"Give up, human. You are all doomed. Embrace the void and accept your pitiful fate," Borah sneered, his chilling tone laced with mockery, a clear indication that he wasn't taking the battle seriously.
Xandros, usually calm, clenched his teeth in frustration. He knew he was in way over his head—fighting a Void General was beyond reckless. But he had no choice. If he failed here, every soldier alongside him would perish, and the city walls would be breached.
"I need to find a way to destroy his weapon or disable it. He doesn't seem to have strong defenses or close-combat abilities," Xandros thought, quickly formulating a strategy. It only took a second.
"You pests are nothing but parasites, leeching off our planet. You have no honor, no shame—fighting a weakling like me while wielding a legendary artifact," Xandros mocked, his voice laced with scorn. He was baiting Borah, hoping to make him drop or unequip his weapon. He knew that intelligent Void Beings were incredibly proud, seeing weaker opponents as unworthy of their full power.
Borah scoffed. "Human ant, you are right—you are not worth my scythe. You didn't even make me use it properly. I'll give you a chance. I want to see you struggle. I want to hear you scream in agony. Using my weapon on you would make death far too quick and merciful."
With a cruel smirk, Borah unequipped his scythe, spreading his arms in a taunting gesture. "Come. Entertain me."
"Motherf*cker. Your arrogance will be your downfall," Xandros cursed internally.
Wasting no time, he unequipped his katana as well, assuming a fighting stance. "Let's throw hands."
Without hesitation, he coated his fists in mana and blurred forward at blinding speed, his punch shattering the air with a thunderous boom. Borah barely managed to block before retaliating with a punch of his own. Xandros countered, redirecting the force and launching a powerful kick toward Borah's neck. The Void General, startled by the sudden attack, barely had time to react before he was sent hurtling backward for several miles.
The exchange had happened in less than a second.
Furious and humiliated, Borah let out a guttural roar. His aura flared violently as he lunged forward, aiming a devastating punch straight for Xandros' heart. But Xandros met him head-on, catching the attack with his palm and redirecting the energy back at Borah.
Mid-battle, Xandros analyzed his opponent with practiced precision. "He's terrible at hand-to-hand combat. That's his weakness. Meanwhile, I've mastered it. This is my advantage."
Borah, still blinded by arrogance, refused to believe that a mere human—one who hadn't even reached the Saint level—could be dominating him. The thought was unacceptable.
They exchanged hundreds of blows, each collision creating shockwaves that cracked the very air. But no matter how much Borah tried, Xandros remained in control.
"Good. This hot-headed fool fell for my taunt. I despise arrogant bastards like him. I just need to keep this up for fifteen more minutes," Xandros thought, relieved.
But before he could celebrate his small victory, a chilling aura—far stronger than Borah's—descended upon the battlefield. A space rift tore open, and from within, an ominous presence emerged.
"Borah. This mission should have been completed already. What are you doing?"
The voice sent a shiver down Xandros' spine. Borah, for the first time, trembled in fear.
"D-Death S-Saint… W-What brings you here?" Borah stammered.
"You fool. If you hadn't wasted time toying with a human, I wouldn't have had to come here. You will face punishment once we return to the ship. For now, I will finish this myself," the Death Saint replied, frustration evident in his voice.
Before Xandros could react, an overwhelming force slammed into him, sending him crashing into the ground. Darkness consumed him instantly.
"Borah, finish him. Then, we complete the mission."
"Y-Yes, Saint," Borah obeyed, gripping his scythe. He raised it high, preparing to pierce Xandros' heart.
But before the fatal blow could land, several powerful auras—equal to that of the Death Saint—rushed toward them at impossible speed.
"Borah, we're leaving. Now."
The Death Saint grabbed Borah, and in an instant, they vanished through the rift.
.........
(Inside Xandros' Sea of Consciousness)
Xandros found himself floating in a dark, empty void.
Rage boiled inside him.
He hated this. He hated his weakness.
"Why am I so powerless?" He clenched his fists. "Why am I always too weak to protect the people I care about?"
He had lost too many.
He was tired.
He was pathetic.
Then, a voice—deep and ancient—rumbled through his very existence.
Xandros' breath hitched. "Who's there?" He looked around, but there was only darkness.
Xandros clenched his fists, his voice shaking with anguish. "Yes. Yes, I do. I hate being weak. I hate watching my loved ones die while I stand helpless. I've lost too many. I… I WANT POWER!"
His roar echoed through the void, laced with pain and fury.
A moment of silence passed. Then, the voice spoke once more.
[Ding!]
[God-Level Creation System Initiating…]
[Binding with Host…]
[1%... 12%... 43%... 75%... 100%...]
[Binding Complete]
[Welcome to the God-Level Creation System, Host.]
Xandros barely had time to process what was happening before he slipped into unconsciousness once more.
End of Flashback.
...............
(BACK TO THE PRESENT)
(Xandros' POV)
"Yeah, that's how it went. Pretty cliché, if I do say so myself," I chuckled inwardly.
[Ding!](Device notification)
[Congratulations, Mr. Xandros, for creating the best form of energy in this game! We are pleased to inform you that you have won our highest reward. Would you like to receive it?]
I smirked. "Finally."
After decades of research and problem-solving, I had succeeded. This game had been my only true source of entertainment—my only escape from the endless monotony, aside from Lucy. It was a research-based game, challenging players to solve complex energy-related problems and even create new forms of energy. An impossible feat, considering that energy could neither be created nor destroyed.
But I had done it. I had accomplished the impossible.
I immediately clicked [Receive Reward] with a satisfied grin.
[Ding!](System Notification)
[Rewards have been sent. Would the host like to accept them now?][Yes] / [No]
I frowned. "Strange… it usually specifies what the reward is before I accept it. Hmm… maybe it's because this is the highest-tier reward I've ever received."
Shrugging, I muttered, "Oh well. I should just accept it. Now, I can finally relax and take a break."
With that, I clicked [Yes], anticipation filling my chest.
[Ding!]
[Distributing reward…]
A sudden wave of nausea hit me. "Ugh… why do I feel so sick?"
[Leaving soul…]
A sharp pain exploded through my entire being. "A-AHH! What the hell is happening?!"
[Erasing soul and existence… Forcibly removing memories…]
Panic seized me. "S-System?! W-What is going on?!"
[Extracting powers and concepts…]
A searing agony tore through me, unlike anything I had ever experienced. My screams filled the room as I collapsed to the ground, writhing in sheer torment. I watched in horror as my body began to turn transparent, fading away piece by piece.
I kept shouting. Kept struggling.
But then… I couldn't.
My voice vanished.
My body grew lighter.
I couldn't move. Couldn't cry. Couldn't even think.
Then, the system spoke again.
"
The voice…
It was the same being that had granted me the system all those years ago.
I stared at the screen, my mind growing eerily calm. A single soul tear slipped from my eye, landing on my wrist device.
A few seconds later…
I was gone.
As if I had never existed.
No one remembered me.
Not even myself.