The air was thick with bloodlust.
Across the cracked plains of Heavenscar, the last six contestants stood in a perfect circle. The sky above had turned into a vortex of void and lightning, as if the world itself knew the end was near. Fractured towers of crystal floated in the horizon, each glowing with the souls of the defeated.
Yamino stood in the center, his body flickering between broken and reborn, soul mist flowing from the cracks in his armor like steam from a volcano. His halberd rested against his shoulder, and the wild grin on his face carried both exhaustion and exhilaration.
Around him, the final players took position:
1. Vehras the Bloodforged, still burning from the last clash, bloodsteel plates reforming across his shoulders.
2. Sereia the String Queen, pale and smiling, her threads humming with vengeance.
3. Xerael, a seraphborn rogue wreathed in divine shadow, blades like angelic fangs.
4. Valka, an elemental titan, her skin flickering between magma and thunder.
5. Mourne, a reaper-born archer cloaked in dead silence, his arrows sealed with death rites.
And then… the sky cracked with an ominous bell.
[ FINAL PHASE INITIATED – ALL LIMITERS REMOVED. ]
[ Death Is Disabled. No Resurrection. Final Rule: Survive. ]
They didn't speak. No one needed words.
Vehras cracked his knuckles.
Sereia's strings rose like a spider sensing prey.
Valka raised a wall of lightning, Mourne notched three arrows without drawing breath.
Xerael vanished.
Yamino opened his system.
[ SOUL CORE LEVEL: 21 ]
[ CLASS: SHINOGAMI – Sovereign of Grim Beasts ]
[ KING SKILL: SOLO KING – Status: Partially Awakened. New Ability Unlocked. ]
He stopped breathing.
Eyes scanned the new text flashing in his vision.
---
[ SUB-SKILL UNLOCKED: DEATH SENTENCE (EXECUTION) ]
Effect: Within the domain of the user's presence, all beings deemed 'lesser by will or strength' can be instantly executed if judged guilty by the king's will. Requires soul authority. No defense. Cannot be dodged. One-time use per awakening phase.
---
Yamino's fingers trembled slightly—not in fear, but in anticipation.
A king who had killed 10,000 in ten days...
A monster who had devoured divine blood, danced with reapers, survived two deaths...
And now the system bowed to him.
He took one slow step forward, head low, voice quiet.
"You five are strong," he said. "But I'm no longer in your league."
Vehras grunted. "Try me."
Sereia licked her lips. "More pain?"
Valka raised her fists. Mourne's bow thrummed with death. Xerael's blade was at Yamino's throat before anyone could blink.
And that was when he activated it.
"Execution."
---
Time stopped.
The sky went dark.
Reality froze like a photo mid-burn.
From Yamino's chest, an enormous shadow burst forth—a crown of black fire, floating above him like a halo forged from tyrant stars.
A colossal throne materialized behind him, invisible to all but felt by everything.
And the domain stretched.
Not a physical space.
A spiritual kingdom.
Every participant inside it—
—became his subject.
They felt it.
The declaration.
The judgment.
Yamino's eyes glowed like twin abysses as his voice echoed across the domain:
> "You are all guilty—of standing in my way."
---
Vehras exploded into blood mist.
His armor cracked, spirit shattered, soul dissolved.
Sereia's threads snapped one by one, her form unraveling into puppet dust.
Valka screamed as her magma heart burst into light.
Mourne tried to fire—his body crumbled mid-draw.
Xerael never reappeared. His divine essence burned like paper in wind.
---
All of it.
In one second.
The battlefield was quiet again.
No corpses. No smoke.
Only Yamino remained, standing alone, cloak fluttering.
The throne behind him faded into soulfire.
The crown vanished.
And then...
[ SOLO KING – DEATH SENTENCE SUCCESSFUL ]
[ ALL HOSTILES ELIMINATED. ]
[ FINAL ROUND COMPLETED. ]
Silence.
Then—
[ C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ]
[ You are the final survivor. ]
[ SYSTEM RESETTING... ]
Yamino looked at his hands.
He hadn't even moved.
Not truly.
They had all fallen before the battle began.
He exhaled deeply, a laugh escaping him.
"Guess that's the difference between kings and everyone else."
.
.
.
The battlefield vanished.
Silence returned.
Then came darkness.
Yamino opened his eyes to find himself no longer alone in battle, but surrounded by others—thousands upon thousands.
The black room was vast, circular, and seemingly without end. 999,900 people stood together, breathing the same stunned breath, each face carrying traces of blood, dust, and exhaustion. There was no noise. No screams. Just the weight of survival. Of knowing 100 were gone forever.
A system voice echoed.
[ ALL SURVIVORS – PREPARE FOR REWARD DISTRIBUTION ]
[ YOU HAVE SURVIVED THE DEATH REALM EVENT. CONGRATULATIONS. ]
[ COMMENCING DISTRIBUTION… ]
One by one, names flashed. And one by one, survivors were bathed in light as weapons and skills were materialized before them—each to their taste. A dagger. A staff. Wings. Claws. Flame. Ice. Divine.
When it reached Yamino's turn, the black room glitched.
He did not receive a reward.
He vanished.
White.
Pure, infinite, silent white.
He stood now in a completely different space—cold and endless.
A voice greeted him. Genderless. Old as the stars.
[ YOU ARE NOT LIKE THE OTHERS. ]
[ YOU ARE THE SOVEREIGN WHO BROKE THE GAME. ]
[ REWARDS ADJUSTED. BEGIN SELECTION. ]
Three screens floated before him.
[ SELECT 5 WEAPONS FROM THE GODFALL LIST. ]
He scrolled. Then chose:
Cursed Grim Broken Katana – A soul-bound blade stitched with the regrets of ancient reapers.
Runefist Gauntlet – A black gauntlet embedded with 18 elemental runes, capable of channeling any magic through fists.
Box of Ancient Beast Cores – A sealed cube containing 108 cores of extinct divine beasts.
Ancient Sword of Titans – A weapon wielded by the first colossus king; forged from dead stars.
Stigma of the 16 Primal Beasts – A fleshmark that grants access to the instincts, power, and forms of sixteen original primal entities.
[ SELECT ONE SKILL YOU OBTAINED HERE TO KEEP FOREVER. ]
He selected:
Sovereign of Grim Beasts
[ FINAL REWARD: ONE WISH. ANYTHING YOU DESIRE. ]
Yamino didn't hesitate.
"I want answers."