The battlefield reset again.
A cold wind swept across the endless wasteland as reality stitched itself back together. Broken ground returned to its original state. The sky above turned still and empty, like a stage preparing for another performance.
At the center of it all stood Gaurav.
Or rather… what remained of him.
Nine months had passed inside the time loop.
The boy who once stood proudly in the Master Universe was almost unrecognizable now. His body had become thin, nearly skeletal. His ribs were clearly visible beneath his torn clothes. Bruises and scars covered his skin like permanent marks of survival.
Every breath felt heavy.
Every movement felt like lifting a mountain.
Yet somehow… he was still standing.
Across the barren land, a familiar shape began to form.
A demon.
Just one.
The loop always began the same way.
One demon.
Gaurav slowly raised his head and stared at it.
His legs trembled violently.
For six months he had fought with everything he had.
Every day the demons multiplied.
One became two.
Two became four.
Four became eight.
By the end of each day, he was drowning in claws and teeth.
Then night would come.
The battlefield would freeze.
A small portion of food would appear beside him.
Just enough to keep him alive.
Never enough to make him strong.
But after six months…
His body had reached its limit.
The demon charged.
Gaurav tried to move.
His legs refused.
His body collapsed onto the ground.
For the first time since the loop began, he could not stand.
The demon approached slowly, its claws scraping against the ground.
Gaurav lay there, staring at the empty sky above him.
"After the struggle of 6 months… this is it. Is it the end."
His voice was barely a whisper.
He tried to push himself up again.
Nothing.
His arms shook violently before giving up.
His body had finally surrendered.
The demon lifted its claw.
And then—
A memory flashed through his mind.
A girl standing in front of a mirror.
Tears in her eyes.
Watching him.
Waiting.
Anzhu.
Gaurav's fingers dug into the dirt.
"No…"
His voice cracked.
"I can't die…"
The demon lunged forward.
Gaurav forced his arms beneath him and pushed upward.
Pain exploded through his body.
His vision blurred.
But slowly…
Inch by inch…
He stood up.
Not because his body allowed it.
But because his will refused to break.
The demon attacked.
Gaurav moved just enough to dodge and drove his fist forward.
The punch was weak.
But it landed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
With a final desperate strike, his fist crushed into the demon's throat.
The creature collapsed.
For a moment, silence returned to the battlefield.
Then something strange happened.
Golden symbols suddenly appeared in the sky.
They floated above the battlefield like glowing words written by invisible hands.
A new rule had been added.
Gaurav stared at them, confused.
Every 3 demons eliminated will grant the subject five minutes of rest and food.
Far above the battlefield, the disciples watched.
One of them spoke calmly.
"His persistence is… unexpected."
Another laughed softly.
"Let us see how long it lasts."
Below them, Gaurav didn't understand their conversation.
All he knew was that a small wooden box had appeared beside him.
Inside was food.
He grabbed it immediately.
But the moment he smelled it, his expression twisted in disgust.
The food was rotten.
Completely spoiled.
He stared at it in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Above the battlefield, the disciples laughed quietly.
"Even hope can be part of the experiment."
Five minutes passed.
The battlefield resumed.
Another 3 demons appeared.
Gaurav clenched his fists and attacked again.
The fight was brutal and clumsy.
But eventually, the demons fell.
Another box appeared.
Gaurav opened it quickly.
Rotten food.
Again.
His jaw tightened.
He threw the box aside.
"Fine."
His voice was hoarse.
"Then I'll keep going."
The third group of demons took longer to be defeated.
But when it was finally eliminated, another box appeared.
Gaurav opened it slowly this time.
Inside…
Actual food.
Fresh.
Warm.
For the first time in months, he felt real energy returning to his body.
He devoured it without hesitation.
Above the battlefield, one disciple nodded slightly.
"Adaptation confirmed."
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Then months.
Three more months flowed through the endless loop.
Gaurav changed.
His body slowly regained strength.
His movements became sharper.
His reflexes faster.
The thin, exhausted boy began to transform again.
Not into the monster he once was.
But into something far more dangerous.
A survivor.
The Decision
Far away in the Human Universe…
Anzhu stepped into a hidden chamber beneath an ancient building.
Strange symbols glowed faintly across the walls.
At the center of the room sat an old man.
He looked up as she entered.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Well," he said calmly.
"This is unexpected."
Anzhu stepped forward.
"I need your help."
The old man raised an eyebrow.
"That usually means trouble."
She placed the mirror on the table.
The image of the battlefield appeared within it.
The old man's expression slowly changed as he watched.
"…I see."
He leaned back in his chair.
"The Master Universe."
Anzhu clenched her fists.
"He's trapped there."
The old man sighed.
"No."
He corrected quietly.
"He's trapped inside something worse."
He pointed toward the battlefield.
"A mathematical loop."
Anzhu frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The old man stood up and began walking around the room.
"That universe runs on absolute laws. Everything is defined by equations."
He paused.
"The loop is trying to solve one."
Anzhu looked confused.
"Then why hasn't it ended?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"Because the equation cannot be solved."
He turned toward her.
"The system is trying to balance Gaurav's existence. But his power does not fit any formula."
Anzhu's expression hardened.
"So it will continue forever?"
"Yes."
Silence filled the room.
Then Anzhu spoke again.
"Send me there."
The old man stared at her.
"That would be a terrible idea."
"I don't care."
"If you enter that universe," he continued, "you could become part of the equation."
Anzhu crossed her arms.
"Then I'll break the equation."
The old man sighed heavily.
"Humans and their confidence."
But after a long pause, he finally raised his hand.
Reality bent.
A glowing book appeared in the air.
"This has the way to take you to the Master Universe."
Anzhu stepped forward and grabbed the book.
When she opened it, golden rays spread out of it. And then, suddenly, that book vanished.
Unfortunately…Anzhu hadn't read anything yet.
She could feel the knowledge entering her mind.
But she was confused as she knew the way to travel to the Master Universe.
Anzhu asked about it to the Old man…
He replied that this book is absorbed in her and all its knowledge is in her.
Anzhu tried to travel to that Master Universe…
But Unfortunately…
Mathematics had never been her strongest subject.
One small miscalculation.
One tiny mistake in the coordinates.
And instead of the Master Universe—
The portal dropped her directly into the time loop.
The Battlefield
Back on the battlefield…
Gaurav punched another demon into the ground.
He wiped blood from his mouth and turned around—
Then froze.
A familiar voice spoke behind him.
"You look terrible."
Gaurav slowly turned.
His eyes widened.
Standing in the middle of the battlefield…
Was Anzhu.