The world was ending.
Not slowly.
Not quietly.
But in fire, smoke, and screams.
Kai ran across the broken battlefield, lungs burning, legs heavy like they were made of metal. The sky above him was torn open, split by a giant crack that glowed red like a wound. From that crack came the monsters—thousands, then millions—falling into the world like rain made of nightmares.
His rifle clicked empty.
He threw it aside.
The ground shook as a giant monster—taller than a building—took one step forward and crushed ten soldiers at once. Their screams were swallowed by the roar that followed.
This was the last day of humanity.
Kai knew it.
Everyone knew it.
But they still fought.
His ears rang as explosions went off behind him. Burning cars, falling walls, crushed bodies—the world he had grown up in was nothing but a battlefield now. Kai ducked behind a broken tank, chest heaving. His hands were shaking. His fingers were bloody, bruised, and swollen.
He peeked around the metal plate. Endless monsters crawled over the ruins, tearing through the last of the human army.
Just three hours ago, there had been hope. The generals had said the final fortress would hold. They said the Wall of Dawn would stand strong.
Now the Wall was nothing but broken concrete.
And Kai was one of the last soldiers still alive.
He pressed a hand against his chest, feeling his heart pounding. He had no more bullets. No more grenades. No more backup. Everywhere he looked, he saw death moving closer.
"Is this it…?" he whispered to himself.
A group of soldiers ran past him. One of them shouted, "Fall back! Fall back to the core shelter!"
But there was no shelter left.
A shadow passed over him.
Kai looked up—and froze.
A monster with wings made of blades swooped down. Its claws shone like metal knives. Kai rolled out of the way just as the claws tore into the tank, slicing the thick armor as if it was paper.
The impact sent shockwaves through the ground. Kai stumbled, hit his knee on a rock, and hissed in pain.
The monster screeched, turning its grotesque head toward him.
Kai didn't think.
He grabbed a broken metal rod from the ground and held it in both hands like a spear.
"Come on…" he muttered. "I won't die running."
The monster dived at him, claws out.
Kai thrust the rod upward with all his strength.
THUMP.
The rod pierced through the monster's throat. Black blood sprayed across his face as the beast crashed into him, knocking him to the ground. Its heavy body pinning him down.
Kai pushed it off with trembling arms, chest rising and falling rapidly.
More monsters were coming.
Hundreds of them.
He staggered to his feet, wiping blood from his eyes.
Then he heard it—
the sound no survivor ever wanted to hear.
The war horn of the Vygros.
A deep, echoing blast that shook the air.
It meant only one thing.
The Emperor-class monster had arrived.
And humanity's defeat was now certain.
Kai stood frozen as the largest monster he had ever seen appeared through the dust. Its body was black and covered in glowing red lines, like rivers of lava. Each step it took shattered the ground. Its eyes were burning circles of gold.
Soldiers screamed.
Some ran.
Others dropped their weapons in hopelessness.
Kai felt his heart shrivel inside him.
This monster—the Emperor—had killed him before.
Killed his friends.
Killed everyone he loved.
He had survived only because of luck and stubbornness.
But this was the final battle.
There was no escape.
The Emperor raised its massive arm. Energy gathered in its palm, forming a burning sphere the size of a truck.
Kai squinted against the blinding light.
This attack… it's going to erase everything left…
There was nowhere to run.
Nothing to hide behind.
No way to stop it.
He clenched his fists.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to no one. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
The light burst forward.
But just before it reached him—
A voice echoed inside his mind.
> [SYSTEM ALERT: Host vitals critical.]
Kai blinked.
Was he hearing things?
The voice came again—calm, cold, and mechanical.
> [SSS-Rank War Protocol unlocked.]
[Activating Temporal Return.]
"What…?" he breathed.
He looked down. A strange light was spreading across his body—white, pure, and warm.
The blast from the Emperor was inches away.
But the light from the System suddenly grew brighter, wrapping around him like a cocoon.
> [Host selected for second chance.]
[Returning host to the point of divergence—10 years earlier.]
[Please remain still.]
Kai wasn't even sure he was alive anymore.
The world around him dissolved into white.
The screams faded.
The explosions disappeared.
For the first time in years…
everything was quiet.
---
When the light faded, Kai opened his eyes.
He found himself staring at a ceiling.
A familiar ceiling.
With tiny cracks shaped like a crooked smile.
He shot up from the bed, heart pounding.
"This… this is my old room…"
He looked around.
The small desk with his school books.
The old posters on the wall.
The cheap fan that always made a rattling noise.
And the calendar.
The date was 10 years earlier.
His hands began shaking.
Was this real?
Was this some kind of dream born from fear?
Then—
> [Welcome back, Commander.]
[SSS-Rank War System fully synced.]
Kai felt something inside his mind open, like a door unlocking. A blue screen appeared in front of him—floating silently in the air.
---
[SSS-RANK WAR SYSTEM]
• Host: Kai Stone
• Age: 15
• Status: Returned
Main Skills Unlocked:
– Battle Replay
– War Sense
– Summon Armory
– War Mode (Locked)
Mission:
Prevent the destruction of the world.
Time remaining: 10 years
---
Kai stared at the screen, throat tight.
It was real.
All of it.
A tremble ran through his arms. Tears he didn't expect filled his eyes. He pressed both hands over his face and took a shaky breath.
He was alive.
Truly alive.
Not on a burning battlefield.
Not watching his friends die.
Not fighting monsters that couldn't be stopped.
He was back in the past.
"This… this is insane," he whispered.
The System screen faded slowly.
Kai sat on the bed, heart beating faster and faster as the memories of the war rushed back—every death he saw, every fight he lost, every moment he wished he could redo.
Now he had that chance.
But the weight of the mission pressed on him like a heavy stone.
Ten years.
That was all he had.
Ten years to prepare for a war that destroyed everything.
He looked down at his hands—small, young, unscarred. The hands of a fifteen-year-old boy, not a soldier.
A strange mix of fear and determination tightened his chest.
This time… I won't fail.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Kai! Are you awake?"
It was his mother's voice—alive and warm.
Kai froze.
His mother had died in the first year of the war.
Seeing her again…
he didn't know if he was ready.
But he forced himself to stand.
He opened the door.
His mother stood there, smiling lightly. "You're up early today. Did you sleep well?"
Kai's eyes burned.
He swallowed hard.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I… slept well."
She tilted her head. "Are you okay? Your eyes look red."
"I'm fine," he said quickly. "Really."
She smiled again and turned toward the kitchen. "Breakfast will be ready soon."
When she walked away, Kai let out a slow breath. His legs felt weak. He leaned against the wall, fists clenched.
I won't let anything happen to them this time.
The System chimed.
> [New Tutorial Mission unlocked.]
[Mission: Test your abilities.]
[Reward: Basic Armory Access]
Kai wiped his face and straightened.
"Alright," he whispered. "Let's see what you can do."
---
He walked outside into the quiet morning air. Birds chirped. Children played. People walked normally, without fear. It was peaceful—something he hadn't seen in years.
The System screen opened again.
> [Skill: War Sense activated.]
Suddenly Kai felt it—the world around him became sharper. He could sense small movements, hear distant footsteps, and even predict the direction of the wind.
It was like awakening a second mind.
> [Skill: Battle Replay available.]
A new screen appeared—filled with videos of past battles. Every fight he lost. Every monster he faced.
Kai tapped one.
Instantly, he was standing inside the memory—the battlefield recreated around him like a ghost world. Monsters roared, soldiers shouted, missiles exploded.
But none of it could hurt him.
It was a simulation.
Kai watched himself fighting a four-armed monster, seeing every mistake he made clearly.
He clenched his jaw.
"So that's where I messed up…"
He stepped closer, studying the monster's movements.
A voice echoed beside him.
> [Host analysis complete.]
[Weak point found: Underarm joint. Aim there.]
Kai nodded slowly.
This ability…
it was more powerful than any weapon.
He exited the simulation and the real world returned.
> [Tutorial Mission: Summon Armory]
Kai raised his hand.
A small flash appeared, and a floating box materialized before him.
Inside was a simple knife and a basic pistol.
Not much, but enough for now.
Then the System spoke again.
> [Warning: Enemy anomaly detected.]
Kai's head snapped up.
"What enemy? There shouldn't be monsters yet."
The System displayed a red arrow pointing down the street.
Kai followed it, moving slowly. His senses sharpened. His heart beat faster. He turned the corner—
—and saw a man attacking a young girl near the alley.
Kai didn't hesitate.
"Hey!" he shouted.
The attacker froze, turning toward him.
Kai's War Sense warned him instantly—the man was armed with a hidden knife.
But to Kai, who had fought monsters a thousand times bigger, this was nothing.
The man charged.
Kai stepped aside easily, grabbed the man's wrist, twisted, and kicked him in the knee. The man collapsed with a scream as the knife clattered to the ground.
Kai pressed the attacker to the floor with practiced ease.
Years of war had trained his body even if he was back in a younger form.
The girl ran away quickly, tears in her eyes.
Kai looked down at the man he had pinned.
"Don't ever come back here," Kai said coldly.
The man scrambled away, limping.
The System chimed.
> [Tutorial Mission complete.]
[Reward unlocked: Basic Armory Level 2.]
A new screen opened—showing more weapons, more tools, better equipment.
Kai breathed out slowly.
This was it.
His new beginning.
His second life.
He looked up at the bright sky.
I have ten years before the war starts…
I will train.
I will get stronger.
I will learn every monster's weakness.
I will save the world this time.
Kai clenched his fist, the System screen glowing beside him.
"This time… I will win."
To be continued....