Chapter 434

With the first spell established, creating the second became much easier.

Master Izan... you really never fail to surprise me.

Using magic to answer the incomprehensible mysteries of time.

April 1st.

During an expedition, Kumironi and Akagi encountered a randomly appearing portal.

But Kumironi did not enter.

April 1st passed peacefully—she never went to the Secret Sea...

Shing—

Over the following days—

Kanzaki Rei once again reached the Secret Sea... the Moon Sea...

The "Core" could be left on others.

Which meant—

It could be left with Luvia, with Reina Frost... it could remain in the Secret Sea...

And through these detached Cores, Kanzaki Rei could traverse the world—

Using others as anchors to reach distant locations.

...

Although there was no fixed-point teleportation magic in this world—

At least, not yet—

Kanzaki Rei could now chain together various origin-based spells into seamless combinations—

Allowing him to travel freely between the Boundless Mountains and the great seas.

The only drawback—

He couldn’t bring others along.

Izan found this method fascinating and had some interest in researching it.

But for now—

What intrigued him even more—

Was the Primordial Forbidden Magic.

The fate of the Secret Sea remained unchanged.

Destruction.

A destruction that had already been witnessed.

Its end—

The Original Sea glowing, angels descending...

Based on further understanding, this was the victory of the Church of Light—

Zhuya completing the "Rite of Pure Light."

Bringing her closer to full descent.

Gods could not walk the mortal world—

Because they had not yet completed their required rituals.

And everything they did within the world—

Was ultimately for the sake of completing those rituals.

Once Kanzaki Rei understood this—

The true reason behind the gods’ struggle for the Secret Sea became clear.

The entire month of April passed in deep research.

Unfortunately—

April was not a favorable month.

It was a time aligned with chaos and madness.

The pursuit of knowledge itself was cursed.

Even Izan—

Faced multiple curses throughout the month.

Fortunately—

He was Izan.

And they had Kumironi.

These knowledge-born curses were resolved without much trouble.

During breaks from researching time magic—

Kanzaki Rei crossed the Moon Sea and borrowed a book from Misyru—

"The Black Codex."

He also sought Kumironi’s insights—

To see if she could offer a different perspective.

Time flowed swiftly...

With Kanzaki Rei’s assistance—

Izan’s research progressed at an astonishing pace.

After all—

Kanzaki Rei could retrieve results from simulated futures—

And deliver them back into Izan’s present.

Saving him immense effort.

May.

A month of "purity."

But not true purity.

By May—

The Boundless Mountains radiated overwhelming, terrifying auras.

With heightened perception and spiritual sensitivity—

Kanzaki Rei could clearly see—

The sky itself was fracturing.

Though the month appeared calm—

The undercurrents were far more dangerous than any before.

The gods were active.

Competing for the Lunar Thrones.

But at Kanzaki Rei’s current level—

He couldn’t perceive the details of their struggle.

He didn’t know how that conflict was waged.

May 17th.

Kanzaki Rei stood within a vast space resembling the cosmos.

Izan stood atop a massive sphere, like a planet—

Gazing at countless symbols.

These were—

Arcane sigils.

According to Izan—

All magic could be explained through arcane principles.

Though arcane magic might not manifest every spell into reality—

It was the most powerful tool for analyzing magic.

To truly understand magic—

One must study arcane theory.

Izan had told him this with great seriousness.

But Kanzaki Rei could only feel helpless...

Master Izan—

It’s not that I don’t want to learn—

Some of this arcane theory is just too complex to grasp quickly...

As a level 6 Decipher Scholar, with high spiritual sensitivity and strong magical aptitude—

Kanzaki Rei believed his arcane understanding was already among the best in the world.

Few could even discuss arcane theory with him—

Even among level 7 mages.

As for level 8 mages—

They were exceedingly rare.

In this era, aside from An Zheng—

He had never encountered another living one.

Even if they existed—

They were likely subordinates of Eltimi, wearing the shells of ancient mages.

And yet—

Despite all that—

In front of Izan, he was still being lectured.

Still told to study arcane theory more deeply.

...Sigh.

Izan gazed at the sky full of symbols.

This was a space he had constructed himself.

Over the past month—

His mastery of magic had advanced significantly.

He didn’t possess [Beacon of All Magic]—

He couldn’t steal spells from others.

And yet—

Every single day—

Kanzaki Rei witnessed hundreds of new spells spontaneously manifest around Izan.

Many of them—

Were time-based spells.

Each day of research brought new insights.

And with [Beacon of All Magic]—

Kanzaki Rei could directly perceive the speed of Izan’s growth.

"Rei... you’re resetting tomorrow, aren’t you?"

Kanzaki Rei nodded.

"...Yeah."

"I still haven’t reached a definitive conclusion about your condition."

"But at least a few things are certain now."

"The timeline you originally belong to... is still progressing normally."

"The time you spend here—passes there as well."

"So I suggest you don’t linger too long in repeated resets."

"However—this reset cycle ends at the limit of your personal timeline."

"As for a magic that can help you... I’ll need more time to fully verify it."

"When you reset into the next timeline—"

"Give these findings to that version of me."

Izan looked up at the countless arcane symbols.

They were—

Clues he had left for himself.

"Master Izan... I understand."

"When I leave... the original me in this timeline—he’ll return, right?"

Izan nodded.

"Yes. He will."

"And... he’ll likely experience something special."

May 18th.

As scheduled—

Kanzaki Rei reset once again—

Returning to March 23rd.

"So the endpoint of this reset... is the end of my own time?"

"...In other words—before I was even born."

With Izan’s help—

He had finally found the key to ending the loop.

But...

Repeating this cycle—

Returning all the way to his birth—

Was an unimaginably long journey.

It even meant reliving time on Earth—

Those aimless days—

When he couldn’t become a class holder.

Kanzaki Rei shook his head slightly...

Disappearing from his bed—

And seeking out Izan once more.

Time replayed itself again.

When Izan saw the arcane symbols Kanzaki Rei brought—

He immediately understood everything.

And continued his deductions from where he had left off.

At the same time—

Kanzaki Rei witnessed it—

The moment Izan saw those reconstructed symbols—

Magic erupted from him like a geyser!

In mere breaths—

He re-learned every spell he had mastered in the previous timeline.

Not a single one missing.

That level of comprehension...

Was truly monstrous.

Defeat An Zheng.

Go to the Boundless Mountains.

Repeat the process.

It all became second nature.

Thanks to Izan—

Kanzaki Rei also learned many time-based spells he had previously never grasped.

And finally understood—

How to construct entirely new time magic.

Though vast amounts of time had passed—

It felt stretched—

Like flowing water.

Days disappeared in an instant—

Whenever he immersed himself in thought and research.

Soon—

It was May 17th again.

"Rei."

"This spell... should help you."

Standing in the star-like space—

Izan revealed a complex structure of layered magic—

Interwoven through time itself.

"Origin Time Magic—Chrono Ring Leap."

"This origin spell... should only work for you."

"With it—you won’t need to relive every repeated timeline."

"You can jump directly to more distant points in the past."

"It’s useless to me—so just take it."

Izan already knew about [Beacon of All Magic].

He knew Kanzaki Rei could take spells from others—

And that he could learn origin magic.

"Master Izan... thank you."

Izan smiled lightly.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"You brought me such fascinating magic."

"And thanks to you—I’ve glimpsed the true nature of time itself."

"If anything—you’ve helped me far more."

He patted Kanzaki Rei on the shoulder.

"And I believe in you."

"Even in the future—I’ll believe in you."

"And if you ever become a demon beyond saving..."

"I’ll be the one to knock you back to your senses."

"But you won’t let that happen. Right?"

Kanzaki Rei nodded firmly.

"I won’t betray my heart."

"My principles."

Izan smiled.

"That’s good."

"Who knows—maybe we’ll meet again someday."

To Izan—

This Kanzaki Rei was not the same as before.

And to Kanzaki Rei—

This Izan was not the one from his original timeline.

Each reset—

Bloomed a similar, yet different flower.

May 18th.

Kanzaki Rei activated [Chrono Ring Leap].

He felt spacetime ripple around him.

Before his eyes—

Flowed the endless river of time.

He could feel it—

His timeline was about to reset.

But now—

He could choose his destination.

He no longer needed to move forward day by day.

"Then..."

"The earlier, the better."

After all—

Once reset, time would still progress forward again to May 18th.

Everything in between would still occur.

There was no need to aim for a specific day—

Only to go as early as possible.

"Then... September 13th, 5025."

That day—

He met Messe.

And the next day—

In Rhine Town—

A monster tide struck.

That was when he became a Death Priest.

That day—

Was the beginning of many of his unanswered questions.

Pari.

Messe.

The Hive invasion.

Too many unknowns.

And most importantly—

That mysterious diviner—

Who remained an enigma even now.

"Pari..."

"Will we finally meet again?"