Chapter 1

Chapter 0: Prologue

[Warning!]

[Detected host to be in a critical situation!]

An emotionless voice of a young female sounded.

This was definitely not a game. Of course, it wasn't a dream, either.

With her mechanical voice constantly ringing inside my head nonstop. Heck, I could even see multiple alerts popping up everywhere my eyes could see.

'Hah... I get it okay, no need to remind me every damn second'

Cracking my neck, I stood up from my kneeling position while covering the wound on my stomach with my right hand.

"Ugh..."

I groaned and glanced behind as I could see a person encased inside a thick shell of ice.

If I hadn't known better, I would have already thought that he had already died but I knew that wasn't the case.

There's no way he would die over something like this.

After all, he is...

Growl~

A menacing growl entered my ear, snapping me out of my thoughts as I turned my head towards the growl.

I immediately frowned after seeing a group of unusual humanoid beings moving toward me.

"Grrr- You still have a chance to change sides, Thunder Monarch... before Antares conquers this planet"

A huge and muscular man with yellow eyes and sharp teeth growled with a hint of caution in his eyes.

"Indeed, it's only a matter of time before this planet becomes ours"

A muscular old blue-skinned elf with white long hair smiled coldly as he caress the surface of his blade.

"Hah- There's no need to bother over a monkey. We should just kill him and be done with this"

A handsome and youthful man with blonde hair and green eyes sneered as he looked down at the human in front of him.

"I agree~ I still haven't forgotten how you killed my beloved children"

A voluptuous woman with glowing red eyes and insectile hands and legs giggled with a bloodthirsty smile.

"That's right, huwahaha! I've got to finally pummel the one who made me suffer all these years. Oh, how I long for this day to come, Hahahah!"

A gigantic and bluish-gray skinned muscular man with long messy hair and a sloppy beard heartily laughed as he bump his fists with each other.

"Hmm- let's not waste any more time and kill these humans so as, we can prepare for the arrival of Antares"

An old man with gray hair, light red eyes, and a blood-red blob symbol on his torso commanded with an impatient look.

'These damn- hoh... calm down'

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down as I silently accepted today's daily task rewards.

Shuuu...

Shortly a gentle green aura washed over my entire body as the wounds and fatigue disappeared in an instant.

'That felt good'

This scene naturally attracted others and all of them had varied reactions. Some were surprised, others had nervous expressions, and one had a thoughtful look.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but formed a grin on my face.

"Now then, since you all desperately want this to end then so be it"

I smiled coldly at them and snapped my fingers.

Snap~

Instantly, dark clouds surged into the sky right above the battlefield. Forming a terrifying cyclone as lightning and thunder flicker and gleam the whole city with bright flashes of lights.

Rumble~ Rumble~

As if the god of thunder was about to descend, a terrifying thunderstorm erupted.

"I'll finish this before dinner comes"

•••

Chapter 1: Final Chance

Apocalypse...

It's what most people would describe after seeing the horrifying scene in front of them.

A land field with monsters slaughtering humans left and right, not leaving a single one behind as the army of beasts marched forward leaving nothing but blood and bones behind. Whilst the humans could only hide in the shadows in fear and anxiety.

And in a place not far away, two unknown entities were facing each other.

The one on the left was an angelic being whose body was covered with an armor while six majestic wings were on its back.

On the other side was a middle-aged man with long red hair, a neatly trimmed red beard, and glowing red eyes.

However, it wasn't just any ordinary man but the one who caused the destruction of the world.

The one the humans called the devil...

"Antares..."

The angelic being grimaced as he watches the massacre of the humans he had sworn to protect. He clenched his hand tightly the more he hears the scream of pain and misery from the humans below.

He knew that if he were to move right now, the man in front of him would stop him.

"There is no stopping the inevitable, Atlas"

Antares gazed at the destruction he caused with an indifferent face but if one were to look closely into his eyes, one would notice a hint of pride in them.

And Atlas who heard him frowned at his statement as he turned his head away from below and eyed Antares.

"We may have lost this war but the next one won't be the same"

"Oh? If I remember correctly you said the same thing last time but from what I'm seeing, that doesn't seem to be the case"

Antares smiled calmly as he beckoned Atlas to look down below, conveying where the current massacre was occurring.

"..."

Even though Antares couldn't see his expression due to the helmet covering Atlas' face but he could still sense the troubled emotions brewing inside of him which made him sneer mockingly.

Hearing the sneer, Atlas calmed himself down and opened a space gate.

"Are you going to run away again, Atlas?"

Antares knew what he was about to do but he didn't bother to stop him. In fact, he was actually looking forward to what is about to happen.

"No matter how many times you go back, you will never be able to stop me from destroying this planet"

Atlas didn't bother to react to his words and slowly flew towards the gate as he looked back at Earth one last time.

With a flap of its wings, Atlas entered and disappeared but not before leaving a melancholy sigh.

•••

In an Unknown Realm

A grand majestic palace could be seen floating in the skies as angelic soldiers flew and patrol the vicinity around the palace.

Woosh...

Out of nowhere, a humanoid being appeared with six magnificent white wings on its back and a suit of armor that cover its entire body.

Its wings were so brilliant, they illuminated the whole area around it.

"Keuk!? It is his majesty!"

One of the angelic soldiers that were close by, felt the majestic aura and cried in surprise as they trembled in excitement.

This alerted the other angelic soldiers nearby and simultaneously turned their heads toward the commotion and gasp at the sight.

"...!?"

All of them instantly bowed their heads with their right hand on their chest as they opened a straight path toward the palace.

"We greet his majesty! The Ruler of Brilliance and the Brightest Fragment of Light, Lord Atlas!"

"We greet his majesty..."

"We greet his majesty..."

Atlas who saw this only glanced at it for a few moments before he flew straight towards the palace using the opened path.

Within just a second, he arrived and went inside.

The moment Atlas stepped put in the palace, he stopped flying and opted to walk on foot instead. Only after a few minutes of walking did he stop in front of a large door.

Creak...

Opening it, Atlas entered and saw a wide room of what looked like a council hall as he headed to the middle of the room.

The architecture and interior design had a unique feeling of an ancient Greek style with several majestic pillars that supported the ceiling while the room itself is circular with a dark wood round table lying in the middle and nine large chairs surrounding it.

And out of those nine chairs, six of them were occupied by the same beings or race as Atlas.

Seeing them, Atlas nodded at them and calmly sat down at one of the empty chairs.

Silence...

The room was deathly quiet as not one being had spoken as they all stared at each other, seemingly hesitant to speak up. The atmosphere had turned awkward and depressed as they could only sit there in silence.

But not until Atlas broke the atmosphere.

"I propose we go back"

The moment Atlas's words fell, everyone couldn't help but glance at each other in worry.

They all understood what Atlas meant when he said they should go back. It meant that they'll have to go back in time using an artifact created by their past creator, the cup of reincarnation.

A one-of-a-kind artifact that could reverse time and begin anew.

An artifact that was so powerful that the creator himself locked it away until they found it.

Nobody knows how it could reverse time, only the creator himself knows about it but it is rumored that there lies a secret hidden inside.

Although they have examined it a thousand times, they still couldn't crack the secrets no matter what they do. That's why they have given up on studying it and opted to use it as a trump card instead.

And they have used it countless times now to the point that cracks started to appear on it. The cup had so many cracks on it that it looked like it would break with just one push.

Even without seeing it, just from their senses alone tells them how meager of an amount of magic the cup radiated compared to its past glory.

"Hoh... is there really no other way?"

One of the angelic beings sighed, feeling exhausted from all the conflict.

"You know that it is already too late, Helios"

"I was afraid you'd say that"

Helios massages his head out of frustration when a thought suddenly popped into his head.

"Then what about your vessel, Mars? He is still alive perhaps he can kill at least one of the Monarchs"

"..."

"What was his name again? Ah, yes! It was Liu Zhigang"

"...it's impossible"

"Huh!? What do you mean?"

"He has... given up"

The moment Mars' words fell, the atmosphere turned silent.

"H-How could he have just given up!? After all the power we gave to him!"

Helios smashed his fist on the table in outrage but surprisingly it didn't break. Still, that didn't calm him down, and let out a terrifying blazing aura that covered the entire palace.

Feeling the temperature of the room become increasingly hot, Atlas decided to calm Helios down by releasing his aura.

Shuu...

A majestic light erupted out of Atlas' body as it instantly suppressed Helios' blazing aura.

"Enough!"

His roar immediately dampened Helios' anger.

"You need to calm down, Helios. You haven't even heard Mars' side of the story"

Hearing Atlas' words, Helios contemplated before receding his aura back.

"I apologize... I was too hasty"

Hearing Helios apologize to him, Mars felt the need to clarify the situation.

"There's no need to apologize, I would have had the same reaction as you if I was in your position, and regarding Liu... it isn't that he has forsaken us but rather he can't"

"You're not making sense, Mars"

"Sigh~ It's... he has met Antares and fought with him"

"..."

"I'm sure you can imagine what the outcome is... although he had managed to escape alive, he had suffered a grievous wound that will never heal"

Everyone sat there in silence as they understood what Mars' words meant.

"How come you didn't tell us about this, Mars"

One of the angelic beings looked at him with questions in his heart.

"I didn't want to dampen the mood even more, so I decided to stay quiet about it"

Mars could only sigh in silence as the atmosphere around the room became quiet again.

Even after countless planning, scheming, and battles with their enemies. All the outcomes seem to always lead to their defeat as no matter what they do, their enemy's schemes are always one step ahead of them.

It was this constant defeat that they had to use the 'Cup of Reincarnation' multiple times now.

And now, they only have one chance to use the artifact before it permanently shatters.

Seeing the depressed comrades in front of him, Atlas stood up from his chair and took out the 'Cup of Reincarnation'.

"This is the only way... the fate of humankind depends on us"

Atlas stared at each and one of them as he spread his wings wide open.

"We are the Rulers of the universe, the protector and guardians of life. We must not falter over a single setback for we are the hope of the universe into attaining a better future!"

His speech bought their faces to stare at him as a majestic aura spread out within him.

"We may have been created out of our former creator's enjoyment but he is not here anymore. We are now free! We can finally achieve what we were meant to be... to protect"

"..."

"As long as the Monarchs are destroyed, peace may be brought to our universe. No matter what setbacks may come, we must fight! Fight for peace! For we are Rulers, the protector, and guardians of life"

That statement made everyone quiet as they looked at each other before one of them abruptly stood up.

"Indeed, you are right! I agree with the use of the artifact"

As if a domino unfolded, they all stood up from their chairs one by one and unanimously approved of the decision.

"I as well..."

"You have convinced me..."

"I agree..."

It was at this time that Atlas took the cup from the table and raised it high in the air.

'I hope this time, we'll be able to save humanity...'

He gazes intently at the cup as he tightens the grip on its handle.

'If not, then I can only apologize'

With one final breath, Atlas poured his mana into the cup.

Shuu...

The cup shone with extreme brightness that covered the whole room, even going so far as to engulf the entire realm.

Crack!

The more the cup shone, the more cracks appeared on its surface.

Crack! Crack!

Until it finally broke into pieces but not before releasing a huge amount of mana everywhere.

And the immense mana managed to cover everyone's senses as they didn't notice the cup releasing an unknown power that slipped out into the space-time continuum.

•••

In an Unknown location...

A man was running down a desolate street with a soggy book while holding an umbrella in his other hand which protected himself from the ongoing rain as he had an annoyed expression on his face.

"Damn this rain! Now my Jump magazine is ruined because of it"

Rumble!

Thunder and lightning constantly flicker in the dark sky as the storm continues to erupt even harder.

Rumble! Rumble!

Just when he thought the day couldn't get worse, an earthquake appeared so suddenly that messed up his balance and slip to the ground.

"Keuk!?"

As if that wasn't enough, lightning struck and electrocuted him to death. It was only after the storm passed did others managed to find his burnt-up body.

But little did everyone know, that lightning wasn't any ordinary one as it contained a mysterious energy that brought the man's poor soul into another universe.