“Mike, do you think reincarnation is real?” Fiona asked, looking hopeful waiting for his answer. Mike looked at her a few seconds before laughing.

[look at her, sometimes i forget she is just a kid.] “seems you started your isekai journey, which anime made you curious about reincarnation?”

“Hmm, it was a wholesome anime called Wondering in a new world, i like how they showed how different it is over there compared to our world, things like powers and different series, i would like to live in a world like that.”

[I see, she wants to escape this miserable life, i get it though, living in a new world with powers and going on adventures with cat girls sounds nice but……. I am sure there is a darker side too…..if such a world existed in the first place, it's all just fiction but i can't tell her that.]

“Being reborn in a new world huh. Here is my take on that, if what scientists said about the universe is true then i am 99% sure there are other worlds out there with life, now i am not saying they are the same as in fantasy show, i am just saying there should exist some worlds out there, don't get your-” It was too late for him to take back what he said, Fiona was beyond excited.

“So they do exist, awesome, I wish we could be reborn in such a world, it would be so awesome, just you and me, going on adventures, just thinking about it is making me so happy.”

[Haha, well, i will let her believe if it makes her happy.] “I would be the leader of our little party, the commander.” He joins in on her fantasy to make things more fun.

“Of course, no one is allowed to be the leader, you would lead us to many great places, buy us good food and take good care of us like we are your real kids, i really…….” She continued telling him about all her ideas and Mike just listened like a proud big brother.

These were her final memories as she fell to the floor after being shot. She gives one last look at Mike, seeing the look on his face, she wanted to say it’s okay but she couldn’t open her mouth.

[Mike, thank you for all you have done for me, you took care of a stupid girl like me and taught me many things that brought me back to the right path, i am truly thankful, i really wish, from the bottom of my heart that i get reborn, please god, please, take me to a world where i can wait for Mike, he is my only…..] With that, Fiona had passed on.

Back to the present, Mike found himself in an otherworldly corridor. The corridor is full of souls walking in a straight line, including him, he tried to stop but his legs continued to walk on their own.

“What the hell is going on here, is this the afterlife? So many souls but why are they all just frozen, are they not conscious.” he waves his hand in front of the soul behind him but nothing, he picks on the side but he could not see anything of importance, just a long line of souls that looks to be going on for miles. Apart from the path they are walking on, there is only darkness.

“This is strange, i am back to normal, my rage, my hatred, i can’t feel anything in my heart….is it because i am a soul?where exactly are we walking to and why am i the only cautious one?” He reaches out into the darkness but his hand hits a barrier of some sort.

“So we can’t leave or do anything. I have a bad feeling about this.” After what felt like hours, Mike finally saw something different, it was a massive creature, it’s face is nothing but a skull, a human skull but with a humanoid body. It has a scythe on its back which matches well with its dark robe. In its hands is a book that looks like it belongs in hell. Mike continued looking at what was happening and what he saw shocked him.

“Crap, so this is judgement, I am guessing the souls that are good are the ones that turn to white while the ones turning to black are the bad ones? What happened to black ones, are they just erased?.......... I cannot sit here and just wait for my second death.” He started using all his might to move his legs even if only a little bit but he could not break free.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Shit, guess this is huh.” He took a gulp as he arrived at the front for his turn. The being was even more intimidating close up than he fought, he was so nervous his whole body was shaking which the being noticed, walking closer to him for a closer.

“..........how are you conscious, young soul?” The being asked in a surprisingly normal voice which made Mike relax a bit.

“I am not sure, i just died and found myself here, what exactly is this place?”

“Hmm, fascinating. You are in the soul corridor, this is where all souls go after death. My job is to place judgement upon them and decide if they deserve a second chance or,” suddenly, the being’s voice became cold and villainous, “if they will be lost in the vacuum of nothingness. So young soul, do you think you deserve a second chance?”

Mike was unable to answer due to the press he was under, he just stood there shaking, unable to do anything. [crap, what is this scary thing, the grim reaper? Fuck, i can’t die like this, not again.”

The being starts going through its book to see how Mike lived his life and the being was left speechless. “A soul that has such a clean record, how is this possible?.........unfortunately young soul, the sin of taking life is bigger than you realise, hence, you shall not be given a new life.”

Darkness began enveloping his body from his legs and Mike could not help but beg. “Please mr death, that man deserved to die, he was an awful person, all i did was avenge someone i cared for, how am i in the wrong?” The being stared at this desperate face before speaking.

“ a question young soul, did you create the life you took?”

“...no? What does that-”

“Then were you given the right to take life by god or place judgement upon life?”

“................No.”

“Then why should you be forgiven for taking life, in my eyes, you are no different than the man you killed, you both took life that you had no right to take, farewell young soul.”

Mike was left dumb founded as darkness fully claimed him and his body started to disappear. [I am the same as him? No right? I deserve to die, after all I went through, I will die once again, me? me? me? me? me? me? me? I DO NOT ACCEPT THIS, I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS, NEVER.!] He started yelling trying to force his body to move until something unexpected happened, his hand reached out and tried to grab the being but in a split second, his whole hand was cut off.

“Tsk tsk, just accept your fate soul, this is the soul corridor, where all souls are judged equally, this is my domain, know your place-” The being notices that the power of darkness that was erasing him is now being absorbed into Mike’s soul.

“.....I see, it seems I have made a terrible mistake.” The being looks at his scythe and looks back at mike. “He is absorbing the darkness, fascinating but this futile, his soul cannot handle the power of darkness, he will die a painful death.” The being closes its eyes and turns away to continue judging other souls.

“GAAAAGH!!! MY SOUL IS BEING TORN APART, WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” He falls to his knees, trying to endure the pain but it was a pain worse than death itself. “Please, help me.” The being just ignored his begging and continued judging other souls.

[why, even the grim reaper himself is letting me suffer, is this how the universe works, if you are powerless you suffer? I see now, power is what I need, power that rivals anyone……. This darkness, it's going out of control in my body, it needs to be directed correctly.” He starts channelling the darkness throughout his body and the darkness combines with his soul turning it pure white. The reaper senses this and sharply turns around.

“You, what do you think you are doing? I am the only one with the power to bring upon rebirth, stop this at once.!” The reaper looks at his missing hand being restored. “That should not be possible, the only way to heal a wound from my scythe is to……….. I see, so the young soul has absorbed my power and made it his…..hahahaha…..HAHAHAHA, WHERE DID SUCH A SOUL COME FROM? HOWEVER, I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO BE REBORN, I JUDGED YOU AND DEEMED YOU UNWORTHY OF A NEW LIFE.” he slowly draws his scythe and points it at Mike.

“You shall not be reborn.”

This whole time Mike had his eyes close channeling the power fully , his soul began changing again as it disappeared for reincarnation, the reaper could not believe what he was witnessing at the last moment, Mike opened his eyes slowly and gave him a cold stare without any words. He disappeared and entered the reincarnation cycle, the reaper was furious at what just happened.

“YOUNG SOUL, WE SHALL MEET AGAIN.” he said in a scary tone, still staring at the spot where Mike disappeared.

Mike wanted to control how he got reincarnated but no soul can stay conscious during this process, he was going to get a random new life, that’s what was going to happen but the power inside him started gaining consciousness, this was due to the power fusing with his soul. The power reads Mike’s mind and forms into what it thinks is best for the situation, a system. After becoming a system, it quickly began altering the rebirth cycle by corrupting his chosen cycle path in order to have control over it and this worked.

This worked and Mike broke through the rebirth cycle intact and was not falling from the sky in the new world.

[WARNING!, user’s body is being crushed by the gravitational force]