I had gone through the loop several times to figure out the conditions for its happen. The first was clear: the death of the main character triggered the loop. Not only the protagonist, but other main characters' deaths could also cause it to happen.
The real question was why Arthur could never defeat Diabolos at the start of the story, no matter how many loops occurred. Unlike in the game, where the loop existed to give the player time to plan, Arthur moved without control. All his memories, actions, and experiences repeated, except mine. I was the only one who remembered. Only I could stop this loop.
Loop fifty-six.
The same forest. This time, I was the one giving orders. I had argued with Tohime countless times about leadership, and every time, I won.
Now, I didn't need to approach Arthur or make requests. I already knew his position and where the cave was. This time, I would break the loop.
"Doesn't Leon seem strange?" said Penlope. "He acts like he already knows where we're going without even looking around."
Tohime fell silent, her eyes fixed on me. Something about my gaze felt hauntingly familiar.
"Tohime?"
"It's nothing. Let's move."
We followed the same path as before, but faster. Inside the forest, we saw Elena being dragged away by two men.
"Who are you!" shouted Tohime, drawing her sword. I stopped her just in time.
"Hiya!" Quri leapt from the shadows, attacking the men. Arthur appeared right after her. They had been following from behind, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"Take the girl! I'll handle them!" one of the men shouted. He merged into the shadows, his body fading.
Everyone froze except me. I had seen this scene far too many times to be impressed.
"Everyone, be careful. He uses shadow magic. He can appear anywhere!" said Penlope.
His attack pattern was predictable now. I spun, blocking his strike with a knife.
"Wha-how!"
Before he could retreat into the shadows, I yanked him out.
"John! Light magic!"
"Glare!"
A burst of light filled the cave, revealing the man's panicked expression.
"No more hiding?" I pressed the blade against his neck, close enough for him to feel it.
"Wait, please! I was forced to do this! My family was taken hostage!" he cried.
If I hadn't looped, I might have believed him. But not anymore.
"Not this time," I said, cutting his throat in one clean motion.
Everyone froze. It was the same reaction as before. But I had learned that if I hesitated, he would kill us instead. His story was always a lie.
"Le-Leon?"
Their voices trembled, but I didn't flinch. "Let's finish this today."
We moved forward. At the cliff stood Diabolos, with Elena beside him.
"Arthur!" Elena cried. She was too weak to fight, likely because her Mana had been drained.
Diabolos stared at me, noticing the blood on my blade. The ground trembled beneath his feet.
"It seems I have underestimated you students," he said.
"Who are you, and why did you take Elena?" Arthur shouted.
"You will never understand what it feels like when your village is destroyed by-"
"Skip," I cut him off.
Diabolos snarled in fury. He raised his hand, and from his shadow emerged a massive tiger with two tails, each ending in a snake's head, one red, one blue. It leapt down from the cliff.
"That's the Serpentine Tiger!" Tohime screamed.
"Misty, I know you have strength-enhancing potions. Give them to me," I said. She hesitated but handed me three bottles. I drank them all at once.
Stage one. The tiger attacked.
"Arthur, take the right flank. Quri, the left. Tohime and Penlope, handle the snake heads. Red breathes fire, blue breathes frost. John and Misty, provide cover. I'll take the main body."
They hesitated, but Tohime moved first, pushing everyone into motion.
With the potion burning through my veins, I charged. The tiger's claws came for me, but I already knew their rhythm. Quri and Arthur slashed at its legs. I struck its face, the weak point.
"I've fought you dozens of times. How does it feel to be the one cornered?"
Tohime and Penlope attacked the snake heads, switching positions when one of them was in danger. When Tohime nearly got caught, Penlope's whip pulled her back just in time.
The tiger jumped back, roaring. The red and blue snakes hissed in unison, energy gathering in their throats.
"Combined attack!" I shouted.
Arthur unleashed a blade wave at the red head. Quri raised a wall of stone to block the fire. But as they defended, the blue head released freezing mist. The air turned icy. Penlope slipped, her whip half-frozen.
"John, barrier, now!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know!" He slammed his staff down, forming a golden dome around us. The frost explosion shattered harmlessly outside.
I dashed through the mist, body steaming from the potion's strain. My muscles screamed, but I didn't stop. I stabbed the tiger's neck between two black scales. Its roar shook the air. The blue snake lunged at me, but Tohime cut it down.
"You alive?" she asked, panting.
"Not yet. But close," I replied.
"Use your full power!" shouted Diabolos.
The ground quaked. The tiger's mouths glowed purple.
Stage two is coming.
"Everyone, behind the rocks!" I yelled.
We dove for cover, but Misty was too far away.
"Misty!" Quri screamed.
I ran, my muscles tearing apart. I tackled Misty, pushing her behind the nearest rock as the purple beam grazed past us. One hit would've killed us.
"Leon, you're hurt!" Shout Misty.
"Potion. Do you have any?" My arm was ripped open.
"Just one low-grade healing potion and some Mana potions," she said.
"It's enough." I drank it, the pain fading slightly. My right arm was dead, so I switched hands.
"John!" I threw him the Mana potions. "Stop holding back. Use your power, or we'll all die here!"
John hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. Just give me time."
After several blasts, the tiger stopped firing. Arthur and the others advanced.
"Hold it off until John finishes casting! Misty, help him! Everyone else, distract it!"
I tied a strip of cloth around my wounded arm and rushed forward. The tiger's movements were slower now. Arthur slashed, Quri struck the ground, and Penlope's whip cracked through the air.
"Tohime! The blue head is regenerating!"
"I see it!" she shouted, slicing the air. But the snake was faster. It caught Penlope's whip and pulled her toward the tiger's mouth.
"Penlope!" Misty cried.
I jumped, slashing the tail that coiled around her. She fell to the ground, trembling.
"You saved me again?" she gasped.
"Focus. Not the time for drama," I replied coldly.
"Spell ready!" John shouted. Golden light flared across the cave, washing over the battlefield.
"Divine Annihilation!"
The light pierced through the Serpentine Tiger, tearing it apart. Its body dissolved into black mist. The snakes melted into violet sludge. The ground shook violently.
But I knew it wasn't over.
"Arthur!" I shouted.
He nodded, charging forward. His sword met Diabolos's bare hand. The clash between Arthur's power and Diabolos's erupted, leaving everyone utterly stunned, as Arthur unleashed a flurry of attacks upon Diabolos.
In the final strike, Arthur's sword came within a breath of reaching Diabolos. It was blocked by Diabolos's own power, but another force surged forth. Golden radiance burst from around Arthur, flowing into the barrier and slicing through Diabolos's thumb, drawing a scream of agony from his lips.
"I will remember each of your faces," Diabolos growled. His gaze locked on Arthur. "Especially yours."
He broke Arthur's blade, sank into the shadows, and vanished, leaving only Elena unconscious on the ground.
"Yes!" I shouted. "Finally!"
After fifty-six loops, I had done it. The chain was broken.
My vision blurred, my steps faltered, and the last thing I heard was someone calling my name.
"Leon!"