"So, the final boss, the mastermind behind the Civilization Annihilation Game, has revealed himself in front of me. Perhaps... my sense of what's possible is still quite lacking, despite living in a world where magic exists. But then again, I still after all am a mortal.

In the face of this grim reminder of just how insignificant pitiful archetypes like we are, I suppose there's no shame in admitting that a mortal being like me is not expected to fight godly entities on a regular basis... That's supposed to be Kagaseo's business, but he's not here—defeated, apparently—and here I am, facing an entity that is supposed to be even worse and even more powerful than a god. He spoke along the lines of justifying his Civilization Annihilation Game, dismissing the victims' demise as something the victims themselves had coming: the tendency to cling to their base impulses and their inability to change for the better. However, if he's not outright evil, it is pretty clear that the Horseman doesn't care about collateral damage, since in his perspective, both gods and mortals alike are incredibly insignificant at best, or he's contemptuous at us at worst.

That part sickens me, but I am no longer the same fool back then who had nothing to lose. I have lived for the second time and experienced what it feels like to be really happy. If I openly antagonize the Horseman, what will he do to me next? I am hesitant to fight this 'First Horseman of the Apocalypse.' For all my talk about determination to change my fate... I am really at a loss as to what to do.

He also spoke about giving me an offer to ascend to the divine. In other words, becoming a god of this planet. Well, maybe you think that becoming a god is an extremely tempting prospect that every mortal soul craves. However, coming from the one who initiated the Civilization Annihilation Game himself, I'm sure that it will come with a price that I have to pay dearly. The Horseman is messing with me, I can feel it.

In the end, I neither confirmed nor denied his proposition, but as my composure waned, I started to act on impulse. I walked away. But just as the feeling of regret over my choice settled in, I was faced with a situation where what seemed to be a manifestation of what-ifs and my regrets came to life.

Ah... there are so many things I don't understand. A blessing or a curse? Which one my second life turns out to be, or will turn out to be?

"You are my shadow, Walman... you are every mistake I've made."

The glare of anger brandished by the ghost of his old friend turned into an unspeakable hatred.

"So you understand that I can't be real until you're gone!"

"You're not wrong. That's why... your ghost is finished today."

SET! FEVER!

"Having the reality that you're a cosmic plaything thrown right at your face sucks big time, but I don't have the intention to beg and return to ignorance like a coward. I will live with it, and I intend to seize victories, whatever small it is, whenever I can. That will be my rebellion.

So forgive me, Walman, you are the shadow of my past, and I will not let the past be my prison. My heart and actions are utterly unclouded. Against you, I have made my decision."

"Henshin!"

As soon as the transformation sequence initiated, Meteos' form was encased in the black Desire Basic undersuit, while the matching Zombie armor parts materialized on his flanks. And with they subsequently glided seamlessly to encase his torso and legs, Meteos Roguerider once again donned the mantle of Rogue, the armored warrior he once used to fight for his soul. Finally, the chainsaw sword signature of the form, the Zombie Breaker, materialized in Rogue's right hand.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO! YOU BASTARD! YOU DESERVE NOTHING! WHY...!? WHY THE FFFFFFFFFUCK YOU GET TO PLAY HERO NOW!?"

CTHULHU!

FREEDOM!

MANIFEST DESTINY!

With a bloodcurdling roar in the face of this defiance, Walman's burnt visage morphed into an amalgamation of mechanical and eldritch humanoid abomination.

Sizing up his adversaries, Rogue assigned the monsters in front of him internal codenames: Dreamer for Walman's ghost, Gunner for Robin's, and Blade for Nadia's. Among them, only the hulking Gunner sported obviously ranged weaponry. Memories of his hard-fought first encounter with Kagaseo resurfaced, urging him to neutralize or disarm that one first. Although facing three solo would never be a cakewalk, eliminating the bullet-blasting nuisance would grant him some respite from blindside barrages. Moreover, even if his initial gambit faltered, observing their movements, attack patterns, and vulnerabilities would open up a tactical window once Gunner's long-range strike capability was out of the equation.

Somehow, he was confident that he got this—no, more like he had to.

READY?

At least, it will be a somewhat manageable fight rather than facing the First Horseman of Apocalypse himself, right? Rogue inwardly sighed in self-deprecation.

"...What other choice do I have?"

FIGHT!

FOR... DESIRE!

In a blur of motion, Rogue slammed his right boot against the Zombie Breaker's pump mechanism, sending a surge of power to its chainsaw teeth and increasing the pressure of the poison it contained, ready to be unleashed on his opponents.

POISON CHARGE! TACTICAL BREAK!

The weapon pulsed with power as Rogue swung his weapon wide, sending the crescent-shaped slash of orange energy made of supercharged poison, engulfing the monstrous trio in an erupting pillar of flame as soon as the attack slammed. Dreamer roared defiance from within the inferno and emerged amidst the flames, unscathed but singed, while Blade and Gunner fared less well. Caught in the full brunt of the blast, the two stumbled back after being momentarily disoriented.

Sensing an opening, Rogue vaulted toward Gunner with his Zombie Breaker's teeth singing a hungry lullaby. The disoriented Gunner retaliated, its machine guns unleashing a frantic fusillade that tore at the air in the face of the charging warrior. It barely connected, however, as Rogue kept closing the distance in a heartbeat and arced his weapon in a wide horizontal sweep. But to Rogue's disappointment, apparently the jet engines adorning Gunner's back weren't mere ornaments. With a thunderous roar, the mechanical monstrosity slid backward and missed the Zombie Breaker by a hair's breadth. And then, from its regained distance, Gunner unleashed another torrent of lead that pinned Rogue down in a storm of sparks as he was forced to weave and deflect some of them with his sturdy Fever Zombie Form.

A sudden glint of blue erupted from behind. Blade tore into the fight as an alarmed Rogue spun around, bringing up his chainsaw in a clash that sprayed molten stars. Dining hall echoes snarled and amplified the clang of their dance, metal gnashing against metal in a brutal waltz of offense and parry. However, just after Rogue's vertical slice forced Blade's swords to cross, leaving them locked in a struggle, Dreamer capitalized on the opening. A thunderous dropkick subsequently slammed into Rogue's helmet sending him spiraling, followed by Blade's consecutive slashes that launched a staggering Rogue flying.

"Fuck!"

The blow sent Rogue crashing through a nearby table, splintered wood raining down like rain. In his wake, the three monsters charged after him. Every time he managed to force the monsters to defend against his moves, he would receive twice the amount of pain that he could barely parry until eventually he was cornered against a pillar by Dreamer.

"I bet you're not really my friend... aren't you!?"

Dreamer roared in response, the abomination's fists became pistons of agony that slammed into Rogue's helmet one after another, the Fever Zombie Form's enhanced durability was barely keeping him in one piece. In a desperate move, Rogue's left hand managed to break free from the hold, allowing him to reach for the Zombie Buckle and twist the Waking Key once.

HYPER ZOMBIE VICTORY!

Fueled by a surge of energy in his left-hand Berserclaw, Rogue's uppercut managed to shear him from Dreamer's trap. Each subsequent kick swirling with a purple aura then drove the eldritch abomination back, producing rippling shockwaves that momentarily dissuaded two others from joining the fray. Then, after pushing Dreamer to a considerable distance following a powerful roundhouse kick, Rogue's Zombie Breaker roared again, this time hitting the monster square in the chest. However, as Dreamer managed to roll away from Rogue, Blade somersaulted from behind and thrust its two swords against Rogue.

"Away with you—GAH!"

While he was preoccupied with Blade's agile movements, Gunner bent forward and blasted him with two large energy bullets launched from its glowing jet engines. With the searing sting of the attack ripped through his armor and black smoke curling from the impact sites, Rogue fell to his knees with ragged breath.

His current Fever form, while powerful, is barely an even match for the three monsters, and being a bulky form more suited for close combat, it is slow. There's an option to test his luck and see if the Feverslot Buckle could grant him a more suitable power.

'Nothing ventured, nothing gained, isn't it...?'

As Rogue stood up and tried his best to evade the attacks hurled his way, he also removed the Feverslot Buckle from its slot and reinserted it into the Desire Driver, hoping for the best.

SET! FEVER!

NINJA!

HIT! NINJA!

In an instant, Rogue's battered upper armor dissolved, replaced by a fresh green-colored set comprised of sleeker armor, with a prominent steel gray chestplate and neck guard, as well as red trimmings on its segmented shoulder armor. The transformed reincarnator felt lighter, but he stared at the pair of green-bladed mismatched daggers that materialized in his hands after the form change—Ninja Dueler, a bifurcated weapon capable of being combined to form a larger sword.

"Another melee-oriented form. What I'm supposed to do with this?" he wondered aloud.

Since his Zombie Breaker was still there, Rogue proceeded to hastily connect the Ninja Dueler into the single mode and decided to dual-wield it with his trusty chainsaw sword, still barely coping under the monsters' pressure. It was rather unfortunate for Rogue, since the Ninja Buckle was an equipment that craved selflessness—as in a virtue of those who are willing to put their life in line to protect the person they are sworn to protect, while Meteos Roguerider's inherent selfishness would rather see him alive if he can. As a result, instead of a tool to even the playing field, gambling away the Fever form of the one Rogue was most compatible with to this locked potential resulted in a handicap, as he wasn't able to fully bring out the Ninja Form's power.

His elemental attacks were shrugged off with ease, and even his shadow clones were quickly curbstomped by the monsters as soon as they formed. It's utterly useless. After a while, the continued inability to properly fend off the enemies greatly irked him as he searched for an opening to change form again. All Rogue could do was stumble back, again and again, as the three monsters kept the intensity of their attacks.

It was at that time that Rogue met Pestilence's gaze.

'That Horseman, what is he waiting for!?'

"Focus, Little Brother."

A parry against Blade's swing, only to be blasted away by Gunner's barrage. Then, after he stumbled to his knees again, Rogue could feel Dreamer's grip constricting his throat. The following fire magic from Dreamer's other hand, unleashed in a point-black inferno, exploded on his armor and violently launched him to the wall.

"NGAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

…………

"Mm."

Pestilence leisurely indulged in his wine even as the bout between his guest and the Gameizers he assigned to test him tore apart the once pristine luxurious dining hall. Fortunately, being a pocket dimension, the walls will never break down no matter how powerful their attacks hit them. It was rather unfortunate for young Roguerider today, as with no help from Astarte's divine love for Rogue to trigger his Dangerous Zombie Form, the mortal will never stand a chance. Unlike his first brush with divinity against Amatsu-Mikaboshi, where Meteos Roguerider had battled for a second chance at life as a soul with nothing to lose, the weight of hard-won happiness now clung to him and became an impairment for his focus. The very thought of losing the life he'd clawed back gnawed at him, subconsciously diluting his concentration no matter how the reincarnator would say otherwise.

"Pretty ironic, I must say."

Unmentioned in Pestilence's internal monologue, and perhaps conveniently so, was the fact that even the feeblest Gameizers were puppets to suppress the divinity. Mortals are not really supposed to best it from the start. NEW ORDER Ausf. L (Robin's host) and RISING Type S (Nadia) can go toe-to-toe on Amatsu-Mikaboshi's current level, while FREEDOM-3CMD (Walman) was twice as powerful as those two. When Pestilence offered him a chance to become god, he chose to walk away, and so the result spoke for itself.

In this heavily skewed match, the First Horseman was just slowly murdering the poor bastard.

Should Meteos Roguerider choose to finally ask him for godhood, however, Pestilence will grant it with totally no strings attached.

"I can wait. I am patient."

Still, Pestilence was quite optimistic about this little venture of theirs, convinced that something good was about to happen soon, one way or another.

…………

"Nggh! No good, no good at all!"

Having changed form once more, with the Feverslot Buckle giving him Magnum, Rogue was now wielding the Magnum Shooter 40X, a white gun that he used to put some distance between his opponents in conjunction with his wit to use the debris scattered around as either source for smokescreen or cover. Correspondingly, his upper armor changed again to one with white colorings and some orange trim on its shoulder pads, collar, and mouthpiece. Completing the ensemble were three magatama-like designs that adorned the upper part of Rogue's new chestplate.

Despite a change in fighting style, however, the difficulty persisted. No matter how many times his gun spat fire and unloaded carving streaks of searing pain across the monstrous trio, Rogue still felt like a lone swimmer caught in a riptide. Whenever they managed to close the distance, the Zombie Breaker would drive them away while Rogue repositioned himself. It never felt quite enough to give him a semblance of breathing room.

Just as a searing blast from Gunner's jet engines began to graze his helmet again, sending his vision flashing white, a thunderous roar boomed out of nowhere. The tremors that shuddered through the room nearly knocked him off his feet. Then, explosions. Two, almost simultaneous, ripping through the room in blinding bursts of white light.

The three monsters that had pounded at him like crazy were suddenly blown across the dining hall like scattered toys.

'What is that!?' Rogue gasped, using the lull after the sudden interruption to regain his footing and stared at an ethereal shimmering curtain-like construct, pulsating with the colors of a northern lights' aurora, that suddenly appeared and stood tall between him and the disoriented monsters. Shortly after, it receded, leaving behind two masculine figures with their backs turned on Rogue. The one wearing a green cloak was supporting the one with white garb who seemed to be struggling to stand upright.

"Halt."

Just as the three monsters recovered their footing and were about to resume the fight, a single command from Pestilence prevented them from moving even an inch.

The one in white garb slowly turned to look behind, revealing the visage of the August Star of Heaven, Kagaseo, to the reincarnator. Confusion marred the face behind Rogue's helmet at first, mingled with a hesitant spark of hope. Pestilence said earlier that he was imprisoned. But if he's now here, someone must have freed him and they chased after the enemy together, then?

"Kagaseo!"

However, as quickly as the relief came, it was replaced by a jolt of more confusion as Kagaseo flinched upon eye contact, darting his gaze away like a startled deer. While the Star God remained silent, the other man released him and gestured to Rogue who was standing behind them.

"'A hero always arrives late,' huh? What do you think?" the other man gave Kagaseo a side glance.

"........."

"Go speak to your human, I'll deal with him."

As the green-cloaked figure left Kagaseo's side and strode toward Pestilence with an air of grim determination, Rogue approached the wavering Kagaseo hesitantly. The normally imposing Star God seemed smaller, somehow, and his face was even paler than Rogue remembered.

"Kagaseo...?" Rogue's voice was softer than the clinking of debris scattered across the ravaged dining hall. "Are you... okay? What happened?"

"Roguerider..." Kagaseo lifted his gaze. "I......"

"The Horseman declared that he had you imprisoned, is that true?"

"I... have failed you all..."

"........."

"Dude, did that human just call you by your name? Do you get like, absolutely no respect at all?" a rather obnoxious-sounding voice of a young woman suddenly butted in.

"He is still shaken. Please refrain from escalating the situation," another voice, a young man this time, was heard to calmly reprimand the former.

"More unfamiliar faces..."

Rogue blurted as the owners of those voices emerged from another aurora curtain appearing behind them and walked closer.

The female one appeared as a tan-skinned person barely out of her teens, with black hair tied in the back and red eyes. A form-fitting black suit, shadowed by dark plate armor, clung to her body while her shoulders were left bare. Leather gloves reaching to her elbows and black boots subsequently completed the ensemble. Meanwhile, the young man standing beside her has short black hair that falls flat on his head and impassive blue eyes, clad in a dark overcoat with a dark blue scarf draped around his neck.

As soon as these strangers stood right in front of Rogue and Kagaseo, the woman gave them a toothy grin that brought a sense of discomfort to the mortal one among the pair.

"Henlo! How are you? I'm fine, thank you!"

"Who the he—err, who are you people?"

"I urge you two to please save any conversation for later because there are more pressing matters to settle. Until then—"

"Bro, can you just relax?"

…………

"Brother. You've come! I am so honored. I see that you also took Amatsu-Mikaboshi along."

"I hope you don't mind the company."

"Nonsense. You are all my guests here."

"Guests..."

With Pestilence and the cloaked stranger, such an exchange occurred between them. The one whom the First Horseman addressed as 'brother' has the appearance of a tall man with short brown hair, clad in a somewhat medieval look of a set of light armor underneath a tattered olive-green cloak, with a lantern burning with green flame hanging from his belt. Surveying the obliterated dining hall caused by the battle ensuing before his arrival, the man crossed his arms in the face of Pestilence's smile.

"I was waiting, Brother. Speaking of which, have you had enough of everything that you finally feel the need for a more 'hands-on approach'?"

"You can say that I'm just being polite," the man tilted his head languidly as he answered. "But you're not wrong. I have a proposal for a compromise between us."

"Interesting," Pestilence's eyebrows piqued in surprise, but he soon schooled his expression and continued, glancing at Rogue and Kagaseo. "Then, how about a wager? If the mortal and the god win against my Level 3 Gameizer, I will let you proceed, with no objection whatsoever."

Nodding in silence, the man in the cloak turned to the new arrivals in the distance and called out.

"You two! Be like that mortal and be mindful that we're in someone's universe. I don't want any collateral damage."

"Don't worry, Brother!"

The aurora curtains shimmered around them once more, separating Pestilence and his three Gameizers from each other, turning the entire ordeal into a series of one-by-one fights barring Rogue and Kagaseo, who will be transported together. As each vanished and whisked away to random locations one by one, Pestilence and the cloaked man stared into each other's eyes with measuring gazes, the world around them dissolving into bright light.

"Actually, Brother..." Pestilence spoke again after a moment of silence.

"Speak plain."

"I might have set the difficulty level for Meteos Roguerider and Amatsu-Mikaboshi a bit too high for them..."

"And?"

"It's okay if you might want to provide some kind of incentive to even the playing field," the white-haired man offered.

A wry smile flickered across the cloaked man's lips.

"Fine," he finally conceded. "I'll keep things fair."

With a curt nod, the man turned towards the shimmering aurora curtain and vanished in a shimmering light, leaving Pestilence alone.

███

~The Raging Flame~

One of the dimensions to which the combatants were sent to manifested as a tranquil riverside, with distant structures hinting at a settlement. However, one should not worry about the presence of innocent bystanders, for there are none. And then, in the azure sky above, there fell a great star from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell upon the river. The river, unable to withstand the celestial inferno, instantly evaporated into a torrent of steam, and from the boiling cauldron, slowly emerged War.

While idly mulling the words that her eldest brother had just given her before departing, the steam cloud eventually dissipated, revealing Blade, an automaton-like monster brandishing a pair of swords that glinted like hungry eyes in the midday sun.

"Huh, nice blades. Too bad I decided to leave mine at home. So... you will be my sparring partner?" War gave her silent opponent a quirk of an eyebrow as she did some light stretching of her limbs. "Abiding local rules of engagement or not, I win either way, though. So actually... all you need to do is just prepare for a lot of beating!"

War swiped a hand before her waist that left a fiery trail in its wake. The flames then condensed and took the form of the same Desire Driver that Meteos Roguerider used to transform into Rogue. After completing the gesture, the Second Horseman of the Apocalypse subsequently snatched two Raise Buckles from the holders on her sides before inserting them simultaneously into the belt's empty slots.

SET!

"Henshin," with a feral glint in her eyes, War announced the iconic line in a taunting tone.

DUAL ON!

WATCH OUT FOR... SPIDER! AND... BOOST!

"Eeeehhh...!? Talk about using a power limiter...!"

Soon after the transformation was completed, War gave a once over to get a feel for her transformed form and decided to give this alter ego an incredibly awesome name (or so she thought) of Killbus, a portmanteau of "kill" and "omnibus." Donning the crimson and onyx Spider Buckle on the right-hand slot, Killbus' upper part transformed into a menacing arachnid warrior. Spider legs, mirroring the ones crowning her helmet, crawled across her chest and shoulders, while below, the molten orange Boost armor roared in anticipation of the fight.

READY...?

FIGHT!

"But still... to celebrate the debut of this armor, let's make things showy, SHALL WE!? HERE IT COMES! YAAAAARGH!"

With blood-red visor gleaming, Killbus met Blade's charge head-on barehanded. While the enemy's two sharp swords whipped the air as they aimed at her center mass, Killbus ducked and spun on her heels, retaliating with a straight that sent Blade reeling upon impact. And not content with merely countering, Killbus leaned into the clash and brought her right leg, propelled by the Boost Buckle's power to knee her enemy in the head.

"FEROCITY!"

The power of her attacks greatly staggered Blade who struggled by the disorienting strike. It was then that Killbus locked one of its arms in a hold and forced it to drop the sword that hand was holding into the red armored warrior's hand. Using that captured weapon, Killbus subsequently parried Blade's desperate swing before retaliating by landing hits—upward diagonal, then a horizontal swing to the left, and then back—that sent the Gameizer barreling to the ground.

"VIGOR!"

Killbus strode leisurely watching the enemy tumbling helplessly before pressing on with the attack. Even though Blade managed to roll sideways to avoid Killbus' vertical slash, she twirled and hit it as soon as it got up to its legs, followed by two consecutive diagonal slashes and struck true. Blade, however, seemed determined not to succumb to defeat with single-minded intent, so after being blown away, it rolled to regain its footing and charged back at Killbus by sliding across the ground. With a cackle, Killbus swiftly adjusted her stance, bringing the captured sword down to jump and parry Blade's attack aimed at her legs.

"FURY!"

Having opened a distance with each other, both Killbus and Blade readjusted their stance and lunged at each other again, trading blows in a deadly dance but it was evident that the red arachnid was the one overpowering the other. After they locked blades for the umpteenth time, Killbus delivered a straight kick to Blade's abdomen while she snatched the other sword from its hands. However, she only used both stolen weapons together for exactly two slashes that sent Blade tumbling before she tossed the swords behind her.

"TRY TO STEP ON ME TO GET STEPPED ON!"

SPIDER STRIKE!

Activating the finisher, Killbus flicked both her wrists in Blade's direction, conjuring white webbing that lashed out and coiled around Blade's limbs like serpents of lights. Then, she proceeded to yank the webbing upward, hauling the enemy effortlessly off the ground toward Killbus' direction. While Blade was thrashing against its binds midair, Killbus' legs coiled and launched her skyward in a somersault.

In a heartbeat, her energy-charged boot violently met its jaw, sending Blade spiraling back toward the ground with an explosion and a blinding flash.

"Ooh! Hah! What a shame! No matter how many Susanoo my Brother compressed inside you, it looks like I am still the stronger one!"

Reverting back to her human form, War smugly looked on as the Gameizer was completely destroyed and two glowing spheres floated upward from its remains.

██████

~The Quiet Wind~

BLACK GENERAL! BUJIN SWORD!

Transforming into Tycoon, a black and green samurai armored warrior with a raccoon dog helmet, the Third Horseman silently pulled the katana named the Bujin from its sheath and stared at the Gameizer in front of him.

In exactly five moves, the bulky gun-toting monstrosity fell and exploded, two glowing spheres emerged from its remains and flew into the unknown.

'Loki's power is wasted on this kind of creation...' he thought, as he transformed back into his human form and looked at the falling snow that filled this dimension.

Famine wasn't exactly a Horseman of words. He's not as eloquent and confident as his youngest sibling Pestilence nor as imposing as Death. In fact, among his siblings, he was often the quiet one. Even though his love for his siblings ran deep, since Pestilence and Death often wander off doing their own things alone, Famine often spent the time traveling with his fellow middle sibling, the boisterous War.

Once, a long time ago, Pestilence and Death had an argument in which Famine and War decided to be fence-sitters for the moment: "How to bring forth happiness to all creation."

In short, the two siblings disagreed over each other's methods and decided to just "agree to disagree" before proceeding to prove their own points. While Pestilence envisioned the Civilization Annihilation Game as a crucible, purging the hedonistic gods he deemed the root of suffering through Armageddon after Armageddon, Death balked. True, the Game could cull divine ranks with chilling efficiency, but mortals also perished in droves, and even benevolent deities fell victim to the indiscriminate collateral damage. Pestilence, seeing mortals as mere reflections of their flawed creators, held no concern for their demise. "Unhinged gods," he reasoned, "create unhinged creations." Thus, his logic dictated that anything associated with these unwanted deities deserved annihilation. However, Pestilence's attitude towards the deities whose domain he disrupted beyond necessary raised a question: was he truly indifferent to their ire?

Even without Pestilence's disregard, however, Death, who had espoused the existence's capacity for change, opposed his purge.

Though the two of them champion their own beliefs, their love for each other remains unbreakable. Never does Pestilence brand Death, who is concerned by the game's devastating toll, with 'softness' or 'weakness,' a balm to Famine's being. Even Death, as evidenced by the case revolving around the young Amatsu-Mikaboshi, considered some of Pestilence's less extreme points and permitted the purging of gods who forfeit themselves to the Civilization Annihilation Game as long as no mortal died needlessly.

However, it seemed that this argument of theirs had started to take another turn, one that Famine wouldn't miss for a chance for his siblings to be together again for the first time in a long time.

Rogue & Kagaseo

~The Two Rising Stars~

Rogue, Meteos Roguerider's transformed form, stumbled out of the aurora curtain into a grimy scenery. Dust motes danced in the fractured beams of sunlight that speared through the ceiling of a gargantuan, abandoned warehouse. Meanwhile, beside him, Kagaseo stood silently with a downcast look.

"Hey," Rogue called out to gauge the Star God's response. "We can talk about it later if you want..."

Kagaseo let out a long, drawn-out sigh and closed his eyes. Liked it or not, the Star God told himself that he needed to snap out of it. Their tense silence was shattered by a discordant clang that tore through the warehouse. In the shadows, the silhouette of Dreamer, the last remaining Gameizer, was marching toward them with an obviously malevolent intent.

"Yeah, later. It'll be a long talk, though..." he remarked, reopening his eyes to look at Rogue.

"You obviously needed one."

"Hm."

"I hope you two don't mind my interruption."

The cloaked man from earlier strode out of the aurora curtain that appeared to their right and walked, stopping in front of Rogue and Kagaseo to face the Gameizer.

"Death..." Kagaseo murmured.

"Death? Is this man..."

"Correct," the brunette Horseman gave a glance over his shoulder to address Rogue. "Pestilence is my younger sibling. So do the boy and girl you've encountered earlier, Famine and War, respectively."

"Roguerider... to tell you the truth... since the Four Horsemen's power transcends even gods, Death is the one who gave me means to empower me and peer through time... therefore enabling me to pick your soul and send it back in time. I was never a strong enough god to do all that."

Greatly shocked by the revelation, Rogue couldn't formulate words in response.

"And you're getting ahead of yourself, Amatsu-Mikaboshi," Death remarked. "You could have handled things better."

"But... I just couldn't—"

"Astarte, yes, I know. But no matter, since I'm here with a proposition, I will make sure that you two survive this fight. However, I will not give any more assistance beyond necessary. It will be up to you two."

With those words, Death fully turned to Rogue and Kagaseo. The monster standing across them stood by, having been ordered by Pestilence not to interrupt until they were ready.

"Meteos and Kagaseo, what is it that you desire?"

"...Do you even need to ask?"

"I share Star God Kagaseo's wish."

Death smirked and raised his hand.

"Then it shall be."

A jolt of electricity surged through Rogue's arm as a white Raise Buckle materialized upon his right wrist. On the other side, Kagaseo felt a weight around his waist as a black Driver resembling Rogue's appeared with pale green particles. In the nexus of the device, the visage of a white fox over a red background stared back at him. The same device also materialized on Death's own waist along with a blue and black Raise Buckle as part of his agreement with Pestilence. After Death separated it into two parts, the Raise Buckle announced loudly to the world.

CROSS GEATS!

"A Desire Driver?" the Star God wondered in confusion.

"Meteos, a mortal like you will need every edge to stand against a force equivalent to gods," the Horseman explained. "As for you, Kagaseo. I'm giving you a chance to start over. Experience what it feels like to fight with a mortal side by side and use that wisdom you are presently lacking to reaffirm your bond with others. Only then you will get to envision your ideal world."

At those words, the confusion in the Star God's eyes was replaced by a flicker of understanding. He previously thought that he knew what he was doing, but now that it has come this way, there is no shame in admitting that he actually doesn't fully grasp either Death or Pestilence's machinations. This chance, however, unorthodox, might be the very catalyst he needs.

BLACK OUT! REVOLVE ON!

SET...! WARNING!

SET!

"...In that case, then I accept," he declared.

And so, with a dramatic finger snap from Death, the three readied themselves.

"Henshin!"

DARKNESS BOOST! CROSS GEATS!

GROOOOOOOOWL! CRUSH OUT! DANGEROUS...! ZOM~BIEEEE!

DUAL ON! GET READY FOR... BOOST! AND... MAGNUM!

Both the armors materializing for the untransformed Death and Kagaseo bore the motif of foxes. Kagaseo was transformed into Geats, a form most compatible with Magnum which invoked a white spirit fox. XGeats (read: Cross Geats), on the other hand, is his cross fox-themed counterpart, being a dark nine-tailed fox clad in a sinister armor evoking the feel of a scavenged machine held together by exposed wires and restraints. In XGeats' hands were a pair of similarly-colored weapons: the Cross Raising Sword and the sword-gun hybrid Cross Geats Buster XQB9 in its Blade Mode.

READY...?

FIGHT!

As if on cue, the air inside the warehouse shuddered as a roaring Dreamer conjured a torrent of fireballs that blazed a fiery path toward the three warriors. Reacting first, XGeats pulled his sword-gun's charger and aimed it to meet the inferno head-on. Each fireball that met the energy bullets of his weapon detonated in a miniature eruption in a dazzling display of marksmanship.

"Now's our chance, Roguerider!"

"You got it!"

When the fire subsided, XGeats silently stepped back to let Rogue and Geats charge at the monster that was momentarily thrown off by the transformed Horseman's counterattack. Despite the disorienting sensation, Dreamer managed to duck to avoid Rogue's Zombie Breaker swipe and deflected Geats' Magnum Shooter 40X that was trying to shoot at it at point-blank range.

The two then became a whirlwind of fury against Dreamer. The white fox moved with grace and ferocity, his gun barking with each pull of the trigger, bullets finding purchase on Dreamer's armored hide. The ashen dragon wielded his chainsaw sword with the strength of a berserker, each clang against Dreamer's claws echoing through the warehouse. Though momentarily flustered by the coordinated assault, Dreamer roared back and spun, catching Rogue's sword arm in a hold and choking his throat.

However, Geats came in leaping from the side and reached for Rogue's weapon, pushing the pump action and charging the weapon before freeing Rogue from Dreamer's grip.

POISON CHARGE!

"Gah!"

TACTICAL BREAK!

BULLET CHARGE!

Freed from the chokehold, Rogue wasted no time in swinging his weapon again, this time managing to send Dreamer rolling on the dusty ground together with Geats' charged blast.

Rogue gasped in realization. "I never felt this powerful in our fight before, where is this power coming from...?"

"Doesn't matter. We're going to crush the enemy and pave the way to what our desires can bring. Isn't that right?"

"Don't you see? Both mortals and gods are empowered by their desires for happiness as long as they can change. It's all you," XGeats who watched from the sidelines called out.

"Ah, I see. That's our desire!!"

RIFLE!

CHARGE! TACTICAL SHOOT!

While Dreamer was still down, Geats crouched and transformed his weapon into Rifle Mode to unleash a thick red laser, engulfing the Gameizer in a massive pillar of flame. After the dust settled from the bombardment, Dreamer let out a deafening screech with the very air around it starting to crackle with an ominous crimson energy. Its red eyes glowed intensely, unleashing a wave of malevolent magic that pulsed with the raw power of reality itself.

But before the warped energy could even be ready to be unleashed, it all suddenly turned to dust as XGeats marched from beside the monster and wiggled his finger playfully.

"Sorry, friend, but the power of beings like us transcend even someone like you... HAAH!"

The black nine-tailed fox subsequently launched Dreamer into the air via a double upwards diagonal slash and while the monster was flailing midair, XGeats jumped high and brought his heel slamming Dreamer back to the ground. For an added measure, XGeats pulled his sword-gun's hammer once and double-tapped the downed monster before it got up again.

"Go."

It was a cue to wrap the fight. And so, after nodding to themselves, Rogue and Geats proceeded to activate the functions of their respective Drivers. First, Geats twisted the handle of his Boost Buckle once.

BOOST TIME!

As the triumphant standby loop sounded and they both jumped high into the air, Rogue, with his six black wings, and Geats, descending and emitting plumes of fire from his armor's exhaust nozzles like a falling star, unleashed their strongest attacks at the enemy. Even then, Dreamer still intended to resist by charging its fist with mortal suffering to meet the two warriors.

Their combined finishers met Dreamer's defense head-on.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!"

DANGEROUS... DEADLY SEVEN... STRIKE!

BOOST! GRAND VICTORY!

Their resolve, forged in the fires of desires, burned brighter than even the fury of the Gameizer. After overpowering Dreamer's punch, obliterating its fist into dust, their heels found their mark in its chest as they tore through Dreamer's defenses like comets through cosmic dust. The grotesque armor shattered, unable to withstand the combined might of the mortal and the deity. Dreamer's very form rapidly unraveled, disintegrating into motes of light that shot in every direction along with the massive explosion that followed.

And then, silence. From the remains of Dreamer that quickly dissolved to particles, three glowing spheres shot upward just like its fellow Gameizers.

"Crap!" Geats yelped as the Boost Buckle ejected from his Driver and flew around before it was gone from sight. Unfortunately, activating Boost Time finisher causes the buckle to do that, requiring anyone wanted to use it to find it.

"W-what about Walman? And the others? They..."

"Nothing. Pestilence lied to you. They are just replicas of your acquaintances from the first timeline."

"So they are not souls?"

"Yeah."

"...Motherfucker," Rogue cursed, but his heart was lighter with a sense of relief. "But what are those lights?" he wondered, witnessing the strange sight.

"That must be the cores of power that Pestilence uses to build those monsters," Geats explained.

"That's spot on."

XGeats walked closer to inspect the charred crater the duo had just made.

"My brother calls them Gameizers, and they are made by compressing many versions of the same existence, which can be anything from gods to something abstract such as a concept, into one physical body. They can be very powerful, way more powerful than what you could possibly imagine."

"Tch..." the white fox Rider made a face underneath his helmet, recalling his encounter against them, having to fight the two of them at the same time. It hurt his feelings even more as that first encounter was where Astarte whom he had cared for so much was taken away from him.

"What now!?" he snapped. "Don't you dare tell me that you all are here just for a little sparring match!?"

"Of course not," XGeats rested one of his swords on his shoulder. "By winning, you two had allowed me a victory in a wager against my brother. So from now on, we are doing the third option that I proposed for this whole thing."

Rogue shook his head in frustration and approached the black fox. "Can you just cut to the chase? Third option? What does all this mean!?"

"I know you two will have so many questions. But let me do my thing first, and then there will be no doubts," XGeats answered, unfazed by the mortal's defiance.

Rogue's helmet hid Meteos' contorted expression, but eventually he decided to relent and stepped backward.

"Promise."

"Mm-hmm."

"So, what will you do?"

In response, XGeats tapped the lever on his Raise Buckle's right-hand side twice, engulfing him in intensifying black particles forming a swirling vortex around him as the frantic chiming of bells echoed as part of the device's standby.

DARKNESS BOOST TIME!

"I am ending this timeline," XGeats suddenly declared, rising effortlessly toward the ceiling of the warehouse and hovering high, his cape glowed and parted in nine directions.

Both his companions were utterly shocked and couldn't believe what the Horseman had just said.

"WHAT!?"

"Wait a second! This is not right!"

CROSS GEATS VICTORY!

XGeats spread his limbs wide, and the vortex around him erupted in a blinding flash of light, the shockwave rolling outwards like a supernova that engulfed everything.

Within seconds, the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse erased this universe from existence.

August 15, 1615 Central Calendar, 08:00

Leiden, Enysfal Province, Holy Milishial Empire

The salty tang of the harbor mist danced around a certain teenager's silver hair as he perched on the weather-beaten bench. Summertime sun, already climbing in the clear sky, glinted off the rippling waves of the Leiden harbor, turning them into an endless mosaic of sapphire and emerald. But Meteos Roguerider, only turning fifteen years old two days ago, paid them little mind with his cerulean blue gaze, fixing them on the hazy horizon, where the sea met the sky in a smudged line of promise.

In his hand was an object depicting the stylized head of a horned crocodile, something that he had become increasingly familiar with, one of the several that were also here.

His reverie was interrupted by a rustling of footwear approaching the bench, revealing the presence of three familiar faces as soon as he turned his head to look.

"Oh, it's you three."

"Hello again, what are you up to in this place so early in this morning?"

A girl who wore her blonde locks in a ponytail greeted him first. At her side, a step or two behind, walked a short-haired boy with sun-kissed tresses. His smile, as genuine as the azure sky, unfolded when his gaze fell upon the silver-haired youth.

"Just thinking about something," Meteos spoke languidly.

Raising an eyebrow, the girl replied. "But you are always thinking about something."

"Exactly. I just need... a larger space this time, I guess?"

"Mm-hmm."

"By the way, Meteos. Today's morning newspaper has a headline that might interest you."

"Hm?"

"Here."

Handing Meteos a folded newspaper, the third new arrival finally unsealed his lips and spoke in a calm tone of voice. The youth, two years older than the rest, possesses the same color of eyes and hair as Meteos, of which his shoulder-length locks were tamed in a half ponytail.

"...the commissioning ceremony of the Kingdom of Mu's second La Galigo-class battlecruiser in Mykal... christened La Dohade..."

"What's a 'battle cruiser' again?" the girl interrupted Meteos' recitation.

"That's what the Muish call their newest and unusually large armored cruiser, Elto," the blonde boy answered. "For propaganda purposes, I suppose, connecting them with the kinds of battleship. Didn't Meteos once say that it will be lightly armored, right?"

"Yes, Kaios is right. But it's still a very strong warship compared to the others in the Second Civilization Area."

"Oh. Okay."

After skimming the rest of the headline, Meteos grinned at the other silver-haired boy.

"Well, this is interesting indeed."

"Ain't it?"

According to what report that the Milishian intelligence gathered, this new ship was supposed to be a slightly modified La Galigo. Outwardly they were similar, with a length of around 170 meters and a beam of 24 meters, their silhouettes bristling with twelve 305-millimeter guns in twin turrets and complemented by sixteen single 102-millimeter guns. However, this new ship was reported to have shed the torpedo tubes of her predecessor, and in a groundbreaking move, ditched the VTE powerplant for Muish-engineered steam turbines, the first of their kind in the fleet. This technological leap promised a blistering 25 knots, leaving the La Dohade in a league of its own among the Second Civilization naval power.

"...I just hope that it will not explode again," Meteos suddenly blurted with narrowed eyes.

"Uh... let's hope not," the blonde boy stammered.

Kaios van Deventer had also read about that news, where the state-of-the-art Muish 'battlecruiser' La Galigo, first unveiled to the world in the 1614 Eleven Countries Leadership Conference after a very brief construction period, sank in her moorings in Otaheit three weeks after returning home due to a magazine explosion. The second ship's construction was already underway when the accident happened, and as a consequence, the planned third ship of the class was canceled because for some strange reason the budget was decided to be funneled to the work on refloating the La Galigo and Mu reverted to the more traditional armored cruiser designs for the future. In the first place, Meteos said that the primary reason they built that ship was because Mu's leadership was too panicked seeing the Holy Empire's impossibly rapid advancements and feared that if left unchecked, they would become even more vicious in undercutting Muish economy using their magic technology.

Oh, and the Magicaraich Community's three Milishial-made 'protected cruisers' must have had a factor, too. The Holy Empire only built the hull and machinery, however, as the countries that purchased the ship were forced to equip it with their own offensive weapons. Therefore, in the future when the Holy Empire greenlighted his homeland Parpaldia and Altaras to purchase those export designs, their armament will be different from each other.

For Kaios, who was moving to this country with his friend Elto van Dalsen and some other foreigners under the auspices of the Foundation that sponsored their education, he was gradually becoming familiar with the Rogueriders' individual quirks. However, their youngest son Meteos' bluntness, often bordering on heartless, continued to be a jolting experience.

Elto, more used to the boy's offbeat nature, gave him an amused glance. "See you at the villa, then," she waved.

With that, they departed, disappearing into the bustling haze of harbor alleys and leaving Meteos and the other silver-haired youth in the solitude of the weathered bench. An unexpected quietness descended, punctuated only by the rhythmic slap of waves against the pier.

After a while, Meteos let out a sigh.

"And so... the world has reforged anew..."

"I'm sorry... for involving you... for everything..."

"It's strange, isn't it? That even gods, when they think they are the owners of their fate, can be so caught off guard when things turn out to be so radically different?"

"This all happened because of my choices while believing such things. In the end, Death is right, I never stopped overestimating myself... Meteos, I'm—"

"You know, I'm really done thinking too much about it. I don't know how much a mortal's opinion weighs on the likes of you, but my experience tells me to not dwell in the past so much that it becomes your prison, especially when you get a second chance that not everyone has the luxury to enjoy."

"Ah... I suppose there's wisdom in that," the young man nodded hesitantly. "Besides, Death has made me walk this world as a mortal before I regained my godhood upon leaving this mortal coil, so whether I want it or not, I will learn your people's ways eventually."

"That's good, then. Make sure that you pass the lesson with flying colors so you will become the most credible god out there, Ace."

Ace, the name of the other man, brought his hands on his hips with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait a second, aren't you supposed to address your older brother with honorifics?"

"Bah, cut me some slack, he's not here right now to constantly scold us..."

"But what if he appears? Like at present?"

"That's highly—"

"That's VERY likely. And now I'm here."

With Ace's scowl mirroring his own, Meteos turned around to see that behind the bench, the face belonging to the First Horseman of the Apocalypse—the Executive Producer of the Civilization Annihilation Game—that invoked a feeling of familiarity. Meteos felt and knew that he had just met him and the other Horsemen moments ago, but his memories of this world insisted that like Ace, they were always a part of his entire life.

"Dammit! Can you please NOT do that?"

"No."

"........."

That's right, when Death forcibly ended the Meteos Roguerider's second timeline, he also created a third timeline as part of his idea to bridge his and Pestilence's arguments regarding 'happiness.' Yes, everything that has been affecting the gods and mortals, including the Civilization Annihilation Game, stemmed from this question:

"How to bring forth happiness to all creation?"

In the end, what Death proposed was basically a sort of ceasefire between the two sides by forcing them all to live in this world as mortals of Ars Goetia for a lifetime, to see how the direction of this idea will bring them, to see if there's anything they can learn by allowing themselves to really 'care' until the time comes for their mortal bodies to leave this plane of existence. The same goes for Kagaseo, who was now Ace Roguerider, Meteos' youngest older brother.

"What do you want?"

The man with Pestilence's devilishly handsome face, Legiel Roguerider, smiled and produced a bundle of papers from inside his white jacket.

Reading the title aloud, Meteos scrunched up his eyebrows. "Desire Grand Prix...?"

"That's right. I have completed a draft for a proposal which, depending on the results of this world, will be implemented as a reformatted Civilization Annihilation Game. Since I am required to weigh your kind's perspectives, I hope you can give me some input."

"...Why?"

"Why, Little Brother. Everything I do is to bring happiness to all creation. It's stupid to completely disband the Civilization Annihilation Game when I can harness its established structure to be more efficient and widespread. Speaking of which, my offer to you still stands, Little Brother. And now, you have a lifetime to seriously think about it."

"I... I think I'm going to be very sick thinking of all that."

Now that he's also here, Pestilence honored Death's demands and decided to put certain programs of the Civilization Annihilation Game on hold, Audience be damned, and delegated the leadership to his Assistant Producer, Shamash. However, Death also agreed to let the Game's main agenda's upcoming season take place as a 'test,' apparently. Depending on this timeline's results on Pestilence's assessment, it could be the Game's final season as the "Civilization Annihilation Game."

"You would do all that? Just like that?" Ace scowled.

"I'm a Horseman. What are you getting at?" Legiel retorted.

"...Fair enough."

"Alright... I and Ace—"

"Brother Ace," Legiel interrupted Meteos.

"Brother Ace. We will give it a read."

"That's delightful! Oh, before I forget," Legiel added. "Mother was craving some of those sweet mangoes from the market this morning. Don't forget to pick some up on your way back to the villa, would you?"

Ace's jaw clenched. "Why can't you handle it yourself?"

"Too bad, Brother, I have some kind of business that requires my undivided attention," Legiel winked and swung onto his white autobike. With a final flourish, he peeled away, leaving a trail of dust and a bewildered silence in his wake.

"Asshole."

Meteos, however, couldn't help but crack an ironic smile. "So, now he can't force an apocalypse onto us, he resorts to trolling?"

"Probably. You know what, let's just get this over with."

Without him knowing it, Ace reached and ruffled Meteos' soft hair in a rather affectionate way.

"Ah—m-my bad," Ace quickly pulled his hand away after realizing what he'd done.

"It's okay. We're now brothers, aren't we?"

"........."

Meteos tucked the Desire Grand Prix proposal under his arm and stood, brushing off some imaginary dust from his trousers, and offered Ace a sardonic smile.

"Let's go, then?"

Ace, still grappling with the strange tenderness that had prompted him to ruffle his younger brother's hair, nodded curtly. He rose, brushing a hand over his own wind-tousled mane, and together they turned away from the sun-dappled harbor.

❖⟐❖⟐❖

Once the sole scion of the Roguerider family, Meteos finds himself in this world surrounded by siblings. No longer an only child, nor destined for the eldest brother's privilege, he now shares his blood with the Four Horsemen and the August Star of Heaven who walk this third timeline as his silver-haired and blue-eyed siblings.

Death, the oldest Horseman, is now Adonis Roguerider, born in 1596 CC as the first child of the couple and at present a Mage. At five, he basically did everything that Meteos did, GP designs and all, in the second timeline until in 1609 CC, he caught the Ministry of Ancient Sorcerous Empire Countermeasures' attention by inventing the conductive magnetic radar on his own. Interested in his talent, the Ancient Ministry and Magister Sorath the Illuminator assigned Lady Tikal, Robin's mentor and superior within the Order of the Ancients, to become his supervisor and mentor, placing Adonis under the same wing as Robin, Arthur, and Daguva. In addition, he also shares his name with Lieutenant Commander Adonis, Count Benedict Legendorga's first son. He also has a pale green car as his "horse" with a license plate that reads "BUH*BYE."

Two years after birthing Adonis, in 1598 CC, Meteora was pregnant with her first set of quadruplets, of which the rest of the Horsemen and Kagaseo's mortal alter egos entered the picture. Famine was given the name Cyrus Roguerider, a quiet but kind older brother who is close to the third timeline's Meteos; War is now Ashera Roguerider, blunt, boisterous, and likes to fight, quickly becomes Robin and sometimes Daguva's partner-in-crime; Pestilence is Legiel Roguerider, the token evil sibling who is a bit creepy, but also someone with a very effective silver tongue; and lastly, Kagaseo's alter ego, Ace Roguerider, Meteos' closest older brother. Each of them possesses an autobike colored after their horses except for Ace, who rides an orange Trychaser model. Legiel's autobike has a license plate that reads "SIKN TRD," speaking of which.

That makes Meteora's current pregnancy her second one with quadruplets.

Meteos' own history until this timeline's 1615 CC was quite similar to that of the second timeline, in that he produced something that attracted the MOASEC's attention and eventually became Robin's apprentice along with Walman. Only the details are different, such as now that he has a much smoother path thanks to his expanded connections and instead of inventing the conductive magnetic radar, Meteos is the one who perfected the Holy Empire's first cruise missile and instead of devising the Desire Driver MR, the Third-Generation Manadriver, Meteos creates the first Fourth-Generation Manadriver called the X Deviser. In addition, the event where he revealed his future memories and used the Temple of Heaven on several members of the Order still happened, with several changes.

Surprisingly, as the only 'good' deity left in Ars Goetia, Astarte also received the same treatment as Kagaseo. Born as Guinevere Pendragon, the Good Duke's eldest daughter and thus Annette's older sister, she and Ace were dating for quite some time in this timeline until an accident happened and Guinevere was rendered comatose, unfortunately mirroring her condition prior to the start of the third timeline. Having Pestilence's incarnation sharing the same dining table as him must have been very unbearable for Kagaseo, making Ace's incredible irritation whenever Legiel appears to be a total understatement.

Because of the Horsemen and Kagaseo's existence, the advancements happening in the second timeline's Holy Empire were happening in this world four years earlier and on a scale as if there were six Meteos existing at the same time. Ongoing projects such as the U-boat have already been developed years ago, and the ones that took their second timeline counterparts are either the further evolution of those technologies or a new technology altogether.

Worldwide events of the second timeline are still happening, albeit with the difference in context. Naturally, a change this great also has far-reaching changes on the world beyond the Middle Lands, but for the more actively enforced changes by Meteos' new siblings, there's the Roguerider Foundation established after Adonis helped Roderick's company to rapidly expand. One of the Foundation's activities included but was not limited to reaching out to people abroad, primarily targeting Persons of Interest in history to bring them to the Rogueriders' side. This is the reason why future Parpaldian officials such as Kaios and Elto are here in Leiden, being the first among the many.

The Foundation is also keeping an eye on the growth of future individuals such as Cassius Artorius Ludius (future Emperor of Parpaldia, the man himself), Kyrie de Ruyter (Remille with a changed backstory behind her name, apparently), and Khalid el Masnoor (Lumies' older brother who in the past timeline died a young teenager due to illness), to name a few.

Want to hear someone unexpected? Well, future Hark Louria XXXIV, the poor schmuck who ended up incarcerated by the Japanese in the first timeline due to his poor life decisions is also here, being a testament to just how far the Horsemen pushed their capabilities as mortals. He's fifteen, fast friends with Kaios and Walman, and here he goes by the name Gabriel van Helsing.

Meteos betted that the young Lourian prince would be more popular by that name than his actual birth name, "Hark."

Despite being born into a very different world, though, Meteos' mind seamlessly integrated with this third timeline without problems thanks to Death's power. But since the appearance of random entities now that the Civilization Annihilation Game is still active, merely taken over 'temporarily' by Shamash the Deceiver, he will still strive to fulfill the reason he's reborn, because, after all, he is born in this world.

'Welcome to my world...'