"I am Lygus."
"A very promising 'man of action'."
"Recently, I've been in charge of a project called 'Amphoreus'."
"Once it reaches 100%, I'll be able to release a Lord of Extinction."
"Hehe, just thinking about it is exciting enough."
Amphoreus, Dawn's Edge.
A sentient machine stood silently at the cliff's edge, maintaining the pose of 'The Thinker'—elbow against knee, chin resting on palm, quietly gazing at the chaotic battlefield below.
No sorrow, no joy, and no emotion.
Simply observing.
Simply contemplating.
With that crimson mechanical eye beneath the visor, absorbing the chaotic world into silent calculations.
"But unfortunately, the progress bar has been stuck at 99% for several Amber Eras."
And I've had my head blown off over 30 million times.
Over 30 million times!
Do you know how I've spent this time?
"Hmm!?"
Lygus, who had been sitting still as a withered stone, suddenly raised his head, his crimson mechanical pupils gazing toward the oppressive dark clouds in the sky.
Someone was attempting to enter this world.
Filled with the aura of Destruction.
The crimson mechanical eye abruptly contracted.
In that instant, data surged like a flood through his consciousness.
Familiar coding structures, ancient combat protocols, and that frequency signal almost worn away by time.
Had reinforcements finally arrived?
Open the gate!
Open it immediately!
...
At this time, the Outer Fortress of Okhema had already fallen, with scorched banners torn and fluttering in the wind.
The Holy City's front line was wide open, in imminent peril.
Black Tide creations, Titan followers, and the Okhema Legion—all three forces were locked in chaotic battle.
Soldiers swung their blades in desperation.
The battlefield was littered with shattered rocks, black mud, debris mixed with flesh and blood clinging to broken weapons and shields.
The thick scent of blood condensed in the air, suffocating.
Waves of wails and roars intertwined, mixed with the crisp sounds of shattering bones.
This land had been offered to strife.
At the very front of the Holy City.
Inside the central command tent of the Okhema army, the "Empress" Cerydra and the "Sword Banner Knight" Hyselins were frowning as they discussed the battle situation.
"Damn 'Strife', Nikador—his battles have no honor whatsoever."
The Empress closed her eyes and massaged her temples, seeming somewhat weary.
"'Strife' has entered the field, making the battle even more chaotic. It seems it's my turn to take action."
The demigod of the 'Ocean', the knight known by the Sword Banner, Hyselins, said with heroic bearing.
She had once slain sixty thousand enemies in a single battle, blood dyeing the hem of her dress, causing Okhema's citizens to view her as a specter.
"Be careful."
Cerydra nodded.
This assault on Okhema by the Black Tide creations was extremely massive.
Having just taken over the Holy City, she hadn't yet stabilized the situation when the Black Tide creations arrived. What was even worse was that madman Nikador.
"Don't worry, just wait for news of my great victory."
The corners of Hyselins's lips curled slightly upward. She turned, stepped forward, and walked out of the tent with heroic bearing.
Just then, the sky suddenly tore open with a savage gash.
After a thunderous roar, a strangely-shaped vessel fell straight down like a meteor.
And at the center of the battlefield, Nikador, who had been standing still like a statue, seemed to sense something. He suddenly straightened his body, concentrated force into his right arm, gathered tremendous power, and hurled the massive Spear of Divine Punishment!
[BOOM——!]
The spear's shadow was swift as lightning, instantly piercing through the starship.
In Cerydra and Hyselins's stunned gazes, a human figure was thrown out by the explosion's flames, heavily crashing into the battlefield.
The strange vessel crashed thunderously on the other side, flames shooting skyward.
Lygus: (⊙_⊙)
...
The battlefield instantly fell into deathly silence.
After a long moment, from within a pile of rocks, a dust-covered hand suddenly emerged.
Immediately after, gravel cascaded down as a figure rose from the ruins, slightly disheveled yet still radiating a sharp, handsome edge.
"Damn it, where the hell did this send me!?"
The young man's chest heaved violently as he gulped down fresh air, only then noticing the mountains of corpses and seas of blood surrounding him.
Ryuga, a 9-5 office worker.
Before transmigrating, a fortune teller said he would encounter great fortune the next day.
The result, the next day...
When he rode his Great Luck shared bicycle and had just gotten onto Great Luck Bridge, he was hit by an oncoming Great Luck car and fell into the Great Luck River.
"True: Hitting Great Fortune"
That old scammer was bad to the core—his prediction was damn accurate!
When he opened his eyes again, he was in the Honkai: Star Rail world, and he had 'slept' with Lady Herta.
Well, they had shared the same bed.
She wore a nightgown as thin as a cicada's wing, and his hand just happened to rest in the right position.
Then, Herta opened her eyes.
In that instant, death stare.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, the deluxe edition LOL card deck that had transmigrated with him lit up. In his haste, he didn't have time to examine it carefully.
He saw a familiar hero at a glance.
'Desert Reaper (Creator God)' template activated.
Then, in Herta's little castle, three years and three more years!
You know how I got through that?
Not only did they not pay, but they made him run simulated universe tests.
He'd never been such a workhorse in his previous life.
Moreover, that woman Ruan Mei would drop by from time to time. One Herta was already more than he could handle—with both of them together, he couldn't escape at all.
Fortunately, their relationship progressed quite well.
Taking advantage of Herta finally going out, he snatched some Curios and slipped away from the little castle.
And after that...
"Right, March!"
Ryuga's hazy eyes gradually cleared.
He suddenly looked toward where the starship had crashed.
March, are you still alive?
After escaping from Herta, he had accidentally captured a drifting ice block, and then March 7th was born.
The two traveled together, robbing the company for free while also saving several planets along the way.
They had finally managed to find out about the 'Luofu's' stagnant star region.
But just after jumping, the starship lost control and deviated from its course.
Vaguely, he seemed to hear faint laughter in his ears?
Looking at the pitch-black 'Trampler' rushing toward him, Ryuga's eyes flashed with cold light as his Nasus 'Ascended' form unfolded.
"Death has arrived!"
In an instant, shadow flame erupted explosively.
Ultimate shadow flame capable of burning and devouring any soul—like billions of venomous snakes dancing wildly—coiled around Ryuga.
His eyes turned a demonic purple-red, with galaxies seemingly flowing in the depths of his pupils.
His body also swelled continuously in the flames, bones crackling like thunder.
Two meters, five meters, ten meters...
Shadow flame, like molten lava, surged through his purple-black body, flowing along his muscle patterns.
With each breath, he exhaled soul-burning flames.
At the same time, the outline of a titan also condensed in the flames—'Nasus (Creator God)' form.
This was one of three Ascended forms he had developed.
"Die!"
With a casual wave, he unleashed terrifying shadow flame, burning all the 'soldiers' within ten thousand meters to ash.
Cerydra and Hyselins were already dumbfounded.
Lygus: Worthy of being a colleague of Destruction.
After incinerating the enemies around him, Ryuga stepped toward the starship.
On the way, he began scanning the surrounding enemies.
Very strange.
Humans?
Rock monsters?
'Soldiers'?
Just, something felt off.
Tramplers were generally black, purple, and gray, but the 'soldiers' before him looked nearly identical yet were black and orange-red.
"Black Tide?"
Ryuga suddenly understood.
Those weren't Tramplers, but Black Tide Erosionblades.
The smoke-shrouded city-state looked familiar—Okhema?
"Amphoreus!?"
The story has begun?
Just as he was contemplating, a cold mechanical voice suddenly rang in his ears.
[Ding: Welcome 'Desert Reaper' to the chat group.]
[Customer Service Pink Elf Miss: "Oh my, it's a newcomer! I wonder if they're a beautiful girl like me. Welcome, welcome!"]
To be continued…
(T/N: His template is based on League of Legends Champions Nasus.)