It was pitch dark outside and a heavy rainstorm had come over the town. On the second floor of a medieval house, lay a boy in his wooden straw coward bed. Sweat ran down the boys face as his face turned into a frown while tossing and turning around in his sleep. He clenched his fists and mumbled something as he dreamt.
In his dream world, he could see that he was on a boat far at sea. Standing on the boat were many golden-armored men. Then they all turned towards the front of the ship and knelt. There in the front of the ship, he could see a handsome long blonde-haired man wearing golden armor. The man then with the help of a rope attached to the ships bow, climbed onto the railing and turned around to face the other men. As he did so the boy could finally see his handsome face. The man had a perfectly sculpted face but to the boy the most striking feature of all was the man's deep blue eyes. They were as blue as the deep ocean sea. Looking into them made the boy fall into a trance-like state, unable to look away. To him, there was something hypnotizing about them, something alluring.
Then as all eyes had landed on the blonde-haired man, he started to speak to the men with a loud stern tone of voice.
" Men do you see that, over there just a little bit north of us! There lies the nest of those vile people who would dare and deny us Immortality! " He pointed his short sword to the dry desolate sandy shore in the distance. There, up on a small hill overlooking the beach, they could see a house. Then he turned to them and continued.
" Remember men who we are! We are no mortal men, we are the chosen, we are lions and we will obtain Immortality no matter the cost! " After his sentence, he looked with pride over his men as the men cheered and hit their shields.
Then he lifted his hand silencing them and then he continued and pointed his sword once again at the shores and spoke.
" There awaits your Immortality! So what will you do? What do lions do? "
With this, the men got up and started to chant " Take! Take! Take! Take! "
The boy Marino stood there in awe when the leader looked at him and asked. " And what will you do? Will you stay in your little safe corner cowering in fear, like the little boy you are? Or will you fulfill your destiny and fight like the lion you were always meant to be, by the will of the gods that brought you here? "
Then before he could answer the world turned to black. Next, he found himself sitting on the sandy shore that he had just seen from the ship at sea. Now Marino sat on the ground wondering how had he gotten here. That is when he saw it, in the distance on the hills overlooking the beach thousands of 2-meter-tall armoured men emerged. Seeing this scene Marino felt a massive pressure fall upon him. All the tall armored men were looking straight at him. Intensely thousands of eyes were watching him from afar. Like a rabbit Marino just sat there frozen in fear. Then they all let out an ear-shattering beastly roar. As the air thundered from their voices they started to charge towards him. The ground shook under their feet as they came over the hill like an endless tidal wave.
Seeing this Marinos heart raced and his face turned to shock as he kicked the sand with his hands and feet in desperation. With all his might he tried to flee as far and as fast as he possibly could. Shit shit shit I'm so fuking dead he thought to himself as he fled.
Then he felt a sting of pain as his back hit something hard, almost as if hitting a solid stone wall. Turning his head to look at what he had just hit, Marino was awed and relieved. There he saw the handsome man with his long blonde shoulder-length hair and golden armour standing there looking at him with his blue eyes. Then the man asked with a proud and arrogant tone of voice. " Where are you going boy the battle has yet to be even started? "
Hearing these words Marino turned to the still charging army and then back to the man and said with fear in his voice. " Are you crazy? There's too many of them. "
With hesitation he continued. " And besides, I don't even know how to fight."
The mans face turned ugly as he said with a mocking expression. " And that is why you will never amount to anything and nobody will ever remember your name. You are nothing but a pathetic cowardly little boy. "
Hearing such words come from a man he had already started to admire a little hurt him greatly. He felt a familiar stinging pain in his chest. It was just like in his past life when his favorite teacher had given him his final exam papers looking at him with the same face as the man was and then he had said. " I expected more of you, what a waste. "
Marino looked at the ground in dismay and humiliation as he thought. " Fucking crazy bastards. Yes, it's true I am a coward and a failure so what? At least I am a living coward. I mean sure if I had a second chance at my previous life there are many things that I would surely have changed. There were many instances where I simply lacked the will and courage to move, to obtain greatness that could have possibly been mine. "
As he thought of this, memories of his past life started flashing through his mind. Images of what could have been emerged. Choices if he had made, choices that could have brought him greatness. Then in one image, he could see him standing on a podium In front of thousands of well-dressed people from all ethnicitys. In the crowd, he could see the proud faces of his family and relatives looking at him.
Then without thinking, he walked over to a table that was set on the stage. Around it stood leaders of all the major countries around the world and on the table was a big piece of paper.
Walking to it he could see the words United Nations Space Command, UNSC for short. There it read that he, Jack Fritzh was to take command of this new joint organisation as the president of the United States. Seeing this Marino went into disbelief as he continued to read.
To unite the nations of man and bring them to a new golden age. Jack Fritzh the president of the United States has been chosen as the first earth governor to lead mankind forward into the stars, under the banner of the UNSC.
Then as he signed his name on the paper the crowd erupted into applause. With a smile, he started to shake all the hands of the many leaders as they congratulated him with genuine smiles on their faces.
Then behind the stage, the wall opened up revealing itself to be a massive window and from it, he could see the earth and space. They were on the new international space station and past it, he could see countless small and big spaceships of all nations flying by.
Then the scene changed and he started to see visions. Scenes of humanity flying massive spaceships through space and settling new worlds played in his head. In wonder, Marino thought. " Holy shit. So you are telling me that all this could have become a reality? I could have stopped World War 3 and brought peace to the world. Wait is this real or fiction? It feels too real to be unreal. "
Then suddenly he was pulled back onto the beach as a deep mocking voice rang through his mind. " How pathetic, to think it all could have been yours. If only you weren't such a coward, weakling and such a pathetic and insignificant little boy. '
This dark voice echoed through his mind all the time getting ever louder and louder, driving Marino insane as he yelled.
"Shut up shut up shut up! I am not a coward! "
Marino kept yelling with his hands on his ears and head in the sand. Until he heard the voice laugh mockingly. " muhahaha ha haa. " Then it said. " Prove it. "
Then the echo stopped and the world became deathly quiet. Next, he heard a thud. A sound of something dropping In front of him onto the sand.
Lifting his head he saw a crystal vile with black liquid that was surrounded by a haze of red mist inside of it.
Then he heard the blonde-haired man's voice from behind him as he said.
" Take it. If you wish to unlock your full potential and become that what you were always meant to be. But remember only through strength can one gain true unlimited power. But this power is not something that is given. It must be taken, through force. "
Unconsciously and in curiosity Marino took the vile in his hands and examined it. It felt warm to the touch. There was something comforting and hypnotizing about it. Something that was drawing it to him, begging him to consume it, to take it for himself. But at the back of his mind, he could feel a part of him warning him, screaming at him not to take it. In his heart he knew this was wrong for all transactions come with a price and nothing in this world is free. He hesitated.
Then, the blonde-haired man spoke in a stern and authoritative tone of voice.
" Take the vile, drink it's content and unlock your true potential. That is if you wish to be more than a mere boy. Drink it and become a lion, become a god. "
Shocked by these words Marino sat there watching the vile contemplating his potential decisions. As he sat there he could see the group of 30 men without fear charging straight toward the army of thousands.
As they charged he could see no hesitation in their step's they showed no fear in the face of certain death, Marino thought.
Next, he could see the two forces clash. Swords cut through shields, shields sent men flying the thousands of men were being cut down.
This was no battle, no it was a massacre. The 30 men were like farmers cutting through wheat. Marino watched vile in hand in awe. There in the center, he could see the blonde-haired man fighting. Gone were his sword and shield. Now he was just using his fists that struck the men like hammer blows crushing heads and bodies with each blow. With one swing he struck a heavily armored 2-meter-tall warrior in the chest, creating a massive dent in his armor and sending him flying. From his left, he grabbed an incoming blade with his bare left hand. The blade struck the palm of his hand creating sparks, like a blade striking hard rock. In the next moment, the blonde-haired man struck the armored man in the face with his right fist. The armored man's head exploded as it and the helmet were sent flying.
Seeing this the man on the blonde-haired man's right side panicked and turned around trying to run. But it was too late his shoulder got grabbed by immense force and in the next second a fist came through the man's armored stomach. As the mans ribs exploded, he started coughing out blood as the light started to fade from his eyes.
Then the blonde-haired man lifted his victim in the air and ripped him in half, dropping blood and guts all over his handsome face.
Marino just sat there in the distance with his mouth open. What the actual fuck? He thought to himself. Next, he saw the man start using the remainder of his victim as weapons. " Wow, that's that's fuking awesome. " Marino yelled in excitement.
Then Marino remembered the vile and now without hesitation having been convinced by the show of force he drank it in one gulp.
Drinking the contents of the vile down he immediately started coughing and making puking noises as he struggled to keep the drink down. It tasted like piss mixed with old socks but it didn't matter. Now he was willing to do anything in order to be like them. Finally, he would get his isekai powers that he yearned for so very much.
Next, his vision went dark followed by an intense pain in his eyes. His eyes felt like they were on fire. His eyes started to bleed as he yelled in pain, hands covering his eyes. Unknown to him his eyes started to transform. In the middle of his red eyes came black lizard-type irises and yellow pupils formed in the middle of it.
Taking his hands off his face he was relieved to see that his vision had returned and much sharper than ever before. His eyes were like binoculars able to see the smallest of details in the distant battle.
Next, the pain started again but this time not in his eyes but everywhere. Marino screamed once again but as he screamed his voice gradually turned deeper and deeper. He grew up to 3 meters tall, ripping his clothes apart as he did so. His skin turned red and his body turned muscular. He could feel immense pain above his ears as he held his head. Then he felt two thick bony horns start to grow from above his ears. They grew 45 centimeters long, pointing straight Infront of him.
Marino was amazed at his changes. His teeth were like a shark's but hard as steel same with the nails on his hands and feet or in his case claws would be a more appropriate of a name.
Marino laughed like the evil demon he had become with his deep menacing voice. " Ha ha haa. Finally, I have done it I have become an overpowered god. Or should I say, demon god? Now all will know and respect the name Marino Colombo! "
With this said he started to walk toward the battlefield with an evil smile on his face. That is when he noticed something that was bothering him and making him uncomfortable. He saw his massive horse like 14-inch-long meat stick. This put a smile on his face as he said. " Prepare yourself women of the world your new husband is here! Hahahaha. Although I wonder if anybody will be able to take it hahaha! "
Without a second thought, he conjured some massive plus-sized black underwear made of dark magic and put them on. After which with a smile he ran to join the slaughter.
As he and the 30 golden armored warriors pushed the army back. With nothing more than his massive feet and hands Marino stomped and crushed his enemies into meatpaste.
They climbed over the coastal hill overlooking the beach which was littered with corpses, blood and guts. Standing on top of the hill Marino saw an endless wave of men and horses as far as the eye could see coming towards them. Seeing this he smiled and opened his arms welcoming them to their certain doom.