Chloe's time was running out.
That invisible border where past and present collided… it was getting closer by the second.
"I haven't told you two this before," Chloe said quietly, "but I'm going to disappear soon."
Luminas froze.
Even Hinata, inside Chloe's soul-space, fell silent.
"What do you mean by that, Chloe?"
‹Explain.› Hinata's voice echoed sharply.
Chloe had kept this truth buried for a long time—but she couldn't hide it anymore.
The truth was—
Hinata had already suspected it.
Leon would soon appear in the timeline she remembered. And when that happened, there would be two Chloes in the same world—one who traveled through time, and one newly summoned into this era.
If the multiverse existed—splitting into countless branches—then having two of the same person at once would be possible.
But…
If there was only one world…
Then Chloe's Unique Skill Time Travel was an anomaly so extreme that it defied how existence was supposed to work. Hinata hated the idea that their struggles would be useless in some alternate timeline where everything ended in failure.
She wanted to stop Chloe's endless loop.
She wanted to save the world—this world—once and for all.
It didn't matter to Hinata if she had to be sacrificed.
But now…
What Chloe said confirmed her worst theory.
There really was only one world.
And that world could not tolerate a paradox.
—No. That wasn't quite right.
The world didn't reject paradoxes.
It simply prevented itself from collapsing under them. If something strong enough existed—like the creation of the mysterious mask—then the paradox didn't destroy the world. It only twisted the existence involved.
It was the only explanation for the mask's strange, impossible presence.
Hinata felt relieved that her theory held, but fear still clawed at her chest.
Because what happened next…
was no longer in her control.
"That's why," Chloe said, "from the moment my younger self appears… I'll lose my memories. Hinata will take over. She'll be the one to save Shizu-sensei."
‹So that's when my future self—who doesn't know anything—takes control. After that point, I disappear too. Right?›
Hinata suddenly remembered something Luminas always kept in the future.
A sealed being… one very important to her.
It had to be Chronoa.
"I remember something like that," Hinata murmured. "But that wasn't me. It was another personality."
Chronoa.
The moment Hinata gave Chloe that name… her Skill vanished. Stolen. Absorbed.
Chronoa wasn't just a personality.
She was practically a monster born inside Chloe.
"Anyway," Chloe said, "I'll lose consciousness soon. When the two versions of me overlap, the world itself will push me out."
"That makes sense," Luminas replied gently. "Hinata's theory was likely correct."
‹And then Chloe's younger self will be summoned into this era,› Hinata said. ‹The moment she arrives, Chloe here collapses.›
Luminas nodded. "Yes. That aligns perfectly."
Chloe took a shaky breath.
"That's why, Hinata… Luminas… I know this is selfish but—"
‹It's fine. After we save Shizu-sensei, I'll go to Luminas-sama.›
"You may rely on me," Luminas promised. "I'll craft a Holy Ark using divine power. I'll isolate your souls and find you in the future. Then I'll undo the seal completely."
The three shared that vow.
Chloe entrusted everything to Luminas.
Soon afterward, Chloe's consciousness faded—and Hinata was left alone inside the same body.
Once Chloe vanished, Hinata felt two things at once:
The crushing loneliness.
And the overwhelming pressure of Chronoa's immense will—howling inside the body, trying to break free.
Chronoa is going wild because Chloe disappeared… I didn't think she was this strong.
Hinata was shocked.
But she held firm.
She bent Chronoa's power under her control through pure determination.
Next, Hinata headed to Leon's castle.
She saved Shizue.
She gave her the mask—exactly as the timeline required.
Hinata felt warmth and longing, but she couldn't express any of it. She simply traveled with Shizue in silence until their paths had to split.
Eventually, the day came where they had to part ways.
Hinata wished she could stay longer.
But Chloe's absence made Chronoa stronger by the moment. Hinata's control weakened. If she stayed with Shizue any longer… she risked everything.
So Hinata said goodbye—just as history demanded—and left to meet Luminas.
Hinata never discovered Chronoa's true nature.
Luminas sealed her inside the Holy Ark.
And soon… Hinata's future self—ignorant of everything—would arrive.
What would happen to the sleeping Hinata?
If she was lucky… she would remain dormant.
But if not—
Chronoa would awaken first.
Even so… even facing the unknown…
I believe you'll find the answer—Atem.
Thinking of the King of Games—his unwavering will, his regal calm, the authority that could command even destiny—Hinata smiled softly.
Then she drifted into deep sleep.
Entrusting everything to the one she believed could shatter fate itself.
Atem, sovereign of Eterna.
Atem, guided by Solarys, Sovereign of Wisdom.
Atem, who would decide the future she couldn't reach.
And darkness claimed her at last.
Steel clashed against the very fabric of existence.
Chronoa's blade carved through space itself, each swing lethal enough to erase a soul outright—yet Atem did not flinch.
He blocked the first strike with his forearm, letting the divine metal bite into him, sparks scattering like fractured stars. The wound closed almost instantly, golden magic pulsing through his veins.
He stood tall, unfazed.
"Your sword carries the weight of countless timelines," Atem said calmly, shifting into a stance with regal precision. "But I do not fear fate."
Chronoa's expression twisted—an emotionless mask of instinctual violence.
Atem summoned a card-like glyph in the air.
"Dark Magician—assist me."
The master spellcaster materialized, already casting barriers to divert Chronoa's follow-up swings. She broke through one, two—shattering the magical shields with terrifying ease.
Even Dark Magician staggered.
But Atem's eyes sharpened.
His presence alone steadied the battlefield.
Chronoa lunged again, cutting clean through the ground, a slash so sharp it divided sound itself. Atem dodged, countering with a surge of golden force that sent ripples through space.
Yet even with his power, her sword—Absolute Severance—could shear through anything.
And Atem noticed something important.
"…You strike harder than before."
Solarys, the Sovereign of Wisdom, responded immediately within Atem's mind—its voice majestic, brilliant, and absolute.
«Report: This intensity far exceeds prior records of Hero-Chronoa. Atem, your assessment is correct. Her force output has doubled.»
"So she grows more unstable," Atem murmured.
Chronoa vanished—and reappeared above him.
Atem caught her blade between both hands.
It still sliced through his palm, blood shimmering gold.
But Atem didn't budge.
"You aim to cut existence. But existence answers to me."
With a burst of power, he pushed her back.
Dark Magician Girl appeared at his side, supporting Leon's defenses with layered spell shields. Leon had finally finished his summoning and raised his flame-forged rapier.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Leon called out, breathing heavily. "I needed a weapon worthy of fighting her. 'Flame Pillar'—my old partner from my Hero days."
His shield, legendary in its own right, cracked under pressure the moment he tried to block Chronoa's aura.
Leon grimaced—but he stood at Atem's side, determined.
"We counterattack now—" Atem began.
He didn't finish the sentence.
Luminous suddenly flew past them, spiraling through the air—but Atem noticed the truth immediately.
She wasn't injured.
She was acting.
Their eyes met for an instant.
A blast of telepathic force surged into Atem's mind—strong enough to be painful.
‹Atem—listen carefully! Chronoa is Chloe. And Hinata's soul… may also be inside her.›
Atem's pupils narrowed.
His breath didn't hitch.
He didn't panic.
But the revelation was world-shaking.
Chronoa's blade nearly took off Leon's arm, and Atem intercepted, kicking Chronoa back with a shockwave that cracked the cathedral walls.
Atem's voice hardened.
"Solarys. Explain."
«Analysis: Individual 'Chloe Aubert' may have time-leaped into the past repeatedly, causing her future self to accumulate power until manifesting as the entity known as Chronoa.»
Atem clenched his fist.
"And Hinata?"
«Report: Due to the Holy Ark's unique sealing properties, her soul—and Chloe's—may be dormant within Chronoa, interwoven in a soul-composite state.»
Atem understood immediately.
One wrong strike.
One wrong choice.
And Chloe or Hinata's soul would shatter.
Leon sliced downward, shouting, "Atem! You got a plan?"
Atem nodded firmly. "Defend—do not kill her."
Leon accepted it without hesitation.
"Then I trust you."
Atem looked him directly in the eyes.
"Thank you, Leon."
Chronoa lunged again, her sword screaming with murderous time-energy. Atem met her head-on, pushing her blade aside with sheer force. Golden magic rippled through his form.
He kept her locked in combat, refusing to retreat.
He needed a solution.
And he needed it now.
Dark Magician Girl teleported beside him, helping redirect Chronoa's strikes with spell circles, but even she struggled.
‹Atem-sama, forgive my intrusion.›
Diablo's voice entered through encrypted telepathy—smooth, respectful, and unwavering.
‹If it is your will to save her soul, I propose a second method—more dangerous, but far more reliable.›
Atem didn't look away from Chronoa's blade as it pressed toward his throat.
‹Speak.›
‹Maintain physical contact and enter her spiritual plane directly. Match your astral form with hers and take hold of her soul from within. This surpasses telepathy.›
Solarys instantly added a warning.
«Caution: Risk level: extreme. If Atem is overpowered inside the spiritual plane, consciousness may never return.»
Atem parried Chronoa's next strike and stepped forward, unshaken.
"I've faced oblivion longer than most worlds have existed."
But he needed to calm Chronoa enough to attempt entry.
That was the missing piece.
There had to be an object. Something symbolic. Something that resonated with Chloe's heart.
Charys, while supporting Leon, suddenly shouted:
"Atem-sama! Why not use the Mask?!"
Atem's eyes widened slightly.
Shizu's memento.
The mask he had restored.
The mask he had given to Chloe.
"…Yes. Of course."
If the mask originally sealed the spirit possessing Shizu—
Then perhaps it could stabilize Chronoa.
"Solarys," Atem commanded. "Recreate the mask."
«Confirmation: Initiating divine reproduction. Do you wish to Copy 'Anti-Magic Mask'? YES/NO.»
"YES."
A gleaming spectral mask materialized in Atem's hand immediately—perfect in shape, weight, and spiritual resonance.
He tightened his grip.
Chronoa reeled toward Leon again, forcing the man to block desperately. His shield cracked further.
If this continued, Leon would die.
Atem surged forward, golden light exploding beneath his feet.
"Leon—fall back."
Leon didn't argue. He obeyed.
Atem lifted the mask.
Chronoa shrieked—her aura flaring in wild destructive bursts.
"Atem-sama—NOW!" Dark Magician shouted.
The King of Games moved like lightning.
He slipped past Chronoa's killing swing, slammed his palm against her cheek, and pressed the mask onto her face.
A violent pulse erupted—like time itself rejecting him.
Atem didn't scream.
He didn't fall.
He simply whispered:
"Chloe… Hinata… I will reach you."
The world around him shattered into darkness.
Atem's consciousness was pulled into the abyss.