Breaking the Illusion

Zeyron leaned back against the cold steel of his flagship's command room, gazing out at the stars. The explosion that had seemingly shattered the illusion had left him exhausted but cautiously hopeful. His golden eyes flickered as he activated his thought link with Nova.

"Nova," Zeyron said tentatively, his voice carrying a note of urgency. "Are you there?"

For a moment, there was silence—a silence that gnawed at his nerves. Then, finally, the familiar voice echoed back.

"I'm here, Lord Zeyron," Nova replied. "Why are you so anxious? Did something happen?"

A wave of relief swept through Zeyron. Nova's presence felt grounding, a tether to sanity in an otherwise chaotic existence. But his relief was short-lived as Nova's confusion became apparent.

"Nova," Zeyron began cautiously, "do you remember the false world we were trapped in? The one where we defeated the invaders?"

"False world?" Nova's voice was genuinely perplexed. "What are you talking about? Nothing happened… I've been monitoring everything as usual."

Zeyron froze. His mind raced through possibilities. If Nova didn't remember, did that mean he had never truly left? His heart sank as he grasped the implications.

"Then recreate my ultimate skill, Lord of Defiance," Zeyron said sharply. He needed proof—confirmation of reality.

"Recreate it?" Nova replied, his tone confused. "Zeyron, you still have it. It's intact."

Zeyron's eyes widened in realization. "I'm… still trapped," he whispered to himself. The skill should have been destroyed entirely, erased from existence and every timeline. Yet here it was, untouched.

Before he could react further, the air shimmered, and a colossal figure descended. Zeyron instinctively raised his guard as Veldanava appeared before him, his form that of a majestic purple dragon—a stark contrast to the figure Zeyron had seen in the illusion.

"You're not the same," Zeyron murmured, his golden eyes narrowing. "Why did I recognize that false version of you as real, even though I have seen you in this form many times?"

Through thought communication, he relayed his doubts and what had happened to the true Veldanava. The dragon's reply was as calm as it was unsettling.

"You are trapped in an extremely powerful time loop," Veldanava explained. "I will free you, but understand that breaking such loops often requires immense will—and sometimes, sacrifice."

Zeyron's vision blurred as the loop unraveled. The army which was coming to invade disappeared, and he started living a peaceful life, free of battles and responsibilities. He indulged in every pleasure life had to offer, basking in moments of joy he had long forgotten.

But one day, while watching Milim play happily with Rudra and Velgrynd's children, a realization struck him like a lightning bolt. He froze mid-thought, his mind racing. "Milim… she was never this happy from the memory I have from the future. Although I have forgotten everything, the outline of the future still remains, and there were no children of Rudra and Velgrynd."

The memory jarred him, pulling him from the illusion. Using the same trick as before, Zeyron shattered the false reality, only to find himself back on the battlefield once more. This time, his resolve hardened.

"Nova," he commanded. "Show me all the conversations I've had with Veldanava using thought acceleration. Don't leave anything."

Nova hesitated, confused but compliant. "As you wish."

As the memories played back, one phrase from Veldanava stood out: "If you are ever trapped in a time loop and cannot find your way out, remember—time loops are broken by doing something you would never do or even think of."

Like how Rimuru was saved, Rimuru had to see his subordinates killed by humans in order for him to awaken. He had to kill humans, which he thought he would never do.

The pieces fell into place. Zeyron's expression darkened as he made his decision.

"Then we must stop Veldanava from solving the invading army. Veldanava may be a trigger or something," he said grimly.

The ensuing battles were brutal, and Zeyron found himself defeated time and time again. Yet each time, he returned, stronger and more determined.

At this point, his mana had become so powerful that it actively started to point out that this was a false world, and his ultimate skill Lord of Defiance evolved into God of Defiance.

Through thought acceleration, he shared every experience and failure with Nova. If Nova did not remember some things, together they worked tirelessly, analyzing each attempt to find a way to escape the loop.

After countless tries, Zeyron finally understood. The answer wasn't to defeat Veldanava but to hold everyone who was trying to stop the invasion.

---

Veldanava descended once more, his majestic form radiating power. Zeyron turned to Rudra, a confident smile on his face.

"Let's continue our battle," Zeyron said firmly.

Rudra's eyes widened in shock. "Zeyron, Veldanava commanded us to stop! There are invaders from the other world—"

"It is the duty of the creator to protect this world, not us," Zeyron interrupted, his voice carrying an edge of defiance.

Veldanava's gaze sharpened as he observed Zeyron's uncharacteristic behavior. "This is not like him," the dragon thought silently.

Rudra's expression shifted from confusion to determination as Zeyron's next words echoed with unwavering conviction: "Trust me."

Rudra had always trusted Zeyron, knowing he held insights into the future better than them. Yet, something about Zeyron's demeanor hinted at a deeper truth—something profoundly wrong.

It clicked for Rudra then. If the invaders truly couldn't enter their world because of Veldanava's barrier, why were they present and in such overwhelming numbers at that? The realization struck him like a hammer blow. There was something wrong.

The space-time around him began to distort as reality itself fractured. Rudra's divine sword, Deva, shone brilliantly as it emerged from the destroyed space.

"Attack… fire!" both Zeyron and Rudra shouted in unison.

Their armies erupted with an explosion of light and magic. Hundreds of energy cannons and devastating spells lit up the battlefield, a perfect reflection of the chaos surrounding them. They directly aims there attack at veldanava.

And amidst it all, Veldanava watched silently, his expression unreadable. The battle was far from over, but for the first time, Zeyron felt a glimmer of hope to break out from this illusion.

"Nova, is Optimus ready?" Zeyron asked.

"It is only missing flight systems. Do you still want to use it?"

"Yes," Zeyron replied.