“Cyrus,” I heard Alexandra call, “get behind me.”

“Do not protect him. If you would have cared from the beginning, then an in-numerous amount of them could have been saved. Why, little goddess, even your precious Paragon? Faye, I recall her name. Even if you can create her again, does it not bother you that she was destroyed in the first place?”

“She is as we are,” Alexandra said. “She will not be bothered by your little games as she knows her purpose, which you do not seem to.”

“Then it doesn’t matter if I kill your little mortal friend, does it?” He said.

And as he did, a sickly black smoke approached from behind the death god towards the gods and me.

With the fog/mist gone, I saw that the new smoke cloud was as tall and wide as I could see, and I was pretty confident in my sight.

“Cyrus, take my hand. I must lend you our power, or you will not be if you are hit by Urien’s madness.” Alexandra said as she held out her hand.

I took it but had to ask, “whaddya mean ‘lend you our power’?” Do I get some godly skills or what?”

“No, our strength does not come from us ourselves, but it is something even beyond us and I will engulf you in it as I and all the others are.”

I felt a surge of energy coursing through me. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. My limbs trembled and my heart raced as I struggled to keep myself upright.

As the power continued to flow into me, I could see the world around me with newfound clarity. Colors seemed more vibrant, sounds more distinct, and smells more intense. It was as though I had been given a new sense, one that allowed me to perceive things that had previously been beyond my comprehension.

For the first time in two decades, I finally had a clear mind.

Alexandra sensed my apprehension and squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Do not fear, Cyrus, for you are not alone.”

As Urien’s wave of death approached us, it seemed slow at first, but then in an instant, it washed over us.

As I watched, time seemed to slow down at an infinitely slow pace.

Even with the hooded god acting as a shield to the others, blocking or absorbing most of what was directed at us, I saw that a few unprepared gods were just eradicated as a whole by the wave of death.

As I stood there in the midst of the chaos, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the situation. The wave was relentless, and I knew that I had to act quickly before it was too late. The thought of being hit by such a powerful force was terrifying, and I could feel the fear bubbling up inside of me. But I had no time to dwell on my fears. I had to do something.

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With time running out, I scrambled to come up with a plan. And that's when it hit me - [Aetas Redux], a time reverse spell. It would reverse time based on how strong of an attack one would suffer. It was a gamble, one that I wasn't even sure would work, but I had to try. The alternative was to literary die and I don't think I'm ready for that.

As I channeled the spell, I could feel my heart racing with anticipation. Would it work? Or would I be doomed to suffer the full force of the wave?

I used the spell over and over again, each time feeling more and more desperate. I was getting to the limit of what even godly power could do, but I was pushing the absolute limits of what one mortal could do against a god.

And then, finally, it happened. Something hit me. But it wasn't the full force of the wave, it was something else entirely.

At that moment, I was plunged into darkness. But there was something familiar about it. It was as if I had been here before.

I checked myself. I wasn’t hurt, but there was a strange but familiar feeling in my stomach. It was uncomfortable.

I was wearing pants and a t-shirt I didn’t recognize. They were plain and seemed to be from my old world.

It took me a moment to realize this is what I wore the day I died.

Did this mean that I succeeded?

Even though I wasn’t bound by insanity anymore, or it felt like it, I had to do it. This may have been the last moment ever for me to do it.

I posed, knees a bit out, arms almost touching by the elbow, “BITE ZA DUSTO!”

I laughed like a maniac, completely crazy, “YATTAZO!”

Yes! I did it! I made it a reality!

And even beat the God of Death's game.

Now, I finally had a moment to think. About everything, about what had happened, about the past few years, about the magnitude of what could still be going on.

As I stood there, trying to make sense of what had just happened, I heard a voice.

"Be not afraid," I heard the disembodied woman's voice say.

I flinched. Of course, I was afraid.

But this reminded me of something.

A woman, blonde with long hair and a very flattering chest.

She wore a thin but very elegant dress that accented her petite figure.

“Alexandra?” I asked.

“Yes, I am she. Have you heard about me in your world?” She asked.

“Is Faye here too?”

“That she is. Faye, if you could, please show yourself.”

There she was, short as hell, with purple hair and a very blank expression.

I walked up to her and embraced her in a hug, for old time’s sake.

“Boy, am I glad to see you. You may not know what I’m talking about, but having a death on my conscious weighted kinda heavily on me.”

I laughed. "I did it. “

I let go and turned to Alexandra. “I know the whole shtick. A new chance at life. No need to repeat it. I know you’re the goddess of redemption and all that stuff, yadda, yadda, yadda. This time I’m going to choose another world, something much simpler, without having to worry about stats and all that shit. No more generic isekai.”

Something tug on my mind and then it fell into place, “I gotta ask, what’s up with Urien, the death god?”

“There is never anything more with him. He broods, I’ve heard, and he dislikes the company of other gods, so he mostly keeps to himself and we mostly keep away from him.”

“How about you guys go and give him some company, seriously? He’s not fine and is going through a very tough time. He needs some friends and try to keep it up even if he rejects you.”

And then Alexandra spoke again. But this time, it was different. Her words were filled with a sense of purpose, of hope.

"I... will see to it," she said, and I knew that somehow, someway, everything was going to be okay.