The Stubborn Skill-Grinder In A Time Loop

Novar’s Peak was a beautiful city. Ancient, historic. A testament to humanity’s ability to adapt and rebuild from the tattered remains of the preceding ancient Hasmathorian Empire. The city was nineteen-thousand years old, officially founded upon the day of Balastion Novar’s coronation as the first emperor of the Novarrian Empire.

And it was undoubtedly in utter chaos outside as Orodan shattered every single anti-spatiomancy ward protecting the city to tear into the chamber of Balastion Novar underneath the royal citadel.

To the first emperor’s credit, the man was neither taken aback nor surprised by the intrusion. The man was upwards of twenty-thousand years old and likely dealt with assassins all his life.

So, when the reactionary beam of Eldritch energy from the crown impacted Orodan in greeting, the first emperor wasn’t surprised.

Orodan’s seeming immunity to the power of the Eldritch however, was a different matter.

“…what? Eldritch Resistance? It’s possible?” Balastion asked in shock.

“It is, but I’m afraid your aspirations for acquiring the skill end here,” Orodan replied.

“An assassin then? You’re strong… too strong. And unless you’re under some strange transformation I haven’t seen, you’re human too,” Balastion said. “Was it the elves? I know they harbor a few old survivors of ancient Hasmathor… are you one of theirs? No… an otherworlder perhaps?”

“Neither. And I’m not here to kill you, but to deal with that crown,” Orodan said.

“You’ll have to kill me then, for this crown is one of our main defenses against a terrible foe,” the first emperor said. “You’re sent by the elves then, are you?”

“I don’t want your crown, I’m merely here to clean it,” Orodan replied, and drew his weapons.

“Clean it? Purge it of the Eldritch? That’s not possible,” he replied. “The Eldritch is corruptive, insidious, it cannot be cleansed by the likes of us mortals. Either way, tis’ an outcome I cannot allow.”

Balastion Novar’s sword met Orodan Wainwright’s blade, first emperor against time looper.

In the last long loop, Orodan held confidence in eventually being able to defeat his friend if it came down to it. But now? When he’d grown stronger by leaps and bounds and was capable of defeating the Void Horror, surviving enemy Transcendents and had good odds of facing down the Eldritch Avatar one-on-one?

The outcome was obvious.

Balastion’s sword creaked dangerously as Orodan’s All-Strike and empowered blade smashed directly into it. It was poor swordsmanship and naught but a theatrical display, but Orodan’s intent was to get the man to surrender upon realizing the strength difference.

And it had its desired effect as Orodan’s sword practically smashed through Balastion’s guard with a booming shockwave which would’ve destroyed Novar’s Peak if not for Orodan’s spatiomancy re-directing the force elsewhere.

His opponent was brought to his knees with just a single strike, and Orodan took the opening to drop his shield and grab Balastion’s sword arm, rendering it unable to swing.

“…strong! Who are you, warrior?!” Balastion exclaimed as he strained and struggled against Orodan’s grip. The man was indeed strong, but Body Tempering and Physical Fitness working in tandem made Orodan a monstrous specimen whose physical capabilities were one of his strongest assets.

“A friend,” Orodan replied. “I’m sorry, but from what I understand of you, you’d never agree to this otherwise. The crown is far too important to you.”

“Of course it is! You covet a weapon integral to our defense against the Eldritch! How can you call yourself a friend?!”

Orodan ignored the man and reached out with his free hand to place it upon the crown, even as Balastion wanted to flinch away desperately.

And with a thought, the Domain Of Perfect Cleaning poured out and targeted the foul taint of the Eldritch within the crown. When he’d cleansed an entire world core, a mere crown with some Eldritch within it wasn’t anything special. Within an instant, it was purged entirely.

“What have you done?!” Balastion roared. “Its power is… hold… it’s actually been cleansed?”

“Cleaner than it was at the time of forging I reckon,” Orodan said. “Though, if the System’s responsible for it, then I’d be a little arrogant to claim so.”

“But now… without the crown, how will we defend ourselves? With your strength, you can only be one person… yesterday, the news of the defeat of multiple Avatars in Karilsgard reached my ears. And before that, the destruction of the moon itself. You must be the man responsible for both those events,” Balastion said. “Who are you, stranger? Who sent you to destroy the crown?”

Before anything further could be said, the doors to the first emperor’s chamber were obliterated in a show of power as Demosthenos Albathrax and Vespidia Aulmalexis charged in.

“Your Majesty!” Vespidia shouted as she charged.

“He is beyond any of you! Do not needlessly throw your lives away!” Balastion warned. Of course, Orodan wasn’t here to kill anyone much less even hurt them.

Spatial Folds carried the charging rescuers back to the entrance of the chamber as Orodan sheathed his weapons and put his hands up in a gesture of peace.

“I come in peace and will take care of the enemy from the stars,” Orodan assuaged. “As for who sent me…”

“…would you believe me if I said it was you?”

A day had passed since then.

Upon Orodan’s explanation, Balastion and company had calmed down a bit. The fact that the moon was shattered and that three of the Prime Five refused to show face upon Inuan also helped tie the story together. After all, Orodan’s personal strength and the worldwide chaos he’d caused by disrupting Inuan’s divine pantheon and destroying the moon were compelling arguments.

Blessings of Agathor, Eximus and Ilyatana were no longer working for anyone. And Orodan felt slightly guilty about the fact that he’d negatively impacted the lives of many. Of course, Malzim and Halor had stepped in to alleviate many of the problems, and Orodan himself would intervene if any groups or individuals of power thought to take advantage of the situation.

Still, it was a goal in mind now, that if he were to purge unworthy Gods from the world, perhaps he should learn a method of implementing blessings of his own to bestow upon people.

He’d told Balastion, Vespidia and Demosthenos about the entire situation and informed them of his plan to free Faraine. Something which Vespidia had immediately agreed to with a desperate look in her eyes. Subsequently, Balastion could only go along with Orodan’s wishes as it meant the promise of a powerful ally against the Eldritch Avatar and Eldiron.

And now, they were on a ship, the sea breeze high up in the skies whipping Orodan’s brown hair about.

They weren’t on a sea-borne vessel, but an actual airship.

Exceedingly rare, and rather expensive to operate. The technology itself was nothing revolutionary. Enchantments, runes and mana crystals came together to make such a thing possible, and it was a creation of intermediate skill requirements at best.

The issue with its mass production, however, was that aerial monsters could detect it by sight and energy emissions rather easily, and without powerful defenders, it was unfeasible to fly one anywhere that wasn’t civilized. Flying creatures at the Elite-level and up were all faster than even the fastest airship. And for economic purposes, teleporters between cities were a quicker and safer method of travel.

The reason their party was using an airship, however, was that it was the quickest way to travel by group to another continent without teleportation.

Especially when the elven continent had completely shut down all teleporters in and out, and any moves by Orodan to forcibly bypass their anti-spatiomancy protections would trigger a severe reaction.

The elves weren’t stupid or ignorant. The moon’s destruction was apparent to anyone who looked up at the night sky. And the events in Karilsgard and Novar’s Peak had reached the ears of Eldiron. That Orodan helped purge their spy network after his conversation with Balastion didn’t help their paranoia.

He’d quite wanted to barge in, free Faraine and leave, but even Vespidia thought it a bit much and worked alongside Balastion and Demosthenos to talk Orodan out of it after a particularly stubborn discussion.

“I’m having a difficult time accepting the fact that I broke and asked you to destroy the crown,” Balastion said as they looked out over the sea. “I know myself, and my will is not so weak.”

“Perhaps,” Orodan said. “The Balastion Novar I knew was a strong ruler, a man with much on his shoulders. I don’t think he would’ve broken. In fact, you didn’t really break…”

“Then…?”

“It was more like you admitted it wasn’t worth it,” Orodan answered. “You seemed resigned and asked me to destroy the crown in subsequent loops. I can’t speak for you as I don’t know what was going through your mind, but whatever you saw when under the corruption of the Eldritch must’ve changed your mind.”

“Is it truly so… insidious?” Balastion asked.

“Yes, quite so,” Orodan replied. “The crown, and even the Eldritch Avatar and its corruption aren’t so bad. But… the amount present within the world core… now that was powerful enough to bypass even my Eldritch Resistance. I can’t imagine a World Conqueror succeeding in subverting a world core unless it’s quite clean, or they have some special protection and plan ahead.”

“World Conqueror… I still wonder what my life amounted to knowing that I stand before such a being,” the first emperor said.

“Your life amounts to much. All I did was win multiple battles and bully a world core into giving me its crown,” Orodan replied. “Building and guiding a nation of millions on the other hand, is far more impressive than winning a mere battle.”

“Land ho!” one of the operators called out.

Before them… was a sight of true beauty.

“Incredible… how can the forests be so green…?” Orodan asked, as he looked out and took the sight in. His Vision Of Purity had detected land a while ago, but unlike most instances, it didn’t pick up very much as the ground, the life, the creatures and settlements, they were all far purer than things on Inuan.

The air, the birds, the trees and all the way down to the smallest grain of sand were just full of world energy.

“Much as it pains me to say, theirs is a continent that has advanced for more than a hundred-thousand years while Inuan has had to rebuild from the destruction wrought by the Void Horror thirty-thousand years ago,” Balastion answered. “The forests and beauty of Eldiron often seduce the easily swayed. But remain strong my friend, the people of Inuan still need you to act on their behalf.”

It was a pretty sight. Orodan had never seen a more beautiful landscape in his life.

The coastal forests looked as though they were out of a dream. The trees glowed with an emerald lustre, the rivers flowed out to the sea with water the color of sapphires, and the breeze carried a song of beauty upon it. If people grew up in a place like this… Orodan could see them happily fighting to the death to defend it. Even his own soul felt peace and joy at the mere sight of such splendor.

Upon the coast, was a watchtower of typical elven architecture, whose like he’d only seen in books and illustrations prior. The illustrations didn’t do it justice, in Orodan’s opinion. And while he was admiring the brilliant paint and excellent craftsmanship of the tower, an alarm bell rang out.

And within moments, a portal opened up nearby and Orodan detected a giant eagle bearing multiple beings upon it on the other side.

“Don’t drain the portal or interfere with their arrival, they’ll take it as a sign of hostility,” Demosthenos explained as he walked up to Orodan and Balastion. “Your Majesty, I sense the presence of the divine artifact. The Wand of Athandelu is wielded by one of them.”

“I sense it too, Demosthenos,” Balastion said. “I do not think they’ll act rashly, however. Not with our friend here.”

Said friend being Orodan.

The great eagle came through the portal and upon it were a familiar four elven figures. The same people he’d seen the last time he had a meeting with the elves.

The Avatars of Cithrel and Athandelu, Virion Ethweni the channeller of divine power, and the unknown elf who claimed to be the spouse of a Goddess. These were four of the most powerful beings on Eldiron, their powerhouses. And they’d come to greet their airship.

“You come at a concerning time, Balastion Novar,” Cithrel spoke. “I do not recognize the man accompanying you, I presume this is the one responsible for the calamitous events as of late?”

“Not only that… but the world energies flow as though you’re their nexus,” Athandelu added. “It’s true then… I thought it an overreaction, but you were right Eldarion. Alastaia at last has a World Conqueror.”

The unnamed elf merely smiled in response. Was his name Eldarion? But that was…

“Eldarion? The God of Friendship? You… are mortal?” Balastion asked in confusion.

Even Orodan himself was a bit confused. The elven pantheon was composed of four Gods. Cithrel, the God-Queen. Athandelu the executor of justice and truth. Faraine the Goddess of growth and evolution and finally, Eldarion, the husband of the God-Queen and God of Friendship. One who remained even farther detached from worldly affairs than Faraine herself.

Perhaps this explained why there were no Blessings of Eldarion in historical record.

“I do quite abhor titles and worship. I’m merely Eldarion,” the elf said. “And while my wife and friend have tried to ensure the transition from mortal to divinity is smooth for me… I hope to traverse a different path.”

“…the path of Transcendence,” Orodan remarked.

“Precisely. You know of it then? Of course you do… that battle upon the moon was spectacular,” Eldarion said. “How do you survive such punishment? Even some of the divinities of life I know cannot call upon and produce it as endlessly as you do.”

Unlike the nations of Inuan, Orodan wasn’t surprised that Eldiron had methods to see so far and glean specific details about the battle on the moon.

“Yes, at least two of the beings I fought against on the moon were Transcendents, and the Devil King among them was the reason for the moon’s destruction.”

“And you fought and defeated them? Incredible…”

“I didn’t exactly win,” Orodan quickly amended. “I survived long enough that the cultivator’s reinforcements arrived, and the Devil King was sent running afterwards. I don’t think I’m yet a match for even the weakest Transcendent without some unfair advantages.”

Such as Eldritch Resistance, which had allowed him to survive and cleanse the Transcendent core guardian of Alastaia. And even then, it was corrupted and not in its right state of mind. An uncorrupted and smart Transcendent that had sense enough to utilize its skills intelligently and use tactics was still beyond Orodan.

“Even then, that makes you a frighteningly powerful opponent… stronger even, than I,” Eldarion replied.

“Let us not waste time,” Cithrel interrupted. “Why have you come here? Your power is apparent, and you bear the crown from the world core. What do we have that you would covet?”

Orodan simply replied with one word…

“Faraine.”

…and the arguments immediately began.

“Unacceptable! The traitor will serve her sentence!” Cithrel angrily declared.

“Has that failure of an elf managed to seduce you? Faraine is not worthy of freedom!” Athandelu exclaimed.

“She has been caged away for long enough! The tyranny of your rule caused her to do what she did!” Vespidia argued.

“And what of her attempt to influence the genetic makeup of our species towards her own end?! Or do you conveniently forget about that whenever you pine about her imprisonment?!” Virion shouted back.

“Weak-willed failure-”

“The God-Queen’s lackey-”

“Enough. We can all get along, can’t we?”

Eldarion softly spoke, and a harmonious feeling spread throughout the air. Opposing winds began converging, the leaves brushed up against one another, nearby wildlife forgot their roles of predator and prey and embraced, and the very hearts of everyone present were urged to forget about conflict for a moment.

Orodan himself felt a powerful pull on his will, and he concentrated with decent effort in order to shatter its hold. This was a social skill with him and everyone else as the target.

“Is that the skill you aim to cross the Grandmaster-level in?” Orodan asked.

“Apologies. I don’t like using that in polite company, but our situation warrants a calm approach,” Eldarion said. “And yes, I feel myself on the cusp of increasing in level. My understanding is complete, my comprehension overfull. I need only reach out and execute it, perform my skill in a manner beyond the level of Grandmaster.”

“Then, why don’t you?” Orodan asked.

“Because I’ve been holding myself back for many thousands of years,” Eldarion replied. “I seek not divinity, but Transcendence.”

“Which would cause the Hegemony’s descent upon your head, no?” Orodan said.

“My kin and I have an agreement with the overlords of our section of creation,” Eldarion replied. “A small amount of time spent serving their needs is not a bad price to bear in return for the ability to remain within the material plane.”

“Fair enough, you seem to know what you’re doing. This process then… what exactly does it entail?” Orodan asked. “What’s the difference between a God and a Transcendent? How can one achieve Transcendence while avoiding divinity?”

“That I’m afraid, even I do not know. I’ve been searching for an answer most of my life in the hopes that it would better prepare me for the trial ahead, but all I know is that it involves some sort of test,” Eldarion said. “Anyhow, we are getting off-topic, Orodan Wainwright. This matter of Faraine, how far are you willing to go for her freedom? Why does she mean so much to you?”

“It’s not that she means much to me,” Orodan admitted. “But my friend here, it’s important to her. And I’m simply keeping my word. I’ll come to blows on the matter if necessary. With my current capabilities, hunting any of your special Bloodline carriers and freeing her through assaulting their minds won’t be an issue.”

“I see…” Eldarion said. “And yet, you should’ve never met Vespidia. We’ve been keeping close watch on her, and never have you been seen around her.”

Balastion looked at him with concern and the intent to interject, but Orodan waved him off.

No matter how many times people told him it was a bad idea, he was a poor liar. And keeping secrets was quite difficult for him.

He was like a bull in a pottery shop when it came to battle, and the same applied to his diplomacy. When it came to important matters, for Orodan Wainwright the only way forward was in a straight line.

“That would be because I’m-”

“Orodan, no! These elves are not to be trusted!” Balastion tried intervening.

“-in a time loop.”

Balastion could only sigh in resignation, while Vespidia looked amused and Demosthenos carefully watched his emperor. On the elven side, the two Avatars were struck silent, Virion Ethweni looked as though he wanted to say something, and Eldarion…

…had a smile on his face.

“Quite the intriguing tale! Tell me more, friend.”

And so, three hours of discussion passed as Orodan explained each and every single thing about the time loops to the elven party.

Cithrel and Athandelu weren’t happy about the fact that he’d freed Faraine in the last long loop. Virion looked angry, and Eldarion simply continued listening intently.

“This is beyond outrageous! We’ve done nothing to offend you, and you would still aid an enemy in freeing a prisoner of ours?” Cithrel asked. “What have we done to deserve your enmity?”

“On the contrary, I don’t consider Eldiron my enemy whatsoever. Merely the unfortunate obstacle between me and freeing Faraine in order to help my friend,” Orodan replied.

A soft laugh rang out.

“You truly are something else, Orodan Wainwright,” Eldarion said with an amused chuckle. “From a poor militia man in the Republic, to the World Conqueror of Alastaia. Your character is that of a cannonball, straightforward and to the point, both in combat and in how you approach your objectives within this time loop.”

“Of course. In my early days people would often call me stupid for the way I did things,” Orodan explained. “Yet, I refused to change who I was. Even now, with the passage of time and the acquisition of much power, I’m still the same warrior who rushed to his death in his first life. I see my nature not as a weakness, but as one of my strengths.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Indeed, I would agree with that assessment. Whoever chose you for this time loop either made the worst possible decision, or the best one,” Eldarion said. “Anyhow… I believe we now understand where you stand.”

“Then, for the matter of Faraine…”

“We shall let her go, as long as you pass a test of mine,” Eldarion said.

“Eldarion?! No! We cannot allow ourselves to be pushed around-”

“My love, do you not trust me?” the elf gently asked.

“I do…”

“Then have faith that there is a reason for this,” Eldarion explained. “We already know that Orodan Wainwright is powerful enough to battle Transcendents. And from what he says about this time loop, he also possesses Divine Resistance. I’m not a combat specialist, and the very nature of Divine Resistance renders the remaining three of you impotent. Better we release her on our terms that we might speak to her ourselves.”

“A test?” Orodan asked.

“Yes, a test. Hearing of your personality, I doubt you will refuse,” Eldarion said. “In all your talk of this time loop, a common factor is this strange and endless willpower of yours, correct?”

“I’m not known for quitting, that much is true,” Orodan replied.

“Perfect, then you will not balk at the prospect of facing down my voice and resisting its commands, no?”

“An odd proposition, what’re you hoping to gain out of this?” Orodan asked.

“You see, Orodan Wainwright, my Gold-Tongued Persuasion skill is at the Grandmaster-level. It’s been at that level for nearly eighty-thousand years. And while I’m ready to advance past that and have more than enough comprehension and understanding to do so… anyone I practice on, does not,” Eldarion explained. “What I ask for then… is for your endless willpower to be the target of my skill. Might you be the whetstone upon which I strive for Transcendence?”

Orodan’s eyes took on a pleased look.

“I agree! It’ll be good training,” he replied.

“I do not want there to be any bad blood between us, so I’ll be entirely honest,” Eldarion said. “If you fail, you’ll succumb to a mental suggestion to befriend me and act in the best interests of Eldiron. If you succeed… well, tell me what occurs once someone passes Grandmastery in the next loop, will you?”

A mad gamble. If Orodan didn’t have strong will, Eldarion stood to gain a powerful ally through the brainwashing of a social skill. And if it failed? He supposedly would cross the hundredth level in the skill due to the difficulty of persuading Orodan. And from there, he gambled on Orodan remembering what occurred and telling him in the next loop.

“So, if I fail, you brainwash me. And if I succeed, you use me to acquire information?” Orodan asked, and Eldarion nodded. “Heh! I like it! You’re straightforward with your scheming at least.”

“I had a feeling you would. You seem the type to appreciate honesty, even if you’re on the receiving end of a ploy,” the elf said. “Prepare yourself, Orodan Wainwright. For my voice has swayed even Gods!”

A manic grin spread across Orodan’s face as he spread his arms wide and beckoned for the elf to speak.

And he did.

“Let us work together, Orodan Wainwright. Friendship, and the gratitude of Eldiron awaits.”

Orodan’s world shook, his soul quivered, and his mind wanted to bow down before the words.

Jian Yixia seemed to have some sort of mind influencing skill too, but she hadn’t used it directly on Orodan. This man however, was.

In no way was this the power of a Grandmaster. In fact, if Orodan’s Status somehow went awry and listed his Domain Of Perfect Cleaning at level 1, it wouldn’t take away the understandings and comprehension he intrinsically possessed. A single usage of the skill with his intrinsic understandings and full power would be enough to return it to its normal level in his Status.

This then, was someone who had been holding their skill back for far too long. Their understandings and comprehension of the skill far exceeded what their Status displayed. And now that Eldarion was using his Gold-Tongued Persuasion at full power, and applying every single bit of comprehension and insight that he’d held back for thousands of years…

…it was beyond what any Grandmaster could do.

He had Eldritch Resistance to blunt the insidious corruption of the world core when he’d fought Alastaia. He had Psionic Resistance to blunt enemy psionics. But this, was neither Psionic nor Eldritch. It was empowered by soul energy, and it was purely social.

And how desperately did he want to comply with the elf’s request.

Would it truly be so bad? To be friends with Eldarion and assist Eldiron? The gratitude, wealth and favor of the elves would be his. Hells, he could even settle down with some lovely princess if he so desired!

The thoughts filled his mind to an extent that not even the world core of Alastaia had been capable of.

Until finally…

…his eyes sharpened, and Orodan Wainwright took control of his own mind once more.

A roar of unfaltering determination erupted from his lips. His soul energy rocketed upwards, and a force of endless will immediately smashed into his mind and cleared the foul thoughts spawned by Eldarion’s social skill.

He refused to be brainwashed.

“Tsk! How utterly stubborn…!” Eldarion exclaimed. “How does anyone get anything through to you?”

They often didn’t, Orodan wanted to say. Unfortunately, there was no time for that.

The crown he wore in the form of an armband allowed him to detect the world energy coalescing around Eldarion. The world energy came together in the form of System glyphs and symbols and began wrapping around the elf.

“It… it comes! Look closely and tell me of what occurs the next loop we meet!” Eldarion exclaimed.

The System glyphs continued arranging themselves around the elven ascendant, and it remained to be seen whether Eldarion would go the path of divinity or Transcendent.

As the formation of the System’s glyphs reached an apex, something descended.

Orodan’s first thought was that he felt some manner of genuine fear for the first time in his lives. Not the fear of being hurt, but true, existential dread in a way nothing had ever made him feel before.

It was a strange humanoid being but composed of impossible geometric shapes and angles which promised madness if one gazed for too long. System glyphs continued flitting in and out of existence upon its body, but the few that Orodan could see were of a profound quality, beyond the kind he saw on world gates. Perhaps matched only by what he’d seen on the pylon attached to Alastaia’s world core.

[Beginning Trial - Time Stasis Initialized]

Everything around him was dead still. Frozen utterly in time. The sky, the stars… this statis likely extended very far.

In a sense, it was chronomancy. But the difference was akin to an ant versus a divine. The powerful chronomantic energy wrapped right around Orodan with a frightening amount of power and sought to lock him in time like everything else.

His own Eternal Soul Reactor flared at full power, and he churned out as much as he could in order to resist.

[Warning - High Energy Signature Detected. Diverting More Power]

Orodan continued resisting by flooding his own body with as much soul energy as possible. Thankfully, whatever it was, it seemed content to defeat him with an endless flood of energy rather than increasing the intensity where Orodan might’ve killed himself by drawing upon levels of soul energy his body couldn’t handle.

A battle of endurance. A test of capacity.

A fight Orodan had full confidence in winning, even if the very System was against him.

Time passed, and Orodan closed his eyes, simply meditating and focusing on endlessly churning soul energy to resist the time stasis. Even Eldarion’s Trial was frozen until the System being felt that the Time Statis was fully locked in and encompassed everything.

An hour passed, and then five more.

The strange being had no eyes, merely System glyphs which shifted, changed and phased in and out of sight. No change was apparent in it despite Orodan’s resistance.

A full day passed, and only then did something change.

[Warning - High Energy Signature Persisting. Diverting More Power]

Discouraging for anyone else perhaps, but not Orodan. He would continue churning his soul forever if he had to.

Days turned to weeks, which then turned to a month.

The System being was locked in the exact same position. Floating in the air, arms at its sides, completely dispassionate and emotionless as the only movement it had was the shifting System glyphs.

At the three-month mark, another message came by.

[Warning - High Energy Signature Persisting. Diverting More Power. Unit At Risk Of Corruption]

The message was encouraging. Yet the trend was that each message would arrive after a longer interval. Still, Orodan knew that he could force this System being into submission through attrition.

Months passed until the year mark came and went.

[Eternal Soul Reactor 94 → Eternal Soul Reactor 95]

It was finally in the second year of this ongoing battle for dominance that the next message came.

[Warning - High Energy Signature Persisting. Diverting More Power. Unit Corruption Approaching]

Orodan smiled, however it was quickly wiped off his face at the following message which displayed immediately after.

[Override Protocol Initiated - Incomplete Time Stasis Acceptable. Trial Resuming. Administrator Notified]

Everything was still in statis, but the chronomantic effect attempting to freeze Orodan had stopped. And the being descended unto Eldarion.

He couldn’t hear what was said between them as Eldarion was unfrozen and allowed to converse. But suddenly, a perfect clone of Eldarion appeared in front of the elf, and they were both behind podiums. Orodan couldn’t hear what was said, but from the look of it… was the elf expected to beat a version of himself?

Improving against oneself… no matter how much power a Grandmaster held or how long they prepared for, such a test was designed to strain anyone to their limits. In fact, Eldarion, who’d held back for thousands of years… would be at a disadvantage, as all low-hanging fruit to improve with had already been plucked.

The elf’s face showed signs of frustration and rage as he sought for insights and epiphanies that never came.

An hour of speech between the two passed, and Eldarion finally resigned with a grim look on his face.

[Trial Concluded - Relegation To Divinity. Trial-Taker Memory Altered. Time Statis Concluded]

The System being vanished, and everything returned to normal. With the exception of a now vanished Eldarion.

“What… happened?” Virion asked. “What has happened to Lord Eldarion?! Where has he gone?!”

“No need to worry dear Virion… my love has finally come… the divine realm bids him welcome at last,” Cithrel spoke.

“Then… Lord Eldarion has ascended at last? He is… a God in essence and being.”

The birth of a new God. Eldarion, God of Friendship. And if what he said before was an indicator, his pantheon had eased his entry significantly by promoting his worship prior to his ascension.

“Now then… about Faraine,” Orodan said.

“Granted. Take that miserable wretch with you and tell her to never bother us again… what a joyous day…” Cithrel muttered. “If anything, I owe you a debt of gratitude for giving Eldarion the hope that he can become a Transcendent. It caused him to attempt ascension early and become relegated to the divine realm. In the future… if you ensure my husband takes his rightful place with me as a God, I shall give you no problem in the matter of the traitor. Now, I must go and give my darling a proper greeting.”

Orodan could only look on, flabbergasted. That really was too easy. Who knew that things would work out so smoothly and that Cithrel was a love-deprived Goddess whose attitude changed the moment her husband joined her in the divine realm?

The Avatars immediately departed alongside Virion, leaving only the imperial side.

“Vespidia… can you confirm it?” Orodan asked.

“Yes… yes! She has been set free!” Vespidia said, tears filling her eyes.

That was good. That settled the last hurdle before his long-time foe. Orodan had honestly been expecting a pitched battle against the full might of Eldiron, but a part of him was glad that things had turned out this way. Even if the chance to do battle had been lost.

Most importantly, he’d glimpsed for himself the trial to reach either Transcendence or Godhood. And the terrifying force of the System that descended as a result.

But even that being, hair-raising as it was, could only be a precursor to what might descend next.

For the question yet remained…

…just who was this ‘Administrator’ that had been notified?

“Are you certain of this course of action?”

The first emperor asked, as the man paced about the throne room with worry.

“I’ve purged the world core itself of the Eldritch energy running through it,” Orodan said. “While the Eldritch Avatar is powerful in combat, I’ve now also grown capable of surviving Transcendents and besting its sibling… the Void Horror.”

“I hear you, and I believe you’re capable of all these feats,” Balastion replied. “Yet, I still worry for this is an age-old foe we’ve known of for a long time now. Why not face it with us? Why insist on taking it upon your own shoulders? Surely you can use spatiomancy to have assistance in the battle?”

“No… I’ve had enough people die fighting alongside me,” Orodan sharply shut down. “I respect your offer. But this I must do alone. These time loops, all this strength I’ve acquired, what’s the point of it all if I can’t handle this issue myself?”

“Fair enough… our belief is with you, Orodan Wainwright,” Balastion Novar spoke. “We might have gotten off to a rocky start, but you’ve done naught but act in the best interests of Novarria… and in another time, we were even friends. I remember nothing of that, but the least I can do for all you’ve done for us is give you my utmost gratitude.”

“There’s no need for that,” Orodan said. “Ever since I met Cyvrosdyr the Eternal Winter, I took the Quest off his shoulders. Too many people I cared for died at its hands… and this time I intend to repay the favor and teach the Eldritch Gods a lesson.”

Balastion could only nod as Orodan looked upwards, to an incredibly distant part of the sky. A team of astronomers and diviners had set up on the peak of the royal citadel and they were tracking the position of the descending Eldritch comet in the void between stars.

“Its position is along this line, sir,” one astronomer spoke. “C-can you… can you truly cast a Spatial Fold all that distance away? It’s beyond even our sun…”

“I’ve reached the sun before,” Orodan casually replied, much to the man’s shock and paling face.

Orodan had reached the blazing ball before, even if it and its denizens were rather unfriendly. And that hadn’t taxed him overly much. So, to reach this moving comet which was perhaps a third farther out? Not an issue.

The real problem had been locating it and tracking its movements. If it was past the sun currently, then Orodan couldn’t see it and his Vision Of Purity didn’t extend that far. To that end, the team of diviners and astronomers were quite helpful in locating its current position and pointing Orodan towards it.

“I hope it needn’t be said… but please don’t come back corrupted by the Eldritch,” Balastion said. “I know you have Eldritch Resistance, but I must warn you all the same. If you were hostile, I do not think anyone on Alastaia could stop you. Perhaps Eldiron and whatever weapons they have in reserve might do it, but Inuan and Guzuhar would be annihilated.”

Frankly, Orodan wasn’t sure if even Eldiron could stop him if he truly wanted to destroy the world. Perhaps some ancient dragon who’d been around for a very long time might have to come out of seclusion, and even then, he doubted anything beneath the level of a Transcendent could actually kill him.

Unfortunately, Orodan’s enemies included beings who were Transcendents and even those beyond.

All the more reason to take the Eldritch Avatar out quickly so that he could wrap up his affairs on Alastaia and head to Xian. He needed to get stronger.

“If I ever feel myself succumbing to corruption, I’ll burn myself to death by generating fatal amounts of soul energy,” Orodan said as he looked up. “Anyhow, Balastion, please evacuate everyone. It’s time.”

The assembled team, Balastion included, all departed the top of the imperial citadel.

Titanic amounts of power gathered around him as he prepared to cast the most powerful Spatial Fold he ever had. Space trembled around him, and minor tears began appearing as his hand contained the unfathomable power of a calamitous Spatial Fold. If he turned it downwards, he might cause some severe destruction throughout Alastaia as space warped.

His target though, was in the stars. And with an exhale, Orodan cast Spatial Fold towards the descending Eldritch comet.

[Space Mastery 65 → Space Mastery 67]

[Spatial Fold 67 → Spatial Fold 69]

The very sky and horizon were warped, and Alastaia’s atmosphere might have been affected to an extent, but it was all for the purpose of eliminating one of the greatest threats to the world.

He stepped through the fold and crashed into a purplish-gray rock hurtling through space at great speed.

Immediately, the being within noticed his intrusion and the tentacles upon the rock attempted to assault him.

“Not this time,” Orodan said as his Domain Of Perfect Cleaning shot out and enveloped the entirety of the Eldritch comet.

The tentacles were eradicated, the corrupted bits of shell were disintegrated and the very rock itself was purified. And as the domain began reaching inwards and contacted the Eldritch Avatar itself, it shrieked, and the comet exploded as it tore itself free to emerge.

Pupil-less white eyes stared him down as they both drifted in the void of space where no gravity existed.

In the past, every single time he’d faced it, he was the last one standing. This time however, he was the only one standing. Because he chose to be the only one facing it.

“Who are you to dare assault us with that foul skill?” the Eldritch Gods spoke. “One of Alastaia’s champions? Come… let us show you the truth.”

“I’ve seen glimpses of the truth from a source far more profound than you,” Orodan replied. “The very world core where the Eldritch begins to seep through when the System is overused. Your truth does not concern me.”

“You know of the truth and yet remain untouched? Strange… let us examine you closer.”

“On the contrary, it shall be I who examines you,” Orodan said as his weapons were drawn. “I believe you’re due for a good cleaning.”

No more was said between Orodan and his long-hated foe. Gravity didn’t pull him downward, so melee combat in the void between stars was more than a little difficult, but Orodan got around this by generating ‘clones’, throwing them to where he wanted to go and using the Whirlpool Whirlwind portion of his Domain Of Perfect Cleaning to pull himself towards wherever he needed.

He also had spatiomancy, but he felt that was a cheap method of travel when he could instead train Domain Of Perfect Cleaning.

Soul empowered sword and shield met Eldritch limbs, and Orodan’s weapons held strong. The Eldritch Avatar was strong, frighteningly so now that three Gods were empowering it. But it used Eldritch energy, which he had a resistance against, and he was strong enough to best the Void Horror.

Thus, even as Orodan was overpowered and knocked around by its superior strength, his sword held, and his shield withstood its assault. He took no damage.

His return of an Endless Blitz of All-Strikes slowed down its own assault as it was pre-occupied with not taking too much damage in turn. And of course, Warrior’s Reciprocity made it pay dearly for even blows which impacted his shield.

“Champion of an ignorant world! How dare you defy us!?” it roared.

“Champion? Do you not see what I wear?” Orodan said as he pointed to the crown of Alastaia upon his arm. And in response, it twitched violently.

“World Conqueror?! But none on that world should have had the strength for such a feat!” it roared in disbelief. “Enough… perhaps Alastaia can wait. There are other worlds that require the spread of the truth.”

And of course, in a wise move, it attempted to flee in a burst of Eldritch power which propelled it away.

Which Orodan immediately countered by dragging it back towards him with the Domain Of Perfect Cleaning.

“None of you filthy Eldritch divinities will escape today,” Orodan declared as he latched onto its neck and wrapped both arms around its large head from behind. “Once upon a time, you three attempted to possess me… to insidiously convert me to the truth. Now let’s see if I can’t cleanse you through this medium.”

His soul energy erupted and flooded the Eldritch Avatar. Immediately, it began to be cleansed.

Its body, its being, its very soul, all were scoured. And the nine Blessings that it possessed, were wiped clean.

However, Orodan didn’t want to stop there. During his conversation with Alastaia, he had learned that the Eldritch Gods were corrupted divinities from a fallen world that had been around for too long without anyone managing to conquer and purify its world core. Subsequently, its world core had fallen to the Eldritch, and in turn it corrupted not only the life upon the world, but also the Gods which held dominion over it.

But what could be corrupted, could also be purified.

And Orodan intended to not only best the Eldritch Avatar but cleanse the Eldritch taint from the minds of the three Gods empowering it.

“No! Cease this immediately! We do not wish to be purified! We willingly chose this! To take the truth away is tantamount to killing us!” the Eldritch divinities roared.

“And what of the Void Horror you corrupted? Did you give him such a choice?!” Orodan rebuked. “Your destruction of innocent worlds ends here. Using the Eldritch for such wicked deeds means you aren’t worthy of it. Allow me to set you free of the truth.”

Thousands of loops of effort, all dedicated towards this end result. His willpower urged this; it demanded it. Even Orodan himself could not deny the endless will within himself which had been set to a task so long ago and finally had it within sight.

The Incorruptible Being portion of Domain Of Perfect Cleaning worked alongside Psionic Assault and Absolute Soul Dominion to truly purify the pieces of their consciousness that they’d sunk into the Eldritch Avatar. All while taking care to maintain the delicate mental thread between the small pieces of consciousness and their main minds in the divine realm.

They resisted madly at every opportunity, and it was difficult to do to three divinities at the same time what he’d done to Ilyatana and Agathor one at a time. But Orodan was nothing if not determined.

Unfaltering determination and the power of his soul eventually won out, and all three divinities were successfully cleansed. He then let the remnant pieces of consciousness return, to where they would hopefully begin the slow process of spreading their incorruptible purity among the Eldritch Gods in the divine realm.

[Domain Of Perfect Cleaning 75 → Domain Of Perfect Cleaning 76]

[Quest Completed → The Chosen Eldritch Star - Eldritch Avatar purified, Eldritch Gods purified, world protected]

[Reward Granted → Permanent +0.1 Title Multiplier]

[Soul At Capacity → Reward Aborted]

It was as expected, given how much space this particular Reward took inside of his soul. However, given what he’d discovered of its uses… it was worth every bit.

The Void Horror floated peacefully in the void between stars. Its eyes closed, the purplish-gray energy and veins, gone.

And as Orodan looked towards the sun and Alastaia, he cast a Teleportation.

It was time to wrap up his affairs.

But before he could await the arrival of the cultivators, there was but one more stop to make.

The Pegasi of the White Cloud Clan weren’t expecting some random man to barge in, kick down the doors to their mana batteries and charge them all up to full in an instant. Subsequently for that man to kick down the doors to their vault… it caused some panic.

“Intruder! Sound the alarm!” one pegasus roared.

“He’s going for the vault!”

“No… wait! He’s entering the cursed item sanctum!”

He pushed the doors open and immediately made way for something, or someone in particular.

Upon laying eyes on her book-bound form, Orodan’s heart had a strange feeling of melancholy.

His hands were placed upon her, and immediately her typical psionic, pain and soul assault were launched. Typical Zaessythra.

“Must you always be so prickly every time I come to get you?” Orodan asked.

“Who are you?! Unhand me immediately!” she shouted.

“You don’t know me now, but in another time, you did,” Orodan said. “I’m Orodan Wainwright. You often called me a fool, a stubborn stone-headed bull, and an idiot. But… I suppose I was also your friend.”

Contrary to expectations, for once she actually stopped her assault and seemed to listen.

“You… I’ve never seen you before,” she replied. “What trick are you playing? Which member of the Hegemony sent you?”

“None. In fact, I plan to find and confront them all for what they did to you,” Orodan said. “Although, it’ll be some time before I can fight that many-armed alien…”

“Astalavar… you’ve seen his form in the material plane then? Who are you really?” she asked.

“I’ve already said who I am… but the better question is… who are you? Zaessythra, World-Queen of Vylrystia?”

Her screams started as her soul began the process of melding, and Orodan couldn’t help but grimace a bit as he was still concerned for his friend, even if she didn’t know him in this time.

He would need to return to the moon and use Time Reversal to restore it. It was necessary to assist in unlocking more of her memories and subsequently assisting with her soul meld.

But despite the sting in his eyes as he thought of their time together and the bitterness in his heart as he recalled her final sacrifice, Orodan wouldn’t have it any other way.

After all, if he was supposed to be ‘World-King’ of Alastaia, what better place to receive advice from than a former ruler herself?

He just hoped she didn’t insist he be too hands-on with taking care of the world.

Like that, two months had passed.

The moon had been restored, netting him seven levels in Time Mastery and eleven levels in Time Reversal. And using that, Zaessythra’s soul had been restored to mostly optimal condition as she remembered who she was.

Her, his Novarrian allies, the chief powers of Eldiron and certain Gods he got along well with had been informed of the time loop.

And he’d also made some visits to repay some debts and address some issues.

The dwarves had their monopoly of slavery broken. Zukelmux and his tribe were brought over to the empire after their mole overlords were dealt with, Aliya and her family were given a good life in Novarria and Mahari was shadowed by the finest tutors money could buy. And Orodan had paid Guzuhar a visit and purged all Avatars of the foul God Agorhiku before giving the raider tribes the ultimatum of ceasing their bloodshed or facing death.

Much as Orodan wished he could personally be involved with it all, particularly with his friends, his work with Zaessythra in ensuring fair world energy distribution, conflict resolution across the continents and the like took precedence.

He wasn’t a ruler. He was a warrior.

He cared not for the politicking, the logistics and the diplomacy. But Zaessythra on the other hand… she was ruthless. She acted like his right hand in most situations but in truth she was scarily good at coming up with plans, identifying situations and resolving potential conflicts. Often time with violence. Her past as the World-Queen of Vylrystia made her shockingly competent at handling these issues.

They’d gotten along well, but sometimes he felt that Zaessythra was overly concerned whenever she caught him staring at her with a look of melancholy in his eyes.

He’d told her everything about the time loops. But the one thing he’d left out was the growing weight upon his heart at having to start all over again, all alone, at the end of each loop. She was perceptive and had likely caught on, but he wasn’t ready to address that himself yet.

And now, the planned meeting in six months had been moved up to two. Particularly since the restoration of the moon was a rather eye-catching feat which had caused Jian Yixian and Jian Song to return for an early visit.

“So that’s how you got so strong… what an incredible power. A time loop that defies all the Gods and elders…” Jian Song muttered. “Truly, we were smart to befriend you, Orodan.”

“In all honestly, I still don’t know whether I happened into it on the day of or if this was pre-ordained in some way,” Orodan said. “Given what I heard from the world itself, I’m inclined to think the latter. Something caused the pylon to pulse on the day of my birth, and even the world admits the Quest wasn’t supposed to go to me. Are you sure you’ve never heard of such pylons in your time, grandma?”

She didn’t look old, but once Orodan discovered she was nearly a million years of age, he’d taken to calling her grandma. If the gentle woman took offense to Orodan’s manner of speaking, she didn’t show it. Rather, she seemed to enjoy the term which denoted some sort of familiarity.

“I’ve seen similar System-inscribed devices, but nothing quite like it… even when I examined it, it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before,” Jian Yixia said in a most gentle and calming tone which made even the void of space tremble and yearn for peace. “Whoever made and sent it to your world must’ve been quite concerned about the possibility of discovery, for its upper portion is a perfect mimicry of standard divine energy. It’s only upon close inspection of the bottom half that its relation to the System becomes apparent.”

“And this ‘Administrator’…”

“I’ve heard of them, mainly from the truly ancient ancestors,” Jian Yixia said. “But I’ve never seen one myself. They’re supposedly agents of the System’s will. I… do not know what your tampering with the trial of ascension means, but I urge you move with caution.”

“We already have the Hegemony on our list as enemies of ours, what’s one more?” Orodan said with a laugh.

“You’re fortunate that Xian is outside of the Hegemony’s influence. The most trouble we have going on in our world is the conflict surrounding the soul nexus,” she said. “Rather, the overlords of our sector are the Celestial Court, whose close alliance with the Conclave in the neighboring sector often leads to us butting heads with the Hegemony. Rest assured, Astalavar will not hunt you while you are upon Xian.”

Relief, not for himself, but mainly for Zaessythra. Perhaps she could find a safe place to live at the end of all this.

“Well, my affairs upon Alastaia are concluded. A council of Inuan, Eldiron and Guzuhar now ensure that my world is being steered in a good direction,” Orodan said. A good direction, with a little ‘assistance’ from the former gate guardians from time to time to keep wicked upstarts in line. Who knew the Void Horror siblings enjoyed dispensing justice?

“Excellent! Then dare I ask…”

“No need to ask. I think I could use a change of scenery. I’ve seen otherworlders so often, but now, perhaps it’s time for me to be the otherworlder,” Orodan said. “We’d like to travel to the world of Xian with you, if you’ll have us.”

Jian Song and Jian Yixia’s faces erupted with smiles, and Zaessythra fluttered about his head.

For so long, Orodan had been stuck dying over and over again in a time loop. And while he was still in one, for the first time the horizon in front of him looked to be clear, with no looming threat in sight.

A world of cultivators, flying swords, ‘sects’ and these ‘young masters’ Jian Song kept warning him about. And beyond that, other worlds besides just Xian. A broader universe awaited him.

And Orodan Wainwright would stubbornly grind his skills upon each and every one of them.