Ibnor was hiding on a mountain ridge, overlooking a pass below with a company of soldiers. They have received an intel about the enemy's supply transportation route. Their mission is to intercept the supplies and destroy them. If they succeed in destroying the supplies, the enemy's forces will be weakened. While looking over the horizon, a soldier in charge of communication approached Ibnor.

"Commander, the target is spotted incoming from the Northwest."

"Ready the men. Charge on my go," Ibnor instructed.

"Yes, Commander," replied the soldier before proceeding with his instructions. As the caravan approached, Ibnor kept his eyes on them and only after a good portion of the caravan had passed his position did he readied himself and unsheathe his sword.

"Charge!"

Ibnor yelled while rushing towards the caravan initiating the ambush. His soldiers pop up and follow his lead, attacking the caravan. Some jumped in the middle of the caravan while others ran to flank it on both sides. Streak of lights swarm the caravan. The enemies were surprised and went into disorder for a while, before retaliating aggressively. Both sides went all out, unleashing their skills to their utmost, auras clashing with one another. Bloods splattered, limbs strewn all over the place while screams and cries of agony were filling the area. Ibnor was slashing his way through before being stopped by a man. The man's body is tall, sturdy and big like a bear, making Ibnor look like a small child.

"You're the leader?" asked the man before unleashing his aura. Eight layers of halos appeared beneath his feet for a while before disappearing. 

"I didn't expect to meet a Battle Emperor here," Ibnor replied while releasing an eight layers of halos of his own.

The big, bear-like man threw a punch which carried an explosive might towards Ibnor. Relying on his footwork, Ibnor stepped in, closing the distance between them and parried the punch using his sword. The friction between his sword and the stone-like man's arm produce sparks. He kicked the man, but it didn't do any damage, only causing the man to stagger backwards making a distance between them. The man once again pounced toward him. He jumps and spins mid-air before stabbing the back of the man with all his might. However, only the tip of the sword went in before stopping completely, unable to go any further. The man only shrugged it off and sent a slap on his back. Ibnor avoided the slap by jumping off the man's back.

Imbuing his sword with his Mana, his sword began to glow and he dashed for the bear-like man, dodging all the attacks that he could and parrying the ones that he could not. Stepping in and out, he circles around the bear-like man while dealing damage. Against a Physical Major Battle Emperor, he knows that this fight is going to be a battle of attrition. Physical Major warriors focus on physical capabilities and often have higher defence from Energy Major warriors on the same level. In a one-on-one battle against a Physical Major Warrior, in order to deal with them, one can only try to overpowered them while risking faster Mana depletion or conserve their own Mana and drag the fight, utilising tactics and manipulating any weakness.

As they were duking it out, Ibnor noticed that there was something off about the bear-like man. He is not fighting aggressively. All he does is simply drag the fight while trying to attack once in a while. This is somewhat normal behaviour in a fight with any Physical Major warriors but Ibnor felt a tug in his heart. Something is making him feel uneasy.

 "Think. Think. What is wrong here? A Physical Major warrior, dragging a fight in one on one."

His mind starts to turn and as he was thinking, his attack slows down a bit but he also notices that both of them are still in a stalemate. When the pieces of information start to click on the right place, Ibnor realizes what is happening.

"That's right! He is a Battle Emperor! Why would a Battle Emperor accompany a supply transport that was meant to siege a city? He could easily transport them by himself. There is no need to, at all. And he is dragging the fight. That is the standard action in a fight. But this is war, not some tournament! And as soon as he identified me as the leader, he immediately tried to tie me up. This means... He is buying some time. But for what?"

 "Cornelius! Thunderbird!" Ibnor yelled.

He charged his sword with his Mana to the maximum output and rushed towards the bear-like man. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of him and slashed upwards with all his might, causing the bear-like man to be thrown into the air. A streak of yellow light flashed by, heading towards the bear-like man and penetrating him mid-air, leaving a large hole appeared on his chest, turning him into a corpse. 

As the bear-like man falls to the ground, the yellow streak of light turns around and lands beside Ibnor. Electricity crackled and the bright yellow light fades, revealing a young man. His face is pale, indicating he has overexerted his Mana. Ibnor pats the shoulder of the man, Cornelius. He reached for his utility belt and took two small vials the size of a thumb, one red and the other blue and handed them to Cornelius. Cornelius took the bottles and proceeded to drink from them.

"Com! Contact the main camp and confirm their status. Men, replenish your energy!" ordered Ibnor. 

The soldier in charge of communication immediately contacts the main camp through his console while the Medics distributes the same small vial to the rest of the soldier. Two vials each, one red and the other blue.

"Commander, I can't get through. The power crystal received a backlash and broke to pieces," said the soldier.

"We have to rush back to the main camp immediately," said Ibnor.

"What about the supplies?" asked Cornelius.

"Stay back and check, but I'm sure these are empty," said Ibnor pointing to the caravans. He raised his hands and channeled his Mana into the sky. The rest of the soldiers also did the same. They are summoning their mounts. "After you're done, catch up as fast as you can."

Cornelius stayed back with a few soldiers to check the caravans. In the company, he is the second Officer in Charge, second highest after Ibnor. After making sure every one of them is actually empty, he and the few soldiers summon their mounts and rush quickly to catch up with Ibnor. Soon, they managed to regroup.

"Commander, we received a false intel, clearly indicating there is a mole in our forces but why are you panicking?" asked Cornelius, riding next to Ibnor.

"The invasion was so sudden and we were hit unaware. It shows this invasion was carefully planned. To plan an invasion on such a scale requires years of preparations. But a week ago, we started to receive intels about the enemies. How can a fully prepared army have their movement leaked without any back up plan? The caravan is a diversion. Few companies were already being assigned to other places too. I'm sure that they encountered the same thing as us, today. The enemy wants to lead us away from the main camp. I just hope we are not too late," replied Ibnor with a grim face. 

The mount moves as fast as they can, sprinting towards the main camp. He was anxious, not only because their forces are getting besieged, most importantly, his wife, the Chief Commander of Pyrion, Aina Takahashi is also stationed at the main camp.

When the main camp is within their sight, the main camp has already turned into a battlefield. Wasting no time, he ordered his soldiers to be ready for battle. They rode straight into the main camp, killing the enemy's soldiers along the way. He and his company of soldiers were like a pack of wolves. They slaughtered their way through and regrouped with the main camp's soldiers. However, luck was not on their side as they were still too late. Most of the main camp's soldiers had already fallen, only a handful of elites and commanders left. They are now being surrounded by the enemy's forces.

Aina is clashing with two Battle Emperors with great tenacity as she fights. The rest are also looking grim, battling multiple opponents. The enemies are overwhelming as their differences in numbers are simply too great. Even so, Aina and the rest are working cohesively as a team, keeping a deadlock. She is currently taking a role as the control, supporting the soldier while keeping the enemy's Battle Emperors in check. Her sword is fast as lightning, yet calm as water as she unleashed her skills. Apart from the two Battle Emperors, each time her sword slashed, an enemy would fall. Ibnor and his soldiers joined them and formed a defensive formation.

Aina glanced at Ibnor, letting out a sigh. She is glad that he is alright and speak to him 

"Ibnor, I need you to open the path to retreat. I'll hold the line."

Ibnor was discontented but he knew that no one else was capable of holding the line. This is also not a time to be sentimental. Both of them are soldiers, fighting for their country. Not willing to put the rest of the soldiers at further risk, he replied. 

"Fine, but make sure you follow us immediately."

"Retreat!" Aina yelled while giving orders to the troops.

Ibnor moved to the rear and started to penetrate his way through. They move slowly while fending the attacks towards the secret pass. The secret pass is actually a passage dug through the mountain as an emergency exit from the main camp. Once inside, they can destroy the entrance, effectively blocking any pursuer and securing their escape. As they get to the secret pass, Ibnor lets the rest of the troop enter first while covering for them. Soon only Cornelius, Ibnor and Aina were left at the entrance.

"Aina, you go first!" said Ibnor.

"No, you go first, I'll cover you," Aina objected.

"Chief Commander, we need to prioritize your safety. The soldier needs you to lead them," Ibnor played the soldier's card. He will use whatever means to ensure Aina's safety.

"Fine!" Aina gave in. 

As his wife, Aina knows how stubborn Ibnor can be. Aina parries a sword's slash and counter attack. A blue light condenses on the tip of her sword and flies forward in the shape of a crescent. She then jumps backwards to retreat. As she lands beside Ibnor, she looks at Ibnor. She meant to tell Ibnor to immediately follow after her. But her expression immediately turns serious.

"Cornelius, make sure the Palace knows what happened here!" Aina said while kicking Cornelius, sending him deep into the secret pass. 

Borrowing the force, she jumps in front of Ibnor. Ibnor was surprised but before he could say anything, an arrow as quick as the wind already pierced Aina's armor, straight into her heart. Aina falls and Ibnor catches her.

"Aina! Stay with me! I'll get us out of here. You'll be okay. Just… Just stay with me," said Ibnor. 

He holds Aina in his arm and points his sword at the enemies, keeping them at bay. He is like a cornered wild beast, giving deathly stares at the enemies. Aina lifts her hand and touches Ibnor's cheek.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't fulfill our promise," said Aina while smiling. Those were her last words. Her hand fell and she died in Ibnor's arms.

"AINA!!!"

Ibnor howls in despair. The shock from the losses and sorrows he felt turned him into a state of disbelief. His body is trembling and his aura is unstable. He did not believe this was happening. He did not want to believe it. However, Aina's body in his arms tells him otherwise. His grief and misery turn into pain, anguish and agony before turning into rage, fury and resentment. 

He stands up and destroys the secret pass's entrance. The entrance collapsed and effectively blocked the secret pass. His aura soared and began to manifest itself. He let his emotions run loose and his primal instinct to slaughter and kill was unleashed. The first target he chooses is the Battle King archer that sneak-attacked them. Neglecting anything and anyone, he pursued the Battle King archer until finally he killed him. Countless lives were slain in his berserk.

After the Battle King archer died, he began to switch his target and killed indiscriminately. The process was repeated until more than half of the enemies were dead. He looked like a devil with blood all over him and the sight greatly intimidated the rest of the enemies. The rampage blocked his sense of pain and he killed while ignoring the injuries that he received. In his frenzy, his swings turned wide and one of the enemies cleverly took a chance, a fiery light streak past him, cutting his arm off.

Mindlessly, he turned to the fiery light. A Battle Emperor stood near him with twin swords, shining with a fiery glow, ready to pounce again. His swords looked like they were covered in flames. The Battle Emperor did not waste time and started by sending a flurry of slashes towards him. Instinctively, he rolled to the ground and grabbed his sword with his left hand. Using only his left hand, he parried and countered the attacks but he is not as proficient with his left hand as with his right so he missed most of them and suffered from the attacks. 

He stabbed into the ground and channeled his Mana to create an explosion from the ground towards the Battle Emperor. The Battle Emperor jumps backwards and crosses his swords to form a shield in front of him. Ibnor flashes behind him and thrust his sword, effectively stabbing the Battle Emperor's heart. The Battle Emperor had a disbelieving expression when he saw a sword tip thrusting out from his chest.

As Ibnor was thrusting his sword, the rest of the enemies didn't stay idle. They attack him just as furious as he was attacking them. In the short time of withdrawing his sword from the fire element Battle Emperor's body, he has been hacked and slashed multiple times. Another Battle King managed to sever his left arm. As if not noticing his pain, Ibnor retaliated with his legs. However, he is not a good unarmed fighter nor is he a Physical Major warrior, so all his kicks are only able to inflict minor damage and knock some of the enemies away but as soon as one is knocked away, three others replace him. Finally he succumbed to his injuries.

His Mana is now depleted, his injuries are severe and he could not even stand up anymore. His body was full of wounds, arrows were sticking out and some of his flesh was mangled. With a plop, he falls to the ground, knee first then face down. He was waiting for the enemies to end his life but strangely, they did not. He hears footsteps, walking towards him, step by step. With difficulties, he raised his head and saw a familiar face. A man was walking through the enemies and they made way for him.

"It's you," said Ibnor, weakly. The man only sighs.

"You started too late. I have to admit that you are very capable. You manage to come to this point in only four years. Fortunately, you were such a disappointment back then. It took a while but this is goodbye, Your Highness." The man stabbed his sword through Ibnor's heart. Ibnor is unresigned.

As Ibnor is dying, his entire life is flashing through his mind. In fact, it was his entire two lifetimes to be exact. He was just an average single guy, having an average job and an average family, neither rich nor poor. He loves to travel around the world, seeing different cultures and traditions. He also enjoyed nature and often went jungle trekking or hiking.

It was on his 30th birthday when he and his friends took a trip to Egypt. Ibnor has been to all of the Seven UNESCO World Heritage All-Star, except the Pyramids of Giza and his trip to Egypt this time is exactly for that purpose. When they reach there, along with the other visitors, they begin taking pictures and selfies. He even remembers their silly conversations.

"They filmed the 1999 The Mummy here, right?" asked Lisa.

"I don't think so. If I recall correctly, it was filmed in Morocco," Jenny, the big sister in the group, answered.

"Ha ha ha… Just imagine if suddenly you see a sandstorm forming a large head, exactly like the movie," said Randy laughing.

"Don't be ridiculous, you won't see that sort of thing. At most, it will only be the resurrection of the Scorpion King. If it really looks like Dwayne Johnson, I'll risk my life for an autograph," said Jiji, continuing the joke. The men were laughing but the women berated the men for daring to even mention the word 'sand storm'.

He remembers that conversation clearly because it was then when suddenly a strong sand storm kicked up out of nowhere and swept all of them. He was sure that he was cursing Imhotep's nine generations when he was sent flying. That was the end of his first life. He also remembered, being born into his second life. From that point to the current situation, he remembered it all vividly. And now, his second life is ending too.

Ibnor accomplished a lot of things in just four years. Alas, it was still too late. Four years is a short time to change things around. Ibnor and Aina fall on the battlefield, defeated by a carefully planned invasion. He is filled with regrets. He is unwilling.

'If only I didn't push everyone away.'

'If only I trained from the start.'

'If only I was more vigilant.'

'If only I had more time.'

'If only I was…'

'If only…'