Sinner System

Chapter 669: The Gods of Time and Space - Chronos and Uranus (Part 1)

"H-Huh? What is this?" Came Cleo’s voice from my left.

"Where are we? What’s going on?" Frowned Ciel, as I spotted her in my right peripheral.

We were in a void, an endless stretch of glowing white as far as the eye could see. I...I’ve been here before, I know this place. Isn’t this...?

"Wait, where’s Aria? Jaden isn’t here either," I realized, looking around as my chest began pounding.

"Did something go wrong with the Ritual? What-...?" Began Cleo.

"Hi, again, Kai. It’s been some time, hasn’t it?" A familiar voice suddenly echoed out, startling the three of us.

"That voice...Samsara?" I responded, my eyes widening in recognition.

"Wait, the being that orchestrated my reunion with Rex? Hey, thanks a whole lot, I’m super, incredibly grateful for-...!" Began Ciel.

"Uh, I wouldn’t be so quick to thank me. I’m sure the three of you are wondering why you’re here instead of on Earth. And, well, there’s no easy way to say this, but...you might potentially be, um...losing everything soon," She muttered awkwardly.

What?

"U-Um, what’s that s-supposed to mean?" Chimed in Cleo with a frown.

"Sorry, but I don’t have any more time to explain. But the situation will become clear shortly. I’ll say this much...you’ve been summoned to this realm by my superiors," She replied solemnly, before I suddenly felt two more presences appear.

I couldn’t see them, but I could feel it, a pair of oppressive, unbelievably powerful presences, bearing over us.

"Greetings, mortals. I am the God of Space, Uranus," One of the presences spoke, an instinctive sense of fear gripping me, Ciel and Cleo quiet and tense too.

"And I am the God of Time, Chronos," Spoke up the second presence.

"Why are we here? What’s this about?" I responded with a grimace, getting a really, really bad feeling.

"Yes, let us get right to the matter at hand. The Goddess of Reincarnation, Samsara, has broken our rules, for the benefit of the three of you. She is supposed to remain neutral in her decisions, but she clearly showed the three of you preferential treatment. The three of you have received divine blessings that you have not earned. However, we will not simply take these blessings away from you. You did not choose to receive these blessings, after all. Thus, to earn the right to keep these blessings, you must undergo a trial," Explained Uranus, as I clenched my fists, my bad feeling growing stronger and stronger.

"A trial? What exactly will that entail?" Responded Ciel hesitantly, a wary look on her face.

"Do not worry, the trial we have chosen will play to your strengths, you will fight for the right to keep your blessings and resume your lives. We shall manipulate reality and send three of our Heralds to conduct the trial," Chronos answered her.

"H-Heralds?" Chimed in Cleo quietly.

"Hm, I believe the most accurate alternate term that you would recognize would be Angels. These three Angels will replace you as a part of the group who saved the world. The reality and memories of the world shall be re-written to that end. And the three of you will be perceived as terrorists. To return reality and the peoples’ memories to normal, you must reach and defeat each of the three Angels. Succeed and you will have completed the trial," Stated Uranus, a brief silence ensuing as the information sunk in.

"W-Wait, hold on...replace us, does that mean-...?!" I began, a surge of desperation and rage swelling in my chest.

"You need not worry, Kaivel Intrix. We will not do something so cruel and dishonorable. The Angel who replaces you will not take your place in your relationship with Ariella Velle, doing that would be beneath our dignity as deities. At any rate, the Angels do not have the same base desires as mortals, including lust.

As for her connection to your Sinner System, it will be severed, until and unless you succeed in completing the trial. And to address your other thoughts...yes, there will be a time limit, the three of you shall be given a period of one hundred days exactly," Uranus answered before I could even ask the question.

"What about-...?" Began Cleo.

"We have considered that. And we fully intend to keep this trial fair, therefore, the Angels have been forbidden from going into hiding during the trial," Responded Chronos.

"U-Um, are the three of u-us the only-...?"

"You are correct, you three are not the only ones who will be subject to this trial. There are two others on Earth who were unfairly given preferential treatment by Samsara, they will be made to undergo the trial as well.

But unlike the three of you, it has not been very long since they received their blessings, so we will not send any additional Angels. And no, you are not obligated to work with them.

However, for the trial to be cleared, all three Angels must be defeated. How they’re defeated will not matter, the trial will be complete even if only one of you does it by their lonesome," Remarked Uranus.

"Are there any other conditions or rules?" I asked them with a grimace.

"Yes, one. As we said, if you clear the trial, reality will return to normal, with one exception. Any deaths that occur within the duration of the trial shall not be undone, that includes the three of you, along with the other two. If all five of you die, the trial will end in failure. And, of course, if you exceed the given time limit. There are no other rules. You may employ any means you wish, we will impose no restrictions," Chronos informed me.

"I see...I get it, the fact that you aren’t imposing any further rules or restrictions means that you’re confident we’ll fail the trial, aren’t you? Don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell us how strong these Angels are?"

"You will find out soon enough, so we see no need to divulge that detail. Before we send you back to Earth, there is one last matter to discuss. Specifically, the otherworldly additions that you have brought with you."