The world was no longer quiet.
Ever since the celestial gate closed above Ardent, strange phenomena had begun to ripple across the lands. Forests bloomed and withered within moments. Rivers reversed their flow. The sky shimmered with unnatural colors, as if time itself hesitated.
In the epicenter of it all stood Leon.
The Mark of Divinity on his chest pulsed in sync with his heartbeat, but it no longer simply glowed—it resonated. As if calling to something… or someone.
He wandered through the charred remnants of the battlefield, memories from his past life bleeding into the present. He could feel them—whispers of armies that once knelt before him, planets scorched in his wrath, and thrones that crumbled beneath his will. Each vision left a searing ache in his mind, a reminder that he was no longer just Leon.
He was becoming something more.
"Are you… still human?" a quiet voice called from behind.
Leon turned sharply. A girl, maybe sixteen, stood a few feet away, barely holding a makeshift spear. Her clothes were ragged, her eyes sunken, but there was courage in her posture. Behind her were others—refugees, survivors of the collapse. Dozens of them.
They stared at him, not with fear, but with hope.
"I saw you… turn back time," she said softly. "You… saved us."
Leon blinked. The image of his love—her body broken beneath the rubble—flashed in his mind. He had failed her… but maybe he could protect the rest.
"I'm not sure what I am anymore," he replied, voice low. "But I won't let anyone else die because of this world."
The girl stepped forward, trembling slightly. "Then… you're our King."
A chill ran down Leon's spine—not from fear, but from the sudden weight of responsibility. Once, he had ruled galaxies. Now, a single band of survivors looked to him as their savior. He knelt beside the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I am Leon," he said. "Not a god. Not a king. But I will protect you. That much I swear."
She nodded. Behind her, the others murmured his name with reverence.
Leon.
God-King.
The title was returning whether he liked it or not.
---
Meanwhile, in the Celestial Spire…
The divine realms were restless.
High above mortal understanding, atop an ethereal spire that pierced dimensions, the Celestial Council convened. Beings of immense power, wrapped in cosmic light and ancient runes, floated around a throne that remained conspicuously empty.
"The Reincarnated One awakens," spoke a being cloaked in golden fire. "The Mark has responded."
Another, her voice a melody of stars, added, "He has begun to absorb his former essence. Soon… he will remember everything."
Whispers of alarm passed through the chamber. A memory long suppressed stirred—a war that once sundered the heavens, a being who dared to defy the Divine Accord.
"The God-King must not be allowed to ascend again," boomed the eldest among them, his voice like a collapsing sun. "Dispatch the Heralds. If he regains his former power, the balance will shatter."
And so, far beyond the veil of Earth, divine executioners were summoned.
The Hunt had begun.
---
Back on Earth…
Leon stood before the survivors, now settled in a hidden grove beyond Ardent's borders. With the fall of civilization, the old rules no longer applied. Cities had become graves. Technology had failed. Only strength mattered.
And his strength was growing daily.
He could feel it—new powers awakening within him. Not just control over time, but the ability to warp space, bend reality, and summon the remnants of his divine arsenal.
Late at night, as others slept, he trained alone. Through sheer will, he summoned a weapon—a spear forged of obsidian flame, echoing with divine runes. It had no name. But in his memories, he saw it pierce through gods.
He clenched it tightly.
"This world isn't ready," he muttered, "but I will make it ready."
Then the wind shifted.
A presence—unseen but massive—descended upon the grove like a phantom storm. Trees trembled. The earth cracked. A figure emerged from the forest, tall and faceless, cloaked in blinding light.
A Herald.
Leon stepped forward.
"I figured they'd come eventually."
The Herald said nothing. It raised its hand, and the world held its breath.
The strike came faster than lightning.
Leon's feet dug trenches into the earth as he blocked the blow with his spear. The shockwave shattered the ground, sent trees flying, and caused the heavens themselves to flicker.
The survivors screamed. Some fell. But the girl—the same one from before—stood firm, watching him. Believing.
Leon roared, his voice shaking the sky.
"I won't fall again!"
He charged.
The battle began.