"Move,” the gruff voice commanded, leaving no room for argument.

I winced as the soldier tightened his grip on my arm, practically dragging me along. They moved towards the camp. The fire at the camp is growing brighter and more ominous. The soldier’s grip was ironclad, and I knew any attempt to break free would be suicide.

“Kael! ”It was my mother’s voice, filled with relief and horror.

The soldier dragging him paused, yanking me to a stop. Ahead, in the camp, I saw my mother, her hands bound and her face pale with worry. She stood between two more soldiers, her eyes wide with fear.

Kael's mother struggled against her captors, trying to reach her son. “Kael, are you okay? ”

I was about to answer when the soldier cut me off and called someone “General! I’ve got him,” he said, his voice steady and authoritative.

"Well, well," the general began, his voice dripping with mockery. "What do we have here?"

My heart jumped, but I forced myself to stay calm. With a sudden surge of pride, I spit at the general's face, the spit landing squarely on the general's cheek. The clearing fell silent, and the tension grew. "Untie my mother," I demanded, my voice steady despite the fear coursing through me.

The general's expression darkened. He wiped his cheek slowly, his eyes never leaving Kael. Rage mirror in his gaze, and the smile vanished from his dry lips. He turned to the soldier, holding Kael like a little cat.

"Put him in a cage," the general ordered, his voice low and dangerous. "The show is about to begin."

The general stepped forward, his dark eyes fixed on me. “Allow me to introduce myself, kid.” he said, his voice rough and commanding. “I am General Burge. And you, Kael, are a problem."

I glared at him, refusing to show any signs of emotions “What do you want?”

Burge smiled, a cold, psychopathic smile. “It’s simple. Your freedom in exchange for your mother’s life.”

My eyes widen from the words he heard. "No wa-y. I won't...

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Burge’s smile widened. As he gestured to his soldiers and ordered them, “Bring me the corpse of his fraud father."

My stomach twisted as the soldiers returned, carrying a body wrapped in a blood-stained white cloth. They threw it to the ground in front of me. and the cloth fell away, revealing the lifeless face of my father.

My breath caught in my throat, a wave of grief and rage crashing over him. “You monster,” I hissed, voice cold and sharp.

Burge's smile faltered for a moment, sensing a shift in the air. Suddenly, Kael's eyes began to glow a fierce yellow, illuminating the darkness around them. The soldiers stepped back, murmuring in confusion and fear.

"What is this?" Burge demanded, his voice wavering as he stared at Kael's glowing eyes.

I found myself in a place unlike any I had ever seen before. The room was bathed in a warm, golden light, and intricate patterns adorned the walls, shimmering like constellations in the night sky. For a moment, I was disoriented, unsure of how I had ended up here.

As I tried to piece together the surroundings, the sound of footsteps caught my attention. He turned to see a figure approaching, their form illuminated by the ethereal glow of the room. As they drew closer, I could make out the silhouette of a girl, her features radiant and otherworldly.

Who are you?" I asked, with uncertainty as the girl approached.

The girl smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling with a celestial light. "I am Seiya, the goddess of stars," she replied, her voice soft and melodic. "And I'm the one who reincarnated you in this world." "And you, young Kael, have been chosen for a great destiny."

My eyes widened in astonishment at her words. A goddess? Reincarnated? It all seemed too fantastical to be true. "A great destiny!?" my mind racing with questions.

"You have been chosen as the ninth champion in the Battle for the God of War."

"The God of War?" my words echo, still trying to comprehend. "Why me?"

"The God of War has died," Seiya explained. "And as is our tradition, we have no ready candidate to take his place. So, we select champions from various worlds to fight for the position. It’s how we entertain ourselves and ensure only the strongest, most cunning warrior ascends."

I'm not even a warrior in my past life I'm just a man with addiction playing games and gambling alot of money.

"How many champions are there?" my face is filled with curiosity.

"Nine in total," Seiya replied. "You are the ninth and final champion. Each of you must kill the others. The last one standing will become the new God of War."

My eyes narrowed. "So this is just a game to you? A way to entertain yourselves?"

Seiya's eyes sparkled with amusement and pity. "For us, perhaps. But for you, it’s a chance at unimaginable power and the ability to reshape your fate. Think of what you could do with such power, Kael.

I almost got blinded by this God's offering but I don't like their way of doing just to entertain themselves, they are so cruel to humans. "And what if I refuse to participate in your damn game? I don't want this shit I want to have a normal life."

"Well, you won't like what will happen if you refuse to play our game. And by the way, the game is the only reason why you exist even in your past life. You won't escape your fate... Hmm-hmm." says the God in front of me.

What did she say? The reason why I exist is because of a game. Well "fuck you." oops I said it loudly.

"Fufufu" she started laughing at me. She is so annoying I want to kill her. "Do you want to find out what will happen to you if you refuse?" Seiya asks.

She raises her hands in the air and suddenly a hologram screen appears.

In the hologram, some people are tortured and killed repeatedly.

What I mean by repeatedly is they are just respawning infinitely to get killed again, "You Gods are cruel!"

The hologram suddenly disappeared and Seiya suddenly said "What's your decision now? Don't you want to take revenge for your father?"

I don't have much time left to save my mother but how can I if I'm powerless? So I need to accept it. "I have no choice either way"

"Fear not little one you will gain a power like mine with my blessing of course," Seiya says she seems to have read my thoughts. "I will bring you back now to save your mother in just a snap okay?"

"Wait how can I know who's the other cham..." I didn't even finish talking to this freaking God.

Poor guy, he's hoping to save his mother but that will not happen. Ha hmm..