Ji opened his eyes.

“Is it time?”, his voice was unusually rough. He was laying on a simple bed, hidden inside a room somewhere in the backside of the pub. Covered in a white blanket he glanced over to the person sitting on a chair next to his bed.

It was Tian. His expression was cold and serious as he slowly nodded.

Ji closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Finally.”, he seemed relieve. His eyes shot open and he rapidly rose from the bed. The blanket slid down and uncovered a completely bandaged body. Faint bloodstains had become visible through the otherwise purely white bandages. He got up from the bed and looked over to Tian.

“Go ahead, I need another moment.”

Tian simply nodded and left the room. The door opened, then closed and silence returned to the little room. For some time, the silence continued to remain as Ji stayed completely unmoving. His eyes were empty, and it seemed like his soul had suddenly decided to leave his mangled body.

“I wonder if it is the right thing to do.”, life suddenly returned to his eyes and he quietly mumbled to himself. His eyes were indecisive as if there was something that he regretted but was too late to take back.

“You decided to go this way in the moment you entered that damned old building.”, a voice suddenly came from a corner of the room.

A strange smile appeared on Ji’s face.

“Stop putting on your mask, I am your master, what do you think you can hide from me?”, the voice sternly reprimanded him.

The smile vanished like the lie it was and was replaced by bitterness. Ji turned his head and faced the old man that was leisurely leaning on the shelf. Ji’s expression was bitter and regretting, sadness was plastered across his deep eyes.

“Don’t look at me like this, it was your decision. I never forced you. You wanted my help with that one matter so I helped you undo the seal. Other than this my role in all of this is negligible.”, the old man said smilingly.

Ji stared at him, then shook his head.

“You are right.”, his voice slightly trembled.

“I choose this as did they.”, the trembling stopped.

“However many million shall die today, however many will be left tomorrow. It was decided by me and it was decided by those that led them. I am at fault, just as much as are those who choose to lead them into this abyss.

After all… we all knew that this would happen from the moment I entered that damned building.”

"I..., we chose this war to gain power. There is no excuse we can make to cover up this truth.", Ji cold stated.

A hollow laughed came out of the old man's mouth and his eyes shone in a strange light. His wrinkled face resembled a wooden mask.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"So, now after 400 years you have finally decided to become an idealist?", His deep voice contained ridicule.

"So, what if you choose power? So, what if millions are going to die because of this decision? What do you think how humanity became the power it is today?!

We slaughtered our way through the races, lost billions of our kind and ended the existence of hundreds of unique species. Do you think we were the only ones?

This is the way the world works! It has always been this way, a struggle to survive while walking the thin line between madness and sanity with only our wretched sense of morals keeping us from the insanity of the world!", the ancient voice stocked for a moment.

"You... Are still young. I am glad you could feel idealistic at least once in your life, but you have to wake up now or you will not only waste your own existence, but also the existence of all those beings that have followed you.

Do you honestly think they did not know what this is about? Do you think all those millions of powerful eternal beings cannot see that this is a power struggle, the most mundane and human thing that exists between heaven and earth?

Of course, they know!

They still choose to participate in this war. They choose to take the risk of dying in exchange for the benefits they would receive if they survive.

This is the way our kind has always been. Driven by ambition, driven by the desire to be more than what we were born as. Revolving, changing and advancing while battering for a better future.

Mortals are born and die in battle or a natural death.

Gods are born and die in battle or take their lives when they lose themselves in the insanity of eternity!

You are but an episode in this endless circle of rebirth and change that our race has been experiencing since the very moment it was born from our primitive ancestors!", He stopped speaking and looked at Ji. Archaic wisdom shone in the unmeasurable depths of his eyes, experiences older than every civilization that existed today.

The young god became quiet as he comprehended the words spoken by his teacher. Finally, an expression of resolve appeared on his face and he bowed before the old man.

"Thank you for enlightening me!"

The old man smiled with satisfaction.

"This is what I ought to do in the first place.", He nodded.

"Now kill that dump bitch!", His voice faded as the old man simply disappeared.

Ji nodded gravely and suddenly flames began to burn around him and quickly removed the layers of bandages from his body. Pale, smooth skin became visible beneath, only tainted by some gruesome looking scars.

It wasn't that Ji could not heal them. He simply had no interest in doing so. For everything there was a price to pay. This was only a minor faction of what he was about to pay in exchange for his ambitions.

Ji closed his eyes and removed the hidden restrains he had placed onto himself all those centuries ago. Small booms rang out from all over his body as old seals were broken and hidden power suddenly released.

His aura suddenly burst out of his completely nude body and began to rise, forming a shocking golden armor that slowly materialized itself around his body.

When Ji's aura finally reached its apex and rocked the sky, the armor had completely covered his body and a black helmet protected most of his head.

"It is time", his bloodthirsty voice rung out and Ji drew upon the power within him to appear outside the building.

Tens of thousands of heavenly dragons, all similar but slightly different from Tian, had gathered in the vicinity of the building, a small army of a thousand dwarves was waiting in perfect formation, their armor glittering in the light of the still shining advertisements.

It was a surreal sign. The oh so familiar city with its dazzling lights filled with the armies of factions about to go to war.

“Where are the Buddhists?”, Ji asked Tian who had appeared next to him.

“They will take a little longer.”, Tian was still in his human form, wearing the same Chinese robes he was always wearing. Only the thick killing intent and frigid coldness that surrounded him told of the soon coming battle.

Ji simply nodded.

“ATTENTION!”, he suddenly shouted

Immediately all tens of thousands of dragon and dwarves tensed up and saluted towards Ji and Tian. Ji’s eyes narrowed, and he silently surveyed the impressive army in front of him.

He breathed in slowly.

“WE SHALL KILL!”

A single shout was followed by 50.000!