“Your Almighty Apollo, what did you mean by that?!”

Before my trembling lips could utter anything else, Senya hurriedly inquires with her face painted with desperation. I can see from her forehead that sweat is building up and her eyebrows knitting in utter shock. Even Ichirou loses his composure and shows a strained countenance together with eyes leering directly at Apollo.

I also want to know! What in the world did he just say!?

“I am going into the finer details since this is an important one. As I said untimely, this world is in a constant time loop. No, nevermind the time loop, each passage of time, specifically a round of the year, everything redirects. The constellations of stars are rewritten, the alignment of time planes is randomized and the continuous flow of time is disrupted. It is precise to describe the phenomenon as revisioning.”

“Revisioning?”

“Precisely, however, for those thousands of years that it happened, I cannot offer any actual events to apprise. For those successive years, I was only stuck in that wrecked jar as a phoenix ash. Nevertheless, knowing that state of this world even from such confined space is easy for such I. And so, about this revisioning, anyone comes into mind?”

Of course, he immediately entered my head. His image of brutally beating people I dearly care and love. The man who painted my new world with red and black and the man who indirectly taught me the harshness of this world, the man I vowed to kill with my own hands, Nil.

“Thou art awfully releasing a deathly glow, Midget. Did someone come to your mind?”

“Eh…? Um…”

“It’s Nil, right, Asagao?”

I was too indulged in my thoughts that I barely understand Apollo’s question. Ichirou answered that question for me. I feel so dumb that other people have to answer that name of the man I loathed the most and the same time, the closest to me…

“Ah, it’s someone I don’t have a connection.”

“Nil is…”

“I have no need to know about him, I have no need to hear thou story, and most of all I have no sympathy for thou. I already heard enough, you know. When thou talk about him, I was there as Emby.”

“……”

He arrogantly told me off. I want to retort and tell how his issue with his egoistic self is really messed up but considering that he is a god, I lost the battle before it even starts. He clearly just laid out the facts however his choice of words is too painful…

“Dear Apollo, the revisioning, do you think it happens because of the continuous event of destruction?”

“Dear Artemis, the reason it happens is sole because of that destruction you speak of, the end of this world.”

“Wait just a damned minute!”

The one who furiously shouted his protest is Ichirou. He completely lost his cool and without any delay, grabs Apollo by the collar and hangs him. My eyes widen and Senya also gapes in surprise.

“Ichirou!”

“Dear Apollo!”

“Ichirou Nagasaki! Stop this in an instant!”

Apollo who was grabbed struggles as Ichirou’s hold left him unable to breathe. His feet sways front and back as he was hung by the neck.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Ichirou, you’re hurting Hibiscus!”

“Ah…! Shit!”

Fathoming the words I uttered, Ichirou’s senses returned. His eyes saw the countenance of Hibiscus turning pale. It vividly struck him that Apollo is just using Hibiscus body as a medium.

With guilt welling up inside him, his hand promptly release Apollo and staggers backward seeing what he has done. Artemis rushes to Apollo’s side and helps him.

“Dear Apollo, can you still breathe properly?”

“Haa…haa…yes…I still can…”

“Your words and expressions are quite provocative. I can’t say you didn’t bring this upon thyself…”

“Tch!”

Fixing his untidy collar and standing up, Apollo glares at Ichirou with disdain. He finds his way to the seat again and this time, in a casual manner without being a douche.

“You Halfling, thou art better than that. Hibiscus, my host, truly respects and believes in thou. I am fine battling thou but I don’t want this girl to get hurt.”

“Kuh…sorry…”

Ichirou could not say anything back but an apology for hurting Apollo, or specifically, Hibiscus. I know how infuriating Apollo’s obnoxious attitude but we shouldn’t act violently towards him. I am relieved though that he cares for Hibiscus. He is, after all, still Emby who is dearly attached with her.

“If you lot are seeking answers about the destruction I spoke of, I can only give a vague idea. Dear Artemis may also have the same response.”

“Dear Apollo is correct. Even if I was deep underneath the waves, the destruction is far great that it crept up underwater. This world is somehow destroyed and in the process of its breakdown, that is when the revisioning takes place.”

“That entail as of why is it happening. However, the only conclusion we can get is that the one who perpetuates this revisioning is trying to prevent this world’s demise. We gods seem to be an exception to this vicious cycle. Divine beings such us are being exempted to it so that is the reason we retained our memory.”

“However, Dear Apollo, a mere thousand of years is just like a vacation for us but for the one who is the center of this, I am not surprised if he broke mentally.”

Eh?

Broke mentally? Wait, if that is true…no...it isn’t a matter of if anymore. Considering that it is a cycle of death in a year and rewinding, anyone would go mad…

What if…what if by chance…Nil is actually…what he said…all of it…

No…

When Nil said that he wants to end his suffering…was it true? The suffering of constantly seeing this world gets devastated?

“Your Almighty Apollo and Artemis, have you come up with a solution?! If we are stuck in a constant loop of time where this world is destroyed, surely there must be something to change it! To change the destiny set upon this world!”

“I will have you know, we cannot interfere…no…we do not have any ability to. If the gods and goddesses of this world cannot do anything, don’t expect us to. The man who keeps rigging this world’s space and time flow must be someone who far surpasses a god.”

“No way…”

“That is why we are putting expectation to Asagao Lionheart, the one who changed this world’s fate just by simply existing. Just by simply entering this current revisioned time, you turned everything around. When this concurrent time started, Asagao Lionheart overturned the constellations to her side and everything went wild.”

I can feel my feet going cold and my mind becoming hazy. What is he trying to say becomes obvious. I remember that night where Nil said that my existence itself is impossible.

“Wait…! From the tone of how you talk, you…are you expecting me to…!?”

“I became attached to Hibiscus. You, midget, you know what I am trying to imply, no?”

“There’s…no way!”

“Your actions and words for the next three months remaining for this world to die will determine everything if it will actually die or not. Even now, we can feel how you greatly molded this world with your own very being.”

“Don’t…don’t…don’t…do this to me…!”

“Asagao Lionheart, save this world.”

That very word made me tremble. I teeth started clattering and my leg loses its strength on the spot. I glance at Apollo and to my surprise, he has this sad and sympathetic face.

“You are the catalyst for change so we expect great things from you. Dear Artemis and I have to leave this body now.”

“Asagao Lionheart, it is as Dear Apollo said, you are the one who can propel this world’s fate into a better light. Save it and we will be forever indebted to you. Since I don’t have any physical body, it is a farewell for me.”

After saying her goodbye, Artemis and Apollo limp in the chair again and loses their consciousness. The foreign divine power that has swelled earlier vanishes and what’s left is Ichirou with a gaping mouth, Senya with a strained and pained expression and me…

“They are gone. Asagao how do you…no…I’m sorry for trying to ask.”

“…”

This world…

They want me to save this world?!

My only goal is to settle things with Nil and squeeze out answers from him. I never knew that I will be asked to save this world. How do they expect me to do that?!

For someone as weak as me, how do they envision me saving this world? All they said, all the words they uttered are full expectations for me but no, it is just pressure. I can feel this pressure crushing me from inside. Even though they are correct that I am a divine being or also known here as transcendental being, I cannot fathom of how can someone like me do something grand.

Months ago, I am just a weak willed and good for nothing Asagao. Right now, I am still struggling to remake my whole life but circumstances dictate that trouble will always follow me and I ended up fighting. I am doing my best to become stronger but, how do I do that in three months…?

Also, about Nil…

“Asagao! Hey, Asagao! Are you alright? Your face is getting paler and paler! Hey!”

I don’t know anymore.

When I think about it, Nil has suffered countless of years in this world in a cycle that he wants to destroy. He doesn’t intend anything bad, he just wants to end his suffering but at the same time, wanting to save this world for who’s sake?

Alstroemeria…

The dream that I had a week ago…I remember now.

It was Nil and Alstroemeria…

Nil is desperate. When I came to this world, did he get his hopes up high because of me? Did he think that I am going to be the one who will drag him out of his misery?!

Thinking about how Nil suffered, about how many people he need to kill for his goals but ultimately failed, I can see my own reflection to it. I can feel all his suffering being reflected into my eyes. Even though I shouldn’t able to, I can sense the horrendous smell of blood and corpse recurred in my mind as Nil cries over a mountain of dead bodies.

“Asagao, don’t overthink! Don’t think anything unnecessary!”

“Ichirou, we must do something!”

Why…

Why does it feel painful? I have already resolved myself to this degree of sacrifice but, I feel like puking.

Before I realize it, I am short on breath and tears wet my face and my mind slowly fade to unconsciousness. My body slowly loses it strength but it won’t stop from trembling. I am not scared or in pain but, whenever I imagine how Nil suffered, I remember everything that I said to him.

“Asagao! Get a hold of yourself!”

No good…

I fainted…