Major Gareth stood before the thousands of newly awakened youths, his sharp gaze sweeping across them. He let out a quiet sigh before speaking.
"You are the newly awakened," he declared, his voice firm yet weary. "From this day forward, you walk the path of the Chosen. A path of hardship. Of blood. Of sacrifice. The gods have granted you a talent—how you use it will determine your fate."
Silence fell over the temple. The weight of his words pressed heavily on the crowd.
"Some of you will rise to greatness. Others will fall before you even begin. That is the reality of this world." His eyes darkened.
"By now, some of you may have already started to feel the subtle changes that come with your power. Others may not. But worry not—it is only a matter of time." He paused, his gaze scanning the crowd before lingering on Kyoji. Then, he added, "Remember this—no one cares about the rank of your talent. What matters is how you use it."
Major Gareth allowed his words to settle over them.
His final statement felt particularly aimed at Kyoji and the others who had awakened low-ranking talents.
Perhaps he had noticed the faint crease in Kyoji's brow and assumed he was troubled by his unranked Talent.
But Kyoji had far greater concerns.
Far deadlier concerns.
The approaching beast horde.
Kyoji tilted his head slightly, cracking his neck as he dove deep into his past-life memories, searching for every scrap of information he could recall about the impending attack.
It had been ten years since the horde struck—or rather, in his past life, which was now his future. The memories were fragmented, scrambled by time.
Worse still, most details about the horde had never been made public. What little he remembered wasn't much, but it was enough. Enough to survive.
The horde would come in two waves.
The first wave was led by a Calamity-ranked mutant—a raging inferno of destruction that burned through everything in its path.
Kyoji could still recall its grotesque corpse being displayed on the news.
A towering thirty-foot abomination, its skin resembling charred tree bark, riddled with deep cracks that glowed with molten magma.
Four elongated, razor-sharp claws.
A jagged, gaping maw embedded in its torso, lined with rows of teeth.
A massive, unblinking eye staring down from its head, radiating pure malice.
Yet despite its terrifying appearance, it wasn't the true disaster.
The second wave was worse.
Unlike the first, which was led by a single Calamity-ranked mutant and lesser creatures, the second wave brought something far more devastating.
A one-monster army.
At first, it had only been a Dominator-ranked mutant—resembling an enormous, spiked toad, its back covered in writhing, tentacle-like appendages.
It arrived alongside the horde, unremarkable at first. But then—mid-battle—it broke through to Calamity rank.
It struck at the worst possible moment.
All eyes had been on the first Calamity-ranked mutant.
No one had expected a second.
The casualties had been staggering.
The mutant's toxic gas had wiped out entire squads in an instant, dissolving flesh and armor alike.
And now, Kyoji knew what he had to do.
He had to stop that mutant from evolving.
He wasn't going to die on the first day of his second chance.
He needed to act.
But how?
His only advantage was his knowledge of the past.
Yet knowledge was useless if he had no way to act on it.
He wasn't strong enough to challenge a Dominator-ranked mutant, let alone a Calamity-ranked one.
And he couldn't warn anyone.
No one would believe him.
So what could he do?
Kyoji thought.
And thought.
And thought again.
But nothing.
The beast horde could arrive at any moment. He had to come up with a plan, and fast.
Yet, as his mind raced for a solution, time continued slipping away.
Meanwhile, Major Gareth continued speaking, Miss Anna and Mr. Sawyer standing beside him, one on each side.
Kyoji barely heard the words anymore.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
He couldn't die.
Not here. Not now.
This was his second chance. He had to survive.
No—he had to rise.
And the only way to do that was to live.
A flicker of determination flashed across his face.
It disappeared just as quickly, his expression returning to its usual cold indifference.
But in his eyes, the fire still burned.
Then—
Major Gareth, mid-sentence, suddenly stopped.
A faint crease formed on his brow.
His sharp gaze flickered upward—toward the top of the temple.
Kyoji followed his line of sight.
A chill ran down his spine.
The beast horde was close.
Major Gareth, a Transcendent Chosen, had sharpened his instincts through years of battle. He could sense an incoming threat before anyone else.
His brows furrowed. A slight frown turned into a deep crease across his forehead.
It didn't take long for Mr. Sawyer and Miss Anna to notice something was wrong as well. Though they weren't Transcendent-ranked, they were only two ranks away and had honed their instincts through countless battles.
Their finely tuned senses screamed of impending danger.
The teenagers, still oblivious to the cause, could sense the shift in the air just by watching the expressions of the three adults.
Then—Major Gareth's body tensed. His eyes narrowed.
"Incoming!" he roared.
His voice—sharp, commanding, and filled with urgency—rippled through the temple, snapping everyone's attention to him.
The teenagers stiffened, their minds struggling to process the sudden outburst.
And then—
BOOM!
The temple ceiling shattered as a monstrous beast crashed through, sending stone and debris raining down.
Mr. Sawyer reacted instantly. With a quick motion, he conjured a golden barrier, its shimmering surface expanding outward. Just in time.
A violent shockwave of debris slammed into the translucent dome, sending cracks skittering across its surface. Large chunks of stone bounced off, while smaller shards ricocheted harmlessly away.
The teenagers barely had time to scream. Some ducked on instinct, others raised their arms uselessly—but the barrier held, shielding them completely.
Then came the beast.
It landed in a crouch, its grotesque body twisting unnaturally as it adjusted to its surroundings. A mutant. A nightmare made flesh.
Its blackened carapace glistened under the temple's dim lighting, jagged spines jutting along its hunched back. Glowing red eyes locked onto them, brimming with hunger. A deep, guttural snarl rumbled through the air, sending vibrations through their chests.
Miss Anna was already moving. With a flick of her wrist, a razor-sharp wind blade materialized and sliced through the beast in an instant.
The mutant dropped dead on the spot.
But no one had time to breathe.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
More explosions erupted above them.
More mutants came crashing down through the broken ceiling, each landing with enough force to send dust and debris flying in all directions.
Mr. Sawyer's barrier held firm, ensuring none of the teenagers were harmed—but the situation had escalated.
"Stay behind the barrier!" Major Gareth barked.
His military uniform vanished in a flash, replaced by gleaming silver armor. A sword crackling with lightning energy appeared in his grip, its power humming through the air.
The teenagers barely had time to react before he launched forward.
He moved like a storm, a blur of silver and lightning. His blade flashed, Faith Energy surging through it. Each swing unleashed arcs of lightning, striking down multiple mutants in rapid succession.
It was a display of sheer battle mastery.
But no one had time to admire it.
"I'll assist him and call for backup!" Miss Anna said. "Sawyer, get the kids ready. Anything that gets past us—kill it."
With that, she vanished, her body propelling forward at incredible speed.
Like Major Gareth, her casual clothing had been replaced by a sleek, blue-and-gold battle suit, her twin short swords glinting under the temple lights.
Mr. Sawyer exhaled sharply before turning to the stunned teenagers.
"Alright, kids. You heard her. Arm yourselves. Now."
With a flick of his hand, a pile of weapons materialized from thin air and clattered onto the temple floor.
None of the teenagers were surprised. Spatial storage equipment was common knowledge. It was the same method Gareth and Anna used to change into battle gear so quickly.
"Move it!" Mr. Sawyer snapped. "Grab a weapon and be ready to fight!"
The teenagers didn't hesitate.
In that moment, survival instincts kicked in. They scrambled toward the pile, hastily grabbing anything they could use.
They knew one thing—
This was survival.
No one would save them if they didn't fight for themselves.
Kyoji stepped forward, his eyes calm despite the chaos. He reached for a sword, gripping the hilt firmly.
Not too heavy. Not too light. Perfect.
Beside him, Ethan was still shaking, fear gripping his entire body. But after a deep breath, he forced himself to bend down and grab a weapon.
Because at this moment—
It was fight or die.