Chapter 85: The Plan (I)

  [Déjà vu System: Level 54 - MAX]

  [Loop Count: 64]

  When Yana came to get me in the morning, I was shaking in my boots.

  Yesterday had been perfect. Every moment with her felt surreal – until the ‘End of the World’ message flashed, and I had to cut my own throat.

  She wouldn’t remember my third confession, or all the kisses we shared. But at least, she wouldn’t remember me killing myself in front of her either.

  I opened the door. We hugged. A bit longer than usual – like my body knew this was the last time before my mind could even process it.

  And then, we left for the tomb.

  I rushed us quickly, afraid that if I stalled even for a moment more, I’d ask her to ditch the quest again. Only this time, the consequences would include Chronos’ death, and Erebus’ victory – the end of our world.

  On the way, I talked to Yana like it was my last day on earth. Savoring every word – every syllable – that left her lips. If I die today, she’d forget about me. But I don’t want to forget anything about her.

  At the entrance, Goren approached me calmly, a nervous smile spread on his face.

  My mind immediately flashed back to all seven times he’d killed me right here.

  My body tensed on instinct, ready to defend myself – but then, I shook it off.

  We were going to fight each other today, but I was certain he wouldn’t take me by surprise. We were past that.

  “Listen –“

  We both spoke at the same time.

  “You start.” Goren said.

  “No, you.”

  “No, it should be you.”

  I let out a breath, nodding. “Where do I even start…”

  I rubbed the back of my neck, shaking my head. “There were times when I hated you so much. I couldn’t even remember what you did, but the mere thought of you, combined with Erebus’ aura, just made me furious.” I looked down at my own body, seeing the same dark aura surrounding me now. “But now? I just can’t…” I met his gaze. “I can’t forgive you for what you did, but I can’t be mad anymore either. You proved yourself when it mattered. Sadly for us, it wasn’t enough.” My face twisted with disgust as I muttered the next words with anger. “That damn bastard Dolos...”

  Goren nodded slightly, his expression calm. “Anything else, Spellsword?”

  I blinked. His calm threw me off.

  But yeah – thinking about it more, seeing him now – there was more. I wasn’t willing to give up yet.

  “Yes.” I swallowed. “There’s more.”

  I glanced at Yana in the distance. She was talking to Lady Mikaela, smiling joyfully. “The last run – spending it with Yana – it just made me realize how much harder I need to fight. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to erase you from existence.”

  Goren looked surprised, and I pressed on. “We can still do this on this run, Goren. We can still press down the tomb and reach Erebus. No one said we have to fight each other once the 64th loop starts. We still have time to succeed.”

  Goren sighed. He ran a hand through his dark hair, smiling tiredly.

  “And what if one of us dies, Spellsword?” His voice was quiet, almost reluctant. “If one of is dead, the fight can’t happen. That means both Chronos and Dolos end up dead, and Erebus ends up devouring our world. It’s not a risk we can take.”

  “Well, it’s better than killing each other!” I snapped.

  A few adventurers turned to look our way, and I shot them a nasty look before lowering my voice.

  “Dolos orchestrated everything, and we’re still playing his tune.” My hands tightened into fists. “We need to do something he won’t expect. Something like using this run to defeat Erebus.”

  Goren tilted his head. “And what would happen in this run that didn’t happen before? We can’t win with how things are currently.”

  I narrowed my eyes on him, reminding him of something. “You punched me in the face for losing hope after getting marked."

  He snorted. “That was different.”

  “Was it?” I raised an eyebrow. “Because now you’re the one losing hope.”

  Goren chuckled. “You’re a good guy, Spellsword.” His gaze softened. “Hearing you so reluctant to kill me just makes me feel even shittier for killing you all those times.”

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  He exhaled, shaking his head.

  “But don’t worry.” He said suddenly, his voice turning serious. “I already have a plan set in motion.”

  “A plan?” I asked, my eyes widening in surprise.

  Goren wasn’t exactly the kind of guy I’d ever associate with the word ‘plan’. Yet here he was, nodding like he’d just cracked some impossible puzzle.

  “You see – Dolos gave me three wishes so I’d stop killing you all those runs ago.” He rolled his eyes. “Terrible times.”

  I eyed him carefully, waiting for a continuation.

  “Well,” he eventually said. “I still had one wish left – and I made it. Right before this run.”

  Everything he said was bizarre, but one thing stood out more than the rest.

  “You really trust Dolos to fulfill anything he promised you?” I scoffed. “Don’t be stupid, Goren.”

  Goren smirked, shaking his head. “Don’t worry. He can’t lie his way out of it. It’s a godly pact, same as the one he made with Chronos. If he breaks it, he dies.”

  I sighed, still feeling like this was too good to be true, but accepting the possibility.

  “What did you wish for?” I asked, growing hopeful. “To cancel our fight?”

  He shook his head slowly. “Impossible, unfortunately. Just like wishing to be stronger than Gaelith’s Darkness.” He took a deep breath before explaining further. “There are limits to it, Spellsword. The wishes he gave me – they had certain restrictions. If I asked for something outside those limits, he could just refuse. Simple as that.”

  Considering what we knew about Dolos and his lying nature, that made sense. In no world would he give Goren so much power over himself. And still…

  “So what did you ask for?” I asked, my heart racing.

  Goren laughed. “Well, aren’t you curious?”

  I punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Tell me already.”

  His grin widened. “I can’t.” He leaned in for a whisper. “I had to word it carefully to trick him. I’m afraid that if I reveal it to you now, he’d hear us and cancel it all.”

  I froze. “…You tricked him?”

  Goren’s smirk didn’t waver. “You’ll just have to trust me on this one. And do exactly what I say.”

  I didn’t like being kept in the dark. But if this was our way out – our only way out – I was willing to play along.

  “Fine.” I exhaled. “What do we do, then?”

  Goren’s smile became excited. “We play this run exactly how Dolos wants us to.”

  I stiffened. “What?”

  “We fight.” He crossed his arms. “To the death.”

  I stared at him, horrified. What kind of plan did he have?!

  “Come at me with everything you’ve got.” He continued. “With real intent to kill. Because I’ll be doing the same.”

  “Goren we might actually kill each other! Are you insane?”

  He shook his head, still grinning. “That’s the trick. That’s the wish. We won’t.”

  I swallowed hard. “How do you – “

  “Shhh.” He silenced me. “You just have to trust me.” His gaze locked into mine. “We have to make it convincing. Use all your skills. Don’t hold back. We need Dolos to believe it or the wish won’t work. There’s a huge prize waiting for us at the end of this run – one that will help us defeat Erebus. I planned it so we kill two birds with one stone.”

  I clenched my fists. Every instinct screamed no.

  But deep down – after everything – I did trust him.

  “Alright.” I exhaled, steadying myself. “I hope you’re right.”

  He smiled back with confidence. “I am. Don’t worry. You’ve bet on the right horse.”

  ***

  We weren’t sure when and where we were supposed to fight, so at first, we played along with the loop like usual.

  We split into our designated teams and entered the tomb.

  But the moment we stepped into the main antechamber, everything and everyone around us froze.

  I was wrong earlier - we couldn't actually try and stop Erebus this run. Our fight was set for the beginning of the quest.

  “What the hell?” I muttered, baffled.

  I waved a hand in front of Jax’s face, trying to get his attention. Nothing. He wasn’t moving. Nobody was except Goren and me.

  “Guess this is it, Spellsword.” Goren exhaled. “That’s how it begins.”

  Then, a voice – deep, resonant, and everywhere – spoke.

  “Godly Pact number one hundred seventy-four quintillion, nine hundred sixty-two quadrillion, eight hundred fifty-one trillion, six hundred thirty-seven billion, four hundred twenty-three million, two hundred eleven thousand, eight hundred and ninety-four – a battle between one Aidan Dar, representing the God of Time, Chronos, and one Goren Shein, representing the self-proclaimed God of Lies and Deception, Dolos.”

  A short silence followed, before the voice spoke again.

  “Are the parties present?”

  Goren and I exchanged glances. Who the hell was speaking?

  “I can see both parties present.” The voice continued, ignoring our confusion.

  “Hey, who the hell are you?” Goren shouted, looking around.

  The voice dismissed him entirely.

  “The Pact shall be resolved by a battle to the death, with existence on the line. The battle will commence shortly.”

  “Shortly?” Goren repeated. “Where? Why is everyone frozen? Do you just expect us to fight around them?”

  “Of course not, you fool.” The voice finally acknowledged him, sounding irritated. “You will be fighting in a pocket dimension, created by yours truly.”

  “And who are you exactly?” I asked, though I already assumed he was another divine deity.

  A pause, then the answer came.

  “I am Themis, the Arbiter of Divine Disputes, the Keeper of Sacred Balance, and the One Who Upholds the Pacts of Gods.”

  “Never heard of you…” Goren muttered, grinning as he glanced at me.

  I found myself smiling back. It was strangely reassuring – seeing him so carefree despite everything. Seeing him exactly as he always was.

  Same. But Different.

  More trustworthy.

  It made me want to believe in his plan even more.

  Themis let out a long, exhausted sigh.

  “Well, I don’t care.” He replied flatly. “I’m already too tired for the day anyway.”

  Then, suddenly, the world around us blurred.

  It felt like we were being teleported, but when our surroundings snapped back into place, we were still in the main antechamber of the tomb.

  Except now, we were alone.

  “It’s a pocket dimension.” Themis repeated, as if noticing our confusion. “A perfect replica of your world, minus the uninvolved parties. You can fight to your heart’s content, destroy everything if you wish, and none of it will affect your world.

  “The winner will be teleported back to your world.

  “The loser – as stated in the Pact – will be erased from existence. Forgotten by everyone except the victor.”

  I swallowed hard.

  I really hoped Goren knew what he was doing – that his plan would actually work.

  Goren met my gaze and nodded, smiling reassuringly.

  “So…do we just start fighting?” He asked the air, directing the question at Themis.

  “NO! Of course, not.” Themis huffed, sounding thoroughly annoyed. “What is it with you humans and your obsession with rushing straight into battle?”

  Goren rolled his eyes theatrically.

  “The rules.” Themis continued. “There are specific conditions for a duel of this nature.”

  “Rules?” I echoed.

  “Yes.” Themis confirmed. “Two rules.

  “One: You may use any and all of your skills, spells, abilities, buffs, debuffs, and weapons. No restrictions.

  “Two: You are forbidden from using any consumable in your possession. No health potions, no mana or stamina restoratives, no antidotes for ailments. This also includes explosives, enchantment scrolls, or any consumable that deals damage, applies ailments, or provides buffs or debuffs.

  “In short, you are to fight using only your own skills and weapons. That is all.”

  Goren and I exchanged glances.

  He nodded at me again, summoning his sword and pointing it forward, ready to fight.

  “Remember what I said, Spellsword.” He murmured, his expression calm. “Come at me with everything you’ve got. Trust me, and we win.”

  I took a deep breath, summoning Silverfang.

  My grip tightened around the glaive.

  “I trust you.”

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