Time was a complex thing. It wasn't linear as everyone believed. However, what it did have were penultimate nodes in history, checkpoints, if you will, that had to be passed. The details could be scrambled as they pleased, however these keynotes in history must be met without fail.

How could the fall of the mortal plane not be one of these keynotes?

Luna and their daughter had already informed Dyon of their speculations. They believed that whatever it was that sealed Dyon's loss in the previous timeline most definitely occurred during this first phase.

In that case Didn't that also mean that this first phase was the penultimate moment?

Dyon found it all quite amusing.

Wasn't this exactly what he wanted to avoid the most? Being a puppet, pulled along by the string of some faceless, emotionless being. Maybe the Heavens were also a jumping clown just like Death, but this may very well be a jumping clown that was undefeatable precisely because this clown wasn't the 'Heavens' Dyon knew at all. It was an even higher existence, one that controlled the flow of existence of all worlds.

The reason he was losing his strength was likely because this timeline wanted to 'reset' itself so that it could continue to follow the larger designs it had planned. It treated Dyon's previous efforts like a joke. It watched on as he struggled and smiled down smugly, knowing it could undo everything on a whim.

In the previous timeline, around this time, Dyon was skulking around like a rat in the shadows, too weak to take part in this phase. He could only watch as the armies descended and the landscape of the mortal plane changed as he knew it.

This was exactly what it wanted. It wanted him to go back to the weak little rat.

"You live up to your name, truly." An unfamiliar voice filled Dyon's ears.

He looked up to see two young men, only one of which he knew. The seven swinging black tails to his back were immediately noticed by Dyon.

However, Kaori was immediately disregarded by him entirely. In fact, he wasn't paying attention to the unknown young man either, all he had eyes for was the small beast on his shoulder

A little hamster with glistening white fur and beady white eyes

A celestial hamster!

Dyon eyes narrowed slightly.

'I know this person. I've definitely seen him before. Why is it that I can't remember?'

The young man had an extremely normal appearance. Dyon had become so used to seeing handsome and beautiful people at higher cultivation realms that this young man could almost be categorized as ugly by comparison.

However, Dyon was able to keep proper perspective. In his mortal world, this sort of young man was one you could see everyday simply taking a walk on the streets. He was too normal, abnormally so.

This wasn't just a little odd. The deeper one's cultivation, the closer to perfection you would grow and the more beautiful you would become. If one's talent was exceptional, this was even more apparent. It could be said that Dyon's handsome appearance was directly proportional to his talent.

But, this young man didn't seem to conform to any of these truths.

Dyon suddenly felt the Lightning Willow Mask in his inner world stir violently, crackling with agitation before settling down with an enraged thud. It was as though it felt that it too could do nothing.

Realizing something, Dyon's gaze narrowed.

He had thought that this curse had stopped affecting him a long time ago. However, to think it would rear its head like this.

The Heaven Sparrow It was a beast cursed due to its beauty with speed that existed beyond the realms of reason. It was so fast that even it couldn't slow itself down. As a result, no one could ever observe it

The was just one of the cursed creatures The unicorns were another, cursed to be forgotten the moment one took their eyes away from them. It just so happened to be yet another beautiful creature

But what did any of this have to do with this normal looking young man?

Dyon slowly petted Little Yang and Yin again before gently placing them on his shoulder once more.

The guilt in his heart hadn't subsided. Little Yang and Yin had been by his side for so long and had helped him through so much.

They were key to his battle strength in the Golden Flame Mystical World. They were the reason Clara was able to survive the sudden onslaught of the Sapientia Guilds. They were the reason he survived Chaos Universe and found Amphorae. They were the reason why he could battle Ancestor Giant and Scholar, laying the foundation for what was his Mortal Empire now.

They were always silently by his side. Even when they didn't speak, he felt assured by the slight weight on his shoulders.

But now, thanks to his own failure in a past life, they were suffering.

No matter how you tried to explain it away, that failure was still Dyon. It was a different version of him, but it was still him who failed. He didn't kill the entity, he didn't protect his family, he failed himself and the mortal plane. There was no simple press to undo button he could use, no plan B to fall back upon

"It seems that one of your subjects is eager to take your place, Little Yang Little Yin. Big bro will teach it a lesson in your place."

The normal looking young man gazed at Dyon's shoulders. However, it was clear that even though he was looking down from on high, the difference between Little Yang and Yin versus other celestial hamsters was clear. He had no ability to see the twins at all.

"Just as arrogant as always."

"I only call myself arrogant to appease the masses." Dyon said emotionlessly. "The truth is that I am only supremely confident and nothing else. Arrogance would imply that I overestimate myself, when the reality is that you, whoever you are, will only be another steppingstone."