1 Unexpected Reincarnation

Thirteen years ago, the world was shattered. The Earth had changed drastically, causing changes in its climate and surface. It eventually reshaped the landscape to a ratio of thirty percent sea to seventy percent land. And worst of all, humanity had to fight for survival against the beasts that exist to devour them.

In a new region of the new world, the ruins of the destruction scattered across the land as the darkness of night descended.

A moment ago, a fierce battle raged here. It ended in an instant when a beam of light struck the ground. The aftermath was a gruesome sight: the carcasses of ancient sentinels, colossal titans, leviathans, behemoths, chimeras, and human corpses clad in Exoskeleton armor were strewn across the dirt.

Even so, there was one remaining human in tattered Blue Exoskeleton Armor without a helmet, standing unsteadily. It was a man named Zephyr Quinn. He was about 6" tall with a short, spiky hairstyle that was swept to the side. His blue eyes and tanned skin show his presence.

Opposite Zephyr, there were four alien beings with divergent appearances compared to those of the dead beasts. They have scaly green skin and stand on two lizard-like legs. Their head resembled the alphabet 'T' and had a tail behind their backs midriff. Regardless of their strange and eccentric build, the pressure they exerted by their mere presence was enough to disgrace those monstrous beasts that had been haunting mankind for years.

"Hok! That's amazing. Surprisingly one human survived our Light of Judgment." Said one of the alien creatures whose armor was more advanced than the Exoskeleton worn by Zephyr. His name was Taldarim.

"Then just kill it. Why do you look so enchanted like that? We are on a mission from our Supreme High Priest to destroy this planet and its inhabitants because these pawns won't last until the end, let alone be used in the Interstellar Championship. So do it as fast as possible because we need to find a new planet for it." Said another alien creature named Auronar, while their other two comrades just stood quietly apart from each other.

"Wait. This is intriguing. Let me play with this lowly creature a bit. Besides, it won't take long."

"Up to you."

At the same time, Zephyr was stumbling out of breath while trying to stabilize his footing. 'What kind of creatures are they!? They were far different from the wild beasts that I had faced so far. On top of that, they also speak the Apex Language.'

He then tried to open his mouth despite his distress, knowing it was his chance. "You..., Are you the leader of the beasts that have been ravaging this world!? Are you behind all of this!?"

Zephyr knew that even if what he was asking was futile, he at least wanted to find out if there was any truth to the misfortune that befell the earth thirteen years ago for the first time. He no longer had the vitality to fight.

"Hkhkhk! Fine. I'll grace you with an answer, you pathetic human." Said Taldarim, who praised Zephyr for being the only one left alive after being hit by their energy blast.

"It would be an insult to call us the leaders of those mindless drones. We are the Protoss, the superior beings, the descendants of the God Legacy Race. We are on a whole other level.

"Everything that happened on this planet was our doing. You and those creatures were nothing more than playthings to us. And that's the authenticity. So what do you plan to do now that you know this?

"Do you want to kill us? Do you want revenge? Hkhkhk! Don't be so ridiculous, you lowly humans. Know your place. Forget about us, the Protoss. You can't even defeat the beasts that were nothing more than toys to us. Skhkhk!

"Cuh! Weakling!"

Taldarim said while spitting and patting Zephyr's head gently. He came from one of the top planets with cutting-edge power and technology in the Andromeda Galaxy. There was no reason to take the human race into account.

However, Zephyr was not rattled or surprised. He remained silent as he received the news calmly, even though he couldn't do anything about the disclosure. At the very least, he knew that the catastrophe was not the result of the game the Frontliners were playing long ago. Although there was no proof other than what the creature said, it made sense considering the force that the Protoss displayed as the one behind the mishap over the years.

'Those dead beasts are the biggest and fiercest that humanity has ever faced. But they died in an instant as that attack of light descended upon the ground. Along with our thousand strongest Legions in the Apex World. What a terrifying power. I'm lucky to be safe, even though this is also my last.'

A grin spread across Zephyr's face, not one of glee but of bittersweet acceptance. He had survived, but this survival marked the end of his journey. The culmination of a life lived on the precipice of danger.

Zephyr's tranquility enraged Taldarim, the once-mighty warrior of the Protoss. With a surge of fury, he unleashed a searing energy beam from his Exo-skeleton-encased palm, aiming it directly at Zephyr's Exo-suit chest plate.

Ka-boom!

The impact ignited a blinding flash, followed by a shockwave that rippled through the battlefield. Zephyr was sent hurtling through the air, his body colliding with the unforgiving ground, rolling and tumbling until he finally came to a halt.

Zephyr crumpled, limbs at awkward angles, his chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. Blood seeped into the cracked land around him from the gaps in his broken Exo-skeleton armor, painting a gruesome canvas. Though pain wracked his body, his gaze remained locked on the towering Taldarim. A grin, devoid of defiance but heavy with grim approval, tugged at his lips.

Taldarim snarled, two six-fingered hands clenched into fists. "Mockery won't save you! For your insolence before the divine, I sentence you to oblivion!" Aessence energy crackled around him, the air thick with anticipation. Before the Judgment Blast unleashed, however, a tremor snaked through the ground.

An unexpected event occurred.

Zephyr cried out, "Outburst activated!" as his Exosuit's jet propulsion system roared to life. Aether, a blue energy surged from the thrusters, lifting him off the ground. He slid across the floor, maneuvering around the Protoss and landing on the other side.

The sudden movement certainly made Taldarim flustered. He reluctantly stopped his attack to follow and chase the prey at a faster speed. As a result, Zephyr's left arm was grabbed and torn by him, who swiftly moved to catch up.

Nonetheless, Zephyr's goal was achieved by only losing his left arm. He managed to catch one, while the other two Protoss were a few milliseconds slower to respond than Taldarim because they were also quite far from him.

But something odd had happened.

Taldarim, Auronar, and Khalgare, who should have been able to attack Zephyr, did not move to take further action, frozen like statues.

"Damn it! It's my fault." Taldarim exclaimed, realizing even if he was quick, and managed to deal some damage. He should have killed Zephyr on that occasion.

For the time being, Auronar and Khalgare could only gulp their saliva without responding to Taldarim's words. They were worried about what Zephyr would do to their comrade.

"So this one is special, huh? No!?"

Cough, cough--

Zephyr teased while vomiting blood. His breathing was becoming more and more erratic. But he managed to strangle one of the Protoss, who was far away from the other three, with his Exosuit-armored right hand from behind. He had been watching from the start which Protoss he could take down along with his death. He realized that the positions of each creature were not close to each other, helping him from making unforeseen moves.

'Thinking about it, the three creatures were about the same stature at about 7 feet tall, whereas the one I strangled was only about 5.5 feet. The Exoskeleton armor this short one wears is also different from the other three.'

Zephyr's hand tightened around the Protoss' bony throat, silencing the alien. Time was a luxury he lacked, every breath burning in his battered lungs. Yet, resistance flickered amidst the agony. He'd show these self-proclaimed galactic titans the bravado of humankind, the messy tenacity whispered of even amongst celestial beings.

Meanwhile, the other three Protoss' faces turned ugly, even though the human they looked down on was in such a pitiful condition.

Taldarim turned off the translator on his communication device. He opened his mouth and spoke the language of their planet's origin. "Do you guys have a solution for this?"

"Nothing. No matter how fast and strong we are, the possibility of Ohenheim dying is very high. We can't let him die as it would require his ability to search for potentially hidden planets for that event." Answered Auronar.

"But why doesn't he use his powers?" Khalgare asked.

"I... don't know about Ohenheim's ability mechanics. I don't even know whether he is capable of combat or not." Auronar gave a perfunctory answer because only the Supreme High Priest knew about Ohenheim's specialties.

In another spot, Zephyr's consciousness had almost completely faded. He couldn't even hear the foreign language spoken properly. "I... don't know what rubbish you are spewing out of your mouths. But I curse your race and planet to be utterly annihilated and destroyed!" He immediately squeezed the grip of his right hand on Ohenheim's neck, causing the creature to panic and convulse in pain, with blue blood starting to surge from its eyes and mouth.

The three Protoss, with their faces twisted in rage, charged at Zephyr as their Exoskeleton armors boosted them to incredible speeds. They no longer care about what consequences they would bear. Their hands were outstretched, ready to tear the human to pieces. As they neared, time seemed to slow to a crawl, and they found themselves caught in a frozen state.

It was like space and the flow of time had preserved, stopping life and death in the entire universe.

But not with Zephyr, who seemed unaffected by that. His back fell to the ground as he lost his life while drenched in the blue blood of Ohenheim.

Ding!

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[The System detects the possibility of Unrefined-Grade species...]

[Forced integration is being initiated...]

[Denied!]

[Hard reset required...]

[Location determined..., At the Beginning of Apex World...]

[Earth... April 1, 2027]

[Commence!]

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