blood run cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wait a second! She\u2019s right, isn\u2019t she? If we do something wrong, it\u2019d mess with history itself, right? We\u2019re connected to a pretty hopeful future here, but one mistake, and we could screw up the whole thing!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now she was extremely grateful for intervening before Chloe did anything rash. They had already messed this up big-time, but at least they wouldn\u2019t be stacking up more disasters on top of that. They were still okay, she thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon, they were brought to Luminus. It wasn\u2019t easy, of course, but Chloe quickly talked the guards down, never taking no for an answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm, do you remember what I just told you?<\/em>\u201d Hinata asked, quivering as she kept her anger at bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cIt\u2019s fine,\u201d Chloe breezily replied. \u201cI\u2019ve been through this once before, where I pushed my way in to warn them about Veldora\u2019s attack!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No shyness here, for certain. If this had worked before, Hinata wasn\u2019t going to ask any more questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re still good. We should be all right. But I think we\u2019ll need to make sure we\u2019re on the same page\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata internally sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you say that evil dragon will come here soon?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. I know you\u2019re really strong, Luminus, but you can\u2019t beat Veldora. He\u2019s going to destroy this whole castle, so I want you to evacuate as quickly as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata was nervous. Was this really all right? After gauging Luminus\u2019s personality, her Measurer skill indicated that a straight approach was the correct one\u2014but not on everything, of course, or on the really important parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHmm. I don\u2019t know you well enough to believe you. Do you have any sort of evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luminus sounded a bit friendlier now\u2026but they couldn\u2019t rest easy yet. This was a performance, one meant to cast off any fools wasting Luminus\u2019s time. Hinata knew that quite well, so she quickly gave more advice to Chloe, asking her to confirm what era this was and pooling their knowledge together to calculate exactly when Veldora would attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, it looks like Veldora will be coming here no sooner than two weeks from now. Once fall arrives, for sure. So be on the lookout, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luminus was no idiot. She could analyze Chloe\u2019s pulse and other factors, trying to determine whether she was lying. This could just be a concocted story, but someone like Chloe who could talk her way through the castle guard seemed unlikely to try anything that foolish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>In the end, Luminus saved her decision for later and offered Chloe lodging in the castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, in another little while, Veldora came. Luminus fought bravely, Chloe attempting to join in before Hinata stopped her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen. Last time, you said you didn\u2019t fight Veldora in this era, right?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cForget all your other memories. Right now, what we need to do is follow our footsteps from last time. In order to win Luminus\u2019s trust, we need to talk to her about the future\u2014but don\u2019t talk about the future results from this time around. If we just retrace the route we took last time, we\u2019re bound to reach the future from the current cycle.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was important enough of a point that Hinata said it twice. Chloe, taken in by her force of will, nodded her approval. She understood it well. If they told Luminus about their memories from the current loop\u2014how Granville betrayed them, for example\u2014Luminus would no doubt kill Granville right that minute, and Chloe and Hinata would lose their link to the future they came from. Both of them knew they had to avoid this at all costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, while Veldora destroyed the castle, Chloe\u2019s timely warning kept human casualties quite low. This was the same as the history Hinata was taught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given Chloe\u2019s apparent clairvoyance, Luminus enthusiastically trusted her. The two of them became friends, and right now, they were seated facing each other behind closed doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re telling me, Chloe, that you\u2019ve traveled through multiple loops in time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right. My memory extends approximately two thousand years into the future. Would you like to hear more?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course. Go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Luminus\u2019s permission, Chloe gave her story, internally discussing it with Hinata as she did. For the next two millennia, she will be a Hero\u2014and at the end of those two thousand years, a slime by the name of Rimuru will make his appearance. This Rimuru <\/a>will perish in battle, and then Veldora will be unleashed. Before that point, Luminus will befriend a woman named Hinata\u2014but she, too, will be murdered. Neither Chloe nor Hinata knew who was behind these deaths; Chloe couldn\u2019t give all the details, but she described their deaths as much as she could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see, I see. And you want to change that future for you both?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot change, exactly. I want to retrace my previous steps through time, as much as I can. If I do anything too<\/em> big that changes a lot of things, I think I\u2019d wind up in a completely different future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, I can imagine. Certainly, I have no qualms with the future you describe\u2014I doubt I\u2019d take the death of this Hinata too well, but otherwise, it sounds fine to me. After all, how much can I ask for from a friend I haven\u2019t met?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luminus smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luminus\u2026 Thank you. I\u2019m truly happy you said that.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given her unfriendly appearance, it may have been a little hard to believe, but Luminus was actually a very gentle woman. Hinata knew that well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen I promise I will cooperate with you. Roy can be a handful, but you will have nothing to worry about from the others. I will inform them all that you are my friend, Chloe. Now, what are you going to do next?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luminus\u2019s sharpened eyes descended on Chloe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, the same thing I always do. I\u2019m a Hero, and I have to help people in need!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That right-minded answer made Luminus flash a beaming smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWill<\/em> you, now? Well, how nice. I\u2019m curious to see how your fate will affect others. But what will you call yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe\u2014and Hinata\u2014froze for a few moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou probably shouldn\u2019t go by the name Chloe.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. My friend Leon\u2019s bound to suspect something.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even discounting that, Chloe wasn\u2019t known as a Hero yet. She gave her real name to Luminus, but it\u2019d likely be safer to keep it hidden from the general public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat should I do?<\/em>\u201d Chloe asked Hinata.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you usually do here?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cUm, I don\u2019t have any real script. Usually, I guess I just kinda leave at this point without giving a name.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata was just about to say \u201cWell, just do that, then<\/em>\u201d before she stopped herself. For some odd reason, she remembered something Rimuru once told her\u2014specifically, his anecdotes about running into trouble after naming certain monsters. So she just suggested the first name that came to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, in that case, given your Time Travel skill, why don\u2019t we combine Chloe with Chronos, the overseer of time, and have you go by Chronoa?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd not, um, Chronoe or something?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s too close to your own name. You might blow your cover, depending on how people pronounce it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh! Good point. Okay, Chronoa it is!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata had held an emergency conference in her mind, accelerated by her Measurer skill, and together they had come up with a suitable alias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026I will go by Chronoa. It looks like it\u2019d be better if I didn\u2019t throw my real name around in public. So from this day on, I\u2019ll call myself the Hero Chronoa!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This would mark the first time the name Chronoa was recorded in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Abandoning the ruins of their castle, Luminus and her followers sought out a new land. Chloe, naturally, accompanied them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo why did my Usurper skill disappear anyway?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. Every time, though, your powers wind up integrating with mine, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe fell silent, seemingly finding it awkward to say. It gave Hinata a vague but decent idea of how her end would come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, all right. I guess it turns out the same regardless; it\u2019s just a matter of timing. But if naming you took away one of my own powers, I guess Chronoa has some kind of monster aspect to her, doesn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey! That\u2019s kinda mean, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry. I meant nothing by it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can be real nasty sometimes, y\u2019know? No matter how pretty you are, you\u2019re never gonna attract anyone with that<\/em> attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, knock it off. I\u2019m dead anyway, so it doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They kept bickering as their journey continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once she left Luminus\u2019s side, Chloe began making a name for herself as a Hero, just as she promised. Time passed\u2026and then they reached a point three hundred years before the last leap backward, just before the moment Veldora was sealed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As per usual in her long voyage through time, Chloe had picked up skills like Absolute Severance and Unlimited Imprisonment. Hinata, meanwhile, supported her inside her body, using her Measurer skill to help out. So it was with a less-than-enthusiastic tone of voice that Chloe met with Luminus again and said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay, I\u2019m gonna go seal Veldora away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh yes, you did<\/em> mention that long ago, didn\u2019t you? But are you sure you can do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luminus looked worried. Unlike before, she and Chloe were now fast friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be fine. I have Hinata with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had told Luminus, and Luminus alone, about Hinata. The demon lord readily accepted her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery well, then. But don\u2019t push yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019ll be fine. I\u2019ll be the one taking on Veldora.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was news to a surprised Chloe, even though the unconcerned Hinata made it sound like settled business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve already fought Veldora once. And when I did\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata recalled how it went:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKwaaah-ha-ha-ha! How weak! You call yourself the defender of humanity? Do not make me laugh!! Ahhh-ha-ha-ha, can you no longer stand? It serves you right, for I will never taste defeat! Now to put an end to this\u2014for I am a busy dragon!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a pretty humiliating memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201c\u2026A lot of stuff happened between us, so I really want to kick his ass, or I\u2019ll never be happy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She meant it. Chloe could tell by the tone of her voice, as could Luminus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI understand all too well what you mean. I was hoping to bring that lizard to tears myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack in our fight, I managed to get him to reveal the scope of his powers. I\u2019d like a chance to take advantage of that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Hinata and Luminus were enthusiastic about delivering Veldora his just deserts. Chloe, who recalled enjoying Veldora\u2019s company, couldn\u2019t hate him that much\u2014but given how much destruction he was responsible for in the past, she couldn\u2019t defend him that ardently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t know everything about you, but don\u2019t hurt him too bad, okay? Because Veldora really is a good person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Chloe decided to let Hinata do what she wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And at the site of the final battle, Hinata proved to be powerful, indeed. With Chloe\u2019s support, they managed to completely shut Veldora out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGwaaahhh!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing that pained scream, the beauty underneath the mask blushed, basking in her satisfaction. Then she turned control of Chloe\u2019s body back to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Now Chloe\u2019s time was ending. The moment had arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t tell you this until now, but I think I\u2019m gonna disappear soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you talking about, Chloe?\u201d Luminus asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe began to reveal what she\u2019d kept hidden this whole time. It was, in effect, what Hinata had secretly been surmising. Before <\/a>much longer, Leon\u2014the Leon that Hinata knew of\u2014would appear. It seemed, apparently, that Leon and Chloe came to this world at the same time, and therefore you\u2019d have the rather odd situation of two Chloes existing simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If advanced theories about multiverses were true, and there are parallel universes for every plane of existence, then maybe two Chloes at once would be all right\u2014but what if there weren\u2019t? Chloe\u2019s Time Travel skill was an aberration. Maybe there\u2019s no such thing as being too<\/em> weird and outrageous to be allowed to exist, but the idea of multiple worlds being born was a little too far-out there for Hinata.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the idea of the world being remade<\/em> was more tangible. Otherwise, you\u2019d have multiple versions of yourself across multiple worlds, and everything Hinata and her friends were doing was inherently pointless. The idea that she\u2019d find salvation in some worlds and doom in others wasn\u2019t something Hinata was willing to accept. That\u2019s why she wanted to end Chloe\u2019s looping and save the world for good<\/em> this time\u2014even if meant sacrificing herself along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a problem, though, one that Chloe was expressing right this minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I guess my reasoning was sound after all\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seemed, once everything was said and done, that the \u201cone single world\u201d theory was correct\u2014and the world thus would never allow contradictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Well, not quite. It\u2019s not that contradictions are verboten\u2014it\u2019s that anything that causes the world to unravel is. But if you have enough power to force the issue, you can shove in any paradox you like. I mean, there\u2019s no other possible way to explain that mask.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinata was relieved that her guess was correct, but at the same time, the future began to look much gloomier to her. From here on out, she realized, it\u2019d all come down to luck and the efforts of other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026And the thing is, I have zero memories from beyond the moment that happens. If I had to guess, Hinata, you probably take over later and help out Ms. Izawa for me, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cAnd I suppose, from that moment you describe, I can\u2019t do anything until the other \u2018me\u2019 who doesn\u2019t know anything shows up, right? So what do you think happens after that?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the future, Luminus was carefully storing something she cherished. Looking back, was it Chloe herself in there, sealed away?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll I can vaguely remember is that I was struggling against something. I\u2019m thinking that whoever\u2019s in there is probably a different personality than me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Hinata remembered that she had come up with the Chronoa name\u2014and when she did, someone took a skill away from her. Maybe, she finally realized, that really was<\/em> some monsterlike individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, Chloe, are you going to lose consciousness soon, then? That\u2019s probably the result of the same person existing in multiples along the same time line. I think your theory is correct, Hinata.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. And the new Chloe, the one about to be born, is the one that\u2019ll eventually get thrown all the way back to the past.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI imagine you\u2019re right,\u201d said Luminus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. So, Hinata, I know this is asking a lot\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right. Once I save Shizue, I\u2019ll rely on Lady Luminus after that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeave everything to me. I can use my spiritual force to create a compartment\u2014an ark, if you will\u2014to isolate you from the present age, Chloe. Both of your souls will likely be thrown into the future, and I promise you\u2026 I will find them and undo that seal when everything is complete again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe, Hinata, and Luminus\u2019s hearts were one in that moment. And with that, they left Luminus to handle all their futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Chloe\u2019s consciousness now gone, Hinata was by herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that her theory was proven correct, Hinata was racked by intense anxiety and pressure. The anxiety was over being left alone. The pressure came from this intense something<\/em> within her, attempting to take over her body from the inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once Chloe\u2014the main Chloe\u2014disappears, I\u2019m sure Chronoa is going to wreak havoc. But I didn\u2019t expect<\/em> this much havoc\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Despite her astonishment, Hinata\u2019s iron will beat all that anxiety and pressure down. She rescued Shizue from Leon\u2019s castle, safely turning the mask over to her\u2014and once this mask of unknown origin was out of her hands, that marked a great mountain Hinata had overcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It almost felt nostalgic to her, traveling with Shizue, although Hinata never revealed it. But that era, too, ended. The day of their separation was here. She wanted to spend more time with Shizue, but it was an impossible dream. With Chloe\u2019s main personality gone, Hinata could no longer control Chronoa herself. At this rate, the whole plan was in danger of falling apart, ruining all their hard work. Thus, Hinata followed history, left Shizue, and relied on Luminus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They never did find out who Chronoa was, in the end. Hinata was now in the ark, and once she was settled in, another Hinata\u2014one who knew nothing about any of this\u2014would soon appear in the world. Once she did, what would happen to the Hinata sleeping inside her coffin? If she was lucky, nothing. If not, it\u2019d be Chronoa waking up next, not her. But even if it came to that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even it comes to that, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll figure something out. I believe in you, Rimuru!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recalling that slime from deep within nostalgic memory, she smiled a little before closing her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Veldora approached Chronoa. The whining commenced immediately afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGaarrrgghhh! She\u2014she cut me! R-Rimuru, she cut<\/em> me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, I\u2019m sure she did. If you try stopping a sword with bare hands, that\u2019s gonna happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That ain\u2019t no normal sword, you know. It\u2019s God class. Way fancy. And even if you didn\u2019t have anything else available\u2014your bare hands? Seriously? This dude really is<\/em> weaker in human form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given all his confidence, this was a real<\/em> downer for me. Honestly, <\/a>I kind of hoped Veldora could take care of Chronoa in my stead, but I suppose things were never gonna go that easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow unsafe can you get?! Couldn\u2019t you see the danger?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing Veldora in such embarrassing shape made me want to burst into tears. It was just too much to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cB-but, Rimuru, it is quite a bit sharper than the last time we fought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHeroes get to fight with the Absolute Severance skill, okay? Didn\u2019t you say<\/em> she slashed you with that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, I was no longer sure how credible the Absolute part of that was. All I know was, I sure didn\u2019t want to test her Absolute Severance against my Absolute Defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cY-yes, but I am impervious to that anyway\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veldora kept muttering as he started desperately dodging Chronoa\u2019s attacks. She got a stab in now and then, but he seemed on top of things still, which was good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, I could get Veldora\u2019s point. What he was saying, basically, is whenever he got cut in their last battle, it didn\u2019t cause this<\/em> much damage. But if you thought about it for a moment, it made perfect sense. It was just a matter of size. A sword could only slash across a given range, and even if you used a skill to expand it, I couldn\u2019t picture ever being able to cleave Veldora\u2019s gigantic body in two. But now he was in human form and trying to defend against a bladed weapon with his arms<\/em>, for God\u2019s sake, so of course<\/em> he was gonna get a scratch or two. I guess he was healing them as soon as he sustained them, but I\u2019m sure that was consuming a lot more magicules than his dragon form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe he got better fuel performance as a human, but against Chronoa, he no longer had an edge to speak of. His much-ballyhooed Veldora-Style Death Stance wasn\u2019t exactly saving him against a foe with a sword, either. But I wasn\u2019t panicking. This would be a good lesson for Veldora, so I decided to have him continue distracting Chronoa for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I turned toward Leon. Under the protection of Charys, he was currently performing a summoning. Not that much time had passed, I imagined, but it felt like forever as he summoned a single rapier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cSorry to keep you. I can\u2019t do anything without a weapon. I want to have my Flame Pillar, my preferred weapon from my Hero days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another God-class blade? That\u2019s an ex-Hero and current demon lord for you. He also had a shield, a so-called Gold Circle, equipped on his left hand, and that was Legend class as well. Impressive, definitely, but I didn\u2019t think it would stop Chronoa\u2019s blade. \u201cBetter than nothing,\u201d I\u2019m sure he was thinking. Regardless, Leon had his equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we could step up and counterattack\u2014but the moment I had that thought, Luminus was blown straight in my direction. For a moment, I feared she lost her fight, but she appeared unhurt\u2014I guess that was just a performance, then. She looked at me for a moment, then slammed a Thought Communication into my mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(I have to tell you something\u2014Chronoa is Chloe\u2019s alternate self! Hinata\u2019s soul might be sleeping in there, too, so whatever you do, do not<\/em> kill her!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026What?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that she was sending a Thought Communication at all was weird, but what she said truly surprised me. Like, don\u2019t drop that<\/em> bomb in the middle of this huge battle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watched anxiously as Leon headed off to confront Chronoa. Luminus, meanwhile, trekked back toward Granville, all but leaving things in my hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How was I going to deal with this? Chronoa was Chloe\u2014and now that I looked, I could kinda see it on her face. I didn\u2019t know what that \u201cHinata\u2019s soul\u201d stuff was about, though\u2026 But if it was true, what did that mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report. Chronoa and Chloe can be considered the same person.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meaning\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the subject Chloe Aubert traveled through time and emerged in the past. It can be inferred that this Chronoa is the matured version of herself.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Um\u2026 Hang on. Was that even possible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was sure Luminus could clear this up, but she was fighting for her life against Granville, and I doubted she could give a full answer. That Thought Communication was about the best she could provide right now. But traveling through time, like some sci-fi story? Or more like a one-way journey, if she didn\u2019t have control over it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ugh\u2026 Why am I believing in all this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Chloe really did<\/em> disappear before my eyes. That was a fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understood. If that disappearance marks her jumping through time, it would explain why the phenomenon was unexplainable earlier. One cannot observe temporal intervention without the ability to intervene oneself.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure. Maybe you understood the concept of time, but that didn\u2019t mean you could observe time itself. Or really, maybe you don\u2019t have to understand it at all. If you just treated it as \u201cthere,\u201d the whole thing started seeming a little more coherent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe, when I tried to rescue young Chloe, I summoned something<\/em> from the future? If something happened to Chloe in the future, and the spiritual body known as Chronoa wrecking things right now had taken a trip to the past\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affirmative. It is agreed that the chances of that are high.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah. That explained why Ramiris had been in such a tizzy back then. I could sense an evil aura coming from Chronoa here, and if she felt it, too, no wonder she tried to stop it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there was no point worrying over it. So if Chloe had jumped through time, what was her current status? what was going on right now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report. It is impossible for multiples of the same soul to exist at the same point in space and time. It is believed that the resulting rejection sent one of the souls into the past. However, the ark\u2014the spiritually powered barrier created by the subject Luminus Valentine\u2014was created for the purpose of locking a soul inside. As a result\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So chances are good that both Chloe\u2019s and Hinata\u2019s souls are sleeping inside Chronoa?<\/em> If the power of the ark could outclass Chloe\u2019s time-travel force\u2026 Well, I had no choice but to believe in that right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What next, then\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeon, don\u2019t think about attacking Chronoa. Just focus on defending yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you have an idea?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. I know it\u2019s asking a lot to just trust in me, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2014No, I will. You trusted me before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How surprising. I didn\u2019t expect it to be that easy. He wasn\u2019t acting all highborn with me any longer. I was starting to like this friendlier, more casual Leon. It came at the perfect time, and I appreciated it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I turned to Veldora to give an order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVeldora!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t say<\/em> anything yet, man. But whatever. No time to lecture him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn my signal, I want you to pin Chronoa down. This is going to be really dangerous, as I\u2019m sure you can tell\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told you, Rimuru, I am on it. I believe in you, so go ahead and carry out your plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Well, that<\/em> made me kinda happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a way, not wanting to hurt Chronoa, or Chloe, was really just me being selfish. I was acting entirely on supposition, guesswork that could\u2019ve been wrong for all I knew. Besides, having such a sunny view of things in front of this overwhelming opponent was practically suicidal. Still, if there was any kind of chance, I wanted to bet on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSorry. Follow my lead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKwaaaah-ha-ha-ha! Not to worry! It\u2019s hardly the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have some concerns of my own, and I wish to confirm them. That is why I am working with you. Nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hmm. So maybe Leon noticed, too\u2014not just Veldora\u2014that <\/a>Chronoa was Chloe. It\u2019d be nice if I could sit down and explain everything, but now was not the time for that. Leon was currently sword fighting with Chronoa, a composed look on his face, but his forehead was covered in sweat. It must\u2019ve taken a Herculean effort just to speak to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So! Next order of business: how to dive into Chronoa\u2019s soul\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Sir Rimuru, not stating your mission objectives out loud was a brilliant decision. I believe it is likely that the demon lord Guy is still monitoring the cathedral.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was a Thought Communication from Diablo. Luminus did the same earlier; I guess they were pretty concerned about what was happening around us. Me, though, I resorted to this only because it was a selfish request, and I didn\u2019t want Chronoa to eavesdrop on us. If it worked out, though, then great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Okay. So what do you need from me?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diablo must\u2019ve sent me a message for a reason. As talented as he was, I\u2019m sure he had a grasp of the situation. Maybe he\u2019d have some useful feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Sir Rimuru, I believe it\u2019s possible for you to intervene with people\u2019s souls and send messages directly to them. However, I can think of an even surer way.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(What\u2019s that?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(When your material bodies make contact with each other, you can use your spiritual body to go inside. Then, when your astral bodies make contact, it is likely possible to directly interact with your partner\u2019s soul.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether that was possible or not, it sounded incredibly dangerous, didn\u2019t it? Like, to the point where I might never come back. I was planning to stick with Thought Communication, but was that a bad idea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understood. The subject Diablo\u2019s suggestion has a higher chance of success. However, the amount of danger is incomparably higher.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that was why Raphael didn\u2019t bring it up before now, I guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Diablo, thank you. But let me just say one thing.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>(What is that, my lord?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(You are giving me far too much credit.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Keh-heh-heh-heh\u2026 No need to be modest, my lord!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not, dude.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I wanted to help Chloe and Hinata, I needed the option that gave me the best chances. \u201cSafety first\u201d was my motto, but only depending on the situation. I really needed to teach Diablo more about how I\u2019m not all that great, in the end. I guess he met Guy, judging by that offhand comment he made, and I hoped he didn\u2019t say anything weird to him. If he started bragging about me like he usually did, that was bound to draw Guy\u2019s attention. Better warn Diablo against that, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(If it is possible, I think it would be good to do, ah, something to stabilize the opponent\u2019s mind. Good fighting to you, Sir Rimuru!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diablo\u2019s trust weighed upon me. Right now, though, I\u2019d have to thank him for giving me a decent strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut how will I calm her down\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I could do that, we wouldn\u2019t have to deal with all this. Was there some helpful item that\u2019d do the trick\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow about that mask, then, Sir Rimuru?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suggestion came from Charys, currently devoted to supporting Leon. I guess he saw what I was about to try, too. Really smart guy. Too much so, even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mask?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. It was powerful enough to keep me at bay, so perhaps it would calm her as well?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was smart, but apparently he didn\u2019t notice how I was trying to keep us from being heard. But that was my fault for replying to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mask, though, huh? I gave that to Chloe, if I recall. So where was it now? Um, hang on a second\u2026 That was an old memento from Shizu, and I repaired it at one point. If I gave that repaired mask to Chloe, then maybe it had somehow made its way back to Shizu? Uh\u2026 So wait. Where did that mask come<\/em> from, then?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u2026No. I can\u2019t think about that right now. The big question is: Can I replicate that mask?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understood. Create a copy of the Mask of Magic Resistance?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was a yes. And I had to hand it to Raphael\u2014it made that copy without any problem, looking and functioning exactly like the real thing. Maybe this would help Chronoa chill out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took out the mask, showing it to Charys with a grin as I thanked him. Then I focused my mind on Chronoa. I had the basic outline of my plan set. Now I just had to psyche myself up enough to execute it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leon and Chronoa were still dueling, Chronoa pushing him around and Leon sticking to defense\u2014and getting himself more and more wounded. Even someone with his strength had a hard time against that woman. He was bound to lose sooner or later, but that was only true if I did nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, Veldora!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment I shouted it, I made a beeline for Chronoa, mask in hand. And then, just as I pushed it on her face, my consciousness was consumed by darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

An explosive blast from Razul, taken point-blank, just blew Shion and Ranga through the wall and outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Razul calmly walked in their direction. Their opponents, waging a pitched battle up to this point, were bruised from head to toe. But Shion was still calm, her emotions unwavering as she faced up to Razul like nothing was amiss. She looked dignified, not at all on the verge of collapse\u2014perhaps an expression of her own personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind her, Ranga was groggily coming to his feet, steeling <\/a>himself anew. He didn\u2019t have Shion\u2019s Ultraspeed Regeneration, so the damage he took slowly accumulated over time. To his credit, though, he boasted a host of resistances, enough defense to cancel out your garden-variety physical or spiritual attack. With Ultra-Instinct, part of the King of Magewolves package Rimuru gifted him, he also had evasion skills that bordered on predicting the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE HERO AWAKENS Ughh\u2026 I\u2019m exhausted. Hinata was faced with an irresistible temptation as she found herself about to be sucked into a bottomless abyss. Memories of times near and far crossed her mind\u2014her life was flashing before her eyes. Yes\u2026 Now I remember. Even my own dad played with me sometimes, huh? She had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3522"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3523,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3522\/revisions\/3523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}