Prologue

It was now the end of the world.

Cherry trees were ablaze, their branches consumed by
fire's voracious fury. Buildings, once monuments of architectural
beauty, lay ravaged by explosive strikes, flames and smoke escaping
from shattered windows. Debris and lifeless bodies carpeted the
alleyways and streets, while a shroud of smoke and dust veiled the
night sky, the fiery inferno standing as the lone light source. Its
scarlet radiance cast a haunting hue upon the once serene
cityscape, now transforming it into a picture of torment and horror,
ripped straight from hell itself.
Not far from the central grove, a woman lay sprawled on
the ground, the golden blonde color of her hair barely recognizable
under blood and ash. Her battle gear, once resolute, now bore the
scars of conflict, the blue leather vest a mere echo of its former self.
Her wounds were grievous, evidenced by a feeble trickle of blood
from her mouth and nose. Through hoarse breaths, she clung to
life's thread, perhaps the sole survivor of her group, the final
sentinel of her fallen army.
She gazed upwards, eyes brimming with defiance despite
the searing pain of fractured ribs. A man stood not far off, his back
turned to her, his features obscured by the cloak that enshrouded
him. But she needed no introduction; she knew him well. Her teeth
clenched in hatred, tears, born of helplessness and defeat, blending
with the grime upon her cheeks
This solitary figure had singlehandedly shattered the forces
of seven mighty armies, an entity embodying both beastly might
and diabolical intent. The death toll, numbering in the tens of
thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians, paved his path to
securing the artifacts capable of summoning the world's mightiest
god.
The woman, along with the scarce remnant of comrades,
who had survived his initial onslaughts, held a final, desperate
stand. They pooled their remaining strength, marshaled all available
armaments, yet their defense proved futile against the unstoppable
wave of destruction.
Amidst the tide of smoke and cloud, a radiant, silver light
pierced the heavens, as though the moon itself had descended. The
god had been summoned by this man's malevolent power, his
arrival down to the earth imminent.
The woman’s heart felt heavy with dread. Her army
discovered weeks prior to this catastrophically night that the enemy
had genocidal intents. With the access of such supernatural power
now in his hand, this day was most likely the end for her kind.
The sheer horror of that realization jolted a surge of
adrenaline through her body once more, igniting her senses. Amidst
agonizing groans that mirrored the blinding pain that engulfed her,
she mustered every ounce of her remaining strength to get on her
feet, fueled by the desperate desire to launch a final assault on him,
capitalizing on his distraction.
But her resolve crumbled as her shattered legs faltered,
unable to sustain the weight of her broken body. Collapsing onto
the unforgiving ground, she stared upward at the sky, a tableau of
despair. The profound loss of blood rendered even the mere act of
crawling pathetically, leaving her incapacitated amidst the wreckage
of her shattered hopes.
As her life-force was slipping away, a weightiness settled
upon her eyelids, a peaceful darkness tempting her into its
embrace. Blood seeped, life ebbed, and the hope of salvation
waned.
 With the corner of her eye, she noticed the enemy slowly
pacing towards her. In her feeble attempt to move, she must have
unwittingly drawn his attention. The crimson-stained blade of his
iron sword dragged against the concrete floor, a scratching hiss
accompanying his menacing advance, each scarlet droplet etching
his path of malevolence.
Through the tears and clouded vision, she could barely
make out what his face looked like, but the sight of him was enough
to make her smolder in rage. She opened her mouth to curse him
for destroying her country, for killing her dearest people and for
ruining her hometown.
Only a pathetic fit of coughing emerged, a fragile
testament to her waning strength.
“I never imagined you’d be so persistent.” He uttered his
words with an air of disinterest “Wasn’t it easier to just surrender?
Many lives could have been spared. You all knew damn well that
you had no chance at defeating me, yet you kept fighting back. Look
what I had to do because of you.”
“To hell with you, you bastard.” she yearned to retort, her
fury seething within, yet shackled by her incapacitation.
As his sword found its mark, agony surged through her
body, drowning her scream, and the fire in her eyes flickered and
faded. The woman succumbed to darkness, her final sight a
merciless mass-murderer shrouded in blood-red light. With her
passing, the world embarked upon an irreversible descent into
chaos.