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Ian Prince was just about to step into the time machine's cabin when a warm, golden light suddenly descended from the sky and enveloped him completely. Unlike the harsh, sickly radiance of the evil god, this light was gentle, like the dawn of a new day, brimming with vitality.
"Ian Prince." The voice of the Sun God Ra echoed directly in his mind. "The hope you have brought to this world deserves a special reward."
This, too, was a blessing.
Unlike the one from the Underworld couple, this blessing, bestowed by the God-King, took effect on Ian.
The golden light gradually condensed into countless tiny runes and flowed like liquid gold into his body. He felt an unprecedented warmth coursing through his veins, merging perfectly with his magical power.
"From this moment on, your white magic shall be empowered by the Sun God's power."
Ra's voice was both solemn and benevolent. "Light will become your source of strength, and shadows will retreat before you. This is the Sun's gift to its guardian."
Feeling the divine power surging within him, Ian grew solemn. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for this blessing. I will use this power wisely and never betray the Sun's trust."
A faint smile flickered in Ra's golden eyes. "Go, traveler of time. Your mission is not yet complete. Greater challenges await you in the future."
His words seemed to carry deeper meaning, but Ian failed to grasp it. Looking at his materials checklist, he felt nothing more than a workhorse for the Female Titan, Claire.
Taking a deep bow, he stepped into the time machine. As the hatch closed, the indicator lights on the control panel lit up one by one. Through the window, he cast one final glance at this ancient era.
Ra stood atop the ruins, radiating divine brilliance and restoring the wounded land.
"Initiate temporal jump." Ian pressed the button.
The time machine gave off a low hum and started to turn transparent. The moment it activated, the entire altar erupted in a dazzling display of light and spacetime itself began to twist, as if the universe itself was trembling.
Just before it vanished completely, Ian seemed to catch a meaningful glance from Ra.
When the time machine disappeared into thin air, the Sun God continued to gaze in that direction, deep in thought. Across the yellow sands, only the empty temple ruins remained, and the ever-present sun hung high above.
Moments later, ripples spread through the void as figures emerged from the seams of light and shadow.
Thoth emerged, crowned with the head of an ibis and holding a scroll; his eyes were filled with contemplation.
Horus stood with his wings spread wide and his gaze as sharp as a blade.
Along with Anubis, Sekhmet, and others, the gods appeared one after another and gathered around Ra.
A shadow condensed beside him as Osiris stepped out of the darkness. "Are you just going to let him leave like that? I sensed an ancient aura within him."
Isis arrived gracefully, a gentle light following her. "His bloodline indeed bears the mark of the House of Princes, but there is something even older within him."
Horus descended from the sky, his eagle eyes narrowing sharply. "Father, you seem particularly concerned about that mortal. Who exactly is he?"
Ra's gaze remained fixed on the spot where the time machine had disappeared.
He did not answer immediately.
Looking up at the sky, he seemed to be gazing at something distant, something beyond reach. After a long silence, he finally spoke. His voice sounded as though it were coming from the end of time itself. There was a mysterious smile on his lips.
"Before the gods were born, it was already watching. At the end of the universe, it is still watching. It is both the beginning and the end."
It was an utterly cryptic response that answered nothing directly.
"What do you mean?" Isis asked softly. "Who is 'it'?"
Ra did not respond directly. His eyes were deep and piercing, as though they could see through countless layers of time and space. The other gods exchanged puzzled glances at his riddle-like words.
Osiris spoke again quietly. "Are you referring to... an ancient secret? The elusive Raven?"
As the ruler of a realm connected to the Twilight Zone, Osiris knew more than the other Egyptian gods about the legendary creature lurking within it.
"I do not know." Ra only smiled, refusing to elaborate, and instead changed the subject. "Although the threat of Set-Apep has been eliminated, a greater crisis is approaching. We must prepare."
Osiris's expression turned grave. "It was precisely because we foresaw the arrival of that power that we had no choice but to fall into slumber, allowing that vile entity to seize its opportunity."
Horus took to the sky again, circling above. "What exactly is this crisis that looms over our entire pantheon? Even you, Father, had to orchestrate your own death to prepare for it?"
The second-generation gods did not yet know the full truth.
"Why did you choose to bestow a blessing at this moment? You have only just been reborn, and your divine power has not yet fully recovered. Sharing your source power with others is a tremendous drain on you."
Anubis voiced his doubts in a low tone, questioning the Sun God's decision to bless that peculiar human. After all, he had fought Ian before; strange was the only way to describe him.
At last, Ra turned around, his gaze sweeping across every god present. In that instant, a faint trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes.
"Because I had already foreseen it," Ra said, his voice deep and heavy. "My fall was no accident."
The gods were all shaken.
"You… already knew?" Osiris asked in shock.
"Yes." Ra nodded. "My fall marked the beginning of the crisis within our pantheon. The darkness sweeping across the gods does not come from outside; it comes from within us, from our greed for power and our obsession with eternity."
Most of the gods responded with grave nods.
"The 'God Above Gods' influences us in order to harvest our power," Osiris continued, revealing the truth of the crisis they faced and clarifying matters for those gods who had yet to understand.
This was a secret even Ian did not know.
Gods who walk this path eventually become berserk and degenerate not because of themselves, but because they have been corrupted by a higher-dimensional existence. This corruption drove them mad and caused their downfall, ultimately bringing about the Twilight of the Gods.
Ra had given the name 'God Above Gods' to that mysterious influence. Ra suspected that this entity had deliberately triggered the Twilight of the Gods to strengthen or sustain itself.
"Is there such a thing? Our true enemy?" Horus exclaimed in shock.
Isis continued, "Yes. It was precisely because Ra foresaw its attempt to harvest us that he chose to feign death. Under the cover of the artificial Sun God plan, he secretly arranged his true resurrection, shedding his corrupted body and soul. Otherwise, even we would have no chance of victory if we faced that existence directly."
So this was the truth behind the Sun God's sudden 'death'.
He had not been killed by a powerful enemy or betrayed by the gods; he had chosen rebirth through fire after uncovering the truth.
Osiris added, "The birth of Set-Apep was an accident but no coincidence. It was the accumulation of the corruption left behind when Ra shed his corrupted body and soul. Ironically, this became the perfect smokescreen, preventing that existence from noticing Ra's true plan."
This explained why the evil god was both so wicked and so powerful. It was born from Ra himself, yet it was amplified by higher-dimensional power. This also enabled it to use the Eye of Ra to steal the Sun God's essence.
In truth, it was a Sun God, just a deeply corrupted remnant of one. The gods fell silent for a moment, taking in all this information. Horus finally descended, folding his wings.
"So the arrival of that mortal, Ian Prince, was no coincidence either?"
Ra smiled faintly. "In the tapestry of time, not a single stitch is accidental. The contract between the Prince House and us, the plans spanning thousands of years, all of it exists to prepare for the challenge that lies ahead."
He turned to the other gods, his tone becoming serious.
"The crisis of the 'God Above Gods' is real, I have confirmed it. Our battle is far from over."
Osiris tightened his grip on his hooked staff. "Then how should we respond?"
Ra raised his hand, palm upwards. A flame of true solar fire burned within it, and within the flame flickered countless possible futures.
"We must unite all forces that can be united, including those from other pantheons. We must also harness the power of time to forge alliances with gods from other systems during their most lucid moments."
His gaze was distant and profound.
"Ian Prince may not even realize it, but his journey through time is already opening pathways for us."
Horus pondered this. "So that is why you granted him the power of the Sun God?"
"Not merely to grant power," Ra said calmly. "It is also a gesture of goodwill. You must believe that cause and effect will always return in kind. We must unite every force that can be united."
This was the true reason behind Ra's gratitude and his willingness to bestow some of his own power upon Ian.
The gods stood on the mountaintop, overlooking the human world below as it gradually came back to life. As the sun set, their shadows stretched long across the land.
Isis sighed softly. "The mortals are still celebrating the destruction of the evil god, unaware that a greater storm is brewing."
Osiris added, "Let them enjoy this brief peace. The challenges ahead will be ours to bear."
Ra's golden eyes shimmered with complex emotions.
"The descent of the 'God Above Gods' is inevitable. But we are not without hope. In every time and space, there are strong ones preparing for this ultimate battle."
He turned to face the gods, his tone firm. "Now, we must awaken more slumbering gods and unite every force we can. When that moment arrives, we must be fully prepared."
Horus spread his wings and soared into the sky. "I will inform the other sky gods."
Osiris melted into the shadows. "I will contact the Underworld gods."
Isis dissolved into light. "I will awaken the goddesses of life."
Soon, only Ra remained, standing alone atop the mountain. Gazing into the distance, he noticed a raven feather had appeared in his hand.
"Guardians of time…"
Ra murmured softly, as if speaking to an unseen presence. "You have been laying out your plans for a long time. Now the pieces are in place. Let us see where this game against the 'God Above Gods' will ultimately lead."
The sun had fully set, and the last trace of light had faded from the sky.
Yet, in the darkness, the radiance surrounding Ra grew brighter and brighter, like an eternal beacon that would never be extinguished.
The wind stilled.
The light continued to shine eternally.
—
As for this secret conversation among the ancient Egyptian gods, Ian knew nothing of it.
He had already entered the temporal passage and was being carried by the time machine towards the next era: the age of Merlin, King Arthur, and Professor Morgan. There were other materials to find and tasks to complete, all assigned by the ever-demanding Female Titan, Claire.
A blinding white light appeared before his eyes, followed by endless darkness and a sensation of weightlessness. The time machine hummed in his ears like an ancient beast's low growl, pulling him into a tunnel of flowing light and shattered fragments.
Here, time lost all meaning.
The past and the future intertwined into colorful threads, rushing past him at incredible speed.
He witnessed the construction of the pyramids.
He witnessed the flooding of the Nile.
He even saw himself kneeling before Ra and receiving a blessing, the golden divine power that now flowed quietly within him, warm and immense, like a miniature sun beating inside his chest.
"A return to familiar ground…"
Ian murmured, a nostalgic smile forming on his lips. He thought of the grasslands and castles of that era and his clash with Merlin.
The time machine sailed steadily through the temporal tunnel. Countless fragments of history flashed by like a revolving lantern. Leaning back in his seat, Ian began planning his next steps.
However... Just as he sank into thought, a sudden change erupted.
An invisible, terrifying force swept in and crashed against the time machine as though it were a massive hand. It was filled with suffocating rage, as if some great being had reacted violently to the disruption of its plans.
"What the hell is this?!" Ian shouted, gripping his seat tightly as the violently shaking time machine struggled to stay intact.
The control panel lights flickered wildly. Alarms blared sharply. The time coordinates inside the crystal orb began to jump erratically; they were drifting off course.
[Warning: unknown energy impact detected.]
[Warning: temporal stability dropping to critical levels.]
[Warning: propulsion system overheating.]
Ian frantically operated the controls, trying to stabilize the situation, but it was futile. The unseen force grew stronger and stronger, as if intent on crushing both the machine and its passenger.
"Damn it! What is this?!" Ian gritted his teeth, his magic activating instinctively and forming a golden shield around the machine. But cracks quickly spread across the shield under the relentless pressure.
Then, through the window, he saw something that made his blood run cold.
Beyond the barrier of the time tunnel, something was watching him.
An eye.
It had no fixed form, just a shifting mass of shadow and light, but the power contained within it was so overwhelming that even Ian, who had faced the evil god, felt his heart tremble.
The time machine groaned under the strain. Sparks burst out inside the cabin.
"No! Hold together!" Ian poured magic into the controls, but it made no difference.
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, the propulsion system completely failed.
Thick smoke filled the cabin. Flames began to spread.
"Damn it! This piece of Titan junk!" Ian roared, desperately adjusting the coordinates while slamming the smoking control panel.
Before he could finish, another explosion erupted from the core of the machine.
Sparks flew. Metal twisted. The entire machine began to shake violently, coming apart like a crushed tin box in the grip of an invisible giant.
"Ahhh…!"
With a cry, Ian and the smoking, disintegrating wreck of the time machine were hurled out of the temporal tunnel like a stone shot from a slingshot.
The sensation of weightlessness lasted for a few seconds…
Then came a violent impact.
Bang!
He crashed heavily onto a patch of damp grass, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.
(End of Chapter)