Lost in loop

Planet - Venus Z7

Year - 2050

__ __ __

Clang...clang

The sound of swords clashing echoed in what looked like the throne room.

The room was completely ruined beyond repair due to the fight between the Demon general and a human.

But the human was slowly being pushed back.

[Absolute defence]

The human used his telekinesis to create an invisible shield to protect himself from the demon's sword, which was about to hit his neck.

But the shield flickered because of his low mana.

Soon, the demon's sword broke through the weakened shield, moving swiftly toward his neck.

"Shit!"

He swiftly crouched down and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding death.

"Fuck! I've run out of mana"

"Hey Zero, Get off your butt and deal with this bastard already!"

He spoke to me while deflecting another attack from the demon.

I just stood there and watched without any expression on my face as the demon slashed his left arm.

"Arghh!"

He screamed in pain as blood poured out from his severed arm.

But I didn't pay any attention to him anymore.

I just looked down at the white-haired girl in my arms, whose whole body is covered in blood.

'sigh'

I'm so tired of everything. I just want it all to stop. I just want to die and end everything here and now.

But fate is so cruel.

Even if I want to die, I can't. Why?

Because I'm stuck in a never-ending loop.

No

I'm just lost in a loop of pain.

I've tried again and again and again, but no matter how hard I try, I can't protect anyone.

Everyone thinks I'm blessed because I have fame, wealth, strength, and a beautiful lover.

Fate and wealth? Are you kidding me? I never asked for any of that.

And what's the point of having it all if the world is going to be destroyed?

Strength? What good is it if I can't save the one person I truly love in this world and have to watch her die again and again?

I'm blessed, what kind of fucking bullshit is that?

"Zero!! Please, come here and help me deal with this bastard!"

The demon's sword is about to pierce his heart, and he'll die.

Well, not really, because the world will loop again.

Why is he so afraid of death when he knows he'll come back to life again?

Snap

With a snap of my fingers, I turned the demon general into a mist of blood.

The demon general's sword, which was about to pierce his heart, fell to the ground.

He stood there and blinked in disbelief, as the demon he had tried so hard to kill turned into a mist of blood with just my snap.

Thud

He crumpled to the ground, gasping for air, clutching his chest in pain.

The body of the white-haired girl in my arms suddenly began to glow.

"Wait for me," I whispered softly as I hugged her tightly.

"I'll come back soon"

Her body soon dissolved into particles of light, swirling around me once before disappearing completely.

"Z7," I muttered.

Soon a translucent screen appeared before my eyes.

"What can I do for you, sir?" a message appeared on the screen.

"Quit messing around. Just tell me, how can I die?"

"You already know that, though. Kill the Demon King of Wrath, save the world, and then the loop will stop. Then you can die like you always want."

"You want me to save this world? When I can't even protect the one person I love," I chuckled bitterly.

"Then what? Were you going to quit everything?"

"Yes. I think I finally found a way to put an end to all of this"

"Oh, really? And how exactly do you plan to end all of this?"

"By destroying the world," I replied, my tone heavy with sarcasm.

"But won't that just start the loop all over again?"

"No, not if the one destroying it was me"

"---"

"Come on, say something. Oh, I forgot, you can't lie, right? Is that why you're being silent?" I teased.

"But you're too weak to destroy the whole world, though," the message appeared on the screen again.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm going to go back and start again"

"Do you really think I'll let you do as you please?"

"Did it sound like I was asking for your permission?"

A torrent of energy swirled around me, while blood oozed from every pore of my body.

"Rowan, stop what you are doing," the message appeared on the screen.

"Nah"

"If you kill yourself, the loop won't begin in 2025. It will be entirely unpredictable," it warned.

"I'm done playing by your rules. From now on, I'll do things my way"

"Don't worry, in this loop, I'll do whatever it takes to become strong. I'll try my best to save the world and her," I said, coughing out blood.

"What if you can't save her?" It questioned.

"Oh, you better pray that nothing happens to her," I warned.

"Or else"

"If she dies again, I'll end this fucking loop by ending the world itself"

Cough ... Cough

I knelt down, clenching my teeth in pain as blood started to come out of my eyes.

"Rowan, by doing this, you've lost the advantage you had. Now, the memories of your past loops won't help you because the loop you're going to face will be completely different from them," the message conveyed.

"No problem, I've always done what you said, and nothing changed. So I'll let fate decide this time"

The tattoo of the loop on my neck began to glow, and my vision darkened.

"Let's meet again in the next loop," I whispered as I turned into particles of light.

But the translucent screen remained, even after Rowan disappeared.

"Rowan, you idiot, the destruction of the world and the loop is all happening because of her. I also think this is the last time we'll go through this loop. Eventually, you'll have to decide between saving her and dying yourself. Let's see what you'll do then..."

The whole world froze in time, and everything began to change.

And so, the final loop begins.