Somewhere in the world, an inconspicuous rift appeared out of the blue.
It began to radiate an eerie red glow, resembling the harbinger of a great disaster. The glow of the rift intensified, reaching the sky, and the rift instantly expanded to a colossal size, its appearance similar to the gaping maw of a primordial beast.
In no time, an army with a domineering presence marched out of it.
The army was made up of titans, numbering at least ten thousand.
Their eyes were like smoldering embers, making their plain, broad faces look intimidating, while the blood-red skin over their steel-like muscles was marked with dark, jagged lines, resembling cracks running through the surface of a volcano.
The smallest among them stood well over 40 feet tall while the tallest towered over the hundred-foot-tall mountains in the surrounding area.
He was Grondar, Lord of the Crimson Titans. The entire army was made up of his loyal subordinates.
He had come to this world to determine whether it was worth looting. If it was, his first course of action would be to lead his army to exterminate the people that inhabited it for only then would he face no problem or resistance while claiming all its riches and resources as his own.
Grondar looked around, taking in the lush, green surroundings. The gleam in his eyes said he liked what he saw. He drew in a deep breath, and crisp, fresh air filled his lungs. Immediately, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"This world is rich in resources, and the air here is clean. I want to plunder it of everything."
As Grondar expressed his intention out loud, a cool but mocking voice came from above.
"Stop dreaming. You aren't capable enough of taking a single valuable thing away from this world. Heck, it will be a miracle if you live to see another day!"
Grondar looked up and saw someone floating in the sky without any support.
It was a plainly dressed middle-aged man with a handsome face and a sturdy physique. However, his head was like a barren land, shining brightly under the sun. His demeanor in the face of immense danger was noteworthy.
The Titans looked formidable in every way and were capable of unleashing attacks comparable to a disaster at a moment's notice. However, despite facing thousands of them all alone, the middle-aged man displayed not an ounce of fear. Instead, he wore a laidback expression as if it were a daily occurrence for him to face an army of otherworldly creatures and emerge victorious without a scratch.
Grondar felt completely offended.
How dare someone fly over his head, looking down on him?
He raised his hand and said commandingly, 'Fall!'
Immense pressure surged out from the void.
Cracks spread across the sky before it completely shattered, threatening the very existence of the bald man.
"Cheap tricks!" the bald man snorted. He then exploded with irresistible might, launching an extremely simple punch straight towards the falling sky. A pillar of formidable and domineering energy shot up from his fist, driving off the pressure descending from the void and mending the sky in the blink of an eye.
"So strong?"
Thousands of titans gaped, while Grondar's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
His connection with his domain was cut off. He could no longer draw power from there. Grondar realized with growing dread that the bald man was as strong as him.
'He is a Domain Lord. I can afford to treat with disdain.'
"Who are you?" Grondar asked the bald man. "I normally don't do this, but I will give you this honor because you are worthy of my respect," he added.
Taking it as his last wish, the bald man decided to humor him.
"I am the Eternal Night Human Sovereign," Kevin said.
A glint of thoughtfulness flashed in Grondar's eyes.
"You believe yourself to be a ruler whose very presence cast a shadow across the realms, suppressing all evil?"
Kevin nodded. "Correct."
"Even gods don't dare boost so much!"
"I dare do what gods don't."
"Baseless arrogance."
"Let me show you how wrong you are. Kneel for me!"
Kevin pushed down his finger, and upon the army below, an overwhelming pressure descended.
Grondar's army crumbled under the pressure immediately.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A total of twenty thousand knees touched the ground as ten thousand crimson titans kneeled to Kevin against their will.
Only Grondar remained standing, but even he was not entirely immune to the palpable coercion exuded by Kevin. Grondar's back was bent, like a cheap prostitute that was available 24/7.
It was an overwhelming scene.
An army that has ravaged and plundered many domains since its establishment a few hundred years ago was suppressed just like that!
Grondar's face flushed red as he looked at the plight he and his army had found themselves in. He glared at Kevin and growled, "How dare you humiliate us like this!"
"I am going to do far worse."
Upon hearing Kevin's words, a sense of foreboding washed over Grondar, but he could do nothing to stop him from making his next move, as he was still suppressed by the pressure Kevin was exuding.
Kevin snapped his fingers.
Countless cracks opened up across the surface of the world.
From within the cracks, lava could be seen surging upwards from the depths of the planet.
Streams of lava burst out from the cracks, reaching thousands of feet high into the sky.
Kevin's eyes glowed with a strange light, and the temperature of each stream of lava increased sharply, becoming hotter than the sun.
Then, all the streams converged into one colossal river, which crashed down upon Grondar and his army.
Upon being devoured by the river of lava, Grondar's army melted away, dissolving into nothingness.
"He isn't dead," Kevin muttered to himself.
Even though he couldn't see what had become of Grondar after he was consumed by the molten tide, Kevin was certain he had survived.
After all, before a domain lord, everyone else was nothing more than ants—but that didn't hold true for a fellow domain lord, and Grondar was one!
As expected, a massive figure erupted from the lava river, sending waves of molten rock splashing in every direction.
It was Grondar, but his former glory was nowhere to be found.
Mere moments in the searing lava had melted away his skin and flesh, leaving behind a grotesque figure of exposed bones and internal organs.
Yet, even in this battered, grotesquely injured, and nightmarish state, his life force remained unbroken.
"The life of a domain lord is really hard to take. Tsk!"
Kevin clicked his tongue before directing a gaze full of killing intent towards Grondar, who was glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"Eternal Night Human Sovereign, I am going to rip you to shreds even if it is the last thing I do!"
With a roar that shook the heavens, Grondar lunged toward the bald man in the sky with incredible speed.
"You are not worthy of making me say the same thing to you," Kevin retorted as he raised a hand towards the sun.
World subduing palm!
In an instant, many planets plunged into darkness as he grasped the light meant for half a star system from the sun. His hand glowed brightly, its radiance illuminating the entire world of humans and blinding Grondar.
Kevin teleported to Grondar before slapping him with a palm carrying power equivalent to 3.8 billion Tsar Bombs. With that, Grondar's formidable form collapsed.
With a wave of his hand, Kevin gathered Grondar's ashes from the air and sprinkled them on a pearl that he had taken out of his storage ring just a moment ago.
Chains made of archaic words sealed it, but they shattered as soon as they came in contact with the ashes of a domain lord.
As the seal on the pearl came undone, a monotone voice rang in Kevin's ears.
[The Heavenly Pearl has been unsealed]
[As you are the first one to come in contact with it after its seal was lifted, it has recognized you as its master]
[You have gained a special privilege]
[Upon death, you will experience a special miracle]
Kevin was used to receiving such notifications from time to time, so he wasn't taken aback.
He was a transmigrator from Earth. After being plotted against by his loved ones for his inheritance and dying an unjust death, he crossed over to this world with a golden finger and became the descendant of the Ashford family. It all occurred 500 years ago. However, he had never forgotten his roots.
"It only works when I die? That's all it does? Then it's useless to me. I'm a domain lord who can live as long as the sun and moon, for Christ's sake!"
Kevin felt genuinely disappointed. After putting in countless efforts to unseal the Heavenly Pearl, it turned out to be as useless as a brick for someone of his stature.
He put it away.
Just then, a sharp pain tore through his senses.
He looked down and saw a sword sticking out of his stomach. He had been stabbed in the back!
Who did it?
He gritted his teeth and turned around with great difficulty. What he saw next, he was hardly able to believe.
"Shadow Monarch?"
The Shadow Monarch was one of the top ten experts of the humans excluding Kevin. His expertise lay in assassination. He was Kevin's sworn brother and owed him a debt of life.
"Why?" Kevin asked hoarsely.
The Shadow Monarch replied coldly, "In your death lies my success."
"Die!"
Kevin's punch shattered the sound barrier as it barreled toward the Shadow Monarch, who attempted to slip back into the Shadows.
If he escaped there, Kevin wouldn't be able to harm even a single hair on his body.
Kevin had anticipated this and had already made a move to counter it.
An intense pressure descended upon Shadow Monarch, locking him in place. He was helpless as Kevin's punch landed on his chest, blowing him to smithereens.
Kevin pushed the sword out and tossed it to the ground. A gaping wound was left in his stomach, but he wasn't worried about it. He could easily heal it by drawing on the power of his domain, which was the very world he stood upon. However, when he tried to do so, his expression turned grim.
His connection with the world had been cut off!
He tried other methods to save his life, but they didn't work either!
Around a hundred people appeared around him.
Kevin recognized them, having met them in the past.
They were the top experts of the human race.
Kevin did not think they came with good intentions and looked at them warily, "Why are you here?"
The Saintess of Light replied, "You have been struck by the Life Severing Sword. It is a weapon that, in theory, can even slay an immortal. According to our expectations, you will die before the day ends."
Kevin could tell she wasn't bluffing.
From wrinkles under the eyes to liver spots on the skin, different signs of old age have appeared all over his body.
He could feel himself withering away rapidly.
This was the magic of the immortal treasure, the Life Severing Sword.
Kevin never knew that the Shadow Monarch owned such a treasure.
How did he get it?
The greatest magician continued from where the Saintess left off, "We just need to keep you from running away until then, and you will naturally succumb to your injuries. Then, we will get everything we wish for."
They wished for his treasures and secrets.
He rose through the ranks too quickly and became the strongest expert of the human realm, which should have been impossible if he wasn't hiding some kind of shocking secret.
"And it isn't going to be hard. Your connection with the world has been severed. You have fallen a rank. You are on the same level as us now! But there's only one of you and many of us. There's no hope of you escaping this situation alive. Isn't that right, my friend?"
The strongest experts nodded in agreement.
Kevin looked at them in disappointment.
"There is not a single one among you who hasn't benefited from the countless sacrifices I have made to secure our world from external threats. Yet you are plotting against me and wishing for my death. Have you no shame?!"
The Martial King smiled broadly.
"What do you think?"
Biting the hand that fed and saved them. They were indeed shameless!
Kevin laughed madly, his demeanor changing completely.
If he was like a chill dude before, then now he was like a blood drenched sword, radiating intense murderous intent.
"My life and treasures aren't as easy to obtain as you think. If you want them, you need to be prepared to lose an arm or two."
Under his sharp gaze, almost everyone flinched back.
Immediately, Kevin took flight.
What a joke.
He was in no condition to fight!
"Quick, stop him!"
Countless people took to the air and chased after him.
But this was exactly what he wanted.
Since his fate was sealed, he was going to bring them down with him.
He suddenly changed the course of his flight and shot toward the people chasing after him.
"What is he doing?"
"Has he realized resistance is futile and given up on living?"
They didn't realize his plan until it was too late.
As he closed in on them, his body swelled rapidly.
"Oh no, he's planning to self-destruct. Quickly, move away from him!"
"Too late," Kevin smirked.
Boom!
The explosion produced by his self-destruction killed all his enemies. From the haughty Saintess to the shameless Martial King, he dragged them all down with him!
But that wasn't the end of his story!
[You have died, triggering the effect of the Heavenly Pearl.]
[A great miracle has been bestowed on you.]
[Your fate has been reversed.]
[You have regressed.]