CHAPTER 167 – MIXED TRUTH AND LIES
LYSANDER FARADEISS – PREVIOUS TIMELINE
“The Altered Regression Magic is 90% complete,” I said with a smile, wiping away the sweat from my forehead.
“That’s great!” Hiraya clapped with joy, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Beside her, her husband Alris gave a warm smile, his pride evident.
We had been working non-stop for the past six weeks, our dedication unwavering. I never would have imagined that we’d be ahead of schedule. At our current pace, I was confident that I would complete the Altered Regression Ritual Site by tomorrow night.
“I have finished tweaking the Regression Magic, and it is actually operational at this rate,” I said, feeling a surge of accomplishment. “But I want to add more to it.”
“What else would you like to add?” Hiraya tilted her head, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
I reached for the grimoire that had been retrieved from the Cathedral Exa’s archives, my fingers tracing the ancient, weathered pages. Among the spells, I found a taboo resurrection spell that no longer worked. “There is a targeting formula rune in this book that is compatible with the Regression Magic’s circle. If we can incorporate it into the circles, we can have complete control over time for a specific object.”
“Which means?” Alris asked, his face a mask of confusion.
I grabbed Alris’ cup from the table and let it drop. The cup shattered into pieces, scattering porcelain shards across the floor.
“Hey, that’s my favorite cup,” Alris groaned, looking dismayed. I just smiled reassuringly.
“You can think of the Regression Magic as the world’s reset button. Once activated, the world will revert to its previous state,” I explained. I then picked up the shards of Alris’ cup, and with a wave of my hand, used alchemy magic to mend it back into its pristine form. I handed the restored cup back to him. “With our Altered Regression Magic, we can target a specific object and return it to its former state without altering the current state of our universe.”
Hiraya’s face brightened, her golden eyes twinkling with hope. “Wait, does that mean…”
“This is a magic to undo your sins, Hiraya,” I said with a gentle smile. “Once the Purge of Humanity is completed, we can thwart Arthur’s plans, and you can finally kill him. And once Arthur is out of the picture, we can use the Altered Regression Magic to bring back the lives and the world we have lost.”
Suddenly, Hiraya jumped towards me and hugged me tightly. Her large bosom pressed against my face, causing an unexpected rush of arousal.
“You’re a genius, Lysander! Thank you!” Hiraya exclaimed, her voice filled with gratitude as she pulled back and held my hands. “I could not thank you enough! This is the answer to all my prayers!”
“W-Well, it’s just natural to help a friend, right…” I muttered nervously, scratching my reddening left cheek.
“We owe you a lot, Lysander, and we could not thank you enough,” Alris added, his voice sincere. “Tell me whatever you want, and I will do everything in my power to grant it.”
“We already know what Lysander wants,” Hiraya smirked mischievously, then turned to me. “If you want, we can have a threesome once more.”
“My butt is still sore, but if it makes you happy, then just do it, Lysander,” Alris said with a defeated smile.
“Stop it, you two!” I cried, my face flushing with embarrassment.
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I used my Wind Accel-enhanced Wings of Light to soar towards the Final Sanctuary of Humans, a majestic floating island that housed the remnants of humanity. As I descended into the deserted hangar, I took in the sight of state-of-the-art airships being constructed for humanity’s survival, their sleek forms promising a fragile hope.
For the past six weeks, this routine had been my secret. I returned here at daybreak, slipping in unnoticed to avoid detection by my fellow humans. Correction: I was no longer human. My allegiance now lay with Hiraya, not Arthur. I was a betrayer, disgusted with myself for siding with a married woman whom I had loved for so long.
Humans are driven by feelings, not logic. But it didn’t matter anymore; I held the key to winning the war. Regretably, I hadn't told Hiraya how to activate the Altered Regression Magic. I planned to reveal everything to her once the world was safe and Arthur was dead.
"Besides... the ultimate price of altering the Regression Magic is..." I shook my head.
Arthur had done nothing personally wrong to me, but Hiraya’s claims about his parents burning the Land of Elves and Arthur defiling both Exceria and her were reasons enough for me to believe he deserved to die. Besides, I knew he was scheming something involving the summoning of a Foreign God, a force that could destroy the world.
I took a deep sigh as I walked through the dark, cavernous hangar, collecting my thoughts. “Just who is this Foreign God anyway?”
“Would you like to learn about it, my best friend?”
Chills ran down my spine at the sound of that familiar voice. “Arthur!?”
Suddenly, I saw my crimson-haired friend Johnny rushing toward me. He was in his partial werewolf form, his limbs transformed into red werewolf claws, and a wolf’s tail swished behind him.
“Johnny! What are you—” I started to cry out, but when I looked into his eyes, I saw nothing but pitch-black voids. His eyes were pure obsidian.
“You won’t escape from me, you traitor,” Johnny muttered in a monotone voice as he slammed my face to the floor.
“G-Grrraaaah!” I tried to raise my head, glaring at Arthur, who looked at me with murderous intent. “W-What did you do to Johnny?”
Arthur revealed a device that looked like a phone, emitting some kind of invisible waves. “Psychic Dominator. A lost technology created by Doctor Cheng Du of the Elysian Empire. I had to repeat the Regression Magic over and over just to get this forgotten tech.”
“You’re even planning on mind-controlling a friend?” I roared, my voice echoing through the empty hangar.
“Ha!” Arthur scoffed with disdain. “That’s rich coming from you, who betrayed your high school best friend just for an elven bitch. You sold your heart, your humanity, your allies—all for that impure woman who calls herself a reincarnation of the goddess.”
“Y-You goddamned…” I snarled, but Johnny pressed my face harder against the cold floor.
Arthur’s footsteps drew closer, and the brain waves from his Psychic Dominator device began to sear into my mind. It felt as if someone was grinding into my skull, each pulse sending waves of agony through my head.
Johnny grabbed my hair and forced me to look up. Arthur’s wide grin greeted me as he held his mind-controlling device, and an obsidian orb manifested on his forehead.
“That orb… it’s the goddess’s!” I muttered, feeling a surge of despair.
“My unworthy best friend, who became an Erudite just to raise the banner of betrayal and rebellion against humanity. But… I still have use for you.”
“W-What…” I muttered, my voice weak from the pain and the betrayal.
Arthur's eyes turned into complete darkness, as if they were windows into the abyss.
“You shall forget. Forget about the King of Humanity and my evil actions. Forget about the Dragon Lords. Forget about Hiraya Misteltein’s promise to you. Forget it all and be the ally of humanity once more. The only things that shall remain in your memory are your hatred—hatred against Hiraya. Hatred for killing your entire family. Hatred for destroying your hometown. Hatred for humanity’s genocide.”
“Stop! Those are lies!” I cried out in agony. “I love Hiraya! I will never betray her! Never!”
Arthur spread out his hand, his blue royal cape billowing around him. “Arthurius Elkyria Neos hereby engraves into you…”
The pain intensified, searing through my mind like a wildfire. Arthur's words echoed within my consciousness, trying to overwrite my thoughts, my feelings, my very essence. I struggled against the onslaught, desperately clinging to my love for Hiraya, but the darkness threatened to consume me.
“Stoooooop!” I roared, tears streaming from my eyes.
“…a new set of emotions and memories based on mixed truth and lies,” Arthur commanded, his voice cold and unyielding.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!” I screamed, the strain tearing at my throat.
In an instant, all the memories of the King of Humanity’s wickedness, my alliance with the Dragon Lords, and Hiraya’s promise were shattered. My mind was overwhelmed, the false memories taking root and erasing everything I held dear. The pain was unbearable, a relentless assault on my psyche.
And just like that, I was converted back to a normal human, stripped of my true past, left only with a fierce dedication to fight for humanity and a burning hatred for Hiraya.