"…Just as I thought. I’m back here."
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the middle of the room where the pack of Bugbears spawned.
Time must have rewound to the moment just after I finished them off.
If I remembered correctly, this was the point where I was supposed to encounter Puppeteer.
There were three teleportation circles on this floor.
Beyond the first lay the sealed Ageha; the second led to the Vampire Eudite; and the third was where Puppeteer waited.
Right now, the need to turn Puppeteer into a human outweighed my desire for revenge.
I had even reached the point where I didn’t care how many times I had to loop through time, as long as I could make her a proper human.
With that resolve hardened in my chest, I stepped onto the third teleportation circle.
"I’m certain Puppeteer is just ahead."
Muttering to myself, I walked straight down the linear corridor.
"Gruuuuuuuhhh!!"
A low, ferocious groan echoed through the air.
"Ah…?"
Before me stood a monstrosity that looked like a mass of writhing black shadows.
It was massive, its bulk choking the entire corridor, dominated by a maw so large it seemed to encompass its entire body. The jaw was lined with jagged, powerful fangs, and countless black tentacles sprouted from every inch of its form.
The characteristics were hauntingly similar to Puppeteer’s Brutal Predator form.
If one were to take the Brutal Predator, swell it to a massive scale, and give it an even more eldritch, unsettling appearance, it would look exactly like this.
"Puppeteer…?"
The name escaped my lips in a whisper.
I was certain that Puppeteer was supposed to be here in the form of a sword.
And yet, that sword was nowhere to be found. There was only this monster.
"No, that can't be right…"
In theory, when time rewinds, every event and object should be restored to its original state.
Therefore, the Parasitic Sword Puppeteer should have been waiting here. It didn't make sense.
"No… wait."
There was no doubt that the skill Save & Reset was a power that rewound time upon my death.
Usually, when time rewinds, all memories and experiences are supposed to be reset.
However, I knew for a fact that there were exceptions—entities that remained unaffected by the reset.
One was Ageha.
It was clear from her words and actions that she possessed memories from other timelines.
And Puppeteer was another of those exceptions.
When we first met, the Parasitic Sword Puppeteer was nothing more than a mindless entity that possessed me and devoured monsters.
But after several loops, while I was attempting to learn to control her under the guidance of the Vampire Eudite, she had told me something in the Inner World.
"Your soul… it has a somewhat nostalgic scent," she had said.
That was proof that she retained memories of other timelines to some extent, even if they weren't clear.
There had been other anomalies since then.
For instance, her appearance in the Inner World had gradually become more human each time I used Return by Death. Or how Puppeteer, who had been unable to speak in previous timelines, had suddenly started talking to me.
Though she hadn't seemed aware of it herself, there were countless signs that the Parasitic Sword Puppeteer was somehow immune to the full effects of the time resets.
"And this is the result…?"
I stared at the complete monstrosity that Puppeteer had become.
I didn't understand the exact mechanics.
But as a result of time rewinding, Puppeteer had been corrupted into this creature.
"What is this… Why did this happen?"
My voice was weak.
Puppeteer had wanted to be human.
And yet, this form was further from humanity than anything I had ever seen.
How could something so cruel even be possible…?
"Ah… ahhh…"
Tears spilled from my eyes.
What should I have done…?
How could I have made her happy…?
Maybe it was impossible for Puppeteer to ever become human now…
The thought filled my chest with a suffocating sense of helplessness and rage.
Somewhere at the end of these endless cycles of Return by Death, did a future where Puppeteer became human even exist?
I wanted to believe it did, but I had no idea how to find it.
"Garru!"
The moment the growl ripped through the air, Puppeteer’s jaws snapped shut, swallowing me whole.
A few seconds later, I felt my consciousness fade into death.
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GAME OVER
Would you like to try again?
▶ Yes No
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Yes has been selected.
Resuming from the saved point.
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Chapter Two ―End―