God Magnus

Pov. - Zanyel Luminares

Crash!

His angelic fist struck the wood, and cracks spread out like spiderwebs. Zanyel had devoted so much time to reaching this stage, and the perfect opportunity to finally advance was right in front of him.

And yet, ever since this cursed initialization began, everything's been going wrong. That damned hairless primate, a mere human from a primitive civilization, just won't die!

"Impossible! How did he kill that creature?! It was literally a Rank-1 beast and worse, a mutation!"

His eyes darted across several glowing screens, locking on one in particular, where a boy was rising to his feet after slaying a serpent dozens of meters long and weighing tons.

"Oliver… Oliver Enallume! You didn't die in the clearing, you didn't fall to the ambush in the forest, and somehow those incompetent fools couldn't find you during the night. But now, this is the final straw. Killing that creature… It's like you're a glitch in my tale, a flaw... A FUCKING ANOMALY!"

The angel could feel the gods' power restricting him, sealing away his true strength. If it weren't for the Federation's rules, he would've personally stepped in and erased that ridiculous human himself.

He kept watching the boy move toward the clever girl, carrying her deeper into the forest. He didn't know what the kid planned, but judging by his chaotic history, it was bound to be another disaster.

"Because of you, the seven became eight. This tale was supposed to end in under 48 hours and I would've returned to the Golden City a SAINT!"

Rage boiled over inside him. No one knew the price he'd paid to be here. The chance to write a tale during the very initialization of an entire galaxy was something most gods never even dreamed of and it would've become a massive source of power.

It was practically a guarantee that he'd ascend to godhood in a few centuries. Hell, maybe even a few decades! The amount of cosmic energy he could extract from this was immeasurable. But of course, there had to be an obstacle.

"For my tale to succeed, you need to die here, boy… I could kill one of the others, but it wouldn't be enough. Your death is essential. Only then will everything be perfect, just like it was with the ancestors!"

His flawless angelic fingers slid through the air as several screens merged into a golden disc that rippled. With a few mystical words sung from his sacred lips, the disc turned into a mirror and its reflection revealed a lush forest.

Blood was splattered everywhere, and bodies littered the terrain. Amid the sea of serpentine entrails and corpses, two figures stood out. A crossbow and a spear were eliminating the last survivors.

"I won't lie. Even with less raw talent than the girl, the dark-haired boy's improving through brute force and grit. His saturation is already over 50%, if my calculations are correct…"

Bolts flew like a storm, and the spear took out anyone who lagged behind. The pair was a tight unit, nearly completing each other on the battlefield.

"How can people with so much potential still be so incompetent?! If they'd found the damn boy, none of this would be happening. Fuck!"

His breathing grew ragged, steam nearly puffing from his nostrils. His fingers spun again, and the view changed. A new clearing appeared, different from the one where everyone had spawned.

This one was smaller, drenched in bright sunlight at its center. But the towering trees cast deep shadows around their roots, forming a ring of darkness. A duality nearly exclusive to the Elder's domain.

"One day, I'll wield power as magnificent as his. The power of a god!"

Movement began to stir on-screen, and tree branches started to intertwine, forming a humanoid shape. The creature Zanyel had summoned had finally returned.

Satisfaction peaked within him as more movement made the forest floor shift. Behind the creature, dragged by vines wrapped tightly around their limbs, were three unconscious youths.

"This little group… in the end, you made it out alive. Your luck is beyond comprehension."

All three who had once been in the hilltop clearing were now in a new one, dragged in and thrown deep into the shadow-laced roots. There was someone else there too.

A slightly chubby girl with curly brown hair falling just above her shoulders. She was unconscious, blood trailing down her head, with deep purple strangulation marks on her throat. And yet… she was still breathing.

"I couldn't kill this one… Another lucky fool. Samuel was extremely efficient in wiping out the other participants along with that girl. Without that control, my number would've dropped below seven. That can't happen... ever! The Elder would kill me!"

Once everyone was bound in the shadowed roots, the creature began to move again, ready to resume the hunt. But this time, the angel wouldn't allow it.

His fingers danced faster than light, leaving afterimages in the air. Letters began to form along the edge of the golden mirror. When they came together, they glowed a deep blue.

"Listen to me, creature... You must lure the boy with the jacket tied around his waist. The red-haired girl must not suffer a single scratch. And when the perfect moment comes, kill the boy. Only then will my tale succeed. The amount of power I'll gain will overflow into you!"

His words echoed like a prophecy toward what passed for the creature's ears, and a subtle nod confirmed it understood. Now, finally, that boy would die.

Zanyel's golden, angelic eyes turned to the only screen he never swapped out, and he stared directly at the boy carrying the redhead on his back.

"It should've been impossible for a mortal to kill a Rank-1 creature, but you did. Still, killing a creature made of branches and pure nature energy? That's an impossible feat without cosmic power, something only a Rank-1 can access."

"Now… you're finally dead, Oliver."