From Max to Zero to God

{October 6th, 2043}    It’s only been a month since the calamity struck, yet Han Ling could no longer remember what the sky looked like. His grey lifeless eyes gazed at the blood red clouds, feeling the rain of blood splatter on his face. He kneeled on top of the mountain of monsters, breathless as his broken sword dug deep into the flesh of a monster. Han Ling was covered in blood, his yellow scarred skin covered in red. It felt so horribly warm on his skin…   Han Ling whipped around, stabbing his sword into the head of a creeping beast, watching it twitch and fall to the ground. Three more tigers-like beasts leaped forward with mad screeches, Han Ling yanked his broken sword out and tightened his grip. A teal blade sprung from the broken end of the blade, flaring in blue flames as if it were alive. In one fluid motion, he swung his sword and three blue blades sliced forward, beheading all three beasts.    Han Ling coughed up a torrent of blood and leaned on his teal sword for a rest. But right then, an invisible force crushed his body. He let go of his sword, gasping and grunting as he floated into the air, struggling against the psychic humanoid hovering in the air. A sickly smile plastered on the beast’s face, widening as Han screamed, every bone in his body being crushed into dust.   I guess this is the end of the road… the last human… fallen just like this…   A clear, feminine voice echoed in his mind “It’s alright… you tried your best Han, you tried your best…”   Han Ling stared into the clouds; he could almost see her… standing there waiting for him…   “That’s right… I tried my best… I really tried my best… Damnit!!!!” Han Ling roared as rage fueled his last moments. If only I could go back… back to the time where it all started, back to when life was simple, back to the world without monsters, back to a time where I could prepare for the calamity to come…    If only I could go back…    A blue glow covered Han Ling, emitting from something in his coat, pulsing like a new beating heart. The blue glow intensified, the beast screeched as it was blinded in the white light, slowly covering the human. It vanished without a trace, taking Han Ling with him.    Han Ling opened his eyes, and stared at the ceiling. Ceiling? Han Ling lurched up, scanning the room he was in, and widened his eyes. A normal apartment room, with a pile of stinking clothes in the corner along with plastic bags of food on the ground.    What?    Have I gone back in time?    He flicked his index finger downward.    Nothing.    Han Ling blinked and flicked his finger down again. Nothing. The sound of the aircon spluttering was deafening in the small room. Han Ling then stood, finding himself in his teen body, skinny and normal looking. His face wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t ugly either. Dark brown eyes and short black hair with no hairstyle, he remembered he always preferred to let his hair grow on his own, only cutting them when they covered his eyes.    Frustration was evident on his face, confusion and annoyance flickering in his eyes as he frantically swung his entire right arm up and down. Finally, he stopped, and his eyes were shaking, he turned to the table beside his bed and grabbed the smartphone. He held it in his hand, the cold phone in his hands. He clicked the button on the side and the blue screen popped up.    December 31st 2023.    Han Ling widened his eyes, but before surprise could form, an all too familiar tri-ring sounded in his ear. He looked up and his had a mix of solemness, confusion and fear.    A blue screen floated in front of him, and bright white words danced on the screen, forming the sentence…    WELCOME TO SOVEREIGN’S BATTLEGROUND    A sense of dread filled Han Ling, and he was finally aware of where he was. The start of the system, the start of Sovereign’s Battleground, the start of calamity…