-(Present || Location: Somewhere in the Great Universe)-
"Archangel-nim, it's done! The rebel has been quelled!"
An enthusiastic angel celebrated. The months of war had finally ended.
As Michael looked at the angel from the corner of his eyes, he noticed him quivering. Although the angel was trying, he couldn't hide his fear from witnessing the overwhelming might of Michael.
The war which had dragged on for several months ended within a few hours with the annihilation of the enemy side. All done single-handedly by the archangel.
"Make sure everything is done." Speaking as such, Michael flapped his wings and left.
Reporting to Seraph was of more importance than improving his reputation among their citizen, especially when System had descended.
A figure shot through the Great Universe as Michael used his Divine Flames for flying. Silver hair, blue eyes, and white flames which were known as Divine Flames. These were the symbol of the highest ranking angels, Archangels.
Michael covered a distance of a galaxy every second with his flying speed. It took him a few hours to reach his destination.
Flap- Flap-
"Michael greets Seraph-nim."
In a courtyard with a throne that was missing a roof and walls, Michael descended. Despite the venue having no walls or roofs, the everlasting dawn on the horizon and the floor made of clouds gave it an ethereal appearance.
On the throne was sitting a handsome man with his eyes closed and a relaxed smile.
Compared to Michael, the man had almost zero-presence, too feeble to exist, yet Michael dared not raise his head in the man's presence. Keeping his gaze on the floor, Michael spoke.
"An otherworldly presence descended a few hours earlier, Seraph-nim!"
While he was one of the leaders of the angel race, the fact that their God, their deity, the System, had descended was too significant for him to be able to keep his composure.
"It was to kill an Overlord."
However, his excitement was doused with a bucket of cold water from the man on the throne. The man held a serene expression, yet Michael's eyes shook.
"A-an Overlord." Taking a deep breath, he regained his composure, feeling ashamed of the pathetic sight he showed to the Seraph moments earlier. "But Seraph-nim even System never descended to kill an Overlord directly."
…At least in recorded history. He swallowed his last words.
Seraph's melodic voice echoed again.
"Send an invitation to the Monarchs. We will hold a council of Genna."
"!!!"
Michael's composure crumbled instantly, but the Seraph wasn't finished.
"Invite the Demon Monarchs too."
"What?!" He looked up reflexively at the man on the throne.
Council of Genna, a meeting between the 13 Monarchs to decide the course of development for the Great Universe.
The last time the Council of Genna was called was when….
The city of Gods, Eridu, was sealed.
After that, the Monarchs grew too distrustful of each other, and without an overseeing faction, they didn't leave their bases, believing the other Monarch will raid in their absence.
"I apologize for my brazenness but… the Council of Genna wasn't initiated even during the War of Chaos when 5 Monarchs were killed. Why now…."
By the end of his sentence, Michael grew quiet. The System's descent, the birth of a new Overlord, and the council of Genna. An uneasy premonition spoke into his mind, but he was too afraid to speak those words. Afraid that they would come true if he spoke them out aloud.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the Seraph, the Monarch of Virtues, completed the archangel's thoughts.
"The System couldn't kill the Overlord." Absentmindedly nodding, Michael listened to further instructions. "Pull back from all the battlefronts and re-focus our efforts into searching for the 'Hero'. Now, go."
Flap-
With a single flap, the Archangel disappeared and was already a few galaxies away.
It was then that the Monarch of Virtues opened his eyes and stared at the screen in front of him.
======
[Emergency Quest]
Eliminate the Overlord of Chaos, the newborn Overlord, before he gains strength.
Reward: ???
Penalty: ???
Time limit: 5 year
======
Re-reading the questing, the Monarch closed his eyes again.
"The other Monarchs must have gotten the same quest. They won't refuse the initiation of Council of Genna, not after knowing the new Overlord's title."
The details of the quest were not properly given, but the Monarch wasn't fixated on those issues.
"Every Overlord needs a Seed of Chaos, but to be the Overlord of Chaos itself...."
The Monarch unfurled his wings and stood up.
"Perhaps the prophecy has finally begun."
***
-(Present || Back on Earth; Location: Outside the Dungeon of Trials)-
Vupp-
A black-haired, red-eyed youth came out of the portal.
As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed the tense atmosphere. At least 100 people were standing guard, ready to fight the horror that massacred the Golden Generation.
"Cadet Nathan Hunt, is that you?"
A loud shout from a familiar voice erupted from the crowd. Unlike what Nathan had expected the people didn't rush him, asking for details.
They were calm, eerily so.
It was then that it happened.
"It will be best for you to surrender, Mr. Pepe! On charges of terrorism, violation of Global rules, and massacring the most talented generation of humanity, you have been assigned a 5-star villain ranking!"
A 5-star ranking, the highest ranking a villain could achieve.
"Surrender, or die here!"
Dozens, if not hundreds, of awakeners, spread their Rank pressure toward Nathan. Among there were a few Hatamoto-rank awakeners and a few dozen Tesla-rank.
Nathan raised his hands.
At his surrender, three people stepped out from the crowd. They were wearing black masks. Most wouldn't realize their identity, but Nathan wasn't the same. He had clashed with one of them before.
'Goliaths'
His expression turned grim.
No matter how precarious the situation was, Goliaths never came out of their hiding in the novel, yet they did so now. Not only that, his secret had been exposed far too early.
"Do not resist..." The Goliath at the front walked closer and removed her mask. "...Eth."
Ba-dump-!
His heart shook.
Coldly looking at him was Gwen Hunt, 'his' sister, and… the vice leader of Goliaths, pressing the blade against his neck.
"Your atrocities have been revealed to the world by 'him'. We have strict orders to eliminate you on the first signs of resistance."
Nathan didn't have time to digest the identity of Gwen.
Closing his eyes, he analyzed the situation.
Three Hatamoto-rankers, 30 Tesla-rankers, and over a hundred Enma-rankers, everyone was at least one rank higher than him. But the biggest hurdle was his location, Ward.
Ward, the top institution to raise future heroes, was a prison too. It was a fortress to fight against the Demons when the Gates of Hell reopen. Its defenses were second only to Tartarus.
Not to mention, the Goliaths appearing in public and Huntress revealing her identity.
Something had gone horribly wrong.
He lowered his hand to let them cuff himself.
"It's a good desc– Back away!"
Suddenly Nathan's energy surged and a reddish hue washed over the gathering of awakeners.
Before the awakeners could realize that they had been weakened, a legion of weapons appeared in the sky and rained.
Amidst the confusion, Nathan moved.
'I need to esca-'
Bam-
Puchi-!
"Huntress told you. You move, you die."
It was over before he could react.
Crushing his heart with her hands, the woman wearing a hat and old-fashioned outfit spoke. She then turned around and threw his corpse to the crowd.
"He is dea- What?!"
However, before the corpse could hit the ground, it broke into a bright cluster of light.
"How…?"
"He knew we were coming."
Tempo answered the incredulous Knuckle. But their conversation was cut short by Huntress.
"Search for him. With the barrier in place, he can't leave Ward or renter the Dungeon. He must be hiding near us."
Unlike the last time, they had come prepared. There was no way for Nathan to escape.
"Orders remain same: Kill on sight."
----
Volume 1 'Hero has Returned' - The End
Volume 2 'The Man, the Ghost, the God' – Will start in a few days
----
Author's Note – Yosh, it's the 'official' end of Vol 1! I can't describe how happy I am!
Thanks to all of your support, I was able to pen Nathan's journey. It has been an unforgettable adventure for me and I hope the same is for you guys.
Was the volume confusing whenever the mysterious 'figures' showed up? Did anyone notice the identity of X? What kind of chaos is brewing?
There's a lot I want to say, but I'll keep it short. The new volume will start after an epilogue chapter and a side story featuring Miller. Look forward to it!
Many mysteries will be solved and many more will rise. The stakes will go higher as Nathan rows through the harsh world of his favorite novel.
So, did you learn anything? It is that all of you who like grim-dark novels should stop. If you don't want those worlds to be an option for transmigration, that is~
Peace out
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢