"You…"
Bang!
Before the other party could even finish speaking, countless mechanical fragments exploded outward in all directions—shattered alloy and broken components scattering like shrapnel.
In that single instant—
The opponent had fully armed himself with mechanical enhancements.
And in that same instant—
Kanzaki Rei had already completely pierced through all of it.
"I think… there's a high probability you're not stronger than me."
A slightly arrogant smile spread across Kanzaki Rei's face.
This… was the power of future simulation.
At last, he no longer needed to hold back, no longer needed to weigh every risk.
At last, he could unleash his full strength freely—doing exactly as he pleased.
Boom!
In a single motion, Kanzaki Rei seized him with one hand!
Just like when he had choked Mokri, he now lifted Tengai into the air, gripping his throat.
"You… are… who…"
"Don't ask meaningless questions, King of Tengar."
Tengai rasped, "Why… do you want to know… about this…"
"Why?"
"Hah! Good question!"
"I've been waiting for you to ask me that!"
"The reason I'm doing this is, of course… I happened to be passing by."
Kanzaki Rei's tone brimmed with excitement and amusement.
"I figured I'd drop by Tengar for a bit of sightseeing—take in the local customs and culture. Then I remembered there was something like this, so I decided to handle it along the way."
"After all, when you're playing a game, you can't just wander around sightseeing, right? You need at least one main quest."
It sounded like complete nonsense.
Tengai felt utterly baffled… what in the world was this man talking about?
But Kanzaki Rei was in an excellent mood.
Within the state of future simulation, he could finally say things like this freely.
He could chat leisurely with an enemy—without fear of being counter-killed.
He could openly share his thoughts and plans—without worrying about retaliation.
A sense of exhilaration surged through him.
After venting it all, Kanzaki Rei spoke lightly:
"Go on. Tell me everything you know about the apocalypse."
"I might let you live."
Dangling in midair, Tengai strained his neck and said hoarsely, "You think I'd actually believe… that you'd let me go?!"
Kanzaki Rei smiled casually.
"If you don't believe me, I can swear a deadly oath. If you die within seven days after telling me these secrets, I'll drop dead exactly 24 hours after your death."
"I can form a life-and-death contract with you. What do you think?"
"You—"
The king was stunned speechless by this promise.
At this moment, Kanzaki Rei held absolute dominance. He could end Tengai's life at any time. Even if he wanted information, there were countless other ways to extract it.
There was no need to make such a dangerous oath.
In fact, Tengai could even exploit it.
If he killed himself within seven days after revealing the secret, Kanzaki Rei would die as well.
"What a lunatic…"
The king clutched Kanzaki Rei's arm, coughing.
"Fine… I agree."
"If you have that kind of resolve… I'll tell you!"
"Let me down first!"
Kanzaki Rei released his grip, and the king dropped to the ground.
He was a man with deeply sculpted features, his face sharp and chiseled like a statue. He reached up and adjusted his neck.
A Mechanist's body wasn't weak—crafting and controlling machines required physical strength, often making them sturdier than mages.
But compared to Kanzaki Rei's strength, it was nothing short of pitiful.
"First… the contract!"
The king extended a hand to stop him.
"No problem."
Kanzaki Rei clenched his hand forward, and a sheet of contract paper instantly formed.
At the same time, liquid spread beneath his feet, shaping into a ritual circle for forging a life-and-death pact.
Burning script naturally inscribed itself across the contract.
"Done…"
The king grabbed the paper and examined it word by word.
There were no loopholes.
Exactly as Kanzaki Rei had said—if he died within seven days, Kanzaki Rei would die as well.
No matter how he died.
This man… might actually be insane.
Or perhaps he was a suicide operative sent by some faction, willing to do anything to complete his mission.
But… was there such a powerful expendable agent?
Strong enough that even he—a Level 6 Mechanist—couldn't resist in the slightest?
The opponent had to be at least Level 7.
"…Fine. I'll make the contract."
As light flared, the contract paper turned into blood-red ash, merging into their bodies. Once the ritual ended, the contract was bound within both of them.
"Rather than calling it an apocalypse we predicted…"
"It would be more accurate to say this place is already destined to be destroyed."
Kanzaki Rei's voice turned cold.
"Destined to be destroyed? And how do you know that?"
"Heh… then I have to mention the Mechanist who visited our kingdom over a hundred years ago."
"That Level 7 Mechanist?" Kanzaki Rei asked.
"Correct. Lord Rian."
"He told me of an impending destruction. Not just Loren's destruction… but the destruction of the entire Secret Sea."
Kanzaki Rei froze.
"The entire… Secret Sea?"
Wasn't that scale a bit too large?
At first, it seemed like only Loren would be affected. Then it expanded to the entire Secret Sand Archipelago.
Tracing it further led here—to Tengar.
And now he was being told the entire Secret Sea would be wiped out?
What next? The entire world?
Was this some kind of joke?
"Hah. I didn't believe it at first either."
"Not until he handed me the sealed scroll of the Apocalypse Prophet, along with the prophecy itself."
"That's when I realized everything he said was true."
"Within 'Apocalypse,' the destruction of the Secret Sea on that day is foretold—and they are the ones carrying it out, pushing it forward."
When he said "Apocalypse," the pronunciation wasn't normal—it carried the tone of a church title.
In this world, even identical words were pronounced differently when referring to religious organizations.
"What you think of as Loren is just a tiny fragment among countless destructions!"
Just like pulling up a radish and bringing out the dirt attached…
"Only by joining them can we avoid destruction in this apocalypse!"
"Only then can we gain their protection!"
"You think we're the ones causing Loren's destruction?! We're just trying to survive!"
Kanzaki Rei frowned.
"How is this apocalypse carried out?"
"You think I'd know?"
"By the way… Mokri. Since you know about this, you must have met him, right?"
Kanzaki Rei replied calmly:
"I killed him."
"…Killed?"
"You… killed him?!"
"How could you kill him?!"
"Do you know how many innocent people will die because of that?!"
"He was our offering to 'Apocalypse'! Only if he joined them could we receive protection!"
"You killed him—what will this kingdom do now?!"
Kanzaki Rei chuckled.
"Heh. Who cares about you?"
A madman.
Tengai realized it—this person could not be reasoned with.
"This level of destruction… could it really happen in this world?" Kanzaki Rei sneered."Is there truly no force capable of stopping it?"
Tengai, perhaps reassured by the contract, let out a cold laugh.
"Heh… I thought you were some ancient monster reborn. But now it seems… you might just be a child."
"This level of apocalypse has already happened more than once."
"'Apocalypse' has already carried out four such disasters."
"The Elemental Sea, the Absolute Boundary Mountains, the Sky Continent, the Ideal Nation… all destroyed."
"And you think the Secret Sea will be an exception?"
"Rather—"
"No one has ever been able to stop 'Apocalypse.' Once an apocalypse is fully prophesied by them, it will inevitably arrive."
"The Secret Sea will be destroyed."
"Because… this is the prophecy of a Level 3 Apocalypse Prophet."
"A being comparable to a true god!"
Suppressing his shock, Kanzaki Rei continued in a calm, almost teasing tone:
"I'm curious. Now that you know there's no way out, what are you planning to do?"
"Die together with your people?"
Tengai paused, then gritted his teeth.
"I will… leave this kingdom."
"In time?" Kanzaki Rei asked.
"Seven days is nowhere near enough to leave the Secret Sea… let alone escape the aftershock of the destruction—even the Turbid Sea and the Boundless Mountains will be affected."
"I'll escape using random teleportation…"
"Before I leave, I'll announce the coming destruction of the Secret Sea to the public."
"As for how many can escape… that depends on their fate."
Not everyone could leave.
There weren't enough mages capable of random teleportation. Teleportation scrolls were limited. Mana was finite.
Even working nonstop day and night, they wouldn't evacuate many people.
If what the king said was true… then everything was already doomed.
"If that's all you want to know, then that's everything I can tell you."
"Can I leave now?"
Kanzaki Rei refused without hesitation.
"No."
Tengai's voice turned cold.
"You intend to go back on your word?"
—Swish—
In an instant, their surroundings changed.
They appeared inside a black server chamber.
Kanzaki Rei spoke plainly:
"Unlock this."
"Then you can leave."
Tengai stared at the room, shocked.
How did he bring them here?
Teleportation magic could only reach places within perception—and low-level teleportation was limited to line of sight.
This being…
What exactly was he?
"Why do you want to unlock this? This only contains our nation's stored data… nothing you want."
By "what you want," he meant information about the apocalypse.
Kanzaki Rei replied calmly, with a hint of mockery:
"What's the point of asking? The country's going to be destroyed anyway, and you're about to flee like a disgraced ruler. What secrets could possibly still matter?"
The king's face darkened.
"This is the last thing I need you to do. Once it's done, the contract is fulfilled."
Silence.
Indeed… the kingdom no longer had any meaningful secrets.
He was leaving. Everything would be buried.
What difference would it make if one more person knew?
The king stepped forward, touched the white panel, and input the signal.
Buzz—
White light illuminated the entire chamber.
"Place your hand on this panel… and you'll be able to operate it," the king said.
Kanzaki Rei nodded.
"Mm."
Thud—
Before the king finished speaking, his body jerked violently.
Looking down, he saw a hollow cavity where his heart should have been.
And before him—
Kanzaki Rei stood, holding his heart in one hand.
"A mechanical heart… Do all Mechanists eventually become fully mechanized?"
"You…"
"Why…"
"You'll die too… You're insane…"
"Oh… I just think killing you would feel good, that's all~"
Kanzaki Rei's voice was filled with delight, as if consequences had never crossed his mind.
"If I die, I die. I've never valued my own life."
Madman.
Why had he encountered someone like this?
If it had been someone reasonable… he wouldn't have had to die.
Darkness swallowed the king's vision.
He died.
Kanzaki Rei placed his hand on the panel, and instantly, vast amounts of information flowed into him.
Mechanical constructs… models…
Automaton types…
Manufacturing processes and required materials…
The complete citizen registry of the Tengar Kingdom.
Everything—down to the smallest detail—was logged in the system.
Just like a database from his previous life.
Convenient.
But… there was nothing about the Month of Forgetting.
The power of forgetting.
Not just paper and ink… not even engraved stone…
Even digital data couldn't record it?
Fascinating.
The more he explored this world, the more incomprehensible it became.
He had gained a lot of knowledge.
But… most of it was Mechanist knowledge.
Not particularly useful to him.
There was still time.
Only one hour had passed.
Twenty-three hours remained.
After entering the simulation, Kanzaki Rei's first move was always to clear the main quest.
Once that was done, tackling side objectives felt far more relaxed.
Otherwise, there was always the concern that the main quest might take too long and waste the 24-hour opportunity.
But clearly—his efficiency was too high.
With God-Tier: Hidden Origin, finding clues required no effort.
With God-Tier: Absolute Restriction Mastery, breaking barriers required no thought.
With 5th-Tier Root Magic — Spatial Transposition, he could pass through walls and doors as if they didn't exist.
He couldn't help but sigh.
"Homura… your Root Magic is really useful."
"You'd better stay alive… and comprehend even higher-tier spatial magic."
Copying someone else's work directly saved him a lot of time.
There was simply too much to do.
Just comprehending his own Root Magic was already overwhelming.
Who had time to develop others?
And it wasn't just magic—he still had combat techniques to train, hidden world mysteries to uncover.
The further he progressed, the more time each task required.
Those less important Root Magics… could wait.
Kanzaki Rei expanded his perception—covering a radius of 600 kilometers, enveloping half of Tengar's capital.
They probably didn't even know their king was dead yet.
"Good…"
"This Ten-Thousand Souls Refinement Ritual… too evil. I've never had the chance to use it."
"And this Skin-Flaying Blood Sacrifice… even though I'm not a Skinstealer, I should still be able to use it."
"And this Evil Nest Descent Ritual… I've had it for a while but never used it. Might as well test it."
"…Sigh. I'm really too kind."
In truth, many dark rituals were extremely powerful.
But he still had a conscience.
So he'd never used them.
…
March 2 — 23:55
Kanzaki Rei opened his eyes and looked at his pocket watch.
As expected—
Not a single second had passed.
Though he had experienced a long span of time in the simulation, in reality, it was just a blink.
An instant—yet infinite futures unfolded.
Unfortunately, a Level 1 Prophet could only simulate twice per day.
At Level 2, it would increase to four times.
Two uses really wasn't enough.
He needed to raise his Prophet level.
But advancing as a Prophet required changing fate.
And only one day had passed.
"Changed fate" was measured by actual outcomes—not attempts.
Only when the predicted day arrived, and reality diverged from prophecy, would it count.
In other words—
Prophet advancement… took time.
Tengar hadn't provided much useful knowledge.
He'd only memorized some basics in information science, energy systems, and mechanical dynamics.
The rest… his secondary mind would process.
As for Tengar's people—
Their fate had been miserable.
The Evil Nest Descent Ritual could summon roughly the total monster population of ten nests.
These creatures wouldn't attack the summoner.
But everything else—living beings and structures—would be violently destroyed.
The skin-flaying ritual allowed him to wear someone's skin temporarily.
He could gain their appearance—and a weakened version of their abilities.
But only for a short time.
And while wearing it, he couldn't use his own abilities.
Situationally useful—mainly for infiltration.
Skinstealers were nearly impossible to detect.
Once they wore a skin, they essentially became that person.
The only clue might be a faint scar—easily hidden.
Kanzaki Rei reflected on his actions.
He had indeed carried out a massacre.
"…I still have compassion. Kindness. Humanity."
"My nature won't change because of what I do in simulations."
"I still feel reluctance when killing innocents… that proves my core remains intact."
After a brief reflection, he steadied his mind.
He couldn't let himself lose track of reality—or grow numb from simulated slaughter.
Power mattered.
But so did mental resilience.
Otherwise, he could be exploited by psychological attacks.
This world was too strange—who knew what kind of mind-corrupting trials existed?
In simulation, he could do as he pleased.
But in reality—
He had to remain cautious.
The entire Secret Sea would be destroyed.
Could Iz and the others stop it?
Unlikely.
No matter how strong they were, they weren't omnipotent.
A Level 3 Apocalypse Prophet… if truly comparable to a god…
Then this was a genuine divine-level force.
"…Sigh."
At least now he knew in advance.
That gave him time to prepare.
If the Secret Sea was doomed—
Then leaving behind the legacy of its continents would be a waste.
He should discuss his options.
Saving everything might be impossible.
But ensuring the survival of those he cared about?
That should be achievable.
28 days remained.
He needed to carefully weigh the pros and cons.
With random teleportation, survival wasn't the issue.
The real question was—
What consequences would follow?
What benefits?
What risks?
He had uncovered countless secrets.
His progress as a Decipher Scholar was surging.
Even within simulations… perhaps that progress still counted.
And maybe—
Just maybe—
He could save more people than expected.
Kanzaki Rei looked down at the ground.
"…Sigh. Am I being too soft-hearted?"