"I… I'm back…"
While opening my eyes, I looked around.
I was in a dungeon that looked familiar.
It seems the point where I return after dying hasn't changed.
"But I had quite a tough experience."
I didn't expect to be sealed instead of being killed.
Indeed, with a seal, there's no death and return.
"Do they even know about resurrection?"
Such suspicion arises.
Holy Knight Canaria and Warrior Gorgano. It seems both of them are members of a mysterious organization called 'Chaosism.'
If that organization knows about resurrection, it's going to be very troublesome.
Once again being sealed would likely shatter my psyche. I don't want to experience something like that again.
However, there might be a way to prepare for it.
"If I'm about to be sealed, I can just take my own life beforehand."
If I commit suicide, I can return from death.
I don't know the exact process of sealing, but taking my own life is likely faster.
So, there's no need to worry about sealing…
Um, what I need to do is prevent the resurrection of the Demon Lord, right?
It's taking me some time to remember due to being sealed for so long.
The enemies are the two, Holy Knight Canaria and Warrior Gorgano. But I shouldn't assume that they are the only enemies; there might be others lurking.
That hooded man, Noct, looks suspicious as well.
For now, to prevent the resurrection of the Demon Lord, I'll have to deal with these two.
Can I do it…?
In the previous timeline, I couldn't even compete with Warrior Gorgano and his Parasitic Scythe Puppeteer.
No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't envision a scenario where I would win.
Honestly, I'm anxious… but that's not a reason to stop.
So, I must keep moving forward.
◆
Once again, I decided to confront Holy Knight Canaria, following the same timeline as before.
I chose to acquire the skill "Agility Enhancement" and then combined it to create the skill "Thief's Skills."
After that, I guided the hero to the location of the Demon Lord and then headed to where Holy Knight Canaria should have been.
"Hey, I thought you'd show up here."
Normally, Holy Knight Canaria should have been here.
"W-Why…?"
Why is Warrior Gorgano here?
"It seems you really came."
"Canaria, did you suspect him?"
"It's unavoidable. The likelihood of this seemingly ordinary guy turning out to be our enemy is high."
Next to Warrior Gorgano was Holy Knight Canaria.
Wait, I can't grasp the situation.
In this timeline, I haven't attacked them yet. So, why do they perceive me as an enemy?
When I return after death, everything should go back to the way it was, right?
So why have their actions changed?
"This guy's scent!"
"It's a dangerous scent!"
"Be careful, Master!"
High-pitched voices echoed.
It was only a few seconds later that I realized those voices were produced by the Parasitic Scythe Puppeteer of Warrior Gorgano.
"You're making a strange face?"
Warrior Gorgano asks while looking at my face.
"These guys told me to be careful with you."
Does that mean that the parasitic scythe puppeteer, who fought me in a previous timeline, told Warrior Gorgano about our battle? Could it be that the puppeteer has the ability to recognize different timelines?
Could such a ridiculous thing really be true? I asked myself and suddenly remembered. Come to think of it, the parasitic puppeteer sometimes behaved differently in other timelines. For instance, in that timeline, a parasitic puppeteer I had just met said to me, "Hmm, why is that? I feel like I've met you somewhere before."
So, it wouldn't be surprising if the parasitic scythe puppeteer also had the ability to grasp information about different timelines.
With that conclusion in mind, I couldn't help but shiver.
Maybe I'm dealing with a much more troublesome adversary than I had imagined.
"What's wrong? Have you suddenly become afraid of us?"
Seeing me in a daze, Warrior Gorgano blurts out.
"Gorgano, isn't there a need to wait for the enemy's attack? Let's just kill him right now."
"Wait, killing is not an option. He might be the Hero's Apostle."
"What do you mean?"
The two of them start discussing me without my input.
Once again, it's clear that they are not to be taken lightly.
"Damn it!!!"
In a rush to attack before any plans were settled, I screamed and thrust my sword.
"It's not that impressive."
"Huh…?"
At some point, Warrior Gorgano had appeared behind me.
How did he…?
Just as I thought that, a sharp, piercing pain surged throughout my body.
It seemed that in an instant, Warrior Gorgano had sliced me up with his scythe.
This is bad… At this rate, I'll be sealed away.
Before that!
Due to being sliced up, I couldn't move my right arm, and at the end of it was the tip of the "Blazing Sword."
With all my might, I lunged toward that tip.
There was a crunching sound as my neck was impaled.
I somehow managed not to die.
◆
"Ah, I made it back safely…"
I felt relief upon realizing that I had returned from death, along with an indescribable sense of exhaustion coursing through my entire body.
"But it's impossible, isn't it?"
I thought about such things.
I had been challenging the Holy Knight Canaria to prevent the Demon Lord's resurrection. Holy Knight Canaria was formidable. But I believed that I could win with effort, so I kept challenging her without giving up.
However, the situation had changed. From now on, I had to fight against Warrior Gorgano. Warrior Gorgano's strength was on another level. The secret to his strength lay in the parasitic scythe puppeteer he wielded. Holy Knight Canaria also used a parasitic puppeteer, but she didn't seem to master it. Honestly, I was better at using the puppeteer.
On the other hand, it appeared that Warrior Gorgano could fully unleash the power of the parasitic scythe puppeteer. Could I really defeat someone like Warrior Gorgano…?
"I guess it's impossible after all."
Perhaps no matter how many times I tried, I wouldn't feel confident about winning. There was a significant difference in power between me and Warrior Gorgano.
"It seems like I need to find another way…"
My goal wasn't just to defeat them. It was to prevent the resurrection of the Demon Lord and save the world from destruction.
So, I needed to think. Think of other ways. There had to be some untried method somewhere…