Fire was rampaging through the space. On this dry land, blasting of powerful energies were being shot and the sound of battle cries could be heard in the air. The barren land was closed off by a very enormous mist. The mist was so humongous, that one could not see the end of it.
There was a person who faced hundreds of people. His long, wavy black hairs were fluttering in the air. He looked like a quarter aged man. Droplets of blood and sweat were flowing on his skin, and his head was not an exception. The blood passed through his right eye down across his face. Dirt and sands stuck on his body and clothes, it was as if this man had faced a disaster. His back was facing the towering mist, making him look like he was being cornered by the people in front of him.
From the side of the crowd, many kinds of attacks were performed. Powerful energies, weapon arts, transformation, those kinds of attacks were directed to one single man that they were facing right now. And the most impressive strikes were from two individuals who had some very unique aura and signature. One had the aura of promiscuous, and the other had the aura of hollow. They could injure the man, but it seemed like the attacks were not fatal enough.
While on the other hand, balls of flame were appearing on the lone man’s hands, blazing through the people who were facing him. One by one, his enemies fell down, some were injured lightly, some were losing their limbs, and some were dead.
“Gaaaaahhhh…..My legs…!!”
“HURRY! We don’t have much time!”
“Void Monarch, what are we going to do!?”
“Don’t be impatient, we have decided on how we will deal with this war.”
A lot of voices reverberated through the area. Some were panicked, some sounded hurt, some were having confidence, many kinds of feelings were expressed. It was like they were facing the hardest moments in their life.
“HAHAHAHA!!!” A loud laughter broke their mixed conversations. It came from the man who they were facing right now. He had a vicious look on his face. He got beaten up pretty bad right now but a smile bloomed on his face. His flowing blood and wounds did not make his feature look weakened, instead it pictured a confident, fearless man.
“This freaking monster…”
“N-No… I don’t want to… We will die…”
“Shut up! It’s now or never and you know it! It is inevitable that we will face this bastard!”
Some people had very unsightly facial expressions right now. It was as if judgment had come in front of their door, and their sin needed to be paid severely. Each time the lone man made a move, they could not help but get scared witless. Was this the feeling of fearing death? Or was this the feeling of fearing something more gruesome?
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“What’s wrong, you lot? It’s you who attacked me first here, why do you look so afraid? Are you regretting it?” The man said while grinning widely. The flames on his hands kept burning away and the fierceness of the flames seemed to be getting stronger in every second.
Almost all of the front liners had backed away from facing the man head on. They went to the side of the people who seemed to have high positions in their circle. There were two men who were in the center of the crowd.
*BAANNGGG* *BAAANNNGG* *CRAAASSHH*
There were sounds of explosions that surrounded this barren place. The sounds felt like they came from a far place, but because the powers that triggered the sounds were so powerful, the clarity and the nuance couldn’t be more vivid. The people who attacked the lone man, including the latter, all understood one thing.
“Here they come…”
*BLAAAAAARRRRRRR* *SHAAASSHHH* *BLAAAARRRRRRR*
The sounds sounded like some powerful existences were having a great fight. Explosions, slashing, tearing, all kinds of wrecks were echoed in all directions.
“It seems like the time has come, Chaos Emperor. The alarm has broken off, we failed the first plan.” The one who was called as Void Monarch closed his eyes. He contemplated many things inside his mind this whole time when they were fighting against the ‘fireman’.
He had a bearing of an old sage. His hair had mostly gone, only his side hairs could be seen from his head. Even though he had an aura like a sage, his clothes were pretty extravagant. Robes made of high quality material and leathers could be told from a single glance even if the one who saw it was a commoner.
“Damn it… I almost lost myself a while back. I did not even think about them when I was fighting against him just now.” The man referred to as the Chaos Emperor replied. His face was grim, he knew exactly how crisis their situation was right now.
The Chaos Emperor had the look of a middle aged man. His hair was still black and full, while his mustache was as thick as a rainforest. Different from the Void Monarch, his clothing was more extravagant. One probably could even tell how luxurious his equipment was even though that person was blind. Absolutely lavish.
“As expected, time is also not on our side. This demon is truly living up to his name. Prepare for our last measure, we need to get in position as precisely as possible.” Said the Void Monarch. The Chaos Emperor agreed and proceeded to raise up one of his arms and channeled energy with a very dark green color. The energy was very dense and intense, even surprising the approaching man.
“Heh… what kind of move are you trying to use right now, Chaos Boy?” The lone man said while laughing. Although he was pretty interested in what kind of move they would uncover, his confidence was as clear as the sky in the day.
“Hmph, presumptuous! You dare to mock this emperor!?” The Chaos Emperor snorted. The lone man looked younger by a lot, he looked like he was in his 30s or something. The Void Monarch absolutely looked older even from the factual age, not to mention the appearances. Boy, that bastard called him boy! If this was not an insult, then his mother is a man.
“Well… you do look like- Oh, seems like they have come.” Said The lone man. He smiled at the expected arrival of people that he seemed to know very well.
A group of people could be seen moving very fast from a distance. There were tens, dozens of people that approached them. Seeing those people approaching them, the attacking group could not help but become tense.
The lone man’s sole feet exuded fire and his body rose into the air while rotating his body. He was about to welcome the incoming group when suddenly he saw something inside the mist. Something that was so simple but also unique, something that could be seen as a wonder by some people but also as ordinary by some too.
His eyes contracted and his body tensed up. He knew it. He knew that he really needed to make a choice here. A choice that will make him regret for who knows how long, or a choice that will make him feel grateful for who knows how eternal. The crossroad that he needed to pass seemed so hard to take. This would be one, this would be the biggest decision that he would probably take in this chance for the longest time he had lived until now.
He just did not know what he should do. What was the best choice? What was the better choice? What even was the right choice?
Would he need to sacrifice all? Would all of his efforts and deeds be gone into dust just because of a single choice that he would make at this point of time?
What about his family? What about his comrades? What about all of the things that he held as precious?
Do I really need to take this choice?
Is there really no other choice?
Time is passing by, time does not wait for one to make choices. Time provides chances, it is up to one to take it or not. And precisely because of that chance. That chance that you will take in this lifetime, will it be the right choice or not that you will take, it is you who can decide.