In that brief minute, Roselle didn't visit old friends. He made a beeline for the nearest library, using his Knowledge Emperor abilities to speed-read history books, confirming one thing: this was indeed a world over a century after his time. The strange guy who summoned him hadn't lied.
And he, Roselle Gustav, had been dead for over 100 years, reduced to a figure in history textbooks—a cautionary tale, no less.
Honestly, death itself didn't shock Roselle. He'd already been mulling a switch to the Black Emperor pathway to shake off outer god corruption, using its revival mechanic to purge incompatible characteristics, escape his half-mad fate, and become a clear-headed Sequence 0. He just hadn't committed yet.
So, his future death wasn't a huge surprise.
The real issue was: he should've revived by now. Why hadn't this era's Roselle come back?
A bad feeling gnawed at him. Something major must've derailed his revival plan. He tried sensing his current-era self, and his expression grew grimmer.
"Looks like you're convinced this is the future," Evah said, glancing at Roselle and guessing his thoughts. He smiled, gesturing to the sofa. "Take a seat, Mr. Roselle. We can have a proper chat now."
Roselle didn't refuse, sitting down and looking at Evah. "Are you the Lord of Mysteries?"
"Pfft—" Evah couldn't hold back a laugh. "Why would you think that?"
"Historical projection is a Seer pathway ability, and I know the Lord of Mysteries is called the King of Space-Time. I thought someone projecting past consciousness into history like you might be Him, but apparently not," Roselle said, his logic clear. You could call him a flawed man, but as a Knowledge Emperor, he was undeniably erudite.
"Sadly, the Lord of Mysteries can't pull this off," Evah said, grinning at Roselle. "This is my unique skill. Call it Shadow of Time."
Shadow of Time… Roselle filed the name away, then asked, "If you're not the Lord of Mysteries, who are you?"
"You can call me Lucifer. As for identity, let's say I'm a fellow hometown boy," Evah said, introducing himself with a smile.
"Lucifer… you cosplaying the Morning Star or something?" Roselle knew it was a fake name and rolled his eyes. He wasn't surprised by the "hometown" claim, but having it confirmed visibly relaxed him.
He glanced out the window. "With an ability this wild, I bet the truth about transmigration isn't a secret to you."
"It's no secret to me," Evah said, not denying it. He looked out the window too. "I know this is Earth, millions of years in the future."
"Then you know about those things?" Roselle said, waggling his brows.
"You mean the outer gods? Yeah, I know they exist. I've dealt with them more than once," Evah said, catching Roselle's meaning. He smiled. "Lately, I've been fishing for Mr. Door, helping him shake off the Mother Goddess's corruption."
Roselle's gaze sharpened. "You can cleanse outer god corruption?"
"Absolutely, Mr. Roselle. I can indeed purge outer god corruption. Right now, I'm the only one in this era who can," Evah said, nodding with a grin. He looked at Roselle. "That's why I summoned you today. I'm guessing you've already sensed what's up with this era's you."
Roselle's face darkened. He pursed his lips. "I thought becoming Sequence 0 and dying once would clear the Mother Goddess's corruption. Guess I was naive. This era's me is still corrupted, isn't it?"
"More precisely, you're stuck in a limbo between life and death. You haven't shaken the outer god's corruption. In fact, you could still revive as the Black Emperor, but if you did, you'd be a god fully controlled by an outer god," Evah said calmly.
"That's just freaking great," Roselle muttered, cursing. He looked at Evah. "Name your price, hometown boy. What'll it take for you to help me?"
"You trust me that easily?" Evah asked, smiling without rushing to bargain.
"Why wouldn't I? My current state's proof enough. Honestly, I haven't been this clear-headed in ages. That damn corruption keeps me half-out of it, but your weird power not only suppresses the corruption in me, it even keeps the Original's reviving consciousness at bay. You can do that—what's not to trust?" Roselle said.
His brows relaxed, a weight lifted after long suppression. It made sense. Battling the Original's consciousness or internal corruption was no small feat. Now, with both subdued, balancing his divinity was a breeze by comparison.
Wait, Shadow of Time does that?
Evah caught Roselle's implication, glancing at him subtly. A lingering question finally clicked.
He'd always thought his summoned figures—the Ancient Sun God, Mr. Door—seemed too human. A half-Old One Sun God or a triply merged, outer god-corrupted Mr. Door should've been less stable, yet they were emotionally rich and grounded.
Now it made sense. Shadow of Time likely suppressed consciousnesses not native to the summoned entity—like the reviving Original, Lord of Mysteries' will, or corruption. Or maybe it only summoned the entity's core consciousness, leaving the extra baggage behind.
Evah mentally noted this, unsurprised. Shadow of Time summoned the target's will, so things like the Original's consciousness weren't in scope. Plus, his ability could summon Yog (Yog-Sothoth), so its high status made suppressing such clutter expected.
(End of Chapter)
Translator's Note: That's Power's too OP and definitely needs some restriction. LOL.