CHAPTER 1
The Last Human and the God of Apocalypse
The world had already ended.
The sky was no longer blue. It was stained with ash, smoke, and a permanent layer of gray clouds that blocked the sun. Cities that once shined with neon lights and crowded streets had turned into silent graveyards of concrete and steel.
No governments remained.
No laws.
No future.
Only monsters ruled the land.
Ren had lived in that world for fifty years.
Fifty years of running, hiding, fighting, and surviving. He had watched humanity collapse piece by piece. Nations fell. Armies failed. Technology became meaningless in front of creatures that never belonged to Earth.
Zombies were only the beginning.
After them came dungeons—structures that appeared overnight, tearing through the ground like tumors. From those dungeons crawled beings that defied logic: mutated beasts, intelligent monsters, and entities that seemed closer to gods than living creatures.
Yet somehow…
Ren and Akane survived.
They survived when cities burned.
They survived when food disappeared.
They survived when humans turned against humans.
Until there were no humans left.
— Akane… — Ren whispered.
She lay in his arms, her body limp and cold. Blood soaked through her clothes, dripping onto the cracked road beneath them. Her red hair, once vibrant, was now matted with dirt and blood.
Her eyes were open.
Empty.
Ren's fingers trembled as he tightened his grip on her hand.
— We were so close…
No answer came.
He had promised her. He had sworn that as long as he lived, she would never be alone in this world. But in the end, promises meant nothing.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the ruined city.
Ren slowly raised his head.
They had arrived.
The final executioners.
Creatures that stood at the top of the world's food chain. Their mere presence crushed the air, making it hard to breathe. Each step they took shattered the ground beneath them.
Ren laughed softly.
It was a bitter, hollow sound.
— So this is how it ends.
He gently laid Akane's body down and stood up. His body was exhausted, broken beyond repair. Bones cracked when he moved. Blood blurred his vision.
Yet his eyes were calm.
He already understood.
After Akane's death, there were no humans left alive.
He was the last one.
One of the creatures stepped forward.
Pain exploded through his chest.
Ren's body was torn apart, thrown against the ruins like a broken doll. His breath was knocked out of him as blood filled his mouth. He collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
Darkness slowly swallowed his vision.
And then—
A voice echoed inside his mind.
"The trial has ended."
The voice was calm. Emotionless. Absolute.
"The zombie apocalypse was not a disaster."
"It was a ritual."
Ren coughed weakly.
— A… ritual?
"A ritual to select a successor."
His heart skipped.
"You are the last human to die."
"Therefore, you have been chosen."
The world shattered.
Ren opened his eyes.
Soft sheets beneath his body.
A familiar ceiling above him.
Morning sunlight filtered through thin curtains, casting warm light across the room.
He froze.
This place…
— My room?
His breathing became uneven. His heart pounded violently as he slowly turned his head.
Akane was lying beside him.
Alive.
Her chest rose and fell steadily as she slept peacefully. Her red hair spread across the pillow, glowing softly in the sunlight.
For a moment, Ren couldn't move.
He couldn't breathe.
— Akane…
His voice trembled.
She stirred.
Her eyes opened and locked onto his.
— Ren… — she whispered. — I remember everything.
His blood turned cold.
So it wasn't a dream.
Ren sat up abruptly. His body felt wrong. Light. Strong. Nothing like the broken shell he remembered from before.
Text appeared before his eyes.
[Divine Status Window Activated]
Name: Kuroda Ren
Age: 18
Title: Heir of the Apocalypse God
Skill: Safe Zone (Lv.1)
Ren swallowed hard.
Another glow appeared beside him.
Name: Akane
Age: 16
Title: Beloved of the God
Two years.
They had returned to two years before the apocalypse.
Ren clenched his fist.
— This time… I won't lose you.
And I won't lose this world.
The city outside looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
People walked the streets, complaining about work, laughing, living ordinary lives. Cars passed by. Shops were open. Everything was normal.
Ren watched from the apartment window with cold eyes.
They didn't know.
They didn't know that in two years, this city would become a battlefield.
— The first outbreak will be in a hospital… — Ren muttered.
Akane stood beside him, arms crossed.
— Then the subway. Then the shelters near the school.
Ren nodded.
She remembered everything too.
He summoned the status window again.
Skill: Safe Zone (Lv.1)**
Effect: Suppresses hostile entities within a designated area.
— Let's test it.
Ren stepped into the center of the room and focused his mind.
— Activate. Safe Zone.
The air shifted.
An invisible pressure spread outward. The room felt warmer. Calmer. Even the noise from outside faded slightly.
Akane inhaled sharply.
— Ren… it feels peaceful.
A new notification appeared.
Safe Zone Active
Radius: 5 meters
Stability: Low
Five meters.
Small.
Pathetic, even.
But it worked.
— This apartment isn't enough, — Ren said firmly. — We need a larger base.
Akane didn't hesitate.
— A hotel.
Ren smiled faintly.
— Exactly.
He looked at the calendar on the wall.
Two years.
This time…
It would be enough.