Ren Isana waited quietly while Riku handed over a series of matters to Corone. Once he finished, Riku turned his gaze toward Ren and asked, "What should we do next?"
Everything that needed to be said had been clarified. The next step was to leave. He didn't want to linger any longer, nor did he feel the need to say goodbye to anyone. That would only add unnecessary sorrow; it was better to simply depart like this.
Hearing this, Ren Isana directly opened a passage connecting to Beatrice's library and said, "Go straight inside. I'll let you out in a moment."
Riku nodded at the sight. He turned to look at Corone and said with a complex expression, "Sister, I'll see you in five thousand years!"
With that, he stepped into the spatial channel without looking back. Schwi hurriedly followed, and the two entered Beatrice's library.
Beatrice didn't say anything when she saw them; she merely continued silently researching the magic books she had obtained from Jibril. The knowledge of this world was indeed quite valuable.
Once the two were inside, Ren Isana closed the spatial channel and looked at Corone. "If the Elves come looking for us, tell Think Nirvalen that I'll be waiting for her five thousand years from now. Tell her not to go dying on me!"
Corone was stunned for a moment, but she hurriedly nodded. "Understood, Mr. Ren Isana. I will explain everything clearly to the Elves!"
Having finished his business, Ren Isana began communicating with the world. He already knew how to get back; he would naturally rely on the world's will that had already been born in this era. Otherwise, Ren would have no way to return using his own power alone.
He did not possess the ability to travel through time; everything relied on Pandora. As Ren Isana communicated with the world's will, it was as if something had been triggered, and his figure was thrown directly into a temporal tunnel.
The gains from this trip were beyond satisfying. Aside from various spells, he had also used [Jianjigu] to copy the traits of several races. For instance, he had completely copied the multiversal space-time lifeform characteristics of the Dragonia.
However, he hadn't actually manifested this trait on himself yet. This ability was useless against the God of War; killing someone like that was child's play to Artosh. For that reason, Ren had chosen not to use it.
Furthermore, it had a critical weakness. The essence of a Dragonia was a container that encompassed a special space; its past and future would reflect and echo within that space.
If even the slightest problem occurred, it would be infinitely magnified. Eventually, that damage would expand until the being self-destructed. It was powerful, but the weakness was obvious.
Many Dragonia died due to self-destruction. As long as their container was compromised, they would die instantly. Why would Ren Isana saddle himself with such a massive vulnerability?
Thus, once Ren copied it and understood the mechanics, he chose to set it aside. What a joke — why keep such a glaring weakness? Besides, Ren didn't have the incredibly tough scales of a Dragonia.
He would research it later; since he had already learned it, using it in the future wouldn't be an issue.
If possible, Ren Isana hoped to become a being like a certain Heavenly Emperor — existing not just in the past or future, but in every segment of time simultaneously, eventually converging all versions of himself into a single point.
On the way back, various thoughts flashed through Ren's mind, but these all required personal research. Amidst his wandering thoughts, a light soon appeared before his eyes. He found himself standing atop a high mountain.
Standing there, Ren could see an ancient city below. He had returned to five thousand years in the future, though he didn't know how much time had passed since he left that era.
Just as Ren Isana was thinking this, his bracelet suddenly vibrated. An Ex-Machina signal connected, and a mechanical voice rang out in his mind: "Welcome back, Lord Ren Isana!"
Ren's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing the voice. "Einzig? You're still around?"
The one contacting Ren was naturally the leader of the Ex-Machina, Einzig. This bracelet was something Schwi had made previously, and it was naturally linked to the Ex-Machina's signal. The moment Ren appeared, this signal that had been dormant for thousands of years was suddenly captured, and the Ex-Machina knew immediately.
"Yes, Lord Ren Isana. Might I ask how Lady Schwi and Lord Riku are?" Einzig didn't seem to mind Ren's remark, instead choosing to urgently ask about the important matters.
Riku was the commander of the Ex-Machina, after all; they cared deeply about his existence. Ren checked the Ex-Machina's database; through thousands of years of evolution, their emotional systems were now fully complete.
Thinking of this, Ren Isana released Riku and Schwi. "I'll let them tell you. For us, it's only been a few minutes, but for you, five thousand years have passed."
The moment they appeared, Schwi received the Ex-Machina network signal. She reconnected to the network, and her entire chassis began calculating at a frantic pace.
Riku also connected to the signal, but he didn't pay it much attention. Instead, he was captivated by the distant city. He looked at it, his eyes filled with curiosity. "Is that... a human city?"
His tone was filled with a mix of uncertainty and hope. Was this really five thousand years later? Before, there had been nothing but ruins; now, a city had appeared, and he could even faintly see silhouettes of people.
"Yes. You should talk to the Ex-Machina first. I'll take you over there in a bit." After saying that, Ren Isana used his own power to communicate with the world. He was curious how long he had been gone, and if the current world's will was Pandora.
Having her go back five thousand years was purely to use the time difference to grow, thereby fully becoming the world's will. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done such a thing.
"Pandora?" Ren called out while communicating with the world. Upon hearing his voice, it felt as if something had been activated; the entire world seemed to come alive in Ren's perception.
The powerhouses of this world also felt the change, leaving many of them stunned. Inside a certain library, a certain shut-in Flügel suddenly jolted and stood up.
"Has that guy appeared?" Jibril muttered as she rushed out. By now, she had felt the connection to Ren Isana. The concept the God of War had given Ren also included the bond between the Flügel and Ren.
The Flügel could sense Ren's location, so Jibril immediately tracked his scent and charged forward. On Avant Heim, the rest of the Flügel sensed it as well.
Azriel curled her lip. Five thousand years had passed, and she had finally let go of her hatred for Ren. Lil' Jilly was right; it was Lord Artosh's choice. What use was there in holding a grudge?
It would only be a violation of Lord Artosh's orders. Having thought about it for millennia, she had gradually moved on. Azriel took a deep breath and directly gave the command: "All Flügel, listen up! We go to... welcome our new master."
With that, Azriel was the first to take flight, heading toward the location she sensed. The rest of the Flügel followed immediately; in that moment, the entire race was on the move.
Other races were startled by the Flügel's movement, thinking they were going to attack some unlucky soul. But then they remembered it wasn't five thousand years ago anymore. They were just scaring themselves!
"Yo, you're back? The world will be linked up shortly, and you'll be able to return soon!" Pandora's energetic voice rang in Ren's ear. Hearing her, Ren could only sigh.
He couldn't help but ask, "So, how long was I gone? How much time has passed back in our world?"
This was Ren's main concern. He had only spent a few days five thousand years in the past, but who knew how long had passed back home? A slight slip in time could mean years or decades. He had to be careful.
Pandora provided the answer: it hadn't been long, only about a month. It wasn't a major issue; Ren would be able to return in a few days.
Hearing this, Ren finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only a month? That was fine. It was just about time for the new school term to start. Thinking this, Ren ended the conversation with Pandora.
He didn't ask about the return process; Pandora had said the worlds would link in a few days, and he could leave then.
"Hello!" Just as he finished talking to Pandora, a greeting rang out. Beside him, a girl in colorful clothes and a checkered hat appeared silently.
She had square and spade patterns in her pupils, and she was... noticeably an Ironing Board. Seeing her, Ren Isana immediately knew her identity: Tet, the god of this world.
Her appearance immediately drew the attention of Riku and Schwi. They looked at the newcomer with curiosity and a bit of confusion.
"Tet? Hello." Although surprised, Ren greeted her. Hearing the name, Riku and Schwi instantly realized who she was.
Ren had told them before. This was the God of Games born because of them — essentially their daughter? In that moment, both Tet and Schwi felt a strange sensation.
"Thanks for your hard work! I'll be taking these two with me now. Oh, and there are people waiting for you. They should be here soon!" Tet greeted Ren with a smile before making Riku and Schwi vanish on the spot.
Ren Isana felt a surge of confusion at Tet's words. People waiting for him? Was it some Elf?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he sensed several presences rushing toward him.
Feeling the aura, Ren instantly knew who it was. Jibril... and the rest of the Flügel.