'Such is the value of life. They experience joy and sorrow, adorning themselves with beauty while vandalizing others. But ultimately, the most splendid and the most repugnant meet the same fate. Their existence diminishes to mere dust, akin to forsaken skeletons buried beneath the earth,' Soha thought calmly and emotionlessly as he looked at all the humans throughout the Milky Way—the race of people he had once sworn to protect with his own life—as they crumbled to dust.
They turned into fine ash as the energy in their bodies surged into the Race Annihilic rune on his hands.
Whether they were mere beggars, great kings, virtuous maidens, or even infamous sluts, as long as they were human, they started to disintegrate.
All of the trillions of humans spread around the Milky Way started dying due to his power as he calmly looked at them and thought.
In a world governed by the natural laws of life and death, everyone, regardless of their status, possessed an equal right to live or die. Once death claimed them, whether a person or a tiny ant, they all met the same fate—eternal rest.
What set them apart?
Nothing.
Only Eternal Life, that ephemeral goal, held any worth as the greatest human's greatest ambition.
All else was nothing but a meaningless second in an infinite-hour movie.
The Human race in itself was the greatest example, they were mighty, protected by their sovereign, they were the best in innovating new industries in almost all of the vast expanse, their talent in the aspect of mind was never seen before in any other multitude of races,
Yet?
With a single thought from their Sovereign–Who had protected them until now – an entire race, an entire civilization, Humanity had been annihilated, with no choice or say in the matter.
They were incapable of resistance, turning to ash with a mere movement of Soha's hand. Helpless, just like their Human Sovereign currently was...
Soha, one of the nine Supremes to have ever been alive in the vast expanse, one of the five still alive, found even his actions futile in the face of his impending death. When the moment arrived, he was no different from those ants—helpless. Yet, unlike them, he possessed a slight chance—a chance he had carved out for himself.
Vanishing from his current position with a swift teleport, Soha reached back to his seclusion area and calmly closed his eyes, preparing to embark on his final experiment. Delving into his core cave, a unique evolutionary aspect within humans, he used his self-inspection abilities and methods to enter an ancient cave within his mind.
This was the core cave, a unique space inside his body, a part of human evolution.
Within the barren and dry cave, a puddle of golden blood stood undisturbed. Its continuous flow trickled down the high ceilings, filling the air with a gentle dripping sound. This was the blood of the heavens themselves, its uses eluding even Soha's omniscience. It had appeared only days ago when he had finally devised a path to ascend to the next rank—by removing all the heavenly influence upon him, all 999 heavenly marks. Achieving this feat was an accomplishment in itself, as no one before him had even reached half that number.
Disregarding the infinite quantity of the dripping heavenly blood, Soha commanded, "Form," his voice echoing within the ancient cave. In response, the heavenly blood converged, transforming into a golden ball-shaped jade pearl.
As he dazedly gazed at it, he realized that this was the culmination of all his evolutions, from rank 0 to rank 10. From an ordinary gardener to the mighty and grand Soha, the Human Sovereign.
However, his emotionless robotic mind didn't waver due to emotional reasons. Another fact consumed his thoughts—his imminent death within a mere three hours. His attempt to break through from rank 10 to rank 11 had been a failure. The path that he had thought to be impeccable was riddled with mistakes that sealed his fate. A failed breakthrough meant certain death, regardless of one's status, even for the Supremes.
As a Supreme, Soha understood that death was the simplest and most unremarkable conclusion to such a scenario. Yet, breaking free from his daze, he mustered the determination to make one final attempt at life—a rebirth. He knew it was bound to fail, but within him, a faint glimmer of hope remained.
He knew how poisonous an emotion hope could be, but that was all that he had left. His family had been taken away by the cold hands of time, his emotions devoured by the heavens themselves. If he didn't use that poison to cure his mind now, what else could he do?
The trillions of human souls converged and merged into a single pattern, appearing in Soha's hands once again. The pattern formed a single circle filled with red colour and faint humanoid faces. He looked at it for a second and moved it towards the golden jade pearl, making it float toward the golden ball.
At that moment, he clung to that faint hope—what if it miraculously worked?
Deep down, however, he acknowledged the near-impossibility of surviving this dire situation. What he was about to attempt was merely an act of defiance—an attempt at reclaiming his own life. Giving up had never been in Soha's nature, and today would be no exception. Even if he had to crawl on his belly without legs, he would forge ahead toward his ultimate destination.
The water of the river of reincarnation weaved its intricate threads around him as Soha embraced his final chance. The jade pearl shimmered with the combined essence of countless souls, a testament to his arduous journey and his unwavering resolve. Though he knew his time was limited, he refused to surrender without a fight.
With every ounce of his being, Soha immersed himself in the process of rebirth. The energy surged within him, defying the impending death that loomed over his existence. The boundaries of life and death blurred as he channelled his essence into the golden ball, merging with the trillions of souls contained within.
In that pivotal moment, time stood still. The universe held its breath, witnessing the audacity of a Supreme defying fate.
Yet, even he himself knew deep down very well that— success was unlikely.
No, not unlikely.
It was impossible.
He will surely die...There was not even a narrow path out.