She couldn't feel the cold, and she couldn't feel any other sensation either.
When Uesugi Erii's consciousness slowly stirred awake from the muddled chaos, this was what she felt.
All around her was a boundless, formless chaos... With a touch of bewilderment, she looked around herself, trying to make sense of it all.
She still remembered that last moment... So after death, there really was nothing at all.
And so, with nothing left at all, the young girl waited patiently within the chaos — as though waiting for the arrival of something.
But, of course, no one was coming.
For Erii, she had nothing left at all anymore.
It wasn't until half an hour had passed that Uesugi Erii seemed to finally realize this. Her hollow soul tried to drift in a circle around her, but she couldn't even manage that much.
She seemed to grow a little despondent.
And yet, at that very moment, her field of vision caught sight of a translucent, deep-blue panel of light lighting up right in front of her.
[Welcome to the Dimensional Deceased Chat Group]
[AAA City Female Ghost: Whoa, we've got a new member? Welcome welcome]
[The Ghost King's Strictest Father: Welcome]
[Founder of the Golden Spirit: Feels like it's been a while since we've seen a fresh face... well anyway, welcome]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: @We're All Little Monsters, welcome to the group. This group is dedicated to bringing back to life every newcomer who joins us — new members, please take a look at the group rules first]
Uesugi Erii blinked.
Chat group? What was that?
For Erii, the concept of something called a 'chat group' was completely foreign.
And so, with enormous effort, she rummaged through the group for ages, sitting staring blankly at the light-panel for a very long time, before she finally figured out where the group rules Anthony (Prometheus) had mentioned could actually be found.
After that, taking yet another long stretch of time, she finished reading the group rules, and out of curiosity opened up that ability-enhancement menu.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Anthony (Prometheus), having finished sending his welcome message, waited for a good long while — and still hadn't received any sort of response from Uesugi Erii.
He stroked his chin, silently turning the situation over in his mind.
This is starting to feel a little bit not-great...
When he thought about the kind of state Erii might currently be in, Anthony (Prometheus) couldn't help but feel a faint throb of headache rising up in his mind.
Erii — a character from Dragon Raja III. There was no telling how many readers had been left with their hearts in unresolved knots over her... Everything about her had been wonderful. There was just one problem.
Which was — by the time Erii had died, the plotline of Dragon III was already pretty much on the verge of wrapping up.
This time around, the dead really weren't even worthy enough to take part in the plot anymore.
Thinking that, Anthony (Prometheus) let out a sigh, and once again opened up the chat group.
However you sliced it, the first thing to do was take a look at what condition Erii was currently in.
Resurrection — that absolutely had to happen, no question. But going by the timeline she was currently sitting on... he was afraid the situation might be just a touch on the urgent side.
Where Anthony (Prometheus) was concerned, he had always abided by one core principle: if you were already going to bring someone back to life, you might as well find a way to handle the surrounding situation as well as you possibly could.
If you brought someone back to life only for the end result to still be a massive pile of regrets... then what exactly had the resurrection even been for? You might as well not have bothered!
Of course, all of that was still contingent on first taking a look at Erii's revival conditions.
[We're All Little Monsters: This is... amazing]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: How was it? Done reading?]
Taking into account the fact that Erii's mental disposition seemed rather young and childlike, Anthony (Prometheus) was careful to keep his tone in the chat just a touch gentler than usual.
[We're All Little Monsters: Mm]
[We're All Little Monsters: Talking on this thing, it kind of seems like I don't have to worry about Kotodama at all...]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: If you like, you're more than welcome to chat in the group as much as you want — but anyway, let's get the serious business out of the way first]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: Starting with the very first thing — by now you should know what this group is for. So, what I have to ask you is — do you want to be brought back to life?]
Just as he always had before, Anthony (Prometheus) put the question forward.
Over on the other end of the chat group, Erii looked at the question Anthony (Prometheus) had sent over, and for an instant seemed to draw a complete blank.
[We're All Little Monsters: I...]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: Forget it — let me try phrasing it a different way instead]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: Do you want to go back, and see that world again — to walk around through that broader, vaster world out there?]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: And do you want to go back and see those people who care about you, or those whom you yourself care about?]
[We're All Little Monsters: I want to go!]
This time, without even a shred of hesitation, Erii immediately typed those very words onto the chat group interface.
Longing for that world, for her, was the most natural thing in all the world.
She had loved that place dearly, and so, more than anything, she wanted to go back to that world again to see it once more.
There were still so many, so many places she hadn't gone to yet... She still wanted to go see that crabapple tree in Korea — Sakura had told her the world was very big, and she still wanted to go and see, with her own eyes, just how big that world actually was.
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: Alright, understood]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: Did you take a look at your revival conditions just now? Mind sending me a screenshot?]
[We're All Little Monsters: [Screenshot]]
Opening the screenshot Erii had sent over, Anthony (Prometheus) sank into contemplation.
The conditions for the revival, on the whole, weren't all that many — they were just a little bit troublesome.
The points requirement, naturally, went without saying. What had Anthony (Prometheus)'s attention was the other condition.
The Sacred Remains.
But considering they were already this deep into the timeline... could this thing actually still be recovered?
The corner of Anthony (Prometheus)'s eye gave a small twitch — and then his gaze swung over toward the brand-new ability he had just newly acquired. After a stretch of deep thought, he cheerfully made up his mind.
Welp, things being what they are — let's go kill Herzog first, fam.
Sure, the Sacred Remains at this current node of the timeline weren't easy to get hold of — but if I just yank the time-point back a bit, doesn't that solve the whole issue?
Sure, it was a one-time-use function — but at worst, in the future, I can just go find Lord Laojun and have him fix it back up properly. No big deal.
Thinking that, Anthony (Prometheus)'s mind was already made up.
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: I've got a rough picture. I'll need you to wait around in that place for a little while]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: In a bit, I'll head over to where you are, and figure out a way to bring you back. Time might be a little tight right now, so I'll have to hustle a bit too]
[AAA City Female Ghost: It's a rare day to see you actually springing into action this quickly]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: As for this world... there shouldn't be any need for very much preparation work]
Anthony (Prometheus) weighed things over in his mind, and then spoke up without any further worry:
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: And besides, the situation really doesn't grant me much leeway for dragging my feet]
Having sent that message off, Anthony (Prometheus) closed the chat group, turned around, and walked out of the Underworld's main hall — calling out toward Erlang Shen, who was outside the hall hunting around for her room:
"True Lord, I'm going to step out for a bit. There are some urgent things I need to take care of."
"Out? Right now?"
The silver-haired girl turned around with what seemed a faint touch of surprise, and then asked, "For how long?"
"...Two or three days' worth of time should be enough."
Anthony (Prometheus) thought it over and answered. Erlang Shen knit her brow slightly, and after a moment, asked once more:
"Still — a dignified Lord of the Underworld like yourself, charging into the fray in person? What for, exactly?"
"..."
"Forget it. Can't be bothered asking you."
Erlang Shen waved a hand dismissively, then, after seeming to think things over for a moment, stretched both her hands forward into empty space — and parted open something that looked rather like a circular ring.
And then, Anthony (Prometheus) watched as Erlang Shen reached both hands into the ring, and pulled out from inside it a... black hunting hound?
What was more, Anthony (Prometheus) discovered in astonishment that the hunting hound turned its head and gave him a single, pointed glance — with a level of comprehension in its eyes that was almost shockingly human.
Dog-bro even looked a touch disdainful — at which point Erlang Shen gave him a light pat on the head, and unceremoniously stuffed him directly into Anthony (Prometheus)'s arms.
It left Anthony (Prometheus) utterly stunned.
"True Lord, this..."
"Take the Xiaotian Hound along with you."
Erlang Shen clapped her hands together and said: "Consider him your chaperone for this little outing of yours — that way you won't forget to bring me back something on your way home."
"I'm guessing, this time, you're heading off into a two-dimensional world, am I right?"
Erlang Shen, a smile on her face, said this to Anthony (Prometheus) — leaving him with the look of someone who wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.
It took a long while before he finally lowered his head, locked eyes with the Xiaotian Hound, and lapsed into a stretch of silence.
Hold on, just hold on a second...
You're telling me — right as I was on my way out the door, Erlang Shen shoves the Xiaotian Hound over at me and goes, "Worried this trip of yours is gonna be too tough? Then take this along with you!"
Anthony (Prometheus) was speechless.
"You'll remember to bring me back a souvenir, won't you?"
Erlang Shen asked the question with what seemed almost deliberate casualness. After drawing in a deep breath, Anthony (Prometheus) straightened his back up at attention.
"Mission accepted — guaranteed to be carried out!"
"Alright then — take Xiaotian with you and go. Anything beyond that, I can't be bothered to manage."
Erlang Shen waved her hand and stopped looking at Anthony (Prometheus). For his part, Anthony (Prometheus) went back deeper into the Underworld's main hall, casually grabbed a few things, and once again opened up the chat group.
Then, he sent a teleportation request directly to Erii.
[Lord of the Ivory Throne is requesting to enter the world of group member We're All Little Monsters]
[We're All Little Monsters: This thing... I just tap accept and it's good?]
[We're All Little Monsters has accepted the request]
Here we go.
Anthony (Prometheus)'s expression sharpened up. He linked into the Stygian Vessel's Phase Teleportation Engine, fed the coordinates over to the Xiaotian Hound, and then felt that familiar sensation — as though he'd been thumped solidly over the head with a dull club.
In the next moment, the world-teleportation began!
......
Japan, Tokyo.
Rain was pouring down in sheets. The cloud layer in the sky was so thick that not a glimpse of sunlight could break through — only the countless flashes of lightning surging within it.
Pedestrians out on the streets were rushing to take shelter in a panicked rush. The entire airport had been jammed up to the point where not a drop could leak through. In conditions like these, trampling incidents were breaking out one after another... never mind the disaster that, even now, was still bearing down on them from afar.
The vicinity of Akai.
"Woof!"
"Alright, alright — I get it, you don't want to get rained on. Quit barking."
A somewhat resigned-sounding voice rang out, addressing the barking black dog on the ground below. Then, an umbrella unfurled open in the pouring rain — and in an instant, it was as if even the rain itself had begun to avoid this particular patch of ground.
All that remained were the two silhouettes — one person and one dog — drifting along together through the curtain of rain.
Anthony (Prometheus) kept his eyelids lowered, taking in the surroundings around him. His soul's perception had already long since spread out without any restraint at all, almost to the point of blanketing the entirety of Tokyo.
And so, he saw it. The earth across the whole of Tokyo seemed to have been draped over with a faint film of crimson. In the midst of a natural disaster like this one, the entire city had seemingly been swallowed into chaos.
"What a fine catastrophe — half from the heavens, half from man's own hand."
Anthony (Prometheus) sighed the words out in grudging admiration. Then, lifting his head, he looked up at the lightning churning across the sky, and narrowed his eyes.
So we're at this time-point, are we... Even though he had arrived relatively early as things went, given how far events had already progressed by now — there really wasn't time enough to do all that much.
He exhaled a long breath, the expression on his face gradually settling itself out. As he lowered his head, his eye caught the Xiaotian Hound's urging gaze.
The dog's entire face was practically painted with the words "hurry it up."
It made Anthony (Prometheus) shake his head and sigh in spite of himself.
What was this, exactly? Had Erlang Shen sent him a one-dog supervisory squad?
"Still — you do have a point."
Anthony (Prometheus) murmured under his breath, and a brilliant smile bloomed open across his face.
"It really is about time... I picked up the pace a little."
Even as he spoke, he was casually typing into the group chat:
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: @We're All Little Monsters, there's a bit more prep work to do before the revival can start. Hang tight a bit longer]
[We're All Little Monsters: Mm, I'm fine]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne has started a group livestream]
[Lord of the Ivory Throne: If you can't bear the wait, feel free to drop into the livestream first]
Having finished typing out that string of messages, Anthony (Prometheus) closed the chat group once more, shut his eyes, and slowly extended both his hands out before him.
In this moment, within Anthony (Prometheus)'s mind, it was as though something were calling out to him... heading against the current up the Primordial River, on toward that familiar tributary, then back into the Underworld...
Now's the time!
In the very next instant, Anthony (Prometheus)'s eyes flew open!
Click. Click.
In an instant, the sound of gears slotting into precise mesh seemed to ring out from somewhere in the air.
Within the endless, boundless river of time, the power of the Underworld came pouring down along the kaleidoscopic Primordial River — and at last, came to rest upon a single node-point.
Within the Underworld, that vast machinery roared to life — rumbling thunderously, anchoring itself to a single node within the river of time, and then, in the very next instant, ripping it bodily out of the current!
And so — the rewind, here and now, descended upon them all!
"And now," he lifted his head, gazing at the colossal dragon laid bare in plain view through the lens of his soul-vision across the sky, and murmured aloud,
"Let the whole situation be turned on its head!"
The chess piece advanced a single step forward.
The gates of the Underworld yawned wide open in the midst of the rewind, an endless, boundless suction pouring out from within them — drawing all things in, then remaking them, reshaping them back into the moment of their very origin...
And with it, announcing the arrival of Hades!
Herzog had never felt so good in all his life.
He soared freely above the cloud layer, savouring the power surging through his body... Even as a newly-reborn dragon, still incomplete, Herzog could nevertheless feel that — under his command at this very moment — there flowed what seemed an inexhaustible, boundless power.
How utterly intoxicating, how utterly maddening it was!
He sank, intoxicated, into the depths of this power, surge after surge of delight and elation rising up within his heart.
Yes... this was the power he had longed for. This was exactly what he needed!
With power of this caliber in his grasp... ascending the throne of the world was a matter of mere days at hand!
This — this was the power of a god!
All the countless sacrifices, all the countless preparations he had made before — in this very moment, they had all proven themselves entirely worth it.
Within the wild winds, Herzog opened his dragon's maw — but before he could even do anything with it, he felt, coming from somewhere behind him, something...
A pulling force?
In that instant, Herzog realised — almost dumbfounded — that he was, all but inescapably, being drawn backward.
Tracing right back along the very trajectory he had just flown!
No matter how he struggled, the pull was utterly irresistible... as though this pulling force itself were nothing less than fate!
But how — how could this possibly be happening?
Herzog struggled with what was nearly mad desperation, but in the end, none of it did the slightest bit of good. And then, in the next moment, something even more horrifying began to happen.
He was regressing... regressing!
But how could this be?! The flawless, immaculate bloodline of a god — how could it possibly be regressing?!
Across his face spread an expression of terror and frenzied panic. Even though his body had transformed into that of a colossal dragon, the petty, vile heart inside him had never, in fact, undergone any kind of change at all.
And so, just like that, he was hauled backwards — what felt like infinitely backwards.
And the further back he was pulled, the smaller and smaller his form grew...
From a dragon, gradually transforming once more into a human, growing aged again, growing weak, growing frail and small all over again...
No — impossible!
He struggled with every ounce of strength he had, raising his sharp claws and flailing wildly at everything around him — but even these motions, he could no longer manage to actually execute.
Every single thing had been locked into place — unable to break free of its fixed trajectory, able only to obey the reverse motion along that trajectory...
It was so eerie, so impossibly unnatural, that wave after wave of bone-deep dread rose up within Herzog's heart.
And, with it, a profound bewilderment.
What on earth... what on earth was actually going on?
The question shot through his mind — and then, in the next moment, he felt the entirety of the dragonkin bloodline within his body draining away. His eyes flew wide, and at last he managed to see where, exactly, he had ended up now.
The depths beneath Akai.
Wave after wave of even deeper dread surged up within his heart — yet Herzog discovered that the backwards motion had still not come to a stop.
What was more... it was getting close. The source of that backward pull was getting closer.
It was as if it lay right behind him...
And so, Herzog whirled his head around to look.
And then, he froze in place — and felt, surging up from the very depths of his heart, wave after wave of involuntary trembling.
Behind him stood the great gates of the Underworld... drawing in everything around them like a black hole — brimming over with mystery, with violent annihilation — as though they were about to suck every last thing in the entire world straight in through those gates of the Underworld.
No — not 'as though.'
They were, in fact, truly drawing the entire world into themselves!
And within that moment of dumbfounded shock and stupor, all Herzog could see was the young man standing in front of the wide-open gates of the Underworld...
Standing within the endless deluge of rain, the purple-eyed, black-haired young man lifted his head with idle nonchalance — holding the umbrella in his hand aloft within the warped, distorted curtain of rain, his eyes reflecting the lead-grey sky above. And then, as though sensing Herzog's gaze, he lowered his head.
And immediately after — as though he had just spotted an old acquaintance — he let out a soft, low chuckle.
Mysterious, and carrying with it a kind of natural, innate oppressive weight... it was a king-like aura — one that, the moment you laid eyes on it, made you want to drop down onto your knees in obeisance, as if the person standing before you truly were the sovereign master of all the world...
Or rather — given that the power he was now embodying could quite literally hold the entire world within itself, calling him the sovereign master of all the world wouldn't be the slightest bit of an overstatement at this moment!
And so, from that very instant, Herzog watched as that pair of purple eyes met his own — wearing a small, faint smile.
The young man patted the head of the utterly-bored-looking dog crouched beside him on the ground, smiled, and spoke softly to Herzog:
"What a real shame... While the rewind is in progress, there isn't really anything I can do."
"But — please, do wait patiently. When the new cycle begins, I'll be coming straight to find you."
He gave Herzog a small bow, the smile on his face taking on a faint trace of genuine pleasure. "I do hope this will bring you a beautiful memory."
"Dr. Herzog."
From that moment onward, the seed of fear and dread had already been planted.
But Herzog was no longer in any position to respond. In that very moment, he was drawn into the gates of the Underworld, and lost consciousness.
And the rewind — was still in motion.
Meanwhile, on a different side.
Lu Mingfei sat hunched at the very bottom of the depths beneath Akai, holding Erii's corpse cradled across his knees — silent, thinking — and at the same time looking as though his mind had gone utterly blank.
So many things had happened already...
Off to one side, Lu Mingze still hadn't paused his chattering for even a single moment.
But this time, the little devil hadn't come to tell him that — so long as he was willing to pay a quarter of his lifespan, he could change everything...
Rather, he was telling him that, this time, there was nothing he could change at all.
"Getting all fierce about it now is too late, you know. If you'd done this half an hour earlier, who knows — maybe the ending of the story could still have been changed."
Lu Mingze said it with what sounded almost like regret: "But now, well, there isn't time. The contract between you and me can only change the future. It can't change the past."
"Alright, alright — hang on to that one-quarter of your life. I won't be getting it now..."
"Shut up."
Lu Mingfei said it in a low voice, gazing down at the girl across his knees, slowly clenching his fists tighter and tighter.
If Anthony (Prometheus) had been able to see the state Lu Mingfei was currently in, he probably would have said — this was one of the rarer moments, in the entire life of this hopeless schmuck, when he was actually showing a modicum of guts...
No — rather, at this very moment, Anthony (Prometheus)'s soul-vision was actively blanketing this whole area.
For him, wanting to see what was going on down here was about as simple a thing as imaginable.
Aiyo, just thinking about all this stirred a little bit of anger in Anthony (Prometheus).
That Yang Zhi, the absolute SOB — back when Dragon III had been wrapping up, everyone had been thinking that, no matter how much of a luckless loser-kid Lu Mingfei was, surely this time he had to have grown a little... that final scene of his actions, by anyone's measure, should at least count as him having gained a bit of resolve, right?
But then once Dragon IV started... Anthony (Prometheus) was firmly of the view that this whole mess was entirely Jiang Nan's fault.
Still — given that he himself had now arrived on the scene, Anthony (Prometheus) no longer cared in the slightest about any of that.
Let this moment freeze itself right here. Let this loser-kid — who at this exact instant could finally be said to have grown a little — be something at least vaguely resembling a human being.
The rewind continued onward.
In that instant, Lu Mingfei lifted his head and looked toward Lu Mingze — in his eyes, a rare note of grim resolve, rather than that usual luckless-loser gaze of his:
"Lu Mingze, I—"
But the words never made it all the way out.
In the next instant, the world's lights went out.
Lu Mingze had vanished. Erii's corpse had vanished. Everything had vanished. All that remained was a single vast, empty stretch of void.
Lu Mingfei jolted to a halt, staring in dumbfounded shock at the world now plunged into pitch-black darkness. And then, all of a sudden, he felt it — a sudden brightness, and along with it, that powerful pulling force...
Without so much as a chance to put up any kind of resistance at all, the pull of the rewind dragged him before the great gates of the Underworld — and just before those gates swung shut, he leapt into the interior of the Underworld in a single bound.
In the instant he entered the Underworld, all he saw was a single youth...
That black-haired, purple-eyed youth, holding aloft his umbrella, looking out upon the mortal world with a detached, indifferent gaze — as though he truly were a god.
If there really were gods in this world, then that youth in front of him would absolutely run circles around the White King by a country mile...
A wave of dazed disorientation washed through Lu Mingfei's mind. Then, in the next moment, his thoughts cut out — everything sank into utter silence — as though he had fallen into a deep coma.
Until — after what felt like an endless, infinite stretch of time — Lu Mingfei felt his soul respond like that of a man dying of thirst meeting a single drop of water. A crisp, ringing sound jolted his soul back awake, and slowly, he began to revive.
Beside his ear seemed to ring out the chirping of springtime birdsong, and the tip of his nose caught the scent of flowers carried on the air... Lu Mingfei's eyelids twitched up and down a single time, and then he abruptly sat bolt upright, taking great, heaving breaths.
Then, in bewilderment, he glanced all around him.
Tokyo was unchanged. There wasn't the slightest visible sign that anything had undergone any kind of disaster or chaos at all... Everything was exactly as it had been before. People were strolling about the streets, the Tokyo Tower was still standing right where it had always been, and the daytime Tokyo was just as peaceful and familiar as ever.
He stared at the scene before him, and, still bewildered, gave the back of his own hand a sharp pinch.
Ouch — that really hurt.
But how could this be? Wasn't he, only moments ago, still in the middle of...
"Stop pinching the back of your hand — you're not dreaming."
All of a sudden, a flat, even voice rang out. Lu Mingfei's pupils contracted, and he whipped his head around — and in the next moment, found himself looking at that very same black-haired, purple-eyed youth he had seen earlier. For an instant, he was so astonished his mouth fell open.
"You — you, you, you — you're the one who..."
Anthony (Prometheus), with the Xiaotian Hound trailing at his side, swept a flat, level gaze across Lu Mingfei. Then, all of a sudden, the corner of his mouth tugged into a small smile.
"Mm — exactly as you see. So then, Lu Mingfei — welcome to the New Game Plus of this world."
And so, on Anthony (Prometheus)'s face, the smile gained an extra touch of genuine delight. Then, extending his hand toward Lu Mingfei, he asked the question with friendly cordiality:
"So then — would you like to claw back everything that's happened, and save Erii?"
In that moment, Lu Mingfei paused. The bewildered look on his face gradually cleared into wakefulness, and he turned to look toward Anthony (Prometheus) with what was almost outright tension.
And the corners of Anthony (Prometheus)'s mouth split open into a wide grin.
In the next moment, a sheet of A4 paper resembling some kind of formal contract appeared in Anthony (Prometheus)'s hand, with a pen passed across alongside it.
"If you're willing, why don't you come sign a labour contract with me?"
"?"
What the actual hell — a labour contract?!
Staring at the labour contract being held out in front of him, Lu Mingfei was, for an instant, utterly stupefied.
Then, his gaze fell to the first clause — and in his eyes, a clear, dawning sort of confused puzzlement gradually crept in.
Um... what was this supposed to mean — Clause One: Lobotomy Corp's Electric Shock System integration provided as an employee benefit?
____
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