Ash. The grey snow fell gently all around him, the dark skies above him, the scorched earth beneath him. A baleful stench encompassing him. They won, they put down the World Calamity, only at the cost of some of the strongest fighters humanity had.
Jack collapsed onto his back staring up at dark expanse above him. Not a single star at all. He was drained, more than drained. Every fiber of his body screamed, sitting there, in his own filth along with the remains of his team around him. If this was the cost of victory, then what was the point.
“Congratulations. For defeating a World Class Calamity; you shall be given the gift of Gods. Assigning contributions.
The Shattered Song; 60%.
King of Beasts; 35%
Jack the Ripper; 5%
As the top three contributors to the death of the Almighty, you three will get to pick your rewards first and foremost. Please step forward and claim your prize brave warriors” As the robotic voice ended its spiel, Jack sat forward looking around him.
To his far left a woman sat on the ground clutching the head of someone, half of it burned enough to see the skull beneath the flesh. As she cradled the head, a 1000-yard stare plastered on her face. She continued to rock the head in her arms. Jack had seen that look hundreds of times before, the kind of look when all hope was lost. When the very thing you swore to protect died in your arms. She was not coming back from that.
Unfortunately, she was the Shattered Song, the single most powerful entity in the current era. Absolutely undisputed in strength, even the Beast King could not defeat her. They also would not be able to pick a reward until she chose. Her gaze seemed to snap for a moment, as if she returned to herself, her gaze falling on him.
She stood, the head still in her arms. Walked towards him. Jack tensed; it didn’t matter; if she wanted something she would get it.
“Give me your gun.”
He picked up his magnum, flipping it and catching it by the barrel, passing it to her. She grabbed the gun; cocked it, and then placed the barrel to the side of head.
There was no sound. Rena had placed runes along the inside a long time ago to muffle the sound, as not to blow her ears off in enclosed spaces and not alert her enemies. But nothing to stop the splatter. Even more red joined the rest of the blood spread across his body. He didn’t know what blood was his, his teammates or the dragon’s; not that it mattered. As the corpse of the former #1 hunter in the entire world fell in front of him. Jack found that he didn’t care. He didn’t have it in him to care, it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. He looked up at the flashing blue board that had outlined the top three contributors to the fight. It flickered for a second before the name Shattered Song was crossed off, bumping him and the Beast King up one.
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“Recalculating contribution. Insufficient contribution.
The Beast King: 35%.
Jack the Ripper: 5%.
Please collect your rewards.”
Finally, the Beast King walked forward, his armour had been completely shredded during the fight leaving mere rags covering his bottom half. His red hair somehow remained devoid of any battle filth. He stepped forward standing beneath the blue screen.
Blinding light flickered in front of causing Jack to avert his eyes momentarily. Three pedestals had appeared before the King. One held a golden card, a clear glass jar holding a beating heart and finally an old decrepit book on the final stand.
He paused looking at his choices before grasping the jar with the heart. Turning around he nodded at Jack.
Bastard.
Jack stood up, his legs barely holding him up. Walking forward he stood before his prizes. These three objects were supposedly worth the lives of his entire team. Absolute bullshit. A skill card or some millennium old mage book. He rooted around his pockets, finally finding the coin he was looking for he flipped it. Heads for the card. Tails for the book.
Heads.
Reaching toward the skill card, it flashed golden light directly into his face momentarily. He looked at it.
Once More But With Conviction
Requirements: ???
Description: ???
Jack frowned. Identify. Nothing. Great, he got an unknown skill card as his reward. Turning around he looked back out towards the field. The dragons breath had scorched everything. Turning around he found it odd. There was no one there. No one. It was just him and the Beast King.
Where… where was everyone?
Oh. It was just him and the Beast King. He collapsed once more. His head felt like it was killing him, a constant dull throb. Even his vision was swimming, the ground multiplying right before his eyes.
A hacking cough resounded around the battlefield. Red splattered on the ground. This time it was his own blood.
As the darkness closed around him, “I can finally see them.” They had defeated a World Calamity, it had to be worth something. Maybe just enough for him to see them again, his wife and daughter. Please let it be enough.
REQUIREMNTS MET. ACTIVATING SKILL: ONCE MORE BUT WITH CONCIVTION.
Once More But With Conviction
Requirements: Die with regrets.
Description: If we could do it all over again, what would you do different? How would you change the world itself?
Effects:
No two Same Souls: Two of the same souls cannot exist within a timeline. Eradicating one.
Back we go: Sends current body back in time before it all began.