Earth had never agreed on anything.
Not on politics.
Not on religion.
Not on borders.
Not even on what constituted good pizza.
Yet, for one impossible moment, every living person looked at the same message.
In ruined cities.
Inside military bunkers.
Deep beneath the ocean.
High above the clouds.
Across every continent, every language, and every surviving nation, the System spoke.
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT.] [THE FIRST DIVINE HUNT HAS BEGUN.] [TARGET: ETHAN VALE.] [REWARD: GODHOOD.] The world stopped.
For the second time in less than forty-eight hours, humanity forgot how to breathe.
— Thousands of kilometers away, in the remains of Tokyo, a young man standing atop a collapsed skyscraper lowered his katana.
He had awakened an S-Rank Talent.
Sword Sovereign.
Two days ago, he had been an office worker.
Today, he had killed a dragon.
He stared silently at the notification.
“Ethan Vale?” His companion, a woman wreathed in blue lightning, laughed.
“Poor bastard.” — In Germany, an old priest looked up from the ruins of his church.
For the first time in his seventy-three years, he found himself sincerely hoping Hell existed.
Because if the gods were offering godhood as a reward, then the thing they feared must be far worse.
— Somewhere beneath the Atlantic Ocean, something ancient opened one eye.
“Ethan Vale.” It spoke the name with interest.
Then it went back to sleep.
— Within the White House bunker, what remained of the United States government sat in stunned silence.
The President slowly removed his glasses.
“Find him.” “Sir,” one of the generals said carefully, “the entire planet is currently on fire.” “Then find him faster.” — A similar conversation was taking place in nearly every surviving nation.
Some wanted answers.
Others wanted allies.
Many simply wanted the reward.
After all, what was one stranger’s life compared to godhood?
Humanity had committed greater atrocities for considerably less.
— Inside Bronze Gate #7713, Ethan Vale sneezed.
“I suddenly feel very unpopular.” Captain Reyes folded her arms.
“That’s because you are.” “Wonderful.” Sarah raised a hand.
“So, hypothetically speaking, if someone kills you—” “They become a god.” “Right.” “And?” “I’m just checking where we stand on the friendship scale.” “I appreciate your honesty.” The Spear King watched the exchange in complete silence.
Eventually, the ancient ruler spoke.
“You do not understand what has happened.” “I feel like that’s becoming a recurring theme.” “The Divine Hunt has only been declared seven times.” That got everyone’s attention.
“And?” The blue flames within the king’s eye flickered.
“Six universes no longer exist.” Silence.
“Oh.” The Spear King nodded.
“The first ended in three days.” “Three days?” “The longest survived for thirty-one years.” That was somehow worse.
“Let me guess.
Nobody won.” “Correct.” “Fantastic.” The shadow beneath Ethan’s feet stirred uneasily.
“They are waking.” “Who?” The shadow did not answer immediately.
“The gods.” As if summoned by those words, a deafening roar echoed across the graveyard.
The sky split open.
A new system message appeared.
[WORLD EVENT.] [THE GODS HAVE AWAKENED.] [DIVINE DESCENT IN: 365 DAYS.] Ethan blinked.
“Well, that’s…
surprisingly considerate.” Captain Reyes frowned.
“What does that mean?” “It means,” the Spear King said quietly, “that humanity has one year.” “One year for what?” “To become strong enough to survive.” Nobody spoke.
A year.
Three hundred and sixty-five days.
That was all the time humanity had before the gods arrived.
“I have another question,” Ethan said.
“Of course you do.” “Why me?” The question had been bothering him since the beginning.
He wasn’t special.
He wasn’t particularly brave.
He had no hidden lineage, no secret training, no grand destiny.
Three days ago, his greatest concern had been whether instant noodles counted as a balanced diet.
The Spear King studied him for several moments.
Then: “Because the universe has a sense of humor.” “That is deeply unsatisfying.” “Truth often is.” The ancient king approached slowly.
“The Devourer was not evil.” That statement nearly caused Ethan to choke.
“Excuse me?” “It was not good, either.” “That doesn’t help.” The Spear King drove his spear into the earth.
“Imagine an endless winter asking whether it is cruel.” “I feel like that’s a philosophical question.” “Imagine a black hole apologizing for its existence.” “…Less philosophical.” “The Devourer simply was.” The shadow beneath Ethan’s feet had become perfectly still.
“It consumed because that was its nature.” “And its nature was eating universes?” “Among other things.” “Of course it was.” The king’s gaze softened slightly.
“Yet here you stand.
Worrying about strangers.
Risking your life for children.
Concerned about your mother.” Ethan said nothing.
“You are not it.” The words settled over the graveyard.
“You are Ethan Vale.” For reasons he could not explain, hearing those words felt important.
As though the universe itself had been trying to convince him otherwise.
A notification appeared.
[Title Effect Activated.] [The Most Wanted Man in Creation.] [Passive Effect: All entities instinctively recognize your existence.] [Secondary Effect: Your actions will be remembered.] “That sounds ominous.” “It should.” The shadow spoke quietly.
“…I remember that title.” Everyone froze.
The silver eyes within the darkness slowly opened.
“It was not given.” “What do you mean?” Ethan asked.
“It was earned.” Nobody seemed particularly comforted by that.
Before Ethan could ask another question, Sarah suddenly pointed toward the horizon.
“Um…” Everyone turned.
A figure was approaching through the sea of broken weapons.
At first, Ethan thought it was another statue.
Then he realized it was walking.
The man wore ancient armor covered in cracks.
A broken banner hung from his back, and a sword rested at his side.
More importantly, he appeared to be made entirely of shadow.
A system notification appeared immediately.
[Unique Entity Detected.] [Shadow Echo.] [Designation: The First Soldier.] [Status: Awaiting Master.] The figure stopped twenty meters away.
Then, without hesitation, it knelt.
Ethan looked behind him.
The soldier remained kneeling.
“You should probably do something,” Captain Reyes said.
“I don’t know what!” The shadow stirred.
“He belongs to us.” Us again.
The words were becoming increasingly concerning.
The shadow soldier slowly raised its head.
Though its face was obscured by darkness, Ethan somehow knew it was looking directly at him.
Then it spoke.
Its voice sounded like steel dragged across stone.
“My king.” Silence.
Captain Reyes looked at Ethan.
Sarah looked at Ethan.
The Spear King looked suspiciously amused.
“No,” Ethan said immediately.
The soldier remained motionless.
“No?” “No.” “…My king?” “Especially no.” The shadow beneath his feet actually laughed.
A system notification appeared.
[Congratulations.] [You have acquired your first permanent member of the Shadow Legion.] [Shadow Soldier: Unknown.] [Current Loyalty: Absolute.] [Current Mood: Reverent.] “I don’t like that last part.” The soldier remained kneeling.
“My king.” “Stop saying that.” “As you command, my king.” Ethan closed his eyes.
“This is going to become a problem, isn’t it?” “Without question,” the shadow replied.
Somewhere beyond the Gate, across the ruined world, millions of people had begun searching for Ethan Vale.
But for the first time since the apocalypse began, he had something they did not.
He was no longer alone.
And somewhere in the deepest corners of creation, things older than gods had begun to whisper.
Not in fear.
Not in hatred.
But in anticipation.
Because after an eternity of silence, the Shadow Legion had finally taken its first step toward returning.