From the moment I could set my sight on what was happening that I couldn’t believe it.

I had seen that enormous axe before. Its sight made my body shriek, and my will to shrink into nothingness, without ever wanting to be found.

The enemy ruthlessness had scarred my mind, the swift death the wolf man gave me.

‘Why is he here?’ I questioned myself in my mind, knowing fully well of the answer to that. Yet, it bothered me to the point of no return. In a way for not remembering his appearance in the lord realm from my last loop.

‘Did he really come all the way here?’ My eyes followed Astal’s movements and the way they cut his foes. The mastery, experience, and mental fortitude all of it transpired the way he and his sword moved as one.

‘His using such a thin weapon,’ the sword he used inside the training ground had been distinct. Larger and more durable, it looked like it could bring forth more harm than that one.

Yet, I could tell that the way he pierced our enemies in accurate spots also meant something. In fact, I had done acupuncture with my grandmother.

She taught me about all the chakra points, and if one were to damage them severely, the damage would be irreversible. Watching him from afar made me wonder what it would be like if I could mix such an art with the swordsmanship he seemed willing to teach me.

‘He’s strong, but they don’t look weak either,’ I joined my hands in one another, praying for his victory. I didn’t want him to lose. If he died, the odds were that his foes, my enemies, would get their way with me.

‘Please god tree, keep him safe,’ I yielded at my pain, forsaking my traumas with a sincere and wholeheartedly prayer. There was nothing more to do than watch how everything unfolded, wishing for the wolf clan to lose.

It didn’t take long for Astal to take down the first ones. I smiled at that. Somehow, I felt content with their deaths.

“Please kill them,” I conceded at the temptation of shouting my inner wish, one forged from the need to revenge my most recent death. The orange in my eyes spoke of determination, blended with another flavour: fear. Their intensity trembled upon the leader of the wolves walking towards Astal, leaving the rest behind him. Most leaders would exhaust his forces first, and cautious ones would run after losing their men.

But not this one. This creature didn’t hesitate. His crimson, bloodthirsty eyes spoke of evilness and cruelty. His muscles showed signs of physical strength and fortitude. And the axe between his furry hands declared death.

I was too far to hear them, even with my enhanced hearing, but I could tell they spoke with one another.

‘Are they talking about me?’ My body trembled, and my heart grew anxious.

‘Would he give me to them?’ I placed my hands on top of my arms, shaking in fear.

‘I’m just a guest after all... no one would risk their life for that... right?’ My doubts increased, growing excessively inside of me. The beating of my heart and my breathing speed became faster. The surrounding coldness also didn’t help. But I remained there, without running, despite wanting to.

There was a well-dressed man behind Astal, and similarly others around the buildings.

‘Why doesn’t anyone help him?’ I noticed the weapons in their hands, all of them appeared to be swords. Yet, none took a step to aid him. He who had to fight against so many.

I gripped my hands, thinking that if they don’t go that I will. And I would have, if cowardice didn’t fill my heart. It was too soon to stand against that enormous axe in the creature's hands. Far too ruthless for me to stand a chance, and too inexperienced to face that eerie smile where sharp fangs awaited.

‘Move legs move!’ I shouted at myself as they trembled, but not only did they not obey me, they cowered further with the leader's roar that shook the surroundings.

Instinctively, as the prey that I was, my eyes caught the source of it, noticing a strange aura, and the motion of the enemy's body becoming larger.

‘What in the world!?’ Its veins popped, the muscles enlarged, and his grip became sturdier. He looked fierce, way more ferocious than I had initially taken him for.

This time around, I heard his shout, one that told his underlings to encircle Astal. At the same time, the human took a stance, readying himself for the brutality of such savagery and tactics.

And the moment they moved in from all sides, I saw it then. Like fireflies illuminating the surrounding night, they glimmered, and his sword travelled from foe to foe at a fast speed. Their weapons and heads flying, a swifter death than the one their leader had given me.

But then Astal lifted his head, and his gaze reached the enemy who held firm behind the grand axe which didn’t break. An evil grin hidden beneath, and my sight caught Astal expression, that great man accepting the end of his life.

And then the night became darker, and in the corner of my eye I saw a familiar sword. Blood consumed its blackness, and the golden chimes danced and rang.

The prominent leader fell onto his knees, and further behind him, Keru approached slowly. Astal allowed his body to fall flat on the greenery, taking a long breath from his tired body.

I shed tears as I approached them, feeling relieved. And once I got to them, words escaped my mouth, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Astal, being who he was, smirked and added cheekily, “you forgot my lord.”

Keru laughed at such a prideful remark, and I giggled at them.

A man in black approached us, picking up the sword he had lent to his master.

“It was a great fight,” he and the other butlers clapped in unison.

“Their leader was a soldier. It seems they wanted my life.” The men looked at Keru, believing his words.

I clenched my hand, and brought forth some courage, shouting, “no!”

Everyone looked at me confused with dumbfounded expressions.

“They’re here for me, but... I don’t know why,” I lowered my head, leaning my ears to the front like puppies do when they do something wrong or scolded by their owners.

Keru looked into the nothingness, remembering his travels and the things he heard during them, “could it be due to the recent war, between the foxes and the grey wolf clan?”

“That would be a valid excuse to hunt whoever survived, but...” Astal’s eyes focused on me, looking from the top to the bottom of my body.

“It’s weird. Why would they go all the way to human territory for this kid?”

I noticed Afonso coughing twice, before adding his share of knowledge, “we know them for their ruthlessness, and also for eating the corpses of their enemies.”

Astral muttered a little moan, shrugging his shoulders. Then he got up and headed towards the mansion, leaving us behind without uttering a word.

“I’ll be heading off as well,” he placed his hand on my head, patting it softly before departing.

“Keru? Where are you going?” I asked, unwilling to let him go, he who had saved me so many times, and the person who decided to trust me despite the possibility of suspicion. After all, I never gave him a good reason for him to rescue me.

As he was about to reply, the chimes rang, causing him to remove the impaled sword from the corpse. Thus, he moved closer to the enemy and pulled it out, spraying blood on the surrounding greenery.

“Yuki...”

My ears twitched at the soft way he called for me, receiving my full attention, “yes Keru?”

“A bit more than two decades ago, I came into this world at the orders of a deity. She shone in tones of golden and had wings on her back. Even now, I’m not too knowledgeable about her ways.”

I nodded in agreement, feeling initially surprised at the way he mentioned a divinity. Something inside of me wanted it to be the god tree, but it wasn’t, and while that didn’t sadden me, it still left a hole.

“Anyway, in other words, I’m a reincarnated person that holds the memories of my past life, from the time I lived in technological Asia.”

I opened my mouth without being able to resist the shock within me.

“This to say, that I’m racing against time. The different races of this world seek world domination, and I’m trying to find a way to stop them from the brink of destruction.”

His finger scratched his right cheek, showing me of a burden too large to talk about, and the unease that made him slightly tremble. It felt like he was the protagonist; the person meant to carry the world on his shoulders.

“Wasn’t the red fox clan destroyed?” I muttered sadly, reminded of him mentioning war and annihilation.

His head swayed to the sides, negating my statement, “they lost the most recent war against the wolf grey clan, but that didn’t bring upon their full extinction.”

Surprisingly, I exhaled in relief at those words. As if my race meant something to me. It supposedly didn’t, and yet, something made me have emotions for them alongside an unnatural reaction.

“That angel... was it the one who gave you the sword?” I stole a glance at it, at its obsidian self that no longer had blood splattered throughout the line of the blade.

“Yes. To be fair, it wasn’t the only thing she gave me, but this sword is the only thing that actually helps me,” he patted it with a kind smile, possibly having a thousand memories with it.

‘Not the only thing?’ I wondered quietly. Compared to my past lives, I had gained a lot of information this time around. Things had become a tad clearer, but at the same time, more questions also surfaced.

There were too many unique entities to figure out. If there was anything good about the time loop, was that I could learn more and more.

Keru had his own deity, whom he seemed willing to follow. In his case, it even sounded like he had accepted to help the angel, without being forced like me. At that, I felt a bit of jealousy, but I didn’t find it in me to meddle.

I already had too much on my hands. One being to ensure my own survival till he came back for me in five years.

“I’ll come back to fetch you once I’m done. We can go around the world gathering more allies when that happens,” he patted my head once again, treating me like a little sister. His expression had pure kindness on it, and I was thankful for it, to the point of smiling back at him.

“Have a safe travel, Keru, and thank you for saving me!”

“Even if you don’t do anything in here, I’ll still take you with me, so don’t worry too much,” he turned around, and his feet took him away from my sight.

I bowed towards his back, filled with gratitude.

“May we meet again, my friend,” I whispered, eventually returning to the mansion alongside Afonso who awaited behind me.