Evolution begins with an ant colony

Chapter 188: The Godess Of Destruction’s Offer

Akun’s eyes widened with confusion as he gazed at the self-sealing crack. "Wait... was that a time tunnel?" he mumbled. Before he could articulate another thought, the flickering around his body intensified, and waves of pain surged through him as the green cracks multiplied.

"What’s... going on?" he mumbled, collapsing to his knees. Inwardly, he mused, "I have to get him out of that time tunnel. If not, he’ll be trapped there because he doesn’t have the †Chronos Ruler† †Authority†, and that will just make things worse for both of us." He gritted his teeth as his body trembled, his form starting to become translucent.

Inwardly, Akun mused over the profound emotions displayed on his past self’s face – a potent blend of fear, anger, confusion, and frustration. It was a simple message, a man who seemed to have lost everything. Gritting his teeth, Akun delved deeper into his thoughts, realizing that man was him – a version of himself from just a few hours ago.

This was a person who had given his all, someone who merely sought a happy life with his people. The realization hit Akun hard; had he truly attempted to strip away all of that from himself for the sake of his selfish desires? But, he reasoned, these desires were rooted in the well-being of his people, the very people he couldn’t save, and for whom he fought so desperately.

Yet, there lingered a lack of self-respect for the choices made. It was a heavy realization – one that he couldn’t simply ignore.

Akun, serious, managed to rise to his feet. The elders and tribe leaders, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern, couldn’t fully comprehend the unfolding events. While they harbored a hope for Akun’s survival, there lingered a conflicted wish that perhaps his ordeal would put an end to Akun, sparing them from any further punishment from him.

Standing tall, Akun mumbled through ragged breaths, "System, open that time tunnel."

The system’s voice echoed in his head, issuing a warning, [Notice, player, you are about to forcefully use the †Chronos Ruler† †Authority† to open a time tunnel.]

[The current pain the player is experiencing will be multiplied almost ten times over. At that rate, the pain may shatter the player’s mind.]

[Doing such is ill-advised.]

Gritting his teeth, Akun muttered, "System, I don’t have time for any of this. Open the time tunnel now."

In his head, Chrono Nexus’ voice echoed, "Master, using any †Authority† in your current state will completely break you. Even if you end up not being the one erased, you will most definitely shatter your mind."

Akun inwardly replied to Chrono Nexus, "It doesn’t matter." Then, with a serious tone, he muttered, "Now, system, as I said, open up the time tunnel."

Caught in the spiraling time tunnel, alternate Akun screamed in agony as the cracks all over his body intensified, rendering him translucent. Inwardly, he desperately called out, "System, what is going on? Where am I?"

The system’s voice echoed in his head, [The player is in unidentified territory. The space seems to be related to an †Authority† in charge of time, but because the player has no relationship to the god who owns the †Authority†, the system has no data on it.]

(A/N: note alternate Akun hasen’t met the goddess of time.)

Upon hearing this, alternate Akun pondered, "†Authority† in charge of time... maybe it’s related to Chrono Nexus, the god of time. Perhaps he’s helping my future self somehow. Or maybe my future self enslaved him, that’s likely how he was able to travel to the past and create this alternate timeline." Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "I won’t just go down like this.

Everyone back at the ant city will need me. I have to be there to protect them. I can’t just abandon them." Find your next adventure on NovelBin.Côm

As alternate Akun continued spiraling, he attempted to use his †Authority† to break free of the time tunnel, only to find that it intensified the pain he was already in.

In the echoes of the time tunnel, the system’s voice resonated in alternate Akun’s head, [Notice, the player should avoid the use of their †Authority†; it will only make everything worse.]

Stopping abruptly, alternate Akun felt the cracks on his body intensify. Slowly, his form began to break apart into white, shiny dust, floating away as he mumbled, "Hey, system, whose side are you on? Are you telling me to just die?"

[....]

[There is nothing the player can do in this scenario. The only thing the player can do is to be erased as painlessly as possible.]

Gritting his teeth, tears forming in his eyes, Akun mumbled, "But why? Why do things like this always happen to me? I wanted revenge on the goddess and my classmates, but my resolve became half-baked. After seeing my friends grow and evolve with me, I slowly started to care only about my people and little else.

But fate always has a way of messing with me, to the point that a me from the future came to the past and wants to strip me of everything I love."

In the timeless expanse of the time tunnel, alternate Akun was startled by the sudden voice of a woman. It carried a smooth and soothing tone, yet beneath it lurked a strange hint of malevolence. "Are you really tired of fate? If so, why don’t you destroy it?"

Fumbling in the weightlessness, alternate Akun managed to mumble, "Who is there?" He turned around as his body drifted aimlessly in the temporal void. The voice chuckled, and suddenly, a woman materialized before him. She shared similar features with him—silver hair, purple eyes—but donned a black and purple dress. Despite her fangs, she was no vampire.

She gently wrapped her slender arms around alternate Akun’s shoulders, catching him off guard. Her presence felt more terrifying than Xalender’s, and her mere touch froze him with fear. Summoning his courage, he managed to mumble, "W-who are you, and what do you want?"

The woman chuckled softly, her voice carrying a hint of mischief. "Oh dear, that’s no way to talk to a lady. Isn’t the gentleman supposed to introduce himself first?" Leaning in, she whispered into alternate Akun’s ear, her words sending a shiver down his spine. Pulling away with an innocent smile, her demeanor still managed to instill fear in him.