Episode 0
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"Impressive, human!"
Arhat exclaimed in awe as he looked down at his own chest from the middle of the Monarchs' Sanctuary.
Human.
An inferior species that he didn't even consider worthy of mention had managed to pierce the heart of a Monarch of the Abyss.
But what surprised him most was that his body had been damaged with magic.
The title "Lord of Magic" belonged to Arhat, the title and full name was "Arhat, the lord of magic".
For someone who mastered all magic, to be injured by it was little short of a miracle.
"You are amazing human, I admire you for that. You can brag about it anywhere you want."
Until that moment, no human had ever been recognized by the lord of magic.
In fact, among all the races, he had never Admired anyone.
Attempts to imitate Arhat's magic had always been pathetic, a crude parody according to Arhat, comparable to insignificant insects.
However, this human in front of him was different.
"Human, what is your name?"
"Fuck off."
Freddy replied haltingly, exhaling deeply as he raised the middle finger of his right hand.
His final attack, the strike that gathered all of his magical power, had been a partial success.
He had destroyed only one of the twelve hearts Arhat possessed.
Although he had been recognized and admired, his opponent was still a god of magic, the absolute pinnacle among the nine monarchs of the abyss.
From the beginning, the outcome was predetermined.
Arhat's chest, pierced moments before, had already completely regenerated thanks to his Regeneration ability.
Arhat tilted his head, intrigued.
"Why did you only use basic magic? With your level of talent, you should be able to understand and master advanced magics."
Freddy remained silent. He knew he was right.
The magic that had pierced Arhat's heart was a simple Fireball, the most basic magic that 90% of mages learn first.
Arhat sketched a smile as he realized the reason behind Freddy's silence.
"I see. You're actually not a mage and you're not an awakened either, that's why you use magic power and with that you learned the basics of magic while actually wielding the sword."
Freddy from the beginning was not a wizard, he was not an awakened one and his only source of power was magical power.
He managed to learn the basics of magic even as a "Non-Awakened" who was not supposed to be able to learn skills like "Fireball".
His enormous magical power, compensated for everything an awakened can do but with a higher limit.
At the same time his true power is with the sword and not magic to boot.
This earned him the title of "The First Un-Awakened Magical Swordsman", but for Freddy, that name was a nightmare.
"Don't be disappointed. At least the basic magic you used has transcended the framework of our understanding. It is so innovative that it could be considered a new system of magic. In all my existence, I have never encountered anyone as fascinating as you."
Arhat was excited.
It was the first time he had spoken so much, for in the world of magic, words had power and were not to be used lightly.
However, this human had managed to pique her interest.
Clap!
Arhat clapped his hands, at the same time summoning ten suns that floated above his head.
A magic superior to the Fifteen Rules of magic in the abyss, even the magic-using races of the abyss would find it impossible to create or use magic of that level of "Rules".
"This is to show you that there is a supreme world that you will never be able to access, no matter how hard you try."
Arhat smiled as he declared his sentence.
"I will have to dissect your head."
At that moment, Freddy looked up.
Although he had witnessed an overwhelming difference in power, he showed not a trace of despair in his eyes.
On the contrary.
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⟨⟨==The god of sacrifice stares back at you==⟩⟩
⟨⟨⟨==The god of sacrifice can accept sacrifices and fulfill any wish of yours==⟩⟩⟩
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"....."
"W-what is this?"
Freddy though blinking in confusion, knew immediately what that meant.
His thoughts raced in an instant knowing what it was but at the same time he knew nothing about it.
Contrary to his thoughts his words came out in an automatic way as if he already knew what to say.
"God of Sacrifices! I offer you everything I possess, including Arhat, the lord of magic."
"Huh? You're offering me as a sacrifice?"
Arhat blinked, confused.
A sacrifice involves offering something that belongs.
It was strange that someone would try to offer him as a sacrifice, and even more so, that a human would say those words.
Then, Arhat looked down at his chest.
The wound that his Regeneration skill had healed was beginning to open again.
Moreover, the most surprising thing was that, of the twelve hearts thought to be destroyed, one was still beating.
"An illusion? It couldn't be. I wouldn't fall for such a vulgar magic trick."
There was no way an illusion magic could fool the Eye of the strongest monarch, the one who created magic.
This was something far more complex than that.
This was not a simple visual deception, but....
"A twelve-rule domination magic that can fool me... impossible."
With all his magical power, he managed to subdue one of Arhat's hearts.
Arhat had mistakenly assumed that the heart was damaged.
He never suspected it.
Because he firmly believed that the human in front of him could only use "basic magic".
All the way to the Shrine of the Monarchs, Freddy had used only basic magic and his sword.
However, between basic magic and the magic of the Twelve Rulers, there was a whole chasm.
Moreover, domination magic required extremely advanced calculations.
Only a few in this world could use such magic.
"It's only one heart."
"That's enough."
Freddy smiled showing his teeth.
Thanks to all the time he gained, he had managed to completely dominate one of Arhat's hearts.
A temporarily mastered heart would be recognized as Freddy's property.
However, offering a single heart as a sacrifice was not enough to kill Arhat.
"But to unleash your fury... a single one is enough."
It couldn't kill him, but it could make him lose control.
Thud!
Arhat's entire body began to swell.
Soon after, Arhat's form disappeared, replaced by masses of flesh that began to sprout.
Even the magic that held his outer form was losing control.
Explosion!
As he lost control of his magic, the advanced magic of the "Ten Suns" he cast collapsed and hit him directly.
A colossal explosion, comparable to the origin of the universe, enveloped the Shrine of the Monarchs.
But even that was not enough to kill Arhat.
He had only gained a brief instant.
In thirty seconds, everything would return to normal.
"If not at this moment, when all his magic is out of control, it will be impossible."
He had lived his life only for these thirty seconds.
Freddy immediately pulled a chalice from his chest.
"The Chalice of Sealing."
A vessel that could even seal and imprison Arhat.
When he opened the mouth of the chalice, masses of Arhat's flesh began to be sucked into it.
Thus, for a fleeting instant, Arhat's entire existence became "Freddy's property."
The conditions for offering him as a sacrifice were relaxed and complete.
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⟨⟨==The god of sacrifice looks at everything you did and wishes to know what your sacrificial wish is.===⟩⟩
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All this about the god of sacrifice coming out of nowhere was unexpected but at the moment Freddy understood what it all meant.
He knew what to say even while being very confused.
"I want to go back to the past."
Freddy answered without hesitation.
From the beginning, he had only wished to go back in time.
The moment this strange message from a god appeared, his thought at that moment was to return to the past.
Now with the sealing Chalice along with the pieces of Arhat's body and one of his hearts was more than enough for a sacrifice.
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⟨⟨==Sacrifice is not enough==⟩⟩
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"What? You said it would be enough."
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⟨⟨==What is sealed in the chalice is only half of Arhat.==⟩⟩
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"Half? What are you talking about?"
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⟨⟨==Arhat, the lord of magic has two main bodies.==⟩⟩
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"This is not his full form?"
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⟨⟨==What you had before you was his body transformed into a human but not his main body nor his true power.===⟩⟩
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"Damn..."
He couldn't help but curse.
The absolute Arhat, the monster that had taken away all hope from humanity, turned out to be only half of it.
He had already given it all away.
He had used everything he had to get this far.
He had pushed his companions into the abyss of death and used an army of a hundred thousand as a shield.
All for this moment.
And yet...
Despite all that...
Explosion!
In the distance, an entity with overwhelming power was coming in the direction of the Sanctuary of the monarchs.
It was the true Arhat in its main body.
At the same time Countless magic circles had appeared, all with magic at the level of the Fifteen rules of magic.
"Ah..."
He finally understood.
The body he thought was the real Arhat was nothing compared to that vastness.
"Human I will grant you the utmost despair].
"Humans, disappear."
"No...!"
Beyond the Sanctuary of the monarchs, the Dimension of the earth began to disappear.
It turned to dust and they disappeared.
Freddy reached out in desperation, but he couldn't reach anything.
He could not reach.
Because his own body was disappearing too.
With just a few words, the humans couldn't take any more.
It was frustrating.
The end of everything, without even having started properly, without any preparation.
If he could start over... at least this wouldn't be the end.
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⟨⟨==Your soul was willingly offered up as a sacrifice==⟩⟩
⟨⟨==Sacrifice was completed==⟩⟩
⟨⟨==Back to the past begins, with an exclusive option called "Sacrifice" included==⟩⟩
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At that time.
Tick, tick. Tick, tick.
Suddenly, the hands of time began to rotate in the opposite direction.
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⟨⟨==The god of sacrifice returned you to the past==⟩⟩
⟨⟨==The god of sacrifice wishes you good luck in this new opportunity==⟩⟩
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***
It was strange.
Because he felt alive and not dead.
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⟨⟨==Congratulations, you just woke up your class==⟩⟩
⟨⟨==Now you can see the system==⟩⟩
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He managed to return to the past by the sudden message from a god.
He even woke up as an awakened one when he was not.