1 Chapter 1: Prologe

Friday July 12th 20xx

"How, how did this all happen and why?!" A person cried out in the middle of a sea made by fire,surrounded by broken buildings and strange beings fighting each other." This morning was so beautiful, so why, why did this beautiful day turn into a nightmare, why are the heavens so cruel!? ''The person raised his hand and looked up and what filled his sight wasn't the familiar night sky that was lit up by stars. The entire night sky was voided of all stars, instead it was shrouded in a strange light that made everyone who even dared to look at it shiver in fright.

"How I wish everything that happened today was just a bad dream" He looked down at his bloodied body covered with all kinds of injuries, it wouldn't be a lie to call it a miracle that he was still alive. He moved his hands and looked at them, just to see that they too, were covered in blood. He began to slowly feel around his body, he needed to know where exactly the worst injuries were. He proceeded to cry out in pain.

His cry contained pain, misery, the wish that everything that happened today was just a dream, but the emotion that it contained the most was fury, fury against the ones that did this to him. Today wasn't a dream. No matter how many times he wished it wouldn't change. The reality was in front of him and he was simply too weak to anything. Nothing could be changed.

While his consciousness was slowly fading away he thought about the events that happened that morning….

*beep* *beep* beep*

"Damn alarm" He cried out and turned the alarm off " Why is the damn alarm always so loud, even when I turn the volume down it destroys my ears." He grumbled to himself. Eventually he still got out of bed and went to the bathroom, he had to get ready for school. Whilst brushing his teeth he looked at himself in the mirror. // Don't look grumpy Phil, it's the last day of school before summer break. That means freedom and no homework, you can do whatever you want after today. //

Shortly after he finished brushing his teeth and cleaned his mouth with water. ''I can even meet girls and maybe get a girlfriend… Hahahaha.''He began to laugh and glanced at himself in the mirror. What he saw was an ugly 19 year old, 1.75 meter tall, 105 kilograms heavy, man. With, on his face, big glasses. ''Good joke Phil, even your crush that said inner values were more important than looks said that you are ugly…. Well, who cares, I will find a girlfriend and make this summer the best in my life!'' He encouraged himself.

He then continued his morning routine and soon it was time for him to leave for school. ''Bye mom, bye dad, I'm off to school.''

Back in the Present

Phil's consciousness almost faded, but the memories of that morning saved him. He somehow knew that he wouldn't have woken up if he lost consciousness. ''No!'' He screamed out, ''I have to live! I have yet to turn this summer into the best summer of my life!'' He panted while struggling to stand up, ''and *pant* I have *pant* to find my friends… We were all together before it began.'' He grunted in pain. ''Come on body, don't give up on me!'' Eventually he managed to stand and started to walk to a specific direction. His thoughts slowly drifted back to that morning once again.

A few hours after Phil went to school.

Phil was now in a computer classroom. All the students just got their last report card for the school year. ''That is it for this year, I wish you all a great summer break, and for those who have to repeat this year, I have a great announcement! You will have me again in multiple subjects, so see you next year!'' He smiled and proceeded to let all the students out of the classroom.

Everybody proceeded to leave the classroom, happy students could be heard all around. ''Finally, summer break!'' Someone yells. '��this year was just pure torture.'' Sounded from another direction. People were happy and people were sad.

While this all played out Phil was talking with his friends. ''This year was hard, but we somehow managed.'' Phil said to one of his friends while walking to the parking lot. One of his friends proceeded to answer him, ''Yes, we somehow did, luckily we had Kev and his knowledge of programming and databases, Floyd's knowledge of electrical engineering and naturally, my great self who came up with the idea to study together every weekend.'' He stuck his nose and chin high up into the air and waited for a few moments as if he was expecting an unending stream of praises.

After a few moments of awkward silence everyone starts to laugh. ''Yeah, Yeah, Luke you and your great mind.'' Kev said, barely containing his laughter.

The laughs slowly grow distant and tears are rolling of off Phil's cheeks. ''My friends, I need find my friends and then we need to get out of here.'' He slowly walked through the rest of his, burning, home city. While walking he heard something that sounded like metal hitting metal. He followed the direction of the sounds and tried his best to arrive there as quickly as his injured body would let him.

Maybe there were other survivors at the source of the sounds, maybe even his friends. Phil arrived at a ginormous crack in a wall. He entered and what he saw shocked him. Everywhere on the ground laid dead bodies twisted in inhumane poses. Little children, elderly people, adults and teens were spread around on the floor. Phil looked at the mangled bodies and covered his mouth with his hands. He was about to puke when he heard the sound again coming from above. He lookedup.

High up in the sky two human beings were fighting. A man that looked around 30 years old. His hair was bound together in a bun, he had a sharp face and a thin beard. A scar ran down the left side of his face and over his eye. His left eye was white and his right eye dark green. He was wearing a black and red hanfu. The red part had black dragon markings over it. In his right hand he held a *Xiphos.

Opposite of the man a woman was flying in the air. She didn't look much older than 18 years, she had light brown hair that went down to her middle. Her face was smooth and spotless, she had blue eyes that looked like they contained their own sky. Her lips was luscious and red. She was wearing ripped jeans and a white sweater. In her hand she held two folding fans with butterfly marking that were mysteriously glowing.

''Interesting… A mere Inner World Foundation stage cultivator of a trash plane can actually fight against my avatar.'' The man said whilst laughing, ''well, you're one of the 8 chosen of this plane, if my guess is right you are the one that with the Mirage Spirit Butterfly constitution.'' He smiled and the woman looked at him with a shocked face. ''How did you… Who cares, I will defeat you here and now to avenge all the innocent people that you slaughtered! You forcefully entering this plane has damaged it, I will fix it after killing you!''

The woman looked at the man with killing intent. She proceeded to storm at him. Her fans started to glow brighter before she suddenly stopped. She moved her eyes to stare at Phil, the man also turned and looked at Phil before opening his mouth, ''Oh, another victim.'' He says and rushes at Phil. He moved the hand that held his weapon and struck down at Phil. But he doesn't care, looking at the woman he says weakly "Sister?".

She looks back at him and quickly flies in front of the man and shouts "Don't you dare touch my brother" with her fans she deflects the man's attack. The enemy noticing that flies back, but he doesn't seem enraged, no, he looks very happy as if he has found a precious thing "Now.. This makes things more interesting" he says and immediately after a strange aura explodes out of his body.

The woman sees that but she doesn't care and turns around to look at Phil with a sad face "Brother... what happened to you" while doing that she notices all the injures on his body "I'm sorry brother, if only I were stronger you wouldn't have to suffer.... no, no one would have to suffer because of him" she turns around and with a face that emits pure wrath looks at the man "You caused this, you injured... I will make you pay, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD!!!!" shecries out and from her body an aura explodes too.

She looks back for a moment to her brother and then runs towards the man with both her fans prepared.Their weapons collide against each other and the man makes an evil grin "Your brother.. Interesting, then show me if you can protect him and make me pay with my blood!" he distanced himself and cuts himself with his weapon, but only one drop of blood fall down while the rest slowly moves towards around his blade, forming a bead at the tip "Devil blood sword art: First move Vengeful Blood Blade" he cries out and immediately the bead of blood begins to glow, while this is happening another horrifying event is happening, all the bodies and blood on the ground are moving towards his blade, slowly turning his iron xiphos into a dark blood colored and longer version of itself.

Phil's expression seeing this turned even grimmer than when he was nearly dying, but looking at his sister's confident smile he gained courage //She can do it// thinking this he returns watching at the man who was laughing madly now "HAHA and now "Devil blood sword art: Third move Devil Judgement" he slowly raises his weapon and then moves it quickly downward, as he does that all the blood turned into a gigantic and dangerous looking energy curve that was quickly moving to Phil's sister.

She quickly puts her fans in front of her and they begin to glow again, a strange buttlery made of energy appears and its wings are sheltering Phil's sister while she's shouting "Butterfly mirage shield" the blood red energy collides with the shield and a strange light show made of all kinds of colors appear while they clash.

While Phil is looking at how his sister and the man are fightning his consciousness slowly fades away while he thinks. //How did my sister acquire those strange powers that look like they came out of a manga or light novel//

Half an hour after school ended and summer break started...

The group of friends is now in the city and meets up with Phil's sister and one of her friends because they wanted to do something together and because her sister is Kev's girlfriend too.

"Sweetie, I missed you!" says Kev and gives her a kiss while we all sit together at a table in a fast food restaurant. "me too darling" she answers while continuing to being two lovebirds. "Kev and Maria can you both please stop veing two lovebirds in heat? We are in public and not everyone likes to see that" says Maria's friend.

They both look at her "Oops" they say while looking embarassed //It looks like they again forgot they're in public// is everyone's thought while sighing. "Did anything happen while I was not there?" asks Phil that went to get the food they ordered. "Yes, your sis and Kev forgot again that they were in public!" says Floyd while he can't stop himself from laughing bringing everyone in the group tolaugh too.

"Not again" says Phil with a sigh and then chuckles while giving everyone their food. Everyone sits together and lift the cup of their drink while saying in unison "For a good and successful surviving school year!" they bring them together and then start drinking. The group started talking about events that happened during the school year having a great fun remembering those, while they're happy and thinking that it couldn't get any better suddenly the warn sirens turn on and chaos descends upon the world.

The sky turned blood red and fire is raining from the sky. Buildings began to crumble and fall apart The Earth started shaking and cracks appeared in the ground.Pets suddenly without a reason started attacking their owners while slowly changing into beasts. Everyone's running in different directions trying to flee from this chaos, making them separate fromtheir friends and family.

A few hours later... everything that happened until Phil and his sister meet again.

Phil awakens from his memories and what he sees shocks him. The surrounding is even more destroyed than before and his sister is severely injured, and that's not all, now there are 7 more persons next her and all of them are female, he even recognizes, Sophia, his sister's friend and his crush.

She's standing in front of maria and the aura she's giving off is even stronger than his sister. "Do you girls think that only because now all 8 chosen of this plane are together you can defeat the Avatar of the great Xerxes, you're all just small puny inner world foundation stage cultivators while my avatar is on the limit of what this plane can support without directly falling apart, naturally it's still crumbling just a lot slower" says the man that revealed his name while laughing madly.

He looks quite confident even while he's surrounded by the 8 chosen cultivators of the plane "But today I'll be kind, I see that this plane is quite important for you, let's make a deal" he extends his hand outward towards them. The girls look at each other and Sophia takes the lead "What kind of deal?". Xerxes smiles "a easy deal, you 8 come with me and lend me your powers for a 'job'. What do you say? I will even repair all the damage that I caused in your plane, including the deaths" he says with a creepy smile.

The 8 girls looked shocked at his word, getting ready to deny the offer they stopped when he said that he would even bring back the dead, even Phil looked shocked at what was happening //can he really do that?!? Can he really bring back the dead?// he thought "Are you for real? You can bring them back? Something that even the plane can't do?" asks another girl, he nods saying "Naturally I can do that, my real body is way stronger than you can imagine, even one strand of hair of my body has more energy than this plane in its prime time. So what do you say? Only the 8 of you for all the lives in this plane".

They look at him for a short moment and then all of them extend their hand to touch him, saying in union "Deal". Xerxes smiles and begins to laugh madly "Good, good finally I can go further in my plans". He laughs for an entire minute, then he moves his right hand and rips open a rift in the space "then follow me, after we leave I'll use my powers to repair everything but for that we 9 need to be outside the plane" he says and all of the girls look at him for a moment with disbelief but only for a second until Sophia jumps into the rift, after that the other followed until only Xerxes and Maria remained.

She looks at him and at the rift "Can I talk with my brother for a moment before I go into that?" he looks at her and then to Phil. " I don't know why you want to talk with your mortal brother but sure, remember to make it quick. I can't let this rift be open for all eternity. She nods and flies to Phil "Brother I need to make it quick so please don't interrupt me and listen well okay?" Phil nods "Good now you need to promise me something, you need to watch over our parents until I come back okay?"

Phil wants to say something but then just nods, while some tears emerge from his eyes "Good" she smiles and some tears roll down her cheeks too "and brother you need to give Kev a messsage from me okay? You need to tell him that I'll love him for all eternity no matter what happens, so he shall wait for my return okay?" Phil nods while more and more tears appear, Maria gives him a kiss on the cheek and then flies up to the rift "I will come back" She yells and then enters the rift.

Xerxes looks at the last girl entering the rift and smiles, right after he takes out a talisman and says "go guys, the plan is a full success now destroy this trash plane!" He says to it and right after the world began to shake while in the sky cracks appeared. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING !!!!" yells Phil "Didn't you promise my sister and the others you would repair the damage !?!?" he says in an angered tone and begins to walk towards him. Xexers looks at Phil and he suddenly slams into the

ground "Shut up you mere mortal, do you really think I would let this place full of trash exist after I took the chosen from it? This place, would only be an hindrance in my plans if I let it exist, I need to destroy this plane so I can bind the 8 chosen from it to my body to strengthen myself"

He begins to laugh madly and looks at Phil that was staring at him with eyes full of hate. "But I can understand you, it is your home, so I will show you mercy" He smiles and suddenly an energy version of his weapon appears at Phil's neck "I will kill you before my people destroy this plane so that you don't need to experience it" the blade slowly moves upward and then quickly descend and as doing so Xerxes says "and if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being born in this trash world" he laughs maniacally and disappears but the blade doesn't and still descends on his neck.

//Is this my end? … why does it need to end like that, why can't I have a peaceful ending?// Phil cries hoping that atleast it will end quickly. At only few millimeters away from hitting his neck the blade suddenly disappears and a ball made of energy appears, from it comes a voice that sounds like an old man "Seems like I'm late... Xexers was faster than me and already plundered my homeplane of its last choosens, destroying it too, but there's still hope" a hand made of energy slowly extends out of the ball "Poor child, you already suffered a lot because of him and I can fill your wish to get revenge, I'll give you a chance to fulfill this wish, but it'll be a path full of suffering and pain, are you ready for that?"

The hands touches Phil and he nods at the question "Good young one, I'm one of the eldest, a cultivator born in this plane before it became a trash plane, my brothers, sisters and I will help you and other survivors to survive this crisis for that we just want one thing, your help when we deal with Xexers" says the old voice while he heals Phil's wounds "Sure" says Phil before falling unconscious, at the same time a shield that is protecting his body appears.

While the Shield heals and protects the unconscious Phil the destruction of the plane continued as more cracks appears and the earth breaks apart. A bright light materializes and Phil suddenly finds himself in the void, the space between the planes, if he were awake he would see his plane slowly falling apart but that is not all, he would see something that never happened before in the void.

The broken pieces of Phil's home plane and broken pieces of some other destroyed planes slowly began to move towards each other and fuse together, at the start of only 2 planes then 4, 1000, with the number continuing to increase. All those fragments are fusing together to create a new plane //Interesting, it seems even the heavens are giving us a chance young one, I will now give you some knowledge about demon beasts and herbs, together with some means to save your life if there's no other way.

This is the only help I can give you for now // says the old voice, then he takes a jade slip that he places into Phil's soul while the shield slowly begins to move to the new formed plane.

*The xiphos is a double-edged, one-handed Iron Age straight shortsword used by the ancient Greeks