"Run!"

A distorted voice whispers into my ears, so vague and nearly imperceptible that I nearly miss it.

My consciousness stirs once I hear the sound.

"They're heading in our direction!"

"Shit! How did they spot us, even when we're using the hidden route?"

"Does it matter? Hurry! Move quickly!"

The voices grow louder and more pronounced, filling my brain with all kinds of sensory emotion despite my current confusion.

What is happening right now?

Didn't I already die?

"Protect the Emperor! We must continue to march on! Persevere! No matter what, you Imperial Knights must persevere!"

Right at that moment, my eyes snap wide open and I find myself amidst a chaotic battlefield.

Again!

I return to the exact moment I arrived into this Trial Scenario, before the arrows were fired, and before I died.

'T-this… this familiar sensation!'

There's no way I can mistake this feeling when I have experienced it before.

—Regression!

I have somehow returned to the past.

To the beginning of my Trial Scenario.

But how?

Why?

'No, does it matter?'

This could be a part of my Trial Scenario's mechanics. Perhaps Ciel wasn't lying, but her knowledge must simply be limited.

I'm a Harbinger.

It's likely that Apotheosis doesn't work the same way for me as it does for others.

In that case—

"What are you dawdling around for? Let's move!" Someone suddenly shoves me forward, almost making me fall to the ground.

It's the leader.

I obediently follow his commands and snap out of my daze, marching forward as I wonder what exactly it is that I am meant to do.

'The arrows will come soon…'

I gulp.

How exactly am I supposed to evade them without Frontflow? My Conceptions don't seem to work in this world.

'No, hold on—' My eyes widen.

Why am I drawing such a conclusion so early?

Just because Frontflow doesn't work, that doesn't mean the others won't. I can't give up so quickly.

'Let's try Clairvoyance. If I can spot the enemies on time and inform the captain, we can launch an attack before they do so.'

I try to activate Clairvoyance, but it doesn't work.

Sigh…

Also, what was I thinking?

Even if it worked, why would the captain believe someone like me and waste time with a counterattack that isn't even guaranteed?

In the unlikely scenario that I manage to make him believe me, I would still have to explain how I got access to such information.

They might see me as a spy.

With all the commotion and uncertainties flying around, I won't be surprised if the captain executed me on the spot for acting suspiciously.

Ah…

Dying again.

What will happen if I die again in this world?

Will everything reset?

'I can't be sure.' I tell myself cautiously. 'It's possible that I can only do this for a limited number of times. Or… hold on, what if this is—'

Loud whistling sounds echo once again.

A rain of arrows start to rapidly dive into the sky, their swift descent inevitable.

I don't have a lot of time.

But—

'If this works, then the situation might not be as hopeless as I thought.' I smile, hurriedly unsheathing my blade before even the leader speaks.

I make a blunder, and my sword flies away, landing towards the inner formation, close to the carriages.

"You idiot! Get your act together!"

"S-sorry…" I rush towards my fallen sword to pick it up and quickly return to my position in the outer layer of the formation.

Then, the captain yells out his usual orders.

"Brace yourselves! Protect the Imperial Carriages with your lives if you have to!"

Sure thing!

As long as I can pass this hurdle!

The arrows finally descend, and right as they are about to hit me, I activate my final card.

—Tracing!

WHOOSH!

Rather than being hit by arrows, I appear at the same position I dropped my sword earlier.

This protects me from the rain of attacks that would have impaled me from every corner and rendered me dead in seconds.

Whew!

That was some quick thinking!

I remembered the spots that were unaffected by the arrows in my last life due to the outer formation's sacrifice and the captain's constant defensive slashes.

By appearing there once the arrows hit, and then reappearing in my position once the projectile bombardment stopped, I managed to protect my life.

'But did anyone see me?' I wonder, glancing around with a cautious gaze.

Thankfully, everyone was so focused on the arrows and the commotion that came after that they didn't bother noticing one Knight out of place for only a few seconds.

Just like that, I have overcome the first hurdle.

And this has brought me to another realization.

'My Fragmented Conception of the Leaper Pathway works!' A sharp gleam of delight instantly manifests in my eyes as I heave a sigh of relief.

Now it all makes sense.

The purple threads that suddenly appeared when I was about to begin Apotheosis, the regression, and now Tracing.

'This world is modelled with my connection to the Leaper Pathway in mind.'

That means my regression isn't just some foreign mechanic but is actually tied to the other Conception that exists in the Leaper Pathway.

'Jumping…' I silently assess. 'The ability to move forward and backwards through time.'

I have long realized that my regression was caused by a Leviathan, but after learning of this Conception it became undoubtedly certain that the culprit is a Leaper.

Could my past regression be what is triggering this current situation?

Is that why I keep regressing?

Does this also apply to real life? Come to think of it, I have never actually died in the normal world ever since I regressed.

If I did, would I return to the past?

I can't say.

'That's the problem. I don't have enough information to start drawing arbitrary conclusions and then make decisions based on those lines of reasoning..'

I have to live as though this is my last life.

The same applies to this Apotheosis.

'I will have to ensure that I no longer die and risk failure.' Clenching my fist in gratitude for this second chance, I grow more and more determined not to waste it.

"Great job surviving, everyone! Now let's keep marching forward. We need to cross the border before nightfall."

"Yes sir!"

The captain glances at me for a moment, stunned by my survival no doubt.

After all, all the Imperial Knights around me are already deceased. However, he doesn't express any signs of displeasure.

Instead, he pats my shoulder and mutters:

"Good job."

I watch as he brushes past me and congratulates the others, checking on the injured and most especially paying attention to the carriages.

As I suspected, the middle one appears to be his greatest priority.

'Let's just hope more projectiles don't appear. Just to be safe, I better pay attention to my surroundings and prepare to be mobile to evade more arrows.'

Unfortunately, I won't be able to pull off the same move I used the last time.

If I make too many blunders, I will simply attract the suspicion of not only the captain but also the other Imperial Knights.

Ciel was right.

Apotheosis is no joke.

From the beginning I've been thrust into a crazy evacuation, with no information on what had happened and where we are going.

None of these people are also familiar to me, and the only thing that makes the most remote sense is the language.

But that's why this is so confusing!

'Empires stopped existing in the Eariel Continent before the Grand Era of Unification, yet everyone here is speaking that language. Ciel did say that the Trial Scenario is a paradoxical mess, but I wasn't expecting it to be so unintuitive.'

Regardless, I shouldn't be too negative.

'After all, I'm not completely powerless in this strange new world. I have Tracing, and that gives me some things to work with.'

Ah… such optimism.

If only I knew at that moment that ahead of me, and the rest of this Imperial Entourage, is an even worse fate than anything from before.

This Trial Scenario would become even scarier.

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