Akito's gaze shifted to the hand gripping his shoulder.
A heartbeat later—everything changed.
He found himself standing once again in the familiar marble hall.
At its center stood the grand throne,
and on it sat the Creator…
…but his appearance had changed.
One eye now glowed with a soft light,
and from his right shoulder sprouted an extra arm—
as if it lived a life of its own.
— "Akito… it's not your time to die.
I still need you," the Creator said,
his voice deeper and heavier than before.
— "Is that really you… Creator?"
Akito asked quietly, fists clenched.
"What happened? To the planet?
To the Guardians?
To everything…?"
— "Everything is fine, Akito,"
the Creator replied, rising from the throne.
"I erased everything…
and then rebuilt it from scratch.
I brought the world back to the closest moment in time
when the disaster could still be prevented."
He paused.
"But now… no one on your home planet remembers you.
The man named Akito Kurosawa no longer exists."
Akito's voice trembled.
— "Can that be undone…?"
— "It can,"
the Creator nodded.
"But doing so would risk repeating everything again—
the destruction, the deaths, the pain."
— "And what… happened to you?"
Akito asked, glancing nervously at the altered form.
"And to Kronoran?"
— "My body couldn't withstand the power I unleashed.
This… is my form now, until I recover."
The Creator turned his gaze to the void.
"As for Kronoran—his identity has been completely erased.
But I will recreate him—
as the King of Time."
He stepped forward, locking eyes with Akito.
— "And you…
I want you among the Guardians.
Not just a Guardian…
but the Supreme Commander of them all."
— "But…"
Akito began to protest,
but his voice faltered.
He looked down.
— "Alright…
Maybe that really is for the best.
And… what kind of Guardian will I be?"
— "You will be the first in history
to bear two titles at once:
Guardian of Kindness
and Guardian of Evil,"
the Creator's voice echoed across the vast hall,
"…and you will serve as the Supreme Commander of all Guardians."
Akito looked up.
— "So I'll be… different from the others?"
His voice held no pride—only a flicker of doubt.
"But you still haven't answered…
What happened to the others?
Not all of them died in that battle…"
The Creator was silent for a moment—
as if weighing each word.
— "You're right.
Not all were lost.
But those we did lose… were irreplaceable."
His gaze darkened.
— "Viras — Guardian of Madness.
Zemok — Guardian of Envy.
Haegar — Guardian of Hatred.
Lament — Guardian of Pity.
And finally… Lumen — Guardian of Kindness."
Akito froze.
— "No…"
he whispered.
"You couldn't save him?"
His fist clenched so tightly, his nails pierced the skin.
"Lumen… he was just a kid…"
A heavy silence fell over the room.
The Creator broke it at last.
— "Is that all you wanted to ask?"
Akito slowly raised his head.
— "No…
I have one more request.
Can you… erase my memory?"
— "Yes,"
the Creator nodded solemnly.
"But are you sure you can live with that?"
Akito smiled—
weary,
but somehow… relieved.
— "I'll be fine."
— "Very well.
We'll do it soon,"
the Creator said, returning to his throne.
"But first…
I want to introduce you to the new lineup of Guardians.
Some you already know."
In an instant, the space around them shifted.
Akito blinked—
and now stood in a vast stone chamber,
a round table at its center.
Around it sat eleven chairs—
ten of them already occupied.
He recognized a few of the faces.
Some were new.
But only one seat remained empty—
on the right hand of the center.
— "That's your seat," the Creator said.
"The seat of the Supreme Commander."
Akito slowly sat down.
His eyes moved from face to face—
his new family,
his new army,
for the battles yet to come.
— "This is your new Supreme Commander,"
the Creator's voice rang out across the chamber,
echoing inside every soul present.
"He will be your shield, your order, and your strength.
Remember his name—
and his title."
The Creator raised his hand.
Thin golden threads appeared in the air—
connecting each Guardian to Akito.
— "Dolhar — Guardian of Loyalty.
— Ontas — Guardian of Honor.
— Grarrel — Guardian of Pride.
— Kianir — Guardian of Calm.
— Mirton — Guardian of Deception.
— Elosar — Guardian of Solitude.
— Kaenon — Guardian of Atonement.
— San'Vion — Guardian of Lust.
— Astris — Guardian of Fear.
— Melvis — Guardian of Sloth.
— And finally… Akito — Guardian of Kindness and Evil.
Supreme Commander of all Guardians."
"I know almost all of them already…
The lineup may have changed,
but the essence remains,"
Akito thought, rising from his seat.
He looked each Guardian in the eyes—
committing every face to memory.
— "I will lead you into a new future,"
he declared.
"And I'll become someone you can look up to."
— "Bold words,"
Grarrel smirked.
"You've got no shortage of confidence."
— "I honestly don't care…"
Melvis muttered, forehead pressed to the table.
"So please, shut up and let me sleep."
— "I believe in you,"
Ontas said simply, bowing his head slightly.
The Creator gave a gentle wave of his hand.
The golden threads flared once—
and vanished.
In that same moment,
a fog rose in Akito's mind,
swallowing everything from before:
every face, every word,
every moment that had come before this meeting.
He no longer knew who he once was.
Now—
he was a Guardian.
And the Supreme Commander.
End of Chapter 70
Author's Note
Hey there—this is Noxveil.
This is my second web novel,
but the first one that truly became personal and serious to me.
Thank you for staying with me,
for reading and sharing this journey with Akito Kurosawa.