"[Magic Surge]."
A sudden blast of power burst from within the Chamber of Andients, causing the entire area to vibrate and the Dragons that gathered around the struggling swordsman to be pushed back.
In that instant, Lucielle teleported right beside the muscular man who gripped his blade with sheer resolve.
He smiled the moment he felt her presence, though he couldn't afford to look at her face due to the intensity of the battle.
"It's finally done?" He asked.
"Yeah… he's gone."
For a moment, there was silence among the two of them.
Then—
"How far back?" Rey asked, slightly glancing at the tear-filled face of his beloved.
"As far as he could go—to the very beginning."
Upon hearing that, he smiled. Using his unoccupied hand to wipe away the tears on her face, he nodded slowly.
His hand was rough—hardened by the constant battles that had been fought—but Lucielle found solace in his touch.
Rey Skylar and Lucielle; these two stood before the horde of Dragons before them, yet their display of affection was not stifled.
"Thank you, Lucielle." Rey smiled as he slowly removed his hand from her face, his fingers caressing her soft skin for what would be the last time.
His trembling voice made it clear that he was holding back the tears that would have overflowed.
Lucielle was never allowed to show weakness in front of everyone. She was the best—the strongest in this world.
So, the only one she could be vulnerable with was someone who could hide their own weakness and embrace hers.
That person was Rey.
He took on her fears, insecurities, and pain—even at this very moment—and made them all his.
"Why are you thanking me, stupid." Lucielle laughed, her eyes growing moist yet again.
"Who knows…"
As Rey said this, he cast his gaze into the distance, watching as the Dragons halted in their advancement.
It was clear that something was coming.
—Something ominous.
"… I guess I'm just happy to have you by my side at the very end."
Another moment of silence echoed in their midst. But this time, it was very short.
"I'm happy too."
At this point, there really was no reason to fight any longer. They had completed their mission, and this world was already too doomed for success.
These two were exhausted. They had been fighting day and night—struggling to reach their goal, and now it was all over.
With aching bones and tired souls, it was better to just let go of everything and accept their inevitable demise.
But no… not a chance!
"You ready for one last collab?" Rey said with a smile, tightly gripping his blade with his two hands.
His single eye flowed golden, and a bright burst of gold light burst forth all around him.
"Bet!"
Lucielle's grin was wide as sparks of silver lightning flashed all over her and her body began to glow.
The entity in the distance was none other than a Dragon Lord
—a being that no human had ever managed to defeat throughout the years of war.
Rey and Lucielle didn't know why, but now that they were at the end of their life, they desired to break that record.
"I love you, Lucielle." Rey's whispers echoed in the air as Lucielle's voice also sounded.
"I love you, Rey."
And then—
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
—Their mixed energy sprang forth.
A requiem of lovers.
***********
Adonis indeed returned to the past.
However, it wasn't what he expected. The first thing he witnessed as he tried to open his eyes was darkness.
Sheer, complete darkness.
Everything felt uncomfortably squishy, wet, and strange.
He didn't understand… until his body was forcibly thrust out of the place that occupied him, and he found himself in a hospital room.
It was at that point, after hearing words from the doctors and nurses, and hearing the heavy breathing of his own mother, that he realized what happened.
Something must have gone wrong with Lucielle's Magic Formula… because Adonis didn't return merely five years ago.
No, he had returned over twenty years into the past.
… As a baby.
*******
The world seemed different for him this second time around.
It had to be!
A battle-hardened man, stuck in the body of a toddler, and then an adolescent… it was all a strange experience for him.
However, despite all of these distractions, Adonis never once forgot his task.
"Save everyone. I must save everyone!"
To do that, he drafted out his plan—a detailed analysis of all that he remembered of the past, and all the things he had to change.
For starters, he had to change his appearance.
By using his future knowledge, he was able to land his parents fortune, which made them rich enough to afford plastic surgery for their terrible-looking boy.
After he fixed how he looked, he maintained a perfect diet and kept his body fit—as perfect as it could possibly get.
Skin care, etiquette, and everything else that mattered in the superficial world of Earth.
All of it was geared towards one goal—
"My Karma Point! I have to make it as high as possible!"
For that purpose, he became the perfect human.
He had to be friends with everyone. He was nice to the very bullies that tortured him in his past life, and he had to accept the many advances that were geared towards him so that no one would hate him.
He dated several girls that he wasn't interested in, maintained a friendly—or at least neutral standing—with everyone around him.
Everything he did… for those sixteen years… was so that he would have the perfect Karma Point.
"The Hero Class… the Divine Blade…"
Those were the thoughts in his mind as he went through the torture of maintaining this facade for years.
And then, finally, after all those years… on their way back from the field trip… the incident occurred.
He, as well as all of his classmates, were transported to the Realm Of God.
He was able to amass 97 Karma Points—a near perfect score.
With it, he got the [Hero] Class and got a discount on the [Divine Blade Summon] Skill.
He had enough Karma Points to afford a few other things, which all had discounts thanks to the Hero Class.
In the end… he was able to do it!
Adonis was able to take the first step in order to save the world.
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Thanks for reading!
Well, this is all you're getting for a while about Adonis and his past. Don't worry, there's more… but I'll save that for later.
