When Akira opened his eyes, he found himself in a white void. Everywhere was filled with a bright light, but it wasn’t blinding. It felt more like a peaceful embrace surrounding everything. Yet, the unease inside him suffocated this feeling. He looked around and murmured,

"This... is heaven? I never thought I’d make it here."

Suddenly, a booming laughter echoed. While Akira tried to figure out where it came from, a strong voice answered:

"Heaven? Thank you for the compliment! The other gods say this place is awful, but you, you speak like a real man."

Before Akira could pinpoint the direction of the voice, he blurted out in confusion,

"Who are you?"

The endless whiteness around him didn’t respond, and the light seemed to fill his eyes. The ground beneath him wasn’t cold or warm; its existence was so faint, it was like a soft marble, almost unperceivable. The discomfort inside Akira grew as the odorless air created a strange emptiness. But the silence, more than anything, echoed in his ears like a distant hum.

"Show yourself!" Akira shouted, with nervous determination.

Another burst of laughter echoed.

"Calm down."

Suddenly, a towering figure appeared in front of Akira. Over two meters tall, muscular and broad, with snow-white hair cascading over his shoulders, the man looked like a god incarnate. Akira stumbled backward in shock, collapsing onto his rear.

"You... who are you? A god?"

The man, indifferent to Akira’s bewilderment, nodded.

"Probably not the kind of god you’re thinking of, but yes. I am the God of Combat!"

Akira, his eyes wide, whispered,

"The God of Combat? Then what are you doing here? Is it because of that illegal move I made in my last fight? Okay, it might have looked bad, but it was a no-rules fight. And besides, I got shot! Do rules even matter anymore?"

The God of Combat replied with a booming laugh,

"Rules? What do rules matter here!" His voice reverberated through the empty space.

Akira muttered to himself,

"Why is this guy always yelling..."

The god, with a more serious tone, said,

"I watched your fight. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to watch your whole life."

Akira scratched his head in confusion.

"My whole life?"

With a smirk, the God of Combat answered,

"Yes, there's no time or space here. I watched your life unfold like a magical television."

At those words, Akira quickly covered his body as if facing a pervert.

"What? What did you watch?"

The god frowned and shouted,

"I’m not a pervert! And don’t think I didn’t see the magazines under your bed."

Akira’s face turned red.

"Magazines?! Haven’t you heard of privacy?"

The god tried to brush it off.

"Anyway, I suppose you’re wondering why you’re here."

Akira, with a nonchalant expression, replied,

"Not really."

The god was taken aback.

"What?"

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Shrugging, Akira said,

"I died, right? Now that I’m here, there must be life after death. And you said you liked me, so what’s the deal? Am I going to be your slave? Just so you know, I don’t work cheap."

The God of Combat was now a little irritated.

"Cheap? Maybe calling you here was a mistake. I was going to send you to a world where you’d have a harem of beautiful women."

Akira’s demeanor shifted instantly, his tone turning sweet.

"Did I say I don’t work cheap? I meant I’ll work for free! You must be so tired, Lord God of Combat," he said, massaging the god’s shoulders. "Would you like something to drink?"

For a moment, the god seemed relaxed, but then his expression quickly changed.

"STOP!" he shouted, smacking Akira on the head.

Rubbing his head, Akira backed off.

"Damn it, this god is going to be hard to deal with."

The god laughed and said,

"You’re quite bold. You have two options. First: Stay here and move on. You might even make it to heaven."

These words piqued Akira’s interest.

"Heaven? Wait a minute, so heaven is real? And if heaven exists, does that mean hell does too? What are the odds that someone like me could make it into heaven?" He started calculating in his head. "That kid I beat up when I was little, and then that candy thing... Do those count as big sins?"

Losing patience, the God of Combat roared,

"SILENCE!" and a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of Akira.

Akira, now speechless, listened quietly.

The god continued,

"Your second option is to be reincarnated into a dangerous world."

Akira, pondering, asked,

"What’s the benefit of choosing the second option?" A plan was forming in his mind.

The God of Combat grumbled impatiently,

"Benefit? And now you’re being ungrateful and making demands?"

Akira smiled.

"So, you want to reincarnate me, don’t you?"

The god raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"W-What?"

"So I’m right. You want to watch me entertain you. So why did you even give me a choice? These dangers will amuse you, won’t they?"

The God of Combat, now visibly angered, said,

"Watch your words, boy! Or else..." He conjured lightning in front of him once again.

Akira laughed carelessly.

"And if I don’t? Will you strike me with lightning again? Or is it that you can’t actually kill me directly, so you’re stuck making threats?"

The god, now calmer, said,

"No, I can’t kill you directly. But that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you."

With a snap of his fingers, Akira’s right arm fell to the ground, blood spilling everywhere.

Even as he writhed in pain, Akira continued to smile.

The God of Combat stared at him in disbelief.

"You’re laughing? How dare you!" he bellowed. "Let’s see if you keep laughing when I take your other arm."

Despite the agony, Akira didn’t stop smiling.

"This could go on all day, but no matter what... you still want to reincarnate me, don’t you? So let’s make a deal."

The god, now intrigued by Akira’s boldness, looked at him thoughtfully. With another snap of his fingers, Akira’s arm was restored. The numbness and tingling sensation marked the end of his pain. The God of Combat seemed to have softened a bit.

"You’re quite courageous," the god remarked.

"You’re right. I want to watch you face dangers—monsters, wizards, dragons, and all sorts of perilous things. I suppose it would be rude to ignore your requests if I’m asking so much from you. Since I’m a kind god, I’ll listen to what you have to say." He spoke arrogantly.

"A kind god? You don’t say," Akira thought to himself sarcastically, but the god’s eyes gleamed.

"You thought something bad about me again, didn’t you?" the god asked, his voice carrying a hint of threat.

Akira quickly put on an innocent face.

"Of course not! How could I ever think such a thing?" he replied hastily, though inwardly, his mind was racing with other thoughts.

The god leaned in, taking a deep breath and shrugging his shoulders.

"Whatever... Now, tell me, what do you want? A powerful weapon? A wealthy family?"

Akira gave the God of Combat a determined look.

"Since you’ve watched my entire life, you must know how much Coach means to me," he said, with a deep sadness in his eyes. Akira remembered that moment—the despair in Coach’s eyes, the helpless way he looked at his sick daughter on her deathbed.

"I’d do anything to see his little girl smile again," he thought. "Help him pay off his debt and get rid of that man. You can heal his daughter too, can’t you?" His voice carried a glimmer of hope.

The god furrowed his brow and stepped back in surprise.

"Is that all?" he asked.

Akira responded with a mocking tone.

"Or can’t you do it?"

The God of Combat smiled at Akira’s challenging gaze.

"I’m telling you I’ll help, and yet you still provoke me. You really are an incorrigible brat." The god smiled faintly and snapped his fingers. "I can’t just send money from the heavens, but I can ensure Coach’s safety, and I’ll seek help from another god to heal his daughter."

Akira raised an eyebrow.

"So even the mightiest of gods can’t do everything, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

The god, now irritated, raised his hand.

"Maybe I should have ripped off your other arm too..." he said in a threatening tone.

Akira quickly backed off.

"G-great joke... Anyway, that’s enough. If Coach’s daughter gets better, the hospital costs will disappear, and Coach can pay off his debts," he said. A slight sense of relief spread across Akira’s face.

The God of Combat slightly nodded his head. "And what about you? Won't you ask for anything for yourself?"

Akira looked deep into the God of Combat’s eyes. "I already asked these for myself," he replied. "If my mind was stuck on them, I wouldn’t be able to give you the spectacular show you’re after." A small smile appeared on his lips.

The God of Combat paused for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh. "Turns out you can actually be a decent person when you’re not being a little brat! Alright, we have a deal. I’m initiating the reincarnation process. Also, I’ll give you a small favor. We wouldn’t want you dying early, now would we?"

Akira’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "A favor?"

Suddenly, a massive burst of light surrounded Akira. As the white light began to envelop everything around him, Akira tried to understand what was happening. "What’s going on? What’s with this light?" he asked, squinting at the overwhelming brightness.

The God of Combat grinned and approached him. "Take care of yourself. I’m sending you to a world where you’ll face many challenges," he said, his voice almost mocking.

Akira reached out toward the God. "Wait, this thing is pulling me iiiiin!" he shouted, but it was too late. The white light engulfed his entire being, and everything vanished in an instant.

After some time, Akira slowly opened his eyes. He tried to examine his surroundings, but he was still under the effect of the light. "Congratulations, my lady, you’ve given birth to a healthy baby boy!" a voice said.

In shock, Akira thought, "A baby boy? Where is he?" he muttered, but he couldn’t make a sound. He tried to open his eyes wider, but the bright light was still blinding him. "Can someone get this light out of my eyes already?"

A pair of large hands held him and handed him over to a woman lying in bed with golden hair and blue eyes. Despite having just given birth, the woman was stunningly beautiful. She took Akira into her arms and smiled lovingly. "Say hello to your mother, little Lucy."

Akira’s mind raced in confusion. "Mother? Is this woman my mother? Did they just say Lucy? Am I a girl!?" In a panic, he tried to look at his hands. He wiggled his tiny fingers. "Wait, did I really just get reborn as a girl?" He frantically tried to move his hands to check his body. After a moment, he sighed with relief and an internal whisper escaped, "Oh, I’m glad to see you, old friend..." He had confirmed he was still a boy and felt a deep sense of relief.

A black-haired, blue-eyed man with a stern expression approached. In a deep voice, he spoke, "You should stop calling him like a little girl, my love." Then his face suddenly hardened, and he stared intensely at Akira. "Lucian Wintergate. You will grow to be a strong man and uphold the honor of our family."

Akira had now taken the name Lucian. A new life had begun, and this adventure was just getting started.