Standing before the stone demon created by Mo Fan using a blood and stone contract, I understood that this was the end.
The Star Galaxy of healing is empty—too bad I didn't manage to break through to the high tier in this element, but what can you do now. The Star Cosmos of the light element is also empty; in the Star Cosmos of the spirit element, there's still about one tenth left, but it won't help against the stone golem. The remnants of the star universes of space and time would be enough to destroy the golem, but what's the point? I won't be able to take down Mo Fan, and behind him are Mu Bai and Azalia, those damn crows. No, I'll use the remaining magical energy on my crazy idea—what do I have to lose? Humanity is almost wiped out; the cycle has repeated.
And how did I end up like this? If I recall my current life, I became aware in the body of a six-year-old boy—an orphan named Su Yutao in Bo City. I quickly realized I'd been reborn into the world of Versatile Mage, a popular Chinese web novel I'd read only once, a fact I regretted thousands of times in this life.
After calling for the system in a thousand and one ways, I realized cheats were either late or not delivered. To avoid sin, I decided to befriend the main character, since in a world where in 21 years a total meat grinder with sea monsters begins—and sometimes undead too—and where China, the second most populous country, will be left with only five cities constantly raided, that's no option at all. And by following the main character, even if I couldn't become a mage, I could try to secure a relatively safe spot in one of those cities.
So I ran from the orphanage to play with Mo Fan, who turned out to be my age-mate. I spent all my free time from games in the library and at 16 passed the exams to Tian Lan school in second place. Mu Bai was already showing signs of his genius back then. Everything went according to canon: Mo Fan got his dragon pendant from the middle school guard, failed the exam due to soul fusion, and his father sold the house so he could enter through the back door. In class, he awakened second and got the light element. For which he was immediately mocked by Mu Bai and his lapdog, who suggested I jump off the roof with him. What a little shit he was as a kid.
I diligently cultivated for three years; my combat capabilities weren't outstanding with the light element. During the Bo disaster, I was with Xin Xia and carried her on my back to the safe zone. For that, Mo Fan shared holy spring energy from the pendant, helping me break through to the intermediate tier. I awakened, got the spirit element, and realized I could finally attack. The light spirit seed I got from old Zhao for my contribution against the scaled demons.
I broke through to high tier during the university tournament, first on the defense team, and finally awakened my cheat—the time element.
I broke through to super tier simultaneously with Mu Bai after the Cheops tomb, awakening space, and to forbidden curse tier in time, then space after the Shanghai battle, awakening healing afterward. And after all these battles with monsters, undead, demons, titans, archangels, mages, and other enemies, I finally thought I could rest and study my holy gifts in time and space forbidden curses, but then something not in canon started—something terrifyingly logical that I completely overlooked. The Dark King took control of Mo Fan.
Logical, though: Mo Fan's body has dark elements, dark substances, demonization element, the Dark King's blessing, soul link with Azalia—a twelve-winged fallen angel, contract link with Alpasa—a descendant of the first cursed being created by the Dark King. Plus one of his spiritual incarnations, i.e., part of his soul sealed in the Dark Dimension. Bigger bingo you won't collect.
In the end, Mo Fan became one of the four rulers of the dark dimension but in fact a puppet of the Dark King, thanks to which he took control of 50% of the Dark Dimension and exponentially increased his power after merging with Mo Fan—though not guaranteed he'd crush the competitors; they'd definitely unite. But until that dark gods' war, in the mortal world, the cycle began. What cycle? The harvest cycle, reminiscent of what happens in Mass Effect. Only there all advanced races were wiped out; here it's humanity, by monster empires' forces and with the helpful aid of the still half-god Mo Fan.
Such a cycle repeats far from the first time, as I learned. In the previous cycle, totems were created that helped humans get back on their feet faster in this one, a blend of necromancy, spirit, summoning, and other elements depending on the totem. I don't know what triggered humanity's destruction in other cycles, but in this and the previous, it was fusion magic.
In the previous cycle, it sealed Emperor Naski, one of the strongest at the time; in this one, it repelled one of the main sea emperors, albeit not without help from previous cycle totems.
Oh, the stone demon is swinging at me, interrupting my deathbed monologue. Well, time to execute my plan, or it'll be too late.
My gloves, aiding fusion magic, glowed on my hands as I channeled time, space, and spirit energy, burning my soul and maxing out my holy gifts in those elements, which I never fully studied.
A moment after completing the spell, a huge stone hand crushed Su Yutao's body, ending his path in this world. Or not?