"What is even coming toward us?" Michael grumbled, trying to feel the person behind it.
He was still unsure whether it was a god or some kind of other being.
What he did know, however, was the fact that if they were to clash on this planet, then it would be destroyed in a mere instant.
Therefore, Michael flashed Fafnir a knowing look and soon dashed into space itself, crossing thousands of kilometers in a mere moment.
But that didn’t mean much, as the person heading toward them was approaching even faster than he’d like.
"Thoughts?" Fafnir asked, landing beside him.
Breathing in space felt even easier than on the ground. Therefore, Michael took a deep breath and looked back at Fafnir.
"I don’t know. If I’m being honest, there’s not much we can do besides trying to talk to that being. I believe if we were to fight, then that would be a bit of a problem for the world behind us."
"I agree, but still, despite the problems that are here, I think we need to confront him nonetheless," Fafnir added. "After all, if we let him approach any closer, then even mere words could damage the planet itself."
Michael nodded, and after grabbing hold of Fafnir, attempted to replicate something he had seen.
It was the technique of Hermes to travel trillions of light-years in less than a second, and the main principle was vibrating himself between the light particles.
By doing so, he could greatly accelerate his own speed.
Of course, Michael was not great at controlling it. Therefore, he prepared himself and soon launched off.
It was a blur—literally—but the moment he reopened his eyes, he found himself at least a few thousand light-years away from Verdusk.
And frankly, the being they were looking for was not that far away, likely only a few seconds from reaching them.
That was why Michael stationed himself and summoned a golden throne before sitting down in space.
Finally, after just a few more seconds, the being they were looking for appeared, and despite Michael’s initial concerns, it didn’t seem that evil. However, it had yellow scales, as though it was a dragon, and, of course, eerie black glass-like eyes...
"Michael," it called out, its voice sounding completely like that of a human. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Do what?" Michael asked with a tilt of his head. "Do you mean me becoming a God? Is that the problem here?"
"You’re not going to become a God, as you are hereby blacklisted as a candidate," the being stated, making Michael let out a scoff.
"Oh no... What will I do when the beings who have been trying to fuck me over take me off a list I don’t give a shit about nor knew existed," Michael said, narrowing his eyes. "Piss off, you ant."
"I’m afraid I can’t," the being shook its head. "I was tasked with eliminating you here and now."
"And I’m afraid I won’t let you do that," Michael spoke when all of a sudden, a massive golden dome appeared all around them.
Following that, he used Sanctuary and reinforced himself with it, improving his strength greatly.
However, the being in front of him didn’t seem too amused, almost like it found this entire situation to be a game.
Which, frankly, it was. Even to Michael, planets, people—they were all weaklings who would die if he accidentally used too much power, so in a way, he could understand this strange being.
Nonetheless, that was no excuse to act like a prick.
That was why Michael concentrated all of his mana into his right arm and slashed downward, completely splitting space apart as a golden slash traveled directly toward the scaled being.
But instead of dodging, it merely stood there, waiting for the attack to impact.
However, just as it was about to make contact, the being suddenly dodged and appeared right before Michael.
Yet, the moment it could strike him, Fafnir suddenly lashed out, sending a massive green fireball at the being.
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"Two on one? Are you trying to be the God of Friendship?" the being asked with an amused look.
"Hah? Is that the best you can come up with?" Michael rolled his eyes with a scoff.
But of course, he wasn’t out of the clear yet.
This being was stronger than the both of them, probably in the ranges of Tier 19 if he had to guess.
Nonetheless, Michael didn’t give up as he merely tried the same tactic again.
Just this time, instead of a slash that could be dodged, he manipulated the space itself.
Mana was tangible, and by merely infusing more mana into the air than it could handle, he had free reign over what it could do.
Therefore, Michael punched straight, and in the next moment, a hole appeared right below the scaled being, sucking it in.
It was supposed to be a wormhole that sent the being somewhere else, but obviously, the effect wasn’t great as the only thing it managed to do was anger the being, who teleported back not even a few seconds later.
"That’s a neat trick. But as I said, you don’t have the qualifications to become a god."
"What do I need then?" Michael asked. "Riches? Followers? Strength? Which is it?"
"Approval," the being affirmed. "You need to get the approval of the other gods in order to become a god yourself. However, you didn’t do anything like that."
The being narrowed its eyes. "That is why I must kill you, restore the God Core to its natural place, and restore this timeline."
"Timeline restoration, huh? Now that’s an interesting idea," Michael thought out loud with a smile. "But that’s it—you will die here either way, and I will become a God whether the others approve of it or not."
Fafnir tapped Michael on the shoulder. "I think you should listen to what it has to say first."
Michael raised his brow at those words, as he realized the being was no longer trying to fight.
Therefore, he listened.
"There’s another proposal I wish to tell you. It includes your fealty to another god. In exchange, you can become a lesser god and make your way up the ladder."
"Are you an idiot? Who would accept that?" Michael scoffed. "I’m going to get my own followers, my own power, and lastly, I’ll—"
"Lastly, you’ll die," the being stated coldly, and all of a sudden, Michael found his head detached from his body.
He felt strange—he still had all the consciousness he could ever imagine, however, he just didn’t feel whole anymore, rightfully so.
Therefore, Michael attempted to swiftly regenerate himself, but it seemed to be to no avail, as his body was swiftly destroyed.
And before he could even react, Fafnir was sliced into two, and Michael’s vision soon turned completely black.
What the fuck just happened? Michael thought in disbelief.
Was it possible he had just died?
But if he was truly dead, then technically, he shouldn’t even be able to think, let alone feel like he was still somewhat alive.
It was like a distant body, and once he focused on it, he finally regained a tinge of consciousness.
A mild feeling of warmth, and as he proceeded to get lost in it, something interesting happened.
His eyes shot open, and the moment they did, he saw a familiar ceiling.
Looking around, he also saw something he didn’t exactly expect to see either.
Bunk beds, the feeling of weakness, and, of course, his own hands.
It was almost like he was a child again—which, after his mind finally came back into it, he realized he was.
The location where he was currently sitting was the orphanage.
And if he had to guess, he was not supposed to be remembering what was happening.
[Greetings, host. I am—]
"Mikhail...?" Michael’s eyes widened. "You seem to be back again. Funny."
[Hm?] The system’s tone grew serious. [How is this possible? I thought you shouldn’t remember anything.]
"I not only remember everything, I also want to go back, so break the system."
[...] The system remained silent. [Since I’m still a voice you can hear, I believe it’s best to warn you. If you go at it the same way you did beforehand, then it wouldn’t work. You’d be killed fast, alongside all those you met.]
That’s not what I’m going to do, Michael replied before looking on in determination.
I will go back to that moment.
[You think you can do something differently with that little amount of time?] the system asked. [I get you might not be the smartest, but if you jump back in time, you will not only have the gods on your ass but also the Time Guardians.]
Fuck them. It doesn’t matter how many enemies I make at this point, Michael stated and fell silent.
"Do it," he spoke for the last time.
And with reluctance, the system agreed.
<Dissolving Code... Forceful Dissolving not allowed—>
<Allowed!>
<The power of... ERROR!>
<ERROR> <ERROR>
Yep, just as I remember it. Michael grinned and focused on the past, specifically before his memories cut off.
The amount of mana he was getting was large; however, he had to act fast.
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Therefore, Michael focused on a certain day, right as all the accidents began happening on Verdusk, right before all of his troubles began.
Right before the annihilation of the entire city.
Closing his eyes, Michael willed his body forward, and suddenly, he felt himself slipping through something.
It was uncomfortable, but frankly, he didn’t care.
As despite the screaming in his ears, he soon arrived where he wanted to.
His vision was a bit blurry, and his power was once again less than he would expect.
However, there was one familiar being in front of him.
It was the same demon who was responsible for the accident.
"I’m back..." Michael exclaimed, a determined look appearing on his face.
This time, it will be different.