The choice was still floating before Arou.
Not two anymore.
Not limited anymore.
Now, there was only a single transparent panel—
TIME
with a series of numbers that he could change however he wanted.
Arou stared at it for a long time.
"…Then," he muttered,
"I'll give it a try."
His hand moved slowly.
March 4, 2026
---
The world spun.
And—
Arou found himself standing in his own room.
A familiar scent welcomed him.
The walls he knew.
The afternoon sunlight coming through the window.
He opened the bedroom door.
In the living room, Emi was helping unload bags of food.
His father and mother had just arrived home.
Warm.
Normal.
Real.
"Ah, Arou," Emi said with a smile.
"You're finally awake."
Arou froze.
"…Emi?"
He approached her hesitantly.
"Is this… really you?"
Emi frowned.
"What's wrong with you? Are you okay?"
His father turned toward him.
"Were you sleep-talking again?"
His mother smiled gently.
"Come on, go take a shower. It'll be time to break our fast soon."
Arou swallowed.
"…Alright."
He turned toward the bathroom.
But the moment the door closed—
The time panel appeared before his eyes again.
Clear.
Calm.
Arou smiled faintly.
"I was just messing around…"
His finger slid across the numbers.
September 18, 2065
---
There was no gentle transition.
No warning.
Only—
destruction.
Arou stood in the middle of a burning city.
The sky was deep red.
Black smoke covered the sun.
Buildings had collapsed.
Fire consumed everything.
On the streets, people lay helpless—
not dead,
but powerless.
They cried.
They prayed.
They crawled aimlessly.
"What the hell is this…?"
Arou's breath caught.
He ran.
His trembling eyes scanned the surroundings.
Then—
BRRROOOOOOOOM!
The sound of a trumpet shook the sky.
It wasn't man-made.
It wasn't a machine.
It was something that seemed to shake the soul itself.
Arou stopped abruptly.
"Don't tell me…"
His hands trembled.
Without thinking—
he roughly pulled up the time panel.
"Not this."
The numbers jumped far ahead.
February 4, 3095
---
Silence.
Arou stood upon cracked earth.
The city was still there—
or at least what remained of it.
Towering buildings stood in ruins.
The streets were covered in moss.
Vines had swallowed the steel and concrete.
Nature had reclaimed everything.
"Earth…?"
Arou whispered.
He walked slowly.
There were no human voices.
No animals.
No machines.
Only the wind.
"…Are they still alive?"
"…Did everyone survive?"
He searched.
For hours.
Days felt like minutes—or perhaps the other way around.
Yet he couldn't find a single sign of life.
No bones.
No graves.
No refugee settlements.
As if humanity had simply…
disappeared.
Arou stood in the middle of the moss-covered city.
His chest felt empty.
"…So this is how it ends," he whispered.
The time panel appeared again.
But this time—
there was a new message beneath it.
ORIGIN POINT LOCKED
ACCESS GRANTED
The purple flames inside Arou's body pulsed softly.
For the first time—
he realized something terrifying.
He wasn't merely an observer.
He was a nexus.
And whatever happened to humanity—
whether sooner or later—
was always connected to him.
Arou tried adjusting the time once more.
The numbers stopped at a strange point.
October 4, 5555
---
There was no light.
No ground.
No sky.
Only emptiness.
Arou stood alone in the void.
"…So Earth disappeared in the year 5555?"
he muttered.
Suddenly—
someone appeared beside him.
Calm.
Relaxed.
As if this empty space were nothing more than an ordinary hangout spot.
"No," said Zata.
"The number 5555 is a code."
Arou turned toward him.
"A code?"
"To release you from your time exploration."
Arou slowly nodded.
"Oh… I see."
He fell silent for a moment before asking,
"Then… where do I go now?"
Zata gave a faint grin.
"You still have a mission."
"To fight Vowl."
"And save your friends."
Arou took a deep breath.
"…How?"
Zata looked straight at him.
"Confidence."
"That's it?"
"The principle is simple," Zata continued.
"Believe that you can do it. And keep moving forward—even when you doubt yourself."
Arou clenched his fist.
"…Alright."
He raised his head.
"I'll try."
"Because I am the King."
Zata chuckled.
"Now that's the protagonist I know."
Arou looked at him again.
"Now… how do I get back to the battle?"
"Relax," Zata replied.
"I can take you there."
"Really?"
Arou hesitated.
"But… are you going to fight too?"
Zata shook his head.
"No."
"I just want to watch you look cool while fighting Vowl and saving your friends."
Arou smiled faintly.
"Alright."
"Then watch closely."
"I'll show you the power of your protagonist."
"Yes," Zata replied.
"I certainly will."
Zata raised his hand.
A portal opened, slowly spinning in the air.
"Go through," he said.
"And save everyone."
Arou stepped forward.
"Yeah… I'm going."
---
The moment he passed through the portal—
Arou stumbled.
But what he saw wasn't the hellish island from before.
Instead—
a vast field of snow.
A gray sky.
Frozen white ground.
Arou froze.
"…Zata," he muttered.
"Why did you bring me here?"
Zata's voice echoed—not from within the space, but as though it came from outside the story itself.
"This is the place Vowl wants."
"So cheer up."
Arou clicked his tongue softly.
"Seriously…"
He began walking.
The wind blew violently.
Snow fell relentlessly.
Step by step, Arou walked along the snow-covered path.
Only then did he realize—
"…Wait."
He looked down.
His body was naked.
His clothes had long since been torn apart and disappeared.
"Am I… not wearing anything?"
Yet—
he stopped.
He felt no cold.
He wasn't shivering.
Even though the air around him was freezing enough to pierce his bones.
"…I don't feel cold," he muttered in confusion.
"Even though it's freezing here."
He continued walking.
Not long after, he spotted a river—
its surface completely frozen.
Arou looked around.
And that's when he saw it.
A blue light.
Shining softly…
from behind the snow-covered trees.
Arou quickened his pace.
He brushed away the snow.
There—
a sword was embedded in the ground.
Its blade was pristine.
Its light was calm.
Yet its aura…
was powerful.
Arou stared at it.
"…A sword?"
He reached out his hand.
And the moment his fingers touched the hilt—
he knew.
This wasn't a coincidence.
Arou gripped it tightly.
The snow around him began to tremble softly.
---
The snow in the distance moved.
Not because of the wind.
It was walking.
Arou raised his head.
From behind the snowstorm, a massive figure emerged.
Its body was formed from ice and densely packed snow.
Its pale blue eyes glowed with a cold light.
In its hand was a long weapon made of frozen ice, sharp and heavy.
A snow monster.
And it was moving straight toward Arou.
Without warning.
Without a sound.
Only pressure.
"…So you've come," Arou muttered.
The monster raised its weapon and slammed it into the ground.
BRAAAM!
Snow exploded into the air.
Arou leaped to the side, avoiding an impact that could have crushed an ordinary human.
Without hesitation—
Arou gripped the blue sword tightly.
As he raised the blade, a blue light pulsed from it.
The monster attacked again.
A horizontal swing.
Fast.
Heavy.
Arou stepped forward—
not backward.
CLANG!
The blue sword blocked the icy weapon.
The impact shook the ground.
Yet Arou wasn't pushed back.
His eyes narrowed.
"Light," he muttered.
He twisted his wrist.
The blue sword flashed.
Arou struck back.
SWOOOSH!
The slash cleaved through the monster's arm.
Ice shattered.
Snow scattered through the air.
The monster roared—a sound like cracking ice.
Yet it didn't collapse.
Instead, its body began to merge back together.
The surrounding snow was drawn into its body.
"…It can regenerate," Arou muttered.
Purple flames slowly appeared around his arm.
Calm.
Dense.
He channeled them into the blade.
Blue and purple light merged together.
The sword trembled.
Arou lowered his stance.
"Then…"
The monster leaped high into the air, raising its icy weapon for a final attack.
Arou stared straight at it.
"…I'll destroy you until nothing remains."
As the monster descended—
Arou stepped forward.
One slash.
Not fast.
Not brutal.
But absolute.
Blue and purple light swept across the battlefield.
In a single straight line—
the snow monster was cleaved apart.
Not just its body.
But the icy core within it as well.
Everything froze for a moment—
then—
CRAAASH!
The monster shattered into lifeless fragments of snow.
The wind stopped.
The storm subsided.
Arou stood in the middle of the peaceful snowfield.
The sword in his hand glowed softly.
"…This sword," he murmured.
It wasn't merely a weapon.
It was an answer.
And somewhere on that snowy island—
something had begun watching him.