The power twisted his mind, and soon he grew cocky, leading his armies in a quest for world conquest.
In every timeline, it ended the same.
Either Typhaon killed everyone, or Daniel was forced to kill Typhaon.
Daniel ran his hands through his damp hair.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"If I force him to stay normally, he kills himself.
"If I let him do what he wants, he gets killed by other awakeners or he kills the world."
The cycles dragged on.
Failure after failure.
Eighty loops went by but nothing changed.
His patience, worn thinner than parchment, finally snapped.
Then he remembered—he was supposed to be on a break.
The discovery of the link between Typhaon's death and the Angel's arrival had transformed his holiday into endless work.
Seeking some form of relief, Daniel stepped into the Underworld.
Here, at least, he could abuse his 'Chosen of the Second Prince' privilege as much as he wanted without consequence.
"Is there some problem?" Paimon asked, her silk robes trailing behind her as she toured the Reaper cities.
Her eyes glowed faintly, as if peering into Daniel's soul.
Daniel nodded with an exhausted expression.
His body ached from the recent fight against a rogue ghost cave that had been plotting to escape the Underworld.
Though victorious, the battle had left him drained.
Due to his exhaustion, he didn't realize he was explaining everything related to Typhaon's problem to Paimon.
"If we are not wrong, Typhon needs a place that he can rule as a king.
"At the same time, you have to make sure Typhaon is weaker than other beings in his surroundings so that he can't think of starting a war?" Paimon questioned.
"Then, isn't it okay if you bring Typhon here?
"We can give a place to the monster in this realm," Paimon suggested.
"Isn't dying the only way to come to the Underworld? That is—"
Daniel stopped speaking.
His eyes widened with sudden realization.
Paimon smiled as she watched his expression shift.
"Grim Reapers!" Daniel shouted. "If I can make Typhon a Grim Reaper, he can remain in the Underworld.
"Then, you can use your authority to make him the ruler of a small island or a city."
"Indeed," Paimon agreed with a slight nod.
Her expression turned more serious as she added.
"The only problem is that the living aren't allowed to become Grim Reapers."
Daniel's smile vanished.
"Are you joking with me?
"Doesn't that mean I can't make Typhaon a Grim Reaper? It's not like you'll break the rules—"
"I will," Paimon interrupted sharply.
Daniel blinked, taken aback by her sudden resolve.
"The world of the living is a place where the princes will reincarnate," Paimon continued. "If we can help you save the world, then we will gladly do so."
"Didn't you say you wouldn't break any rules? You didn't even let me go to the palace of the Monarch."
"I refused to go against the orders of the Monarch directly," Paimon said, folding her arms. "But if it's something as simple as allowing a living soul to become a Grim Reaper, then that can be done within my jurisdiction.
"I am the Grand Duchess, after all."
Paimon helped Daniel make Typhaon a Grim Reaper.
The Father of Anomalies was brought to the Underworld.
Of course, he didn't want to do it.
But Daniel's stick-and-carrot method he had learned from countless time loops worked wonders, and Typhaon agreed.
Paimon had to step down from her position as the Grand Duchess because of her actions of abusing her authority.
She did it willingly, saying she had been looking for a way to retire since ages.
The other Grim Reapers tried to persuade her otherwise.
They declared they would bring Typhaon using their authority and she shouldn't carry the burden alone.
But she remained adamant.
Fifty years passed, peacefully.
The world of the living had no idea what happened.
For them, Typhaon, the Father of Anomalies, a terror that could destroy the world, disappeared suddenly one day.
In the Underworld, Daniel also became a Grim Reaper.
It was why he could travel between the world of living and the Underworld.
He left the Underworld after he made sure Typhaon wouldn't kill itself.
After doing everything, Daniel returned to his hometown.
He stood there, motionless, staring at the evening sun dipping below the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange and purple.
The broken streets were quiet.
The distant sound of rustling leaves was the only thing accompanying him.
Daniel exhaled, watching his breath become visible in the cooling air.
"I did it. Didn't I, System?"
He was too shocked to even laugh.
The weight of countless battles and sacrifices pressed on his chest like a phantom ache.
"I stopped the world's end."
He almost expected another disaster to occur at he last second and foil his plans like aways.
But nothing of sorts happened.
Daniel felt countless strange emotions after reaching the end of his journey.
Relief, exhaustion, and disbelief.
A smile appeared on his face, small but genuine.
Daniel laughed, his voice echoing softly in the empty streets.
He called out to the System to celebrate the occasion.
Thousands of years of their struggle had finished.
There was no response.
He looked at Professor Daniel with a smile.
"The past has been saved."
The world around them started to shake.
It was the proof the timeline was changing.
Neo's erosion accelerated.
His body made of red lightning started to disappear.
Professor Daniel opened his mouth and closed it.
How was he supposed to tell Neo everything would be fine when he knew it was impossible?
"Goodbye," Neo said with a smile. "You should leave now. Or you will be caught here in the mess."
He looked at Professor Daniel in the eye.