Everything was on fire. Wherever one looked, all that could be seen was the destruction of cities layered with countless dead corpses. It could be referred to as hell on Earth.

Not far away, the cause of all this mass destruction stood: Rowan Zaratraz, a being that appeared from nowhere with his army and laid waste to this place.

Many people fought bravely to the point where both sides faced great losses.

But humanity was losing, and the only one left to stand against him was a person who looked like he could collapse at any moment.

His face was full of blood and scars, to the point that he didn't even look human. But he was the only one strong enough to stop Zaratraz.

The only hope for humanity was Ryojin Yukimura. Both Zartaraz and Ryojin faced each other. Both engaged in heavy clashes of their swords.

Ryojin initiated "Arcane sword style: 3rd form: Madman's Fury," launching a frontal assault so swift that Zaratraz wasn't able to keep up with him and the strength of his attacks grew exponentially higher like a berserker, all while attacking him in a dead calm state.

Zaratraz struggled and managed to fend off the attack, but not without sustaining major wounds.

Zaratraz laughed mockingly, saying, "I can't believe there were humans as strong as you who could put me in this state. Hey, brat, what's your name? No, where are my manners? My name is Rowan Zaratraz. Show me more!" He laughed maniacally, then rushed into Ryojin to continue the battle.

As their clash continued, both combatants rushed face-to-face.

Ryojin countered with, "Arcane sword style: Crimson...."

Zaratraz responded with, "Martial God style: Scarlett...

In unison, they declared, Flash!"

Ryojin and Zaratraz launched an attack so fast it went in the blink of an eye, leaving a trail of their crimson and scarlet auras. After the intense clash, they stood opposite each other, facing away.

Zaratraz acknowledged, "I guess this is it."

Ryojin's left hand had been severed.

and Zaratraz's head had been cleanly cut off.

Ryojin fell to his knees.

Ryojin muttered to himself, "I guess this is it..... I did it, but at what cost? Thousands of innocent people and children with bright futures were all lost because we were too weak, complacent, and not prepared for such incidents.

What if I had continued the rigorous training I did to survive and not relaxed because I had become a bit stronger...?"

His face bore a depressed expression with baggy dark circles under his eyes, and it was filled with wounds, with blood oozing from his torn arm.

Ryojin lamented, "I could have at least saved more lives... in the end why am I the one still alive. Is there any point in living, why do I keep on clinging on to life. Ah damn, why did these emotions have to resurface?"

At that moment, Zaratraz's army regrouped and was ready to take revenge and finish the job that their leader had planned.

There were hundreds of thousands of people in the army, and the only person who stood between them and the destruction of their world was the guy who was filled with scars and blood all over him and had a missing arm.

The depressed Ryojin was shocked by the size of the army and their determination, even after their leader had been killed.

The other warriors that were at the level of Ryojin Yukimura were fighting the others who were attacking somewhere else.

Right now, the only one left to stop them was Ryojin.

Ryojin looked as if it was hopeless and he could do nothing. But he couldn't give up. He needed to take responsibility for the lives lost and save those who were still alive and in good condition.

Ryojin took a deep breath and muttered in an exhausting tone, " fucking hell, when does this end?, you dipshits don't know when to give up do you? Ha, I guess you could say the same thing about me "

Struggling to get up, he fell down again, then stood again before the long army before him.

Only he, one person against an entire army of warriors of unknown origin, was ready to fight them until he saw someone behind him, and Ryojin's eyes widened from shock like he saw a dead person.

Ryojin's voice quivered: Kaiga..... is that you, Kaiga? How are you...?" Overwhelmed with mixed emotions

As Ryojin limped towards this person, Kaiga, while trying to stop the blood from oozing from his missing arm.

The unknown person, Kaiga, stabbed Ryojin with a sword.

Ryojin gasped, "Why...? How could you...?"

Kaiga left the sword inside Ryojin, leaving Ryojin to fall on his knees and to the ground, watching as Kaiga walked away.

Ryojin's eyes began to lose focus, and he succumbed to his injuries.

Then his eyes started to open. He found himself on a bed in an unfamiliar place.

Ryojin questioned, "Where am I? How am I still alive?"

As he got up and looked into a nearby mirror, he couldn't believe his eyes. Standing before him was a teenager in his 16s or 17s.

Ryojin exclaimed in shock, "WTF?!?!?"