Second World Chapter 2000: Chapter 2000. The End of Rivalry

Master struggled to grasp the telepathic communication Jack was sending. He suspected the fool had finally spiraled into madness and was succumbing to delusions.

"I want to voice my respect before this duel concludes," Jack’s voice echoed in Master’s consciousness once more. "Don't get me wrong, I still believe you are an a*shole. You're a narcissistic, selfish guy who ignores the pain of others to achieve your own ends. This world is better off without someone like you. Even so, your capability and willpower are undeniably impressive."

"Your admiration means nothing to me," Master snapped back.

"It isn't praise. I'm just clearing the air before our rivalry reaches its end."

"You keep claiming things will end. Cease these pathetic psychological tactics; they are futile. Your spells are exhausted. You are reduced to mere defense against my magic. Once this time reversal concludes, the advantage remains mine. You are powerless. If a conclusion is coming, it will be marked by your downfall!"

"Hehe, despite all your brilliance, you seem to be overlooking a single reality," Jack let out a soft chuckle.

"Hmph! I told you to stop with the rattling. Your nonsense won't shake me. There is nothing I..."

Master’s internal monologue cut short. Realization began to dawn on him. Their physical forms continued to drift backward through the temporal flow. In this specific window of the past, they had been locked in a prolonged struggle to determine whether Mana Awakening or God Mode reigned supreme.

"You've figured it out, haven't you?" Jack questioned.

"... How much further back can you drag this time?" Master asked, a tremor of anxiety coloring his telepathic tone.

"I'm not certain. I've never maintained this spell for so long, but it will definitely go beyond that specific moment," Jack replied.

Master’s mind raced for a solution. He had to terminate this Time Reversal. Within this temporal pocket, he was restricted to spells that required no physical movement and didn't target his own body. Greater Dispel could have neutralized the effect, but it was currently on cooldown. He needed to access the Necronomicon to reset his timers, but such an action was impossible within this time dimension.

The moment Jack alluded to arrived. It was the instant Master had triggered God Mode. His form regressed from the massive golem of the Earth Titan Suit. One by one, the elemental suits granted by his divine treasures flickered out as he returned to the period where he relied on divine incarnations.

While Master could manifest magic in this dimension, buff skills were out of reach. Just as they were barred from movement-based skills, they could not activate buffs that transformed the physical vessel. To enter God Mode, Master had to synchronize the secondary abilities of his divine treasures—an impossible feat while time flowed backward. Though he possessed the divine incarnations for divine buffs, those four entities were too powerful for his Earth Titan Suit; they lacked compatibility.

Master searched desperately for an answer, but his mind came up empty in the face of such a short deadline. Distracted by his predicament, he failed to see Jack weaving a spell. By the time he noticed, the incantation was complete. It was a mega spell Jack had held in reserve while exhausting his other resources.

From the glowing magic circle, seven colossal eastern dragons manifested, each representing a different element. These seven dragons lunged forward with terrifying velocity.

The celestial shields Master had summoned previously still hovered nearby. The five barriers shifted to intercept the attack. However, in this current timeline, Jack possessed Mana Awakening while Master lacked God Mode. Even with Master’s expert mana manipulation, the standard celestial shields were insufficient to block the Wrath of the Ancient Dragons amplified by Mana Awakening.

The barriers shattered the moment the elemental dragons made contact. All seven beasts converged on Master. Trapped in the temporal flow, Master was unable to evade. The dragons slammed into him, erupting into a blinding, seven-colored radiance that enveloped his frame. This light clung to him as time continued its backward crawl.

Jack had the capacity to push the reversal further, but he chose to terminate the spell. While a Magic Clone shouldn't possess the same traits as his Double Clone, he wasn't willing to gamble on whether Master’s version was standard. He didn't want to risk Master’s consciousness jumping to the clone. Thus, he halted the Time Reverse at the exact moment Master’s clone had fallen to Hope’s Light.

The instant reality resumed its normal flow, a blood-curdling shriek erupted from the prismatic light surrounding Master. The energy detonated in a magnificent explosion. Despite the damage reduction from his divine incarnations, the Mana Awakening-boosted mega spell was overwhelming. The Wrath of the Ancient Dragons tore through him from the inside out, Jack’s precision allowing them to ignore a massive portion of his defenses.

As the smoke cleared, a body plummeted toward Sky Haven. Onlookers gasped as they recognized the falling figure as Master. His HP bar had been completely depleted.

The undead legions under Master’s command instantly crumbled into dust, proving he had suffered a permanent wilderness death. Under the influence of Chris’ world enchantment, neither the immortal soul nor Rebirth could trigger. Several items tumbled through the air alongside Master’s corpse, but the Necronomicon and the Book of the Damned were missing. Because these legendary artifacts did not drop, they vanished from the immediate world, destined to be redistributed by the system as rewards for SSS- difficulty quests.

The demon forces ceased their assault. Master had taken Lucifer's place as their spiritual pillar; losing two such anchors in rapid succession shattered their morale. They fell into a state of mental collapse, paralyzed by uncertainty.

Even a powerful demon like Xugguth was frozen in place mid-action.

Honuren seized the opening immediately. He invoked Soul Lightning, using mana manipulation to condense the silver bolts into a spiraling drill. The lightning spear bored through Xugguth’s skull without opposition, vaporizing the demon’s head. The headless remains of Xugguth crashed to the ground.

The death of Xugguth was the final blow. The remaining demons turned and scattered in a chaotic retreat. The Council of Elpo members watched them go, though the fleeing monsters were intercepted by the arriving eaglefolk reinforcements, who had just reached the battlefield.

Only the players from Master’s army remained, and they too began to flee. Their numbers were already thin, and with their leaders annihilated, staying meant certain death. This time, the Council of Elpo did not show mercy, striking down the retreating players. Very few managed to get away.

The conflict reached its end. The players who had fallen on Master’s side, including Mistress and Sizhad, respawned exactly where they had died. They were now Level 1, stripped of all gear. Chris’ world enchantment had not only blocked resurrection skills but forced an immediate revival at the site of death, bypassing the usual wait in limbo.

Master suffered the same fate. He stood there as a Level 1 ethereal being, his equipment and divine treasures gone. He stared blankly at nothing, seemingly unable to process the magnitude of his loss.

Jack descended and landed in front of him.

The two rivals exchanged a long, silent look. Master said nothing, eventually collapsing to the ground in a heap. Jack felt a flicker of pity for the man and decided to remain silent as well.

Jack noticed Sizhad, Mistress, and the others attempting to flee, but the Council of Elpo quickly detained them. They offered no real resistance. Soon, members of the faction arrived to take Master into custody.

Master went along without a fight.

Watching Master being led away, Jack let out a heavy sigh.

"Do not waste your sympathy on him. His schemes brought immeasurable pain to the inhabitants of this world," Honuren said, approaching Jack alongside John and the others.

"What actually took place up there?" Jeanny inquired. "From my perspective, neither of you seemed close to losing, then suddenly Master was consumed by that multi-colored light."

Jack grinned and explained the strategy he used to take Master down.

"God Mode...?" The group was stunned to hear what would have happened had Jack not manipulated time.

"Wow... that was incredibly close," Paytowin remarked. "If your plan had failed, Master would be the one standing here victoriously."

"You're right," Jack admitted. He knew it was a razor-thin victory and was relieved it had succeeded.

"What's his fate?" Jack asked Honuren, referring to Master.

"He will be imprisoned here. His crimes are far too great. He destroyed numerous divine factions, caused the deaths of countless natives, and is responsible for the fall of our God."

"He's likely responsible for the deaths of the other Gods too," John added. Given that no other Gods appeared when Master claimed his divinity, they could only conclude the others were gone.

"I am aware of your history with him, but I insist he remains in our custody," Honuren told Jack. "I will personally ensure he never sees the sun again."

Knowing this faction housed the most powerful natives, Jack didn't doubt them. No one would be foolish enough—or motivated enough—to attempt a rescue. Without his power, Master had nothing left to offer anyone.

Jack considered telling Honuren that imprisonment was secondary; Master was already enduring the ultimate punishment. He had to live with the total failure of his grand ambitions. Judging by Master’s hollow expression, Jack suspected the man would have preferred a true death over this new, harsh reality.

Jack sighed once more. Despite his pity, he remembered the wreckage Master’s ego had left behind. Master was simply facing the consequences of his own actions.