As Leo sat there in his lotus position, he felt his consciousness slowly fade.
We have started the process for you but now you must direct your consciousness inward towards the Chronosphere.
Having never bothered to observe his magic core before, this was Leo's first attempt at seeking it out.
At first he struggled to maintain his focus and keep his consciousness turned inward, but after a few moments he managed to grasp the principles behind it.
As he consciousness delved deeper and deeper into his mind, a massive spherical dome slowly came into view.
The Chronosphere, or his magic core, appeared as a luminous, translucent dome, radiating a soft, iridescent glow that shimmered with various hues reminiscent of the entire spectrum of time.
Its surface, which was adorned with intricate, ever-shifting patterns resembling interwoven threads, each representing different timelines, possibilities, and fates.
These threads were constantly in motion, weaving in and out of one another, creating a mesmerizing, dynamic display.
The sheer majesty of what Leo was seeing took his breathe away.
'This thing is inside of me?! What the hell is the Chronoknight class for a power like this to exist within it...'
Don't get distracted bud. Time is of the essence!
Leo took one last glance from a distance before directing his consciousness into the massive dome.
He was terrified that the energy of the Chronosphere would rip his consciousness to shreds, but his fear was ultimately unfounded.
As he passed through the walls of the Chronosphere he found himself in a white void.
Stretching out in every direction, even the direction he had just come from, was nothing but a white expanse.
Impressive isn't it?
This time, the voice that spoke didn't sound so distant or distorted, instead it sounded like it was coming from right behind him.
Leo spun around and prepared to fight the owner of the voice, if necessary, but Leo was startled to see a man who looked eerily familiar standing across from him.
Unable to quite put a finger on why he looked so familiar, Leo just continued to observe him.
I'll never get over how dense we were following the reckoning... Can't you tell that I am you and you are me?!
Get it together bud...
Leo, who had yet to take his eyes off of the 'man' standing in front of him was caught off guard when he heard the voice and yet the mans lips had never moved.
I'm speaking with you through the Chronosphere. I'm not actually here in your Chronosphere, but within mine instead.
Our Chronosphere allow us to communicate across time and space once we reach the necessary level of strength. Since I am the one who initiated this little rendezvous, you are able to utilize this ability regardless of your current weak state.
The man you see standing in front of you is just an illusion created by me using some of your energy. I thought you might like to talk to someone or something rather than simply hearing my disembodied voice.
It also serves to prove who I am so don't think too much on it.
Enough about how this is possible though, our time is short, and you need to be made aware of something very pressing.
'Alright.. what's so important that you have to influence my life to such a degree?'
I know that you believe that in your past life you were saved because of an artifact you had purchased from an old woman, correct?
'... Yes ...'
Well that's true but also not true.. the old lady you met in your previous life was in fact the original owner of the Chronoknight class.
As the original owner of the Chronoknight class she had used her powers to live and relive the same events over and over, changing small events here and there, in an attempt to overthrow the gods and reclaim Earth.
After failing hundreds of thousands of times to gain the required level of strength to accomplish her goals, she sought out someone new to take over her mission.
After searching for years, she finally met our original, or as you know him, your past life.
'Hold on.. are you saying that we were pre-arranged to obtain the Chronoknight class? How is that even possible? Wouldn't the gods or the system notice someone manipulating reality and fate?'
Well, I'm a little vague on the details because my predecessor wasn't exactly in his right mind when we finally made contact with each other, but based on the information that I have gathered in my lifetime, the original owner was so strong by the time she had lost hope that she was capable of altering even the fate of the world.
And since the gods do not monitor changes on that level, she was able to pass the class onto us without being noticed.
'If she was strong enough to alter the fate of the world, how was she unable to win against the gods?'
Killing a divine being, let alone thousands of them, ain't exactly a simple task you know.
Altering fate is only a matter of obtaining the requisite mana and developing the appropriate skill, you know?
'Hold the fuck on. Developing a skill? Isn't the system the only one who can design and distribute skills?'
Nope. If you have the knowhow and the abilities to match, then it's actually quite the simple task.
How do you think we're communicating right now? By pure chance? Or do you think the system would create a skill for this to be possible?
This whole interaction is only possible because of a skill that we developed.
'You keep saying we like you aren't here alone. Are there other version of us out there?'
Nope, as for why I say we, it's because at a certain point, you and the Chronoknight Class will become powerful enough to tap into the memories of the Chronosphere itself and view the past deeds of each iteration of our lives.
As for the whole dynamic of parallel timelines and whatnot that most humans believe, its just not true.
Your world exists in a vacuum.
The gods have separated this portion of time and space so that they can continue to play and replay, Judgments Reckoning: Humanity's Last Stand over and over again.
They get pleasure and entertainment from watching humanity struggle for survival only to ultimately fail in the end before they restart it all over and do it again.
Think of it like a sandbox RPG where every playthrough is different as long as you completely restart the game and make some subtle changes to choices along the way.
When it appears as if a world has reached its end, they start up the next one before the previous one ends so that there is no lapse in their entertainment.
But it is also the reason why I am able to communicate with you.
My Earth is dying.
Only a handful of humans still exist in my world which means we have no chance for survive. So as a consequence, my Earth will cease to exist in a matter of days.
This small window is the only chance I had to pass along the knowledge I have gathered along with giving you a little push with the magical wave I unleashed from your body.
'Alright, well how do you plan to pass along your knowledge then? Are you going to implant memories into my mind or something?'
Haha! No.. we have never possed skills, at any point, that would be capable of something like that.
When I die, my memories will be implanted within the Chronosphere since it is the one and only thing that transcends all time and space.
Since my memories will be from our most recent attempt to break free from this hell, you will be able to access them when you reach level 25-30ish depending on your stats at that point.
If you wish to delve into the memories of our previous lives, you will have to continue to grow in strength.
'Alright... I think I understand. I only have one question then.. how close have we come to defeating the gods and freeing Earth from their grasp?'
Well.. numbers 3, 78, 420, 1892, 4834, 21201, 462087, and 999999, which is myself, have managed to slay at least one god.
Unfortunately, since we have been unable to slay ALL the gods, they simply resurrect after some time with the help of their fellow gods and continue on like nothing happened.
Plus, when one of us manages to slay a god, they make changes to the Chronoknight class that make it more difficult for us to survive and thrive in the apocalyptic world.
If my guess is correct, you have no skills other than our Temporal Physique, correct?
'You are correct...'
Ah.. yeah that was my fault bud. Since I killed Unja, the Goddess Of Beauty they must have locked all of our skills until we reach a certain point...
'So you're telling me that my life is more difficult now because of you?'
Well yeah, but I was just trying to achieve our goals.. you can't blame me right?
'Wait, how do the gods know to make changes to the Chronoknight class if each playthrough is different?'
Because the gods exist outside of the Earth's timelines.
To get to them, we have to break through their barriers and reach their personal realms.
'Does that mean you're no longer on Earth?'
Aye, look who's finally catching on. Nope, I'm currently strung up by my feet in some foul-smelling dungeon waiting to be killed.
It's honestly quite relaxing after fighting for so many years.
Now before the little bitches who call themselves god's return to end my life, any other questions?
'Well yeah, of course I have more questions!
Is there anyone else who managed to break through and kill a god, aside from us/me I mean? If so, who are they and how do I find them?
Is it even possible to wipe the gods out in one fell swoop?
If you're the 999,999 person, does that mean we've done this a million times now with me?!'
Oof, looks like I'm out of time... those pricks are back.
Well whatever, best of luck going forward mate!
Man I wish I coulda fondled Lexi's huge tits and ass one more time.. I'm really going to miss those big ol assets...
With those final, fleeting words, the silhouette standing across from Leo slowly disappeared.
'Oi!! What the hell?! I have so many more questions!! Don't just disappear like that!!
Oiiii!!! Get your ass back here!!'
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How do you reveal some fun backstory without revealing too much and giving away the story? I'll never know.. but this was an attempt! Sorry for the delayed chapters, I worked all weekend on my food truck and didn't have time to edit and re-write as I wanted too. We'll be back on track starting tomorrow!