The gates of the castle were suddenly opened with a loud boom, and the people inside were shocked at the sight of two young people standing at the entrance.
One's leg was up, and it was clear that he was the one who kicked the door open. The other person was a girl who looked like she rushed there and stood as if she was the leader of the two.
Quickly, the guards surrounded the two, and it looked like they were in a bind.
"Shu, take the mask off."
The girl said to the guy who kicked the door.
"Danny won't like this."
The guy said. It was clear he felt uncomfortable about angering that "Danny."
He quickly took off his mask, and the guards flinched at the sudden movement.
"Stop!"
The castle lord shouted, and the guards started stepping toward the two.
"I meant you, the guards. Stop."
The castle lord made his order unmistakable, and the guards were confused at the weird order.
"Sorry, sir. It was not in my intention to offend you."
The castle lord said as he stepped forward.
After a few steps toward them, Shu was surprised at the sight of his loyal ally. Edward, the old lion-looking beastman who commended the freed slaves, apparently was the castle lord.
"What brings you here? I was told you would come only in a few days."
Edward asked.
"My friend here requires an audience with the demon god."
Shu articulated himself especially well to sound official.
"Guards, take them to the dining hall where the guests are."
Edward said, and the guards stomped on the ground in unison before quickly taking Mary and Shu to where Edward said.
They entered the hall and looked at the people there.
Most of these people were no less than their acquaintances.
Mary saw her father, but it was not the right time to speak with him. Now was the time to talk with the god who sat in front of her with a mouth full of food.
He tried greeting them, but the food made his words very unclear.
"What can Antony say that would shock you so much you won't defend yourself when he kills you?"
Mary asked in front of everyone, and Danny didn't know how to answer the weirdly specific question. He sighed loudly, and purple smoke covered her and him.
"So, what's with that weird question?"
Danny asked. He felt he knew why she asked that question but needed her to prove his suspicions.
It was clear she did not want to answer his question, but after a second of clearing her mind, she opened her mouth.
She told him she used her gift to come back from a future where they lost. Her explanation lacked detail, but she refused to explain further. She still doesn't completely trust him.
"Can you keep going back in time?"
Danny asked.
"I think so."
Mary answered, and Danny smiled a devious smile.
"In this fight, I'll keep you close so you would hear our conversation."
Danny explained his plan without many details, and they teleported back to the hall.
"Come back in a few days with your entire group."
Danny said to them. Mary looked at her father and noticed he was exchanging a smile with Shu.
********
The rest preceded more or less like in the first timeline.
Shu joined Shí Hóu at the bar until Alexander came and had a duel with Shí Hóu.
After that, she scolded them when they were back, and the day after was when they set out to the castle.
Alexander wore a new uniform, and Dam tried asking him what the deal was with the new get-up. Alexander gave him an ambiguous answer that seemed to make no sense.
Looking at how things were unfolding, Mary had an unsettling feeling that she would fail again, and honestly, why wouldn't she? What has she done differently this time around? The only thing she knows will happen differently is that in this timeline, she will learn what was said in the conversation between Danny and Antony.
They reached the castle, and Emma messed with them. Even now that she knows that Emma is an angel both in personality and race, that first interaction with Emma still shook her to the core, and she could feel the gap in power between them.
Afterward, they were led to the dining hall where all their friends were.
The conversation between her and her father went roughly the same as the first time, but this time, her father didn't attempt to kill Shu, and there was an aura of understanding between them.
Her father asked her to wait a minute because he needed to speak with Shu.
She stepped aside and walked in Emilia's direction.
"So, have there been any developments?"
Thomas asked Shu, and Shu sighed.
"I told you, even if I would ask her out, I don't want to do that while still being in debt to Mister Danniel."
Shu said, and Thomas was disappointed at the answer.
"Well, fine, but once you pay off that debt. I expect you to do it. I don't want her to be alone, especially not when there's someone she loves."
Thomas said.
It was clear that she had feelings toward Shu. The day before, when she and Shu barged in to talk with the demon god, Thomas could see how she looked at Shu and how Shu looked at her.
The trust between these two was more than mere camaraderie or friendship. Shu didn't even hide it. Only Mary tried to hide it, and Thomas blamed Armageddon for not raising her properly.
********
After sleeping through the night, they had two more days before the fight.
On the first day, they were debriefed about the plan for the fight. Afterward, Chaos told them they could both kill and become gods, which reminded Shu of his end goal in the tournament, to live a long and fulfilling life.
Later, on the way to his room, a goddess with a cold expression and stern personality stopped him outside his door. She asked him a question.
"So, what do you say? Will you become a god?"
He heard a woman's voice in his head.
His eyes glowed yellow, and he looked in her direction. She was invisible, standing at the end of the hallway. She smirked and turned visible.
"I'm Ishtar. I'm on your side. You can ask Mary."
She slightly bowed and said.
"What do you want?"
Shu asked.
"I don't want your answer. I simply want you to think about it. Who will be the first person in your group who you will jump to protect?"
She asked and then left. She wasn't after his answer, but he knew what he would answer.
"I'll make her happy."
Shu said, and the goddess shot a bewildered expression at him.
"Your disciple, I mean. I will make her happy. You can ask Thomas!"
Shu answered, and Ishtar chuckled in her heart.
********
The next day, they went to the meeting place with Antony, and after some nonexistent negotiation, the fight was on.
Danny's eyes glowed brighter than usual, and a purple aura covered his body.
Mary turned intangible and invisible. Using his magic, he made her float by his side.
The fight had started, and Danny engaged in a fierce battle against that damn weather god.
Antony smirked, and Danny was irritated.
"what's so funny?"
"You can barely hold your own against a hollow husk."
Antony answered, and for the first time, he opened his eyes.
Danny looked into Antony's eyes and was startled. Mary watched the scene and looked at the darkness in the holes where Antony's eyes were supposed to be. She felt nothing but dread.
In the place where there should be eyes, there is darkness. Not like he has no eyes or eyes that lack any emotion but pure darkness. It was like staring into the abyss, but this abyss wasn't an empty space but something with a texture that no living being could ever describe.
"What is this?!"
Danny exclaimed.
"When you decided to destroy the old reality and create your own, you allowed everyone to wish for what they want in the new reality. Even dead souls were given such a precious opportunity. My wish was to have the ability to control the bodies of all the dead people with divine blood that didn't choose to reincarnate as if they were alive."
Antony said and enjoyed the confused and terrified expression on Danny's face.
"'But how? Gifted and gods don't go to the death plain, and they can't reincarnate.' That's what you are thinking right now. But you forgot something, the gods of the old reality had many children who they had forgotten and who died during the first war, most of these children don't count as gods, and obviously, they were not gifted, so they did go to the death plain and some reincarnated, and others are my pawns."
Antony explained, and Danny couldn't remember the last time he felt this much out of control.
"Who are you?! Who let your wish be accepted?!"
Danny asked, and his eyes glowed even brighter than before. Of course, letting people wish for anything would be ridiculous. One of his allies needed to approve a wish before it passed.
"You will find it in due time. In the meantime, what do you say is I used your brother's body against you."
Antony said, and Danny was utterly shaken. Mary, who was listening to the conversation, was shocked, and her mind was in disarray. That bastard had a brother? And that damned weather god wasn't Antony but some evil... puppet master?!
The entire reality started shaking and seemed unstable. It was clear that Danny was in too much shock to control his powers.
Antony summoned a bolt of lightning, stabbing through Danny's heart like a spear or a sword. Danny looked at her and whispered something. It seemed to be some spell.
"Let there be Chaos!"
In an instant, everything shook violently, but somehow she was still floating and intangible. This was probably the result of Danny's final spell.
"liVin m' I."
Every being could hear it, from the plane of the dead to the many realms in the mortal plane and even in the immortal plane. The sound of an ancient deity returning was heard, and even though the sound was incomprehensible, they all understood its meaning.
"{I'm alive}"
Everyone in the battle froze.
Mary's pace of breath increased, her eyes expanded, and her heart beat loudly. Before she could attempt to run away from where Chaos The First would materialize or at least react, she felt something grab her throat.
"{Tempus! Where is he?! And where is Chanter?!}"
Chaos The First's tone seemed pissed, and even though Mary couldn't understand where his eyes were, she felt his gaze upon her.
"I am Tempus's... successor."
Mary struggled to speak.
"{What happened to Chanter?}"
Chaos The First asked.
"Ignore her. I'm the one who revived you. You owe me!"
Antony shouted. Chaos the first ignored him, but then Antony shot a bolt of lightning at the primordial being. It's unclear if Chaos The First caused it, but Antony disintegrated in less than a second.
Mary could say nothing but clap her hands at his resolve to keep to the beat. He is not an actual weather god. He should probably have some other tricks up his sleeve, but as a fake weather god, he sticks to the bit and only uses weather-based attacks. Of course, he is also dead, so he should've probably been wiser than to attack a primordial being.
"{So, where is Chanter?}"
Chaos The First asked again.
"I don't know who he is."
Mary answered.
"{His power is all over you, don't lie}"
Chaos The First asked again, and his tone was way angrier.
"What is Chanter's power?"
Mary asked.
Chaos The First seemed like he was thinking about how to answer the question.
"{...Purple}"
"Purple? Like that basta... Danny's power?"
Mary asked.
"{Danny?}"
Chaos The First was confused. He considered her answer and became angry.
"{Don't mess wi...}"
"Release her!"
Shu jumped and punched the primordial being.
He will not be remembered for this. But he is the first mortal to punch a primordial being since the dawn of existence.
Before anyone could even notice it, Shu and Mary were disintegrated.
"Did you get what you wanted?"
Tempus asked Mary.
"Yes, but I'm confused. What can I do to prevent Chaos The First from being revived?"
Mary answered.
"Well, what is the cause of his revival?"
Tempus asked.
"Danny's death."
Mary answered.
"How can you prevent it?"
Tempus helped to guide her thought process.
"I don't know."
She answered helplessly.
"Then I guess you need to try more things. When do you want to go next?"
Tempus asked.
"To when Shu and I barged into the castle."
Mary answered. She remembered there was something said during those three days that could explain why did they struggle so much and why no one else helped that bastard.