Divinity

Magnus stood in the aftermath of the epic battle, the echo of his victorious proclamation lingering in the air. 

"We won," he calmly said, his gaze fixed upon the motionless form of the once-dreaded demon god sprawled before him. The invincible monster, the terror of the world, now lay defeated, devoid of any sign of life with a sword stabbed right in his chest. Yet, despite the apparent triumph, an unsettling emptiness gnawed at Magnus from within.

As he surveyed the battlefield, Magnus turned his head to behold a haunting scene behind him—a field strewn with lifeless bodies, remnants of the final confrontation. In that moment of victory, he found himself standing alone, the sole survivor amidst the carnage. A lonely silence enveloped him, broken only by the whispers of the wind carrying the weight of the fallen.

"What's the point?" Magnus whispered to the desolation that surrounded him. The victory, though hard-fought and earned, felt hollow in the absence of those he had cherished. His friends, family, and all those he held dear were conspicuously absent, their absence casting a somber shadow over the supposed moment of triumph. 

The cost of victory weighed heavily on Magnus, and a sad realization gripped his heart—a solitary champion in a world now bereft of the bonds that once defined him.

Magnus, still catching his breath amidst the aftermath, instinctively glanced down at his own body. In a moment of revelation, he realized that he, the once Emperor Stage Magic Swordsman, had ascended to the revered rank of a Demigod at the very brink of the battle's climax. A 35-year-old demigod, a level of power previously unseen among humans. The world had never borne witness to a demigod in human form, and now Magnus stood as an unprecedented figure.

But a mere demigod wouldn't be able to defeat the demon god. After all, the demon god like his name, is truly at God Stage. If it's not because the demon god was injured and exhausted after fighting thousands of enemies, Magnus would never be able to land a scratch.

Magnus's gaze shifted to a broken magical pendant in his hand. A gift from someone he cherished, it held sentimental value beyond measure.

The once shining bright pendant was now dimmed without any energy.

Whispers of a name escaped his lips.

"Runia."

The memory of a beautiful red-haired girl flooded Magnus' thoughts, her image vivid against the backdrop of destruction. He recalled the tender moments they had shared, the last words exchanged before the tumult of battle consumed them.

"Magnus, what should we do after the war with the demon ends?" her voice echoed in his memory.

"I don't know," Magnus had replied without any expression.

"You're no fun," Runia teased.

"After the war ends, I want to live as a normal person with you like everybody else," Runia said. Her gaze fixated on a distant horizon as if envisioning a life beyond the current chaos. Her eyes then descended to meet Magnus', a seriousness in her expression.

"I think you should become a teacher," she suggested, catching Magnus off guard.

"Huh? Why a teacher all of a sudden?" confusion etched across Magnus's face.

"You're the youngest human who reached the emperor stage, I think you would be a great teacher," Runia explained with conviction.

"I hate brats," Magnus retorted, a hint of playful defiance in his tone.

"Even if they're our kids?" Runia countered with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Magnus froze, his usual playful demeanor momentarily stopped. "..."

"You're not pregnant, right?" Magnus blurted out, a hint of awkwardness coloring his question.

"Of course not, you stupid. You don't even dare to touch me. How can I get pregnant?" Runia replied with a wry smile.

"..." Magnus fell silent.

Runia shifted her gaze to the ground, a soft smile playing on her lips. "But I believe you'll definitely become a great teacher someday."

Magnus nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "We don't even know if we will win or not. Let's just kick Demon God's ass together, and then we can talk about this again."

"Stupid, you're ruining the mood,"

The memory of that conversation with Runia lingered in Magnus's mind like a sad melody. Little did he know that it would be their last exchange. 

The following day, as fate would have it, Runia faced the Demon God's general in a battle that would prove fatal. Magnus, grappling with the aftermath of their shared dreams and whispered plans, was thrust into a world without her. 

The news of Runia's death hit him hard, the echoes of their last words resonating with a poignant weight. In the wake of the loss, Magnus found himself standing amidst the ruins, grappling not only with the grief of losing a loved one but also with the realization that the future they had envisioned together had been mercilessly extinguished.

"Huh?" Magnus woke up from his recollections.

A sudden radiance enveloped the demon god's body, prompting Magnus to exclaim, 

"What? There's no way that monster will come back alive after all that, right?" 

However, contrary to his expectations, the glow on the demon god's body disappeared, but an orb emerged from the body, revealing a shiny black orb with a purplish hue. 

"Divinity," Magnus muttered, recognizing the divine aura that emanated from the orb.

Now at the demigod level, Magnus knew that to ascend to the true god stage, he needed to create his divinity or absorb the divinity of others. The prospect of absorbing the demon god's divinity, the very essence responsible for the destruction of everyone he loved, was a thought he vehemently rejected. 

Yet, the orb defied his intentions, charging toward Magnus instantly.

"???"

Confusion etched his mind as he attempted to evade the orb, but it was too late. The demon god's divinity orb had infiltrated Magnus's body. 

"No way," he gasped. Instantaneously, turbulence consumed Magnus's entire being, his body radiating a dark purplish aura reminiscent of the demon god's malevolence.

"If I don't refine the divinity now, my body will explode," Magnus reasoned, contemplating the perilous situation. 

However, a dark thought crossed his mind, "What's wrong with dying? Do I have any reason to keep living?" 

'It's fine right?'

'It should be fine right?'

'Maybe I will be able to meet Runia in the afterlife'

Magnus closed his eyes and let his body be consumed by the demon god divinity.

Yet, the memory of everyone's sacrifice echoed in his consciousness, 

Magnus opens his eyes wide. 

"No" 

"Letting myself die right now is a disrespect to everyone who has died."

Determined, Magnus assumed a meditation pose, closed his eyes, and began the arduous process of refining the demon god's divinity. 

"I will become a god," That's Magnus's last thought before focusing all his senses to refine the demon god's divinity.

Magnus never thought that the moment he opened his eyes, 10,000 years would pass in an instant.