In a land filled with corpses and the bodies of fallen soldiers, there stood one being on his back. Over millions of corpses, some of which were rather fresh, lay scattered around him.
In front of him, eight individuals with peculiar traits stood.
One man wore a white, round mask and had a smile on it. He had four thin, elongated arms that were connected to his body, but his head was floating in the air, separated from his body. Two halos moved around his head.
Another man wore pink-colored clothing and appeared human. However, from countless angles of his body, yellow wings were visible, resembling elbows and ears, and shoulders. Behind him, a snake-like entity floated around him, vibrating at an extremely high speed, making it almost impossible to see it clearly.
The other two individuals were women wearing red and white clothes. They appeared rather ordinary, but one had beautiful white horns, while the other had a halo that shone brightly.
The remaining four individuals wore beautiful armor. Their faces were hidden behind the armor, but their bodies shone.
"I suppose I'm messed up," Sans said to himself. Sans was a man wearing red and black clothes combined with blood-red armor. His entire hoodie covered his head, and his face was covered by a red mask. The mask had two horn-like features, and it was shuttering as Sans stood unmoved.
Sans laughed at himself while looking at the sky.
"The moon is truly beautiful, while darkness is like an emotionless demon. I failed in the end. Looking back at how much I did and how much I was going to achieve is like the difference between a river and an ocean."
Sans looked at the eight individuals in front of him with pity. Although the mask hid his face, his eyes were visible, and one could easily see the pity in them.
Suddenly, three thin light beams shot Sans's shoulder and chest, where his heart was supposed to be. The last light beam shot his mask, cutting it off into two halves. One half remained on his face, while the other half fell.
Sans fell to his knees as he could no longer can stand.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, Sans raised his hand, and a blue aura emanated from his palm. Countless bones fell from the sky, shooting down like raindrops, their range extending far beyond the mountains.
Suddenly, something came rushing behind Sans at an incredible speed that was beyond human perception. Sans, however, noticed it and swung his arm with the blue aura, attempting to hit or block the attack from behind. But his sword only managed to cut off his hand from the elbow.
Sans's eyes flickered with blue light, and he squeezed a crystal on his entire arm, shattering it completely. Instantly, he disappeared, only to reappear in a completely new place on the mountains.
After some time, Sans coughed as he almost fell to the ground. Then, he saw an entire army in front of him, all equipped with advanced technology and holding guns shaped like lying E's, all aimed at Sans.
Sans looked up at the sky, where over 28 iron boxes were spinning at extreme speeds, surrounding him and ready to attack.
"Give up, you damn monster! There's no way to escape from this. Sons of holy will have planted both seeds of chaos and fixed mechahal spirit on your soul. It's over," one man shouted from the frontline of the army, clearly the leader.
Sans looked at the man with an annoyed expression, and then his eyes released a blue aura after a few seconds. The man who had shouted felt immeasurable pain from his jaw as he screamed and touched it. It was broken, shattered, and even his cheek was torn.
"Medic, come help here!" another man shouted as he held the man with his jaw broken by Sans.
"Don't worry, I'm here," a woman in white clothes came and pulled the man away.
"Everyone, fire!" another leader shouted, and every soldier fired their guns at Sans.
Sans stomped on the ground, and countless thick layers of bones appeared in front of him. But the gunshots were so powerful that they almost reached Sans.
Then, the wall of giant bones in front of Sans cracked, and he was molded into a practice dummy for those bullets.
Despite being alive, Sans was extremely damaged.
"Give up, you lost," Sans heard those words from the leaders in front of the army, as the troops reloaded their weapons instantly.
Sans swung his full arm towards the sky, creating an orb that released pure black smoke, covering everything in its path. He attempted to use something different, but the boxes on air formed a sonic weave that shattered his mask and bones, causing him to be thrown away, black smoke fade into surrounding
Sans was in no condition to do anything. His body remained intact, but his powers were all dried up. Humans had already prepared to counter everything Sans could do.
"So, this is it, huh? All my 60 years of planning have failed miserably," Sans couldn't help but sigh. Although he didn't like this situation, he had foreseen it all along. There was no such thing as a perfect plan; only good or better ones.
Sans couldn't help but look at himself with a mix of pity and a hint of optimism.
"I guess my bones get bonned, hehehe," he said softly, trying to calm himself. He needed to think calmly.
Then Sans started thinking at lightning speed, trying to find a way to escape. He formed a short plan to escape, just in minutes. He had over dozens of plans, but each one had a risk of falling at an extreme degree. Those plans were unreliable.
Then Sans heard the leader telling the troops to be ready to fire again. This forced Sans to stop thinking and try to avoid getting shot. As he got up and looked around, he saw one familiar face among the leaders, which caused him to smile.
"I accept my defeat," Sans shouted loudly. This act shocked everyone, but they told each other not to listen to him.
"Don't listen to him. He's getting desperate for a way to escape. Don't let your guard drop," one leader told them, and everyone accepted and strengthened their guard.
"Clownchaos, hand over your greater nature spirits and every legendary weapon and treasure!" one leader shouted at Sans.
"Don't think of me as lowly. I know only the thing keeping me alive is my treasures. If I hand them over, you all will kill me afterward. But don't worry, I command my greater nature spirits to destroy all those treasures when I die!" Sans shouted loudly.
"Senior Cart, what are you doing?" one leader asked the leader who proposed.
"In this war, we lost too many people. Our cities burned to ashes. Our once grand source of food, the land of blessings, has been destroyed. To recover from this, we need over a century. But he has legendary treasures, and one of them is the 9 direct seeds of the world, which can help us recover in ten years from the war." Senior Cart said with a deep, experienced tone.
Another leader looked at Cart with understanding, then he said with anger, "THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO KILL HIM! WE KILL HIM! WE WILL WIN THE WAR! WE WILL AVENGE EVERYONE WHO FALLS VICTIM TO THIS DAM-"
Cart looked at the leader with hard expressions, then he said, "We all have lost people. After killing him, we win for now, but in the future, another damn monster like him will appear, that is for sure. Maybe a century later or ten years later. We don't know. I don't want to take a bet. I wouldn't let those new generations suffer because of our cautious approach. We need to recover and prepare for such a monster like him." Senior Leader said with absolute authority.
Leaders who heard it couldn't help but bite their lips until blood came out. After all, they knew Senior Cart was right.
"ALL UNIT PREPARE TO FIRE AT COMMAND! DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!" Leaders commanded the troops, who were ready to fire when Sans did something dangerous.
Sans looked at everyone with a smile. He had a plan to escape, of course. He wasn't going to hand over all his treasures right now. Instead, he would give them treasures other than the 9 direct seeds of the world, then he would use his trump card to escape.
Just as everything was going smoothly, a sword stabbed Sans from behind. The sword went through his chest.
"That's a nice offer, but it's not for me," a woman in yellow clothing said to Sans from behind.
Sans got into his knee.
"Bazares," Sans said to the woman in yellow clothing.
"Oh, you remember me, huh? I thought you forgot me or you forgot and then remembered me now that death is so close," Bazares said with a mocking tone as she twisted his sword.
"Oh, this sensation I've been waiting to kill you for 23 years. I'm going to kill you just like you killed my sister from behind," Bazares's mocking tone disappeared and was replaced with a serious and vengeful tone.
"Fuck," this was the only word that came out of Sans's mouth.
"Bazares, what the hell are you doing?"
"Don't kill him yet. We need nine direct seeds of the world."
"You little fuck,"
All the leaders and troops were surprised but also tried to stop Bazares from killing Sans before taking the treasures.
(This is it, huh? I have no way to escape. Even if I escape, I'll die from the seeds of chaos or the fixed mechahal spirit. I'm screwed.) Sans couldn't help but think this way. He knew Bazares only wanted revenge, nothing more. He couldn't persuade her, no matter how right he was.
(Looking back at my life, I can't help but feel regretful. I made too many mistakes. Each mistake killed people I cared about. It ruined my path to success, but I never gave up. I continued to move forward, but now it's impossible to move forward. But I have another idea. Hehehe. The determination alternative system is only a shot I left well just like that moment. I need to rely on luck. There's a 50/50 chance of success or failure. Only luck will decide my fate.)
Suddenly, Sans grabbed his sword and threw Bazares into the sky. Then, from the ground, a giant bone emerged and threw him into the sky.
"Goodbye, realm of mankind," Sans shouted with excitement and optimism, his energetic tone filled with energy.
"Goodbye, my people," Sans said with the same tone, but this time, there was a drop of emotion in his eye.
"Goodbye, Zayak. Goodbye, Illous," Sans said it all with an extreme load tone.
Every troop on the ground was speechless, looking at Sans with shock. They couldn't understand what Sans was doing.
As Sans's body began to shutter from the impact, Bazares finally landed on the ground, looking at Sans with confusion. She could only hear Sans's speech.
"Goodbye, my world. I hope you stay in peace during my absence," Sans's body started to glow, and then a four-sided yellow star came blinding everyone.
Sans instantly touched the star and saw himself in a black void.
Then, something shone in front of him. There was a kid, no older than 15, wearing black and white clothing. The kid didn't look back at Sans or even notice him.
The kid went to a button with the word "reset" on it. Beside him was a button with the word "load" on it.
"Hey, kiddo, don't you think you're doing too much?" Sans said to the child from behind.
As the child looked at Sans, he was shocked beyond comprehension.
"You, you, how are you here only—" the kid said with a trembling voice, but before he could finish, bones appeared from below, forming a cage made of bones.
"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it from here," Sans said casually as he walked toward the button.
"Hey, what are you doing? Stay away from them," the kid said with fear.
"You know, I'm kinda jealous of this power you possess. You can control time, change things that supposedly impossible. This power allows you to play as God, the God who can make everything possible," Sans reached for the button.
"Of course, as much as it is powerful, it has weaknesses," Sans looked at the child with a terrifying smile as half of his mask was broken.
"For some reason, I can see timelines you created. Although it's vague, it was enough for me to understand. After thousands of timelines created, which allowed me to see you as the main cause, it's been half a century of countless research and experiments. I was able to create, well, some kind of lesser version of your power. But as much as this allows me to resist and nullify your doing, it loses to the tug of war in authority. So, I upgraded it to steal this authority," Sans snapped his fingers, which created a button with the word "edit" on it.
"This is not fully developed, so the chance of it truly stealing authority is slim, but it's also possible," Sans reached his hand toward the button.
A child stared at Sans with horror, as if he comprehended what he meant.
The child exclaimed with terror, "You can't do it! You wouldn't do it! You!"
Sans smiled as he pressed the edit button, and everything shook violently. The reset and load buttons started to glitch.
Sans looked at everyone with hope that his actions would succeed. He closed his eyes and smiled wider.
"Goodbye, old me. I will either die or succeed in traveling back in time," Sans reached his hand toward his hearth.
Sans felt his consciousness leave his body. He detached from the sense of physical reality, the sense of time, the sense of living, and the sense of self.
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In a place where the giant graveyard is underground, there stands a colossal stone statue that dwarfs entire graveyard like a grass. At ground level, there lies an enormous graveyard filled with meticulously arranged tombstones. Half-spherical-shaped at the walls, there's a stairway encircling the wall. At the highest point, there's a giant hole that illuminates everything.
However, on the higher stairway, a skeleton monster wearing a blue jacket and a black short look at all
As the monster looks around, it grins with excitement.
"It succeeded! It fucking succeeded! Holy shit!" the monster exclaims, holding its hands to its head with excitement, as if unable to believe what just happened. It looks around.
"I'm at the tomb of Ashamar, which means it's been more than 160 years into past," the skeleton monster says with an energetic voice.
Then, from behind the monster, a bear-like creature emerges.
"Sans, what are you doing here? I told you the tomb is forbidden to enter during the summer," the bear-like creature says.
Sans looks at the creature and thinks, "Wait, who is he again? Oh, wait, that's Gahamar. He's still alive! That means it's 163 years ago. Did he say summer? That means the portal to the 9th region hasn't been discovered yet. So, it must be 163 years ago."
Sans smiles and says, "It's just that I feel like I need to come here. Don't get me wrong, I just come here to see him."
"Look, Sans, I know it's hard, but rules are rules. Please go," Gahamar says to Sans with a soft expression.
After seeing this, Sans laughs a little and heads towards the stairway to go up.
"So, this is 163 years ago, which means the war hasn't even begun," Sans hopes and determines.
"My luck gave me the chance to do things differently from the start in the previous timeline. I was powerless to change anything during the war until I became an overlord-level monster. I was able to turn the losing war into a winning war," Sans starts to remember the previous timeline with focus.
"Determination alternative system gave me a second chance to pursue my goal this time. I will do everything right," Sans concludes.
Sans looked at the ceiling and the graveyard, along with the giant statue, and compared them to him. He was like an ant. He smiled as he continued to go upstairs.
…
Sans had reached the outside of his home. It was a two-story wooden house. As Sans reached the door, he opened it.
Sans saw his house. It was dark. He turned on the lights and saw a big room with three places: a kitchen, a living room, and a welcoming room. On the second floor, there were two bedrooms. The stairway connected to the living room. As Sans looked at his house, he saw flashes of his life before coming here.
Sans saw past himself in the house. It was like memories flashing before his eyes.
He saw himself sitting on the couch, looking at the ceiling.
"Hehe, I remember it very clearly," Sans thought to himself as he looked at his memory.
"In the previous timeline, after losing my brother, I lost every reason to live. It was long ago to my current self, but I was foolish then. I didn't realize I still had reasons to live." Sans looked at his memory for a while, then smiled a little and started to giggle.
"But I'm not like this anymore. After all, in the previous timeline, I became an overlord-level monster, which was a great achievement. However, I failed to go beyond that. Right now, I have 160 years of foresight, and my mind is sharpened by ruthlessness and understanding. My heart has been strengthened by countless hardships and pain. This time, I will go beyond what I was. This time nothing can stop me!" Sans looked at his memory with a determined look and walked away as the memory faded away as he walked to the second floor of the house.
At the edge of the hall, there was a drawer inside. There were a few papers in it. Sans could draw and summarize his knowledge and memories on these papers.
To Sans, his memory was like a giant, enormous map. It was too big to point out specific things on the map. His mind was also very foggy because of his determination alternative system was organizing things that he didn't fully remember. The best method to bring out all the information and knowledge in his memory was to bring it on paper.
Sans looked at the paper and pen in his hand and went to his room beside the drawer.
Sans, with a calm yet happy smile, didn't look at his room. It was his room, filled with a storm of memories before he pursued powers. Those memories were all filled with his little brother.
"Oh, Papyrus, I miss you," Sans thought, then walked to his chair and table on the corner of the room to write down his memory.
Days passed, and Sans returned to the past.
At his house, he sat on the couch, holding countless papers and drawings.
After finishing a drawing, he pinned the paper to the table in front of him.
He had been working on forming a grand plan based on his memories. Each paper signified a place with treasures and valuable information and tools.
"Okay, this is everything I know right now on this continent," Sans said with a deep thinking expression.
"Desertland, Skyland, Frostland, Scorchingland, and Motherland. Each of these five continents has its own type of biomes. This continent has many values, but those are useless for a skeleton monster like me. So, I have to place a hierarchy of values on them. But I can't help but be disappointed. Most of them aren't worth searching. Those that have value are too far away, which is impossible for me to reach. So, I need to rely on myself to reach a greater monster level. But as much as it isn't good, it's also not bad. In the following year, there will be many opportunities to gain power. If I plan correctly, I can become a greater monster in five years."
Sans looked at the table, seeing through countless papers. His vision was fixed on one drawing—a drawing of a giant stone gate.
Sans's calm face replaced with worry.
"In the forest, there's a gate to the 9th region. Humanity uses it to get over the 10th region of our world. It was so sudden that this country of monsterkind wasn't able to defend itself properly. And the gate is right beside this city," Sans expressed concern about the event that would happen.
"But after 160 years of experience, I've learned that when you want control over a situation, you need to be as close to it as possible. Only then can you truly be in control. Of course, you need to be careful, or you'll become a victim of the situation."
Sans closed his eyes and raised his left hand, the one that had been severed before going into past. He then opened his eyes and clenched his fist.
"I need to check the gate," Sans thought to himself. He rose and got to the door, took his sword, and walked away from home.
…
The city Sans lived in was divided into three sections: left, middle, and right. Surrounding the city was a deep forest that covered everything.
Sans had been in the forest for about 30 minutes as he walked through it.
There were countless enormous trees in the forest, but when Sans, who was very short, came to them, they seemed like giants. He couldn't help but feel very small.
"Where is it?" Sans looked around, but all he saw were trees after trees. It was like walking in a loop. However, Sans had spatial awareness and perception that went beyond normal human beings. He had developed and sharpened these abilities through his life, so he had a very good spatial understanding of the forest and knew where he was going.
"Where is that damn bird… oh wait, oh fuck, I'm so stupid that it's a bird, not a beast! Archios, old habit truly dies hard," Sans's expression became self-mocking. He looked up and climbed to a tree in a very agile way, skillfully maneuvering to reach the top branches.
Sans sat on the branch, deep in thought, looking around. The sun was at its peak in his vision, and there was just an endless forest.
Sans focused on his surroundings as much as he could see. This continued for 10 minutes until he saw a blue hawk flying. He smiled and jumped from the tree, landing on the ground.
"That was a scouting bird of beast hunters, which means the bird is going to the beast hunter squad," Sans got up from the ground and started running at maximum speed. He could run for five minutes, but it was tiring for Sans, but he continued to move.
Passing trees after trees, he also encountered small rivers.Until he jumped down onto a small bump on the ground, he fell into a deep cave beneath bump.
Sans tried to slow down his fall or catch something to stop himself, but everything was wet. Because of the fall he couldn't grip on anything to catch, and this continued for a few seconds. He hit the ground due to slowing down his fall by gripping the stone wall in the cave. He received only minor injuries.
"Fuck, that was close," Sans couldn't help but say. After all, he had fallen into such a deep hole, and if he hadn't reacted in time, he would have been dead.
"I can't believe it! My second chance to pursue my goal could have ended here. Not by demigods, not by demons, just a deep cave with an entrance covered. Haha, this is straight up ironic," Sans thought.
A crack echoed through the cave.
Sans looked at the source of the sound. It was his leg, rather his bone, that was cracked from the shock of the fall.
Sans looked at his leg with a calm expression, as if it didn't bother him.
Sans pulled his leg to himself and placed both of his skeleton hands on it. For a few moments, a blue aura emanated from his hands. Cracks from the upper and lower parts of his leg began to regenerate slowly but surely. Then, Sans startled to force the broken part of his leg to its original position, effectively healing it in place.
"Hehe, this is a technique that I learned when I became a greater monster. It was funny at that time. I was known as Clownchaos, the harbinger of apocalypse, the ender of worlds, the lord of calamity, and the anti-humanity incarnate. At first, it was cool in the first few years, but after a few years, I felt it was a bit cringe. So, I only used the Clownchaos titles because it was the only names with meaning."
Sans began to remember his previous timeline, the time when he was known as Clownchaos.
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"Oh, so this is the might of the Immortal King," one exclaimed, gazing at the field filled with a few humans who were battered and broken, their armor barely clinging to their bodies. In front of them stood Sans, but he was much taller than he was now. He wore a combination of red and black clothes, along with magical armor.
"Is he capable of tiring at all? We've been fighting for an entire week, and we're millions while he is one. Yet, he's still kicking our asses like kids," another said, incredulous and uncomfortable.
"Are you stupid or something? He's a rare skeleton monster race called the Immortal King. Although skeleton monsters can't evolve flexible, once they do, they don't tire or run out of magic energy as long as their physical bodies remain in perfect condition," the woman beside the man said, demonstrating a deep understanding of Sans's psyche and biology.
"That explains how he is not tired but what about his combat prowess I thought immortal kings supposed to mage monster not fighter monster his physical abilities are just too much how are you gonna explain it"man replies in order to cancel woman's authority and supremacy on sans's biology
"Immortal king is extremely powerful race they have so complex and powerful magical bones although they are not for fighting they are more than capable of fighting to sovereign knighthood knights it is surprising that our attack made scars on his body" woman said in confusion and hope
"…"man stayed silent observing sans casting magic after magic at incredible speed and quantity toward army on opposite sides of them sans was between army and knights
Man said "could it be greater nature spirits are putting pressure on his body"
Woman stayed silent there for while then said "what you said it possible but there is one thing doesn't add up his 13 greater nature spirits if they are pressing pressure on his body he wouldn't be able to even move he just reached greater monster two weeks ago his core is not refined right now those greater nature spirits would destroy him before we do it how are you gonna explain them"
Then there was just silence between two before two people can talk anymore man came beside them injured barely walking
"We need to keep attacking he is getting slower and slower if we do this for while we can kill him" man said with hope
Man and woman before get up from ground barely staying on ground it was clear they are heavily injured
Sans glances them with for short time and continued to casting storm of magic tornadoes of fire along with hurricane made by him he was dismantling army of millions with those magic
"Not good my soul is tearing apart my body due to overusing magic on this quantity if I don't do something I will end up destroying myself"
Sans look at army with deep thinking it is hard for him forming plan while casting over tens of magic which is already surprising feat as each magic need him to control specifically this is multitasking at extreme level but now he need to form plan while casting magic
"Wait if I remember correctly I saw one of those knights having pearl of armagtar which I can use to go ancient forest that is it"
Clownchaos or rather immortal king sans smile as he turn around to knights he beaten while casting magic, his look was terrifying as he dwarf knights like kid and adult human as his limbs are all very long and tall he has multiple goat horns coming out of his body like back on his shoulder and back of elbows
Knights look at sans with surprise and cautious eyes
Sans weaves his hand and one of hurricane on army disappear and reappear on knights location uprooting every trees on their surroundings but knights has barriers on their body which resisted hurricane but it destroyed was not long after it hit them, destroying barrier on their body throwing them away
Sans snap his fingers then hurricane start to turn into ice sealing every knights inside but knights were alive as they start to try get free from ice
Sans slowly walk to ice hurricane it wasn't he was calm and in no need of hurry, but his mind is already busy doing multitasking at its limit if he run or use telekinesis he might fail casting magic like fire tornadoes that holding soldiers on frontline
Sans reach to frozen hurricane not long after, as he look into hurricane he see one knight barely alive inside ice as he get close to ice, he start to pass through ice like ghost passing wall. As he walk towards specific knight all other knights in frozen hurricane look at sans with confusion, then after while they understood everything they start to fiercely trying to get themselves free or at least room to move around and stop sans
Sans smiles at them mockingly not stopping till he reached knight, moment he reached knight he stretched his hand to wrist of knight, and he take out futuristic watch on wrist as he start to touching watch he watch projection of hologram which showed items, but sans seemed not interested as he switch them till watch showed hologram of blue sphere pearl with pupils on them
Sans shake watch little and hologram of blue sphere peal manifest physically which sans takes it on his palm and break it with force by his finger, soon light radiate from pearl
All knights trapped in ice look at all with horror as they become desperate to get to sans
At next moment light take over sans dash out from frozen hurricane reaching sky and going beyond area like shooting star
…
After light goes away from battlefield, it reached place called ancient forest it is vast forest filled with extremely dense and rich nature energy in entire region also only place with nature energy in this region
Shooting star like light hit forest so fast it create mini explosion on spot it landed.
Sans was there his clothes were burning little he was gasping, not because he was tired rather magic on his body is pressuring too much that he is in need to stop pressure on his body damaging him
Sans as immortal king can heal automatically like regeneration that work on their own but he can also turn it off as regeneration also put pressure on his body
"So, where am I? This is clearly part of an ancient forest, but where exactly is it?" Sans said, placing his hand on the spot where the hearth should be. He was trying to get his chaotic magical energy in his body ordered, trying to nullify the pressure on his body.
Crack crack crack
Sans, looking at the source of the sound, noticed that it was behind trees.
Suddenly, Sans snapped his fingers, and a giant wolf skull came into view, aiming at the source of the sound.
"Come out while I'm talking nicely, or you'll only have yourself to blame," Sans said, although he was on his knees, he was still tall enough to hide a sharp bone on his other hand.
Step step step
Then one human child came to view of sans
"What on earth is a human child doing here?" Sans was surprised to see a human child in the ancient forest. Even monsters like Sans don't venture into the ancient forest often, but it's even more dangerous for humans. When humans enter the forest, every beast cooperates and kills them. Moreover, high nature spirits are absolute haters of humanity, which is quite surprising since monsterkind is the fifth biggest hater of humanity, even though humanity has taken everything from monsterkind.
Sob sob
A human child started sobbing, not daring to move or cry loudly, even though a kid was around 12.
"It seems I wasn't the only one who had bad days," Sans said, letting the sharp bone and giant wolf skull (Gaster Blaster) disappear.
"Come to light before the beasts attack you," Sans said casually.
The kid stayed there for a few moments before getting close to the fire created by Sans's landing. Sitting beside the fire, it was clear that the kid was almost getting cold.
Sans stayed on his place for a few moments before asking, "Aren't you supposed to run away? You know, I'm a monster. I can kill you."
The kid stayed silent and then replied weakly, "If you want to kill me, just kill me. I'm going to die sooner or later. There's no one who will care if I die or not."
Sans heard the kid's reply and laughed softly.
"I guess life hit you so hard that you lost it, didn't you?" Sans mocked the kid a little before sitting beside him.
"Well, my name is Immortal King Sans, or you might know me as Clownchaos," Sans said.
The kid flinched a little and then asked in surprise, "You are Clownchaos, the freaking Clownchaos!"
"Oh, I didn't know I was that popular. If you know who I am, you also know what I have done, don't you?"
The kid got scared a little but then smiled.
"You know, last week, I wanted to meet you, but it seemed so impossible. So, I gave up. To think you are in front of me!" the kid said with excitement.
"…You wanted to meet me, why is that?" Sans looked at the kid with surprise.
"Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Almar Asughar, the prince of Asughar Kingdom. You can call me Zam," the kid said with joy. It was clear that the kid wasn't lying, as his eyes shone with truthfulness.
Sans looked at the kid with surprise and thought to himself, "This kid is Prince Almar? Now that I think of it, Prince Almar also has yellow hair and eyes like this kid. It also seems he isn't lying, but didn't he fail to become crown prince?"
In this world, where technology and magic coexist, there also exists a medieval society. Prince Almar, the eldest prince of Asughar Kingdom, lost his position as crown prince after a duel with his younger brother. Consequently, Almar became a worthless prince who left the kingdom. However, right now, he was standing in front of him.
Sans look at child with deep thinking, asked, "Why did you want to meet me?"
Child or Almar, looked at him for a few moments before asking, "I want your help with my talent."
Sans's deep thinking expression transformed into a realization.
"Oh right he is only C+ grade talent the reason he fall from his might, also reason for him searching for me "sans sights to his heart although both humans and monsters are intelligent beings their powers and abilities and hierarchy are like ice and fire
although monsterkind have magic and technology they few in population when compared to humanity as for humanity their technology is almost near level as monsterkind but they have no magic but they have magic depending on mana unlike monsterkind whose magic depends on soul which experience and evolve, humans sorcery depends on talent talents decide their future as mage thus those who have higher talents live brilliantly while lower are still better than normal humans they are still inferior to higher talents
when Almar get C+ grade talent his influence over his kingdom greatly reduced and his uncle and little brother take control of kingdom leaving him powerless thus he go away from kingdom order to find way to advance his talents
"Why did you think I would help you, kid? I'm a greater monster, yes, but that means the price is higher if you want my help. Then you must be able to pay the price." Sans said in a serious tone.
"Well, the thing is, I'm the prince of the kingdom. Once I reclaim my crown prince position before the time of choosing a king, I can use the kingdom's power to help." The kid said with confidence, but Sans couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Well, there's a better choice I have. I can exert mental domination over you and make you king, controlling the kingdom by myself. What do you think is stopping me?" Sans said slowly, his eyes fixed on the kid with dangerous intentions.
The kid remained speechless for a few moments until he finally spoke, "Then do it right now. I'm willing to let mental domination take over me."
"…Then be it." Sans stretched out his hand on top of the kid's head as it reached out. The kid moved instantly, and a yellow fire manifested on his hand, attacking Sans. But before kid could reach sans , his hand was caught by Sans in mid-air.
"Damn it!" Child cursed.
"Did you really think I could help you with your talent, even if it's understandable as a kid? What kind of foolish kid says nobody cares when they die or not? Your words are creating loopholes kid. If you want to lie, then have truth within the lie, and the lie within the truth. But I must say, that much is already impressive." Sans said with a mocking and impressed tone to the child.
"But it seems you are truly prince Almar . It would be waste if I kill you right away here so how about you explain yourself such as why are you in ancient forest because you are only 2nd powercore effectiveness initial stage which is impossible for you to survive so you wouldn't have come here willingly, so please enlighten me" sans humor little
Kid tried to get away from sans till he accidentally broke his wrist of hand hold by sans
Sob sob sob
Sans was little dazed but not surprised as if he knew this will happen Almar start to sob but didn't cry, no he hold back his cries his clothes were fancy yes but was torn apart
"Kids are very impatient aren't they hehe"sans pull kid closer pinning him to ground
"Don't move" sans said to kid warning then stretched his hand broken wrist of kid then blue aura came out healing kids writs
"Next time don't break your wrist instead break your fingers to escape that is more effective "sans can't help but be cautious as far as he knows Almar has other trump card although they not capable of inflecting damage they can damage his greater nature spirits
"What are you waiting for if you want to use mental domination then just do it"kid said with fear but also arrogance was included
… there was silence till sans ask kid "if I increase your talent would you repay this debt"
"What are you talking about what debt?"kid was anxious till sans get him up
"And that is my secret so please answer my question why did you came to ancient forest "
Kid look at sans then"would you truly hear at all"
"Adults listen while kids whine but whining is best to express oneself so please express yourself"
…
Almar, while explaining why he came to the ancient forest, began to tire from his lengthy story. Despite this, he continued, but during his lecture about his journey, he told countless lies. However, Sans was able to quickly catch them and decided to ignore them as he silently listened to Almar. From Almar, Sans learned several things. First, Almar was in pursuit of assassins sent by his uncle. He was in need to hide, so he had no choice but to go to the ancient forest. He was barely able to stay alive for hours until Sans happened to land beside him.
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"Oh, sweet Almar," Sans said to himself while healing his leg. After all he had finished remembering his past, Almar was initially a tool to him. However, later on, he became like a son to him. This is the reason why Clownchaos is far more meaningful than a simple, unexpected coincidence. It was the greatest thing he had ever met, and the new family he had found.
Life is truly beautiful and the mysterious, connection between us didn't come loudly; it came so secretly and unnoticeably. Yet, it blossomed like flowers of life, and when it did, there was a storm of adventure and inspiration. It was a lifetime of storms that made my bones tremble with excitement. I could never forget them. If possible, I want to feel that excitement again—the love and joy we shared. Haha, wait for me, kiddo. Our adventure will be interesting as always.
Sans remembering about Almar his jaw was changing into smile as he get up
Looking at cave, Sans tore apart his jacket as rope to climb back to the surface. Of course, things were wet, but he had experience climbing to the Gaklin mountains, so climbing out of the cave was easy. Just after a few minutes of incredible climbing skills, he reached the surface once again. When he got out, a squad of monsters was waiting for him at the entrance. All of them were wearing bows and arrows, some had spears and heavy swords, and half of them were wearing heavy iron armor.
"So, this is the group that will discover the gateway to the 9th region, huh? Well, that's good for me." Sans Look at the squad of monsters with deep thinking until he get little irritated. Then, with an angry tone, he said, "Are you just going to stand there like scared deer?"
Monsters looked at Sans, some were irritated, but not significantly. Some were laughing because of what Sans had said; it completely caught them off guard.
"Okay, here you go." One monster, laughing, came to help Sans and sans also accept help as he get out of cave. But right after Sans got out of the cave,
Sans quickly realized the reason they had been shocked at first place, it was because of their clothes. Basically, his upper clothes were all used as ropes. When his upper body came into view of the monster, it was like an undead rising from the cave.
The reason is that skeleton monsters and undead were separate things, although they could be similar in some aspects, such as appearance and biology. However, the difference was that skeleton monsters were monsters with a skeleton shape, while the other was the result of necromancy. One had a mind, while the other was full of instincts and followed orders. This made the monster surprised to sans. To then undead was something they had never seen but told so they thought sans was undead but after Sans spoke they quickly realized it was a skeleton monster, so Sans's words truly caught them off guard.
"Hehe oh my it is kinda embarrassing… oh wait i have nothing to cover at all I'm skeleton "sans said joking tone but it seems not wasn't funny to most of squad members but some find it ironic and hilarious which made them laugh little
"So what were you doing here Mr skeleton"one of monsters who didn't laugh asked in curiosity
"Well I'm here to find gate in forest I'm kinda researcher my higher up want check a gate and my mission is to find gate so instead of having group I decided to get here by myself but thing is accidentally lost my map then I get lost and I fall to this hole so did you guys see any gate by your way"sans said with smile and little bit of seriousness
Few monsters were stood there surprised not expecting sans to be researcher after all researcher monsters are one of most authoritative monsters in city but it was also hard to believe sans was researcher since researchers are for researching not exploring so many things didn't add up so most monsters didn't believe sans but to monsters lying was something they never do unless it is necessary like humans honest and truthful humans never tell lie unless they are forced to tell lie monsters have their principles in their mind no in their spirit even in magic
"You are researcher… where is your identity number or show me your TD"one monster who looks like leader demands to sans
Sans if it didn't bother look at him with surprising expression then"TD are you serious I told I'm researcher going to forest without group do you think I would need TD in forest, think little more big guy"
Monster stayed there few moments before saying"that's understandable well we will help you so what are you looking for again?"
Sans said"Gate it is teleportation device made by unknown monster thus higher up want to know who built and is portal stable enough to left there"
"Well you see we finished our status quest but while going back city we found stone gate "
"It's outer shell is mostly rock while portal itself is large so it is unmistakable once you see it I think that is portal you are searching "
Two or three other monster said to sans right after each other
"I messed this for long time "sans sight with relaxation in his heart
"So boss what should we do should we back to city or go to gate with this researcher "one monster said
"… let just take that guy to gate after that we will go back to city *sight* I miss my wife "leader like monster said while turning back
"Well you heard the Sariel let's go"monster beside leader said loudly while weaving his hand to call them
"Well that is then 10 days in forest and now we need to spend another five days on go and comeback *sight* I miss my moms food"
"Yeah me too well let's keep going"
All monster beside sans walk to leader so does sans walk to leader who going deeper into forest
Forest of motherland in monster region was truly vast and rich with lifeforms that so much that it is almost impossible to know every lifeforms in this biome
Specially ancient forest are one of the most largest forest in motherland continent it is place filled with life and trees thus it has its own type of danger
Sans is entering ancient forest with squad of monsters each forest has their own barrier or territory like ancient forest trees are green and big while other ancient forest has tree with blue leaves or so tall trees
ancient forest sans is entering is filled with crimson trees with blue leaves it was rather quiet for forest with rich lifeforms there is no bird singing no monkeys swinging around no herbivores seen just trees after trees land was filled orange grasses it was uncomfortable to walk in forest
"Ancient forests are most oldest and dense forest it has rich lifeforms that are very dangerous but it seems too quiet could there be hive of black back ants beast here, no if that was case we wouldn't have walked here since they are extremely territorial that they hunt anything came on their territory "sans think as forest was unusually quiet although he is not expert in biological species but he is very good at spatial sense and awareness thus he knows place he is in is supposed to filled with lifeforms
"Boss this is oddly too quiet don't you think "monster beside leader said with worry in voice
"Yeah I thought too but… why it is getting strangely more quiet and now it is too suspicious our surroundings are too perfect like every tree are healthy and there is no beasts here and no animals, isn't it strange that forest filled with lifeforms that too territorial are just disappear like this no sign of fighting no hunting"leader monster said with deep thinking till they hear something behind tree
Sans summon sharp edged bone to his hand and hide it behind himself looking at tree with cautious eyes then he walk to right beside monster who look at tree with caution as well
Crack
Tree get snapped into two from behind tree there was enormous centipede come out it was dwarfing monsters like small flies
"Yellow death centipede beast what is it doing here" sans look at centipede beast with shock
Centipede beast dash toward group of monster which monsters react quickly jumping off from way of centipede dash
Every monster land down to group look at centipede beast few times before looking at leader monster waiting him
"Everyone just dodge and don't attack, just keep yourself safe i will make a plan, till then be careful "leader monster shout to other monsters which everyone nods and take out their weapons in defense form
"Well hehe I too would have followed your orders if I didn't know how to kill yellow death centipede beast, but you are talking to great Clownchaos it is piece of cake "sans run toward centipede beast in his way there was one monster who has sword on his back sans dash right beside instantly taking sword from his back
"Hey what are you doing get back here that is dangerous" monster who had his sword stolen by sans shout but sans just continue to run
Other monsters who look at sans with surprise
"Hey get back here you will get yourself killed "
"Sans get back here you damn idiot"
"That beast will kill, you get back here"
Sans although hear them all he didn't stop, centipede beast who was relocating himself to attack saw sans then it roar loudly dash toward sans
Sans stretch his sword backwards while running when they get close to each other sans jumped over centipede beast get on centipede back then Sans prepared to swing his sword
"Centipede beasts has natural armor, my physical strength is weak compared others in this group, but I have another thing they don't have" sans's hand release blue aura that extended to sword and its sharp edges, till once it fully covered sans swing his sword with all his might
Slash
Sword cut off centipede into two like butter get divided by knife
Roar
Centipede beast was in pain as it lose lower half because of pain centipede beast violently shake his body like chaotic ropes get swings, this throw sans to air
Sans was trying to balance himself on air but he felt his body is little disoriented due him using magic on sword at extreme degree.
the sharpening technique although easy to master it wasn't useful for most monsters, like when one monster learn sharpening technique their technique effectiveness depends on user thus it is not popular, but sans has vast experience on this technique so he can use sharpening technique at extreme level
"Did he just cut centipede beast in two"one monster said with disbelief
"Centipede beasts has thick natural armor that can withstand rank 2 monsters attack and he cut centipede in half"
Leader monster saw it with shocked but not surprised he knows sharpening technique but he is very bad it when he saw blue aura cover edge of sword he recognizes it instantly but he didn't expect it to be this effective
"He is gonna fall to ground soon" leader monster look at sans, till he saw sans is no longer trying to balance himself
"After effect of sharpening technique it seems he didn't train sharpening technique if he did after effect would be disappeared long ago but how did he use it on that level" leader monster can't help but wonder why, why is after effect are there, why his mastery over sharpening technique was too good just why
"That's not important right now he is gonna fall if I don't do anything "leader monster dash toward sans jump to hold sans midair landing safely on ground
"Are you okay" leader monster asked sans
Sans open his one eye then look at leader monster then said"yeah I'm okay just my bones wasn't able absorb all of those effects well I cut centipede beast half you guys can solve rest right?"
Leader monster look at back to centipede beast test was cut in two but was still alive but it was swinging itself around crazily destroying everything around itself
"Yeah we can solve it well stay here till we kill centipede beast"
Leader monster get up from ground unsheathed his sword and walk to centipede beast
"This sucks" sans can't stop his hand from trembling uncontrollably it hard for him to stop it for even moments
"When I was Clownchaos, I used this technique to destroy entire continents, even the moon. But now, it can only destroy the shell of a centipede beast. It's great, I guess this is cost of a second chance. Determination alternative system. Sacrifices everything I had to send me back to the starting point" sans little frown, then a chuckle
"But this isn't that bad in the previous timeline. I endured countless losses and pain for 160 years, yet I also gained powers and the strength of will to move forward. This is my chance to surpass the overlord-level. I promise I'll reach the pinnacle of power, even if it means taking a far more challenging path than before. This is my only chance, and I won't give it up, hehehe."
Sans's hand slowly start to stop trembling he stretch his arms few times checking it whenever it is okay or not then he look back to leader monster
Monsters already dealt with centipede beast centipede beast was trying its best to get away from monsters but it was already dying
Weak Roar get out from centipede beast last time and it fell to ground motionless
"Well that was easier than expected but isn't this female yellow death centipede why is it hunting isn't it supposed to care care of its offspring"one monster said with confusion
"What are you talking about "monster beside him asked
"Oh right you don't know you see yellow death centipede beast have lifestyle which consists of two centipede beast one is male and other is female female centipede beasts has four fangs on their mouth and this centipede beast has four although one is broken…" monster said with certainty
"Okay so"
Leader monster said with one deep voice "only male centipede beasts hunt yet female beast is hunting which means mate of this beasts is dead so order to feed its offspring this centipede beast hunted everything it could find for its offspring without rest thus one sting wasn't able to heal properly and we happen to be possible food for her offspring "
"Oh… then where is her offsprings" monster said in uncomfortable silence
All monster understood what it means
Sans get up from ground and hold his hand but his expression didn't change even though he hear all of it
"The offspring of this beast will certainly not survive. This is ironic, considering nature's tendency to discard both good and evil, treating all things equally, regardless of their strength or weakness. Even if the centipede beast had genuine love and intentions, it was killed, not out of coldness or to let it die. No, because it was a threat to us. In return, we will survive. This necessity is nature's kindness and teaching, as well as its test and cruelty" sans Look at the dead body of the centipede beast with deep meaning as he reminisces about his past life in the previous timeline.
After while they heard multiple beasts coming as footsteps of heavy beasts were coming from their surroundings which made them alert as they continued to move leaving corpses of centipede beast behind
Sans while walking away with squad he felt something wrong
"Why did centipede beasts is only one here… could it be new apex beast came and forces other beasts to run and centipede beasts stayed here for her offspring hmm… that is possible reason but if there is truly new apex where is it also what is it but it is most likely not the case since there is other beasts at high quantity"
Sans tries his best to make sense from this situation but even 160 years of experience wasn't enough to make sense instantly it still needed time to make sense of situations
Sans stopped instantly on the ground, and it was immediately noticed to the squad.
"What is it, Sans? Did you see something?"
"Are you okay? Did something happen?"
Sans looked back at where they came from with anxiety as he started to run forward, leaving the squad surprised.
"Why is he running now?"
"What did he see that terrified him to run?"
Sans shouted while running, "IDIOTS! RUN! THERE IS RED PAIN ANTS BEHIND YOU!"
Monsters who heard Sans were surprised but not scared. After all, how could they be scared since they didn't know what red pain Ant beasts was, but they decided to follow Sans as well, as they were getting anxious as well.
The leader monster reached Sans while he was running.
"Sans, what are red pain ants beast? I have never heard of them."
"Although I'm not sure, but if I guess correctly, there are red pain ant beasts. We have no chance against them, even if it's not them. It's better than being dead."
"Okay, if you say so."
The leader monster was a little confused about what red pain ant beasts were, but he decided to follow Sans. After all, there was nothing to lose.
The group had been running for ten minutes until they reached a small rocky mountain. Sans instantly climbed to the peak of the mountain with unparalleled speed and precision.
Sans was gasping for air on a rocky surface, he was exhausted. This was another difference between undead and skeleton monsters.
"*Gasp* This should be enough. They don't go around rocky places after all," Sans gasped, his physical body at the end of its stamina.
"How did you climb this fast?" One monster approached Sans as he just only get to peak of mountain
Another monster came to peak of mountain then asked, "Mr. skeleton, can you teach me how to climb mountains like you?"
Then leader monster came, despite being the strongest and most skilled fighter in the entire squad that doesn't mean he was good at climbing. It was hard for him.
"Are you really a researcher?*gasped* because I don't remember researchers being like you when it comes to physical activities like climbing."Leader monster asked in surprise
Sans replied without looking, "Then you just didn't see enough researchers."
The leader monster's sight fell on Sans, and he lay on the rock, resting.
After while all monster came they were all sweating and tired as they are only learned to run not climb like goat
"So what is red pain ant beasts"one monster close to sans asked curiosity was filled to his tone
"Yeah you seems very scared of it what is it"another monster beside sans asked
Sans stayed silent as he look at sun it was setting behind mountains already
Sans sight as he said in joking tone" you will see when night comes if I'm right about my guess soon entire forest will be covered in red orange color if not then it is just my guess was wrong "
Sans look down at forest entire forest was made of crimson trees with blue leaves as sunlight fade away entire forest start to shine blue light as leaves release light slowly
"This is so beautiful" one monster said as from high ground of Rocky Mountain forest was like ocean covered in blue light
"It is hehe now that I think of I have never seen forest like this before, I have always fight beasts never seen forest's beauty" one said with relaxation
Other monsters look at forest as well, they all agree it was beautiful, but sans he wasn't smiling but thinking thinking about what to do if it was red pain ant beasts
"Red pain ant beasts if I remember correctly in previous timeline right before humanity declared war on monsterkind there was small war the red pain ant beasts hive although during those time I wasn't in the major city I'm in right now I was at frostland to find more clue about methods I found at grave" sans's face turn to fear as he knows what it meant
"Those are definitely red pain beasts, due to using determination alternative system newly my memory are not fully recovered thus I didn't remember it, but because of that limitation I was able to recognize them"
determination alternative system taken his will and memory and transferred it through time and give it to sans but it has one flaw rather safety measure which is sans is 169 years old and memory inside sans's body was 20 years and considered it all of his memory would be 189 years of memory thus his memory is unable to fully settled down to mind instantly
So determination alternative system has one thing to solve it all it let sans remember all important events rather than knowledge of subjects and most emotional memory which allowed him to gain sense of self and allowing his will not be influenced and become himself more safely and sans is only finished first year of memory to future settling on his mind there is another 167 years but sans can remember even further memory if he want to but it will be more foggy if it is more further away to future but attack of red pain ant beasts are one year into future which almost possible for sans to remember there is also memories he shouldn't remember right now
"What should I do now red pain ants are too much for current me and this group we wouldn't even last five seconds "sans was going crazy with his thinking till leader monster came to sans
"Are you okay it seems you are worried about something too much"leader monster said with curiosity
"*inhale and exhale*oh it just that if it is truly red pain ant beasts then I'm dead which mean… I can't report my research hehe that is hilarious isn't it only thing I'm worried is my report"
Leader monster look at sans with confusion after all he doesn't know red pain ant beasts thus he doesn't understand how dangerous are they
"Well, that's not a lie after all. That research is my life, hehe. I guess my brain isn't working. Wait, I'm a skeleton. I only have a skull." Sans tried to calm himself by joking, but he faced existential questions.
Sans looked at himself with mocking and existential crisis.
"How come I never thought about it in 160 years of life? Haha, haha. This is straight-up bullshit."
Sans accidentally was facing existential crisis when he was just trying to calm himself to think clearly
"I will think about it later right now I need to form plan"
Just as sunlight fully disappeared tree leaves light slowly turn off showing fully dark but in dark there was multiple red dots
"Wait what is that "one monster asked in curiosity
Sans after hearing monster he look at forest and it made him sure it was red pain ant beasts, sans hoped he was wrong and he was mistaken, but it wasn't wrong
"*sight* I guess I was correct " sans smile softly then few red dots start to appear more and more
"Wait what is that again why is there this many dots hey sans are those so called red pain ant beasts "leader monster ask but before he could turn to see sans ground shakes violently as red dots begin to appear more and more before they they could understand what happened there was over 50 000 red dots appeared and it was still going higher
"What is this"monsters were at shock as they see red dots begin to move around to one direction
Sans look at all of it without surprise as he knows what is this"red pain ant beast they have bear size body and unparalleled strength and durability that surpasses rank 2 and what happening is red meat festival it is moment when they go out from underground when they too much population that they can't feed all of themselves so they get to surface and hunt everything"
Soon there was countless roar and cries of animals and beasts it was heard by everyone
"In previous timeline there was" sans look at his left there was vast forest all filled with red dots "150 000 res ant beasts"
Sans sights "how come my first action after rebirth would let me instantly face this challenge fuck I'm not even rank 2 peak at all I'm just extreme rank 2 stage right now "
Sigh escape his mouth his mind deeply thinking
Fortune and unfortunate they are just way of life combinations of situations that make random situations that will be either good or bad
Sans was knowing everything after all he was preparing for himself for this moment he get to peak of mountain
"Wha-at is that this just too many " monsters were shocked by pure quantity alone if they know every single one of them is rank 3 which they all are rank 2 and that alone says everything
Sans sigh once again
Leader monster was shocked as he turn back sans"hey sans you said they were red pain ant beast can you explain to us "
Without a moment's surprise, Sans looked at the leader monster. As if he knew he would ask, "Well, they are a sub-ant beast clan known as the Red Pain Ant Beasts. They are a newly discovered sub-clan of ant beasts, according to my knowledge. They are from a dangerous level 2 beast, so it's quite surprising to see them in a dangerous level 1. Besides their place in the ecosystem, they are one of the most poisonous beasts on dangerous level 2, rank 3 beast among the top 7. So, yeah, we're cooked."