"The battle is lost." A calm voice spoke aloud, full of

sorrow and loss.

"Humanity… has fallen."

Shin Hopefell lifted up a chipped and damaged golden sword, raising it above his head for a brief moment before he plunged it downward. The blade left a trail of golden light as it slashed down, ripping apart the enormous brown boulder that had just been lobbed at him.

BOOM

WHOOSH

The split parts of the boulder slammed down onto the ground past him, throwing up a small cloud of dirt and dust.Shin's aching body shook from the force of the deflection, his

tired green eyes looking out at the hopeless scene before him.

It was a slaughter.

They were standing on a large, broken stone plateau. Tens

of thousands of figures could be seen battling on this plateau,

swords clashing against spears, explosions of light and magic

searing the air and sky. Shin could make out thousands of

Adapted Humans making use of their Vampire, Werewolf, and

various other forms as they fought against the hundreds of

blue-skinned humanoids that had greeted them when they

arrived on the plateau.

He could even see a few Full Transformation users. A few

towering Tyrannosaurus Rexes and other large dinosaurs, a

couple of huge Golems made of black rock, and a massive

green turtle all helping lead the defense against the blueskinned humanoids.

Humanoids from one of the 12 Tribes of Deities. The blueskinned Morians.

"Don't give up yet, Micheal! We've made it so far!

Humanity can not fall yet!" Shin yelled out loud at the

speaker, twisting his body to the side as another huge boulder

came smashing down.

The Morians had sent out a force of roughly 1,000 of their

members to confront the Last Army of Humanity, as their

force was so proudly dubbed. The strongest 50,000 surviving

warriors that had made it through the Seven Layers, fighting to

protect and ensure the survival of the Human Race.

Billions of lives had already been lost, yet billions more

were depending on them to succeed. To gain a foothold on the

Seventh Layer and allow humanity to flee the lower layers in

safety.

Shin's body was muscular and mighty, the years of intense

combat and survival having hardened him into a powerful

fighter. His entire physique was covered in scars, a testament

to the brutal fighting that had overtaken him. His bright blonde

hair was tied up in a Norse braid, a nod to his Gaelic and

Norse roots. A dark red Aura clung tightly to his body, full of

potent strength.

Micheal turned to look at his longtime companion, his best

friend that he had met back in high school so many years ago,

back on Earth.

"I'm not giving up, Shin. I am merely stating the facts."

Micheal whipped a sharp-edged sword of his own forward as

he split a boulder of his own in half, his body shaking as well

under the force of the attack.

Micheal's body wasn't as muscular as Shin's, but instead

held a slim, inner strength that bespoke long years of practice.

While he was nowhere near as powerful as the true geniuses of

the Human Race, his years of dedication and obsessive

training had seen results. Clinging around his body was a

powerful red Aura, just like Shin's, full of vital strength.

"The air is incredibly thick here. Gravity is far stronger

than on any previous Layer. Even the rocky ground is

incredibly durable, I was nearly unable to split that boulder.

Despite that, those Morians are playing with us. They aren't

even trying…" Micheal continued, his voice harsh.

Indeed, the Last Army of Humanity had just arrived on the

Seventh Layer, in full force and regalia, with as much

preparation as possible. Well, as much preparation as possible

given that the varying leaders of the army were arrogant and

self-obsessed after so many years of ruling by themselves.

They didn't really get along and had no agreed-upon strategy.

And as soon as they had arrived, they were ambushed by a

force 50 times smaller than their own. A force that didn't

contain any of the true elites or experts of the Morians.

And despite that…

They were being slaughtered.

The plateau they had arrived on was set in a seemingly

random location. Of all the Layers, this final, Seventh Layer

seemed the most normal. There was a large mountain range in

the distance, and a series of broken stone plateaus visible

around them. It almost felt like they were back on Earth.

The only real, visible indication that this wasn't Earth were

the two Suns hanging high in the sky overhead.

The blue-skinned Morians were casually ripping giant

boulders of stone from the ground and lobbing them at the

humans. A few of the Morians had even leapt forward and

engaged their army in a grand melee.

Explosions of light and fire shook the air as other members

of the Last Army responded, sending out powerful Abilities to

try and strike back. Micheal could make out the elite members

of the Human Race engaging several of the Morians directly.

The Chinese Black Dragon King Yun Qi was currently

facing off against several of the stronger looking Morians, all

of their bodies blurring as they fought in hand to hand combat.

The blue Aura that clung to him was identical to the Aura the

Morian attackers held, one that rippled with power far

surpassing Micheal's own.

The American Blue Queen Jessica Wiles was sending out

rippling spear after spear of ice, knocking back the blueskinned Deities with grace and ease. The Morians, however,

were only minimally injured by her freezing strikes. Strikes

that had, on the Sixth Layer, easily obliterated entire

mountains.

Micheal saw the legendary French Sundering Swordmaster

Bastien Amiot wield his blade against a dozen Morians, his

arms blurring as he unleashed blistering strike after strike.

Quivering beams of energy blasted through the air, slamming

into foe after foe.

The greatest geniuses of the Human Race went up against

the Morians, the experts that represented the various nations of

Earth, from Germany to Russia, from China to France,

America to Singapore, the Philippines to Malaysia. It was a

glorious joining of hands as every nation joined together to

survive.

Behind those elite geniuses stood thousands of powerful

and tested experts like Micheal and Shin backing them up.

While Micheal wouldn't truly consider himself an expert, only

a middling warrior among the 50,000 greatest, he was still an

experienced soul, ready to battle.

Most of the Morians simply circled, throwing out boulders

or long distance Abilities, as if they were waiting for

something. Only a few of them rushed forward to engage, and

even then, they only engaged the geniuses that were fighting at

the forefront.

For every boulder that a human expert managed to deflect,

another would crash down hard, penetrating through defensive

Auras and taking a life. At least 2,000 of the greatest fighters

humanity had had already perished, leaving them at roughly

48,000.

'Status.' Micheal thought, calling up the strange, mystical

screen that had appeared years ago. He had a few moments of

safety and opted to check and see if anything abnormal had

appeared after arriving in the Seventh Layer.

.

— - Status — -

Name: Micheal Care

Points: 84

Race: Human

Age: 28

- Stats -

Strength - 2,428

Endurance - 1,703

Recovery - 412

Soul - 108

- Abilities - (7/7)

- Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)

- Ironblood Body Type

- Ki Cultivator (King Tier)

- Herculean Strength

- Talos Mind Power

- Enhanced Strength

- Enhanced Recovery

.

He sighed as he looked over it. He had just barely

managed to reach the lowest Tier of Grandmaster Sword

Mastery before the final battle, after training for so long. He

was not an innate genius like the powerful warriors fighting at

the front line, but his dedication had proven itself in the end.

'While my Stats and Abilities aren't the greatest, I should

not be the weakest either.' He thought, hoping he could prove

useful. Compared to regular humans from Earth, he had the

strength of more than two hundred and forty men combined.

Yet, among these giants, he could only be considered average.

'Nothing about my status has changed.' His eyes flashed

with glowing light as he flicked it off, all while maintaining

his guard.

"WELCOME TO THE SEVENTH LAYER,

HUMANITY! CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING IT

THIS FAR!"

A loud, terrible voice interrupted the ongoing melee,

causing a temporary ceasefire as both sides disengaged. This

voice was full of throbbing power, causing the air itself to

ripple.

A figure descended from the sky. A blue-skinned Morian

wearing a simple leather vest and holding a simple looking

grey sword in his hand. The air seemed to shiver around the

Morian as he moved, distorted.

"I am General Kelleth of the Morian Tribe." The floating

figure introduced himself, looking down at the figures down

below. A cool, white Aura seemed to cling to his body, one

that radiated strength and power.

An Aura that Micheal recognized.

'He's actually God Tier…' He thought, his heart dropping

with despair.

"Hmph, who cares who you are? The Human Race fears

nothing and no one!" The Black Dragon King's voice boomed

as he jumped up into the air, a pair of black wings appearing

on his back. The blue Aura that surrounded his body rippled

with black light as he activated some Ability, facing off

against the General.

WHOOSH

His body expanded, transforming into a huge, towering

Black Dragon. Black energy crackled around his enormous

frame as his wings shook the air, thundering with power. It

was an awe-inspiring sight, a gargantuan leviathan that blasted

through the air.

Micheal watched all of this, his eyes glued to the Black

Dragon King, desperately praying for his success. The Black

Dragon King wasn't a fool, he could recognize the power of

the creature he was up against, yet chose to fight anyway,

confident in his own strength and well aware that retreat was

not an option.

SHKKK

WHOOSH

General Kelleth's arm seemed to shiver, blurring for a brief

instant. It moved so quickly that Micheal was unable to make

out the attack at all.

The Black Dragon King looked at the Morian General.

And then, slowly, closed his eyes as his body fell apart,

split into 24 bisected pieces.

Killed instantly.

"No!"

"The Great King!"

"Dragon Lord!"

Cries of horror and terror shook the human army as they

saw one of their legends die. Tens of thousands of voices cried

out.

"How dare you! Die, you vile cretin!"

The Blue Queen had never been on fair terms with the

Black Dragon King, yet she still rushed up into the air, wings

made of ice surrounding her as she launched freezing cold

attacks of her own. Beautiful crystals and frozen snowflakes

swarmed the air, surrounding her like a beast from legend.

Against a single opponent, other allies would merely get in the

way.

SHKKK

WHOOSH

The General's arm twitched.

The Blue Queen fell, killed instantly, her body ripped to

shreds.

"No!!!" More screams from the crowd.

"I will not allow this to continue!" The Sundering

Swordmaster rose into the air, the bright blue Aura that

covered him fluctuating. He saw the deaths of the other

legends, the power the Morian General held, yet fought all the

same, doing everything he could to stop the attackers.

SHKKK

SHKKK

WHOOSH

The Sundering Swordmaster fell to the side, killed. This

time, it seemed to have taken slightly longer than with the

other two legends of humanity, yet he still died all the same,

from an attack that Micheal could not even make out.

"No!"

"It's too much!"

"Retreat back to the Sixth Layer!"

The Last Army of Humanity seemed to fall apart as expert

after expert tried to challenge the General. Dozens of powerful

Ability users all rushed forward, some as unique Adapted

Humans while others focusing with pure power. Some

attacked in groups, while others attack on their own.

The Morian General floated down to the ground, taking all

comers.

One after another, all the challengers died.

Those that tried to retreat found their way cut off. The

portal that had led them here was locked, unable to transport

them backwards. All that awaited them was the jeering

Morians, throwing deadly boulders, arrows, or bolts of energy.

"The battle is lost, Shin." Micheal's voice was quiet as he

looked at his comrades, his brothers in arms. He looked down

at his blade and then back up at the Morians. Now that their

General had landed, the Morians seemed to take that as a cue

to attack. Several hundred of them were rushing forward,

wielding an assortment of weapons.

"I-I…" Shin stumbled over his words as he looked at this

scene, his arms trembling. He took a deep breath, closing his

eyes.

"I guess you're right, Micheal. I was wrong in the end."

Shin's voice was small, his usually cheerful and optimistic

demeanor nowhere to be seen.

"There was no hope for us." His voice broke as he looked

at the charging wave of death, his blade limp at his side. His

shoulders hunched, making him appear small and fragile.

"We have failed. Humanity has failed." Micheal closed his

eyes as well, tears threatening to leak.

He had done everything he could. When everything began,

so many years ago, the people of Earth had been transported to

the Seven Layers in waves. As someone that was part of the

4th Wave, far behind those firstcomers, it was only because of

his sheer determination that he managed to catch up to this

point.

And despite everything… he proved useless. He couldn't

even help those vaunted geniuses, let alone stand anywhere

near their level.

"How could we have known, Micheal?" Shin muttered

quietly, watching as the last hope of humanity died out.

"How are we supposed to fight Gods?" Shin fell to his

knees, his hands trembling.

CRUNCH

THUD

Noise echoed out as a figure landed down near them. The

figure of the blue skinned Morian that had wiped out all the

geniuses of Humanity.

The figure of General Kelleth, covered in his resplendent,

oppressive white Aura that indicated he was a God Tier

warrior. A true Deity representing an entire Tribe of Deities.

"To struggle from being the weakest race all the way to the

Seventh Layer, it is truly something to be commended! Allow

me to send you on your way!" The General loudly proclaimed.

"Die!"

"Kill it!"

The fighters near Shin and Micheal rushed forward as one,

more than a dozen powerful warriors all at least King Tier

throwing themselves forward. Black lightning, bright red

flames, powerful energy bolts, a deluge of attacks smashed

down towards the figure, full of chaotic might.

BOOM

With almost a casual wave of his hand, the General

dispelled and blocked the attacks. His body then blurred as he

began to unleash a slaughter, killing everyone that attacked

him.

In less than a second, more than 50 warriors died.

The General's body blurred and then stopped in front of a

kneeling Shin, looking down at the fighter curiously.

"Ah, has despair taken you, warrior? Alas. If our survival

did not depend on this, perhaps we would spare your kind."

The General shook his head sadly.

Shin looked up, his eyes bloodshot, but, at the same time,

conveying a feeling of acceptance. The General raised his

sword above his head, the white Aura bursting around him as

he prepared to take Shin out.

"Die!"

Micheal's voice was full of passion as he rushed at the

General, swinging with all his might. He unleashed

everything, his blade moving in an intricate and skilled arc,

red energy surrounding it as it cut through the air itself.

WHOOSH

SHKKK

CLANG

Micheal felt as if he had been punched in the chest. A

stabbing pain filled his body as he was flung backwards, his

sword knocked from his grip as he sailed through the air until

he crashed down hard on the ground. He felt his Ki fluctuate,

the red Aura that surrounded him shivering.

"No…" He croaked, blood spattering from his lips as he

looked down.

A huge hole in his body could be seen, punched directly

through his heart.

As Micheal's vision wavered, he could just barely see the

General return to stand in front of Shin, raising his blade once

more. His body went into shock at the gaping injury it had

received, making everything around him appear surreal.

WHOOSH

SHKKKK

The world around Micheal seemed to move forward in

slow motion. .

Slowly, ever so slowly, he watched as the last friend he had

in this world, a man he loved as a brother, slid to the ground.

Dead.

'NOOO!' Screams tried to rip free from Micheal's failing

throat as he watched Shin die, commanding his body to stand

and fight. Pulling forth every iota of willpower and strength,

all the years of training and dedication, to try and make

himself rush forward, to try and save Shin.

All to no avail. His body was failing, his heart already still.

All he did, everything he tried… It was all not enough. It

had been a waste. Humanity had still fallen.

'Sorry, Shin.' Tears streamed down Micheal's face as he

collapsed, his vision turning black.

'I let you down.'

'I was useless in the end.'

As Micheal's body fell still, a small, unassuming, purple

ring on Micheal's finger flashed.

A ring he had stumbled upon through random chance and

luck, acquired in a place he had long since forgotten.

Micheal died.

But as he died, that ring vibrated with power. Words began

to resonate, contained purely within the ring. Words full of

desire and longing, passion and need.

'If only I had a chance to start over, to fix everything.'

"…"

'If only I had a chance to start over, to fix everything.'

"…"

'If only I had a chance to start over, to fix everything.'

"…"

'Divine Artifact: The Wishing Ring activated. Wish has

not exceeded the maximum range of values.'

"…"

'Wish granted. Transporting memories through time.'

"…"

WHOOSH