I opened my eyes to a sight I had seen far too many times already.
It was the interior of an unremarkable dungeon.
My presence here meant that, just like every other Return by Death, I had been sent back to the moment immediately after teleporting into the Kataroff Dungeon with the Hero's Party.
"Starting over from the very beginning, huh..."
The thought left me feeling utterly dejected. Every bit of the relationship I had built with Nyau had been wiped clean. It was no exaggeration to say that, in this moment, her favorability toward me was back to zero.
Yet, if I considered the fact that I had returned to a point before Hero Eligion’s death, there was still a glimmer of hope.
The previous timeline had hammered home a painful truth: defeating Demon King Zoga without Hero Eligion’s strength was a near-impossible task. Neither Great Sage Agrippus nor Sage Nyau had been a match for him.
This time, I would play my cards right. I had to ensure Hero Eligion survived.
I carried more than enough experience within me from my repeated failures. If I utilized everything I knew, I should be able to avert the fate of the world’s destruction this time.
Steeling my resolve, I took a single step forward.
In that instant, something entirely unexpected occurred. It was an anomaly—something that had never happened in any of the previous timelines I had lived through.
The shock hit me like a physical blow; I hadn't seen this coming in the slightest. At the same time, I was reminded that things like this happened all too often.
That was right. The girl named Ageha was ever the phantom.
"Ahh... finally. I finally managed to interfere with the flow of events."
The voice was listless, a bored mutter.
Suddenly, Ageha was standing right before my eyes.
Perhaps because I had spent so long searching for her, a surge of genuine joy welled up in my chest. But the memory of how dangerous her existence truly was followed immediately after, and I forced myself to be on guard.
Which one was she...?
I didn't understand the mechanics of it, but there appeared to be two different versions of the human known as Ageha.
One was the gentle, mild-mannered Ageha.
The other was a creature of volatile, explosive emotion. I had taken it upon myself to name the latter Black Ageha.
"So, why are you here? It’s a bit strange, don’t you think?"
Ageha fixed me with a piercing, razor-sharp glare. That look alone told me everything I needed to know. The girl in front of me was Black Ageha.
"Well, you see—"
I opened my mouth to answer her, but she cut me off.
"I smell another woman on you," she whispered.
It was glaringly obvious she was talking about Nyau.
"Did you go and find yourself another girl again?"
She flashed a broad, eerie smile.
"Ah... I..."
Cowering under the weight of Black Ageha’s Intimidation, I found myself utterly speechless. I had the sinking feeling that no matter what I said, I would only succeed in making her angrier.
"For now, let's have you die once."
The corners of her mouth were turned up in a grin, but her eyes remained cold and dead.
Ah. It looked like I was going to die again.
The thought had barely crossed my mind before the blade she held plunged through my chest.
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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 location.
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Chapter Three -End-