"Dara, run!" a woman with a large, bleeding hole cried out. Only adrenaline kept her standing at this moment.

Across from her stood a teenage boy, his face filled with horror as he stared at the sky.

The woman struggled toward him, gritting her teeth as she grabbed his shoulders.

"Dara, I said run!" she shouted, turning him around—but her eyes shrank in shock as she saw the almost lifeless look in his eyes.

"Mom… run to where?" Dara asked.

The woman felt something lodge in her throat.

Her son… was right.

Where could she go? Where could he go? Where could anyone go?

She looked toward the dark sky.

The sun was gone—and not because of an eclipse.

No…

Something large enough had covered their world and had attacked, almost destroying half of it instantly.

Nowhere was safe.

"Come here…" tears streamed down her face as she pulled him into a hug.

Her blood quickly drenched her son's clothes.

"Ahhh…!"

"Argh…!"

All around them, screams echoed. Buildings collapsed as people ran for their lives.

But a few stood still, staring at the sky with blank eyes.

These were the ones who had realized the truth.

The truth they couldn't escape…

There was nowhere to run.

No god to save them.

No dream left.

In fact… this was a nightmare made real.

"Crunch…"

Then the darkness deepened—and then… nothing.

Crunch… crunch…

Only the steady chewing sound echoed as the space their world occupied became nothingness.

The world was devoured… reduced to energy… and consumed.

---

At another world…

In a more densely populated realm, fragments of laws floated in the air, enhancing everything.

A group of beings with clouded faces worked together, forming runes to open a portal.

Just then—

"Is this right?" a man with sharp eyebrows asked.

Everyone paused.

"Hm… what do you mean, is this right?" one of them replied.

"Are we just going to leave everyone?" the sharp-browed man asked.

"What do you think? Do you want to stay and die with them?" another asked.

The man clenched his fists.

"I don't want to die…" he admitted.

The others nodded.

"Good. Then stop chirping and help us build the portal," one of them said as they resumed their work.

"At the same time… I can't leave them. All these people… they are our responsibility. So… I will stay," the man said through gritted teeth.

Everyone turned to him.

"Enough joking around. Come help us," they waved him off.

"I'm not joking… I'm going to stay," he repeated.

One of them stood up and walked toward him.

He grabbed his chin, examined his face, even looked into his faintly glowing eyes.

"You don't seem sick… so is it a mental problem?" he asked.

Clench—

The sharp-browed man grabbed his wrist.

"I'm not sick. I'm staying—and you all should too—"

Pah!

The man yanked his hand away and slapped his grip aside.

"You're a fool. Do you think you will be spared? We have a way out. As long as we leave, the forefathers won't attack us. Their target is the mortals.

So why are you choosing to stay and die with them?

To them, this isn't even a battle.

You're just a planetary-level being—not even enough to fill the gap between their teeth.

Yet you want to stand against them?

You'll be crushed instantly… forgotten… erased," the man said, his voice trembling slightly.

"I would rather fight than abandon my people," the sharp-browed man replied.

"Your choice," the man waved him off and returned to the others.

The sharp-browed man felt multiple gazes on him.

Some filled with pity.

Some mocking.

Some indifferent.

"Go quickly," one of them said.

The sharp-browed man smirked.

"Stay safe…" he whispered.

He leaned back—

Just inches before he hit the ground, a glowing portal with an ominous light opened beneath him, and he disappeared.

"he will die right t?" one of them asked, watching the portal close.

"Without a doubt," another replied.

"Let's hurry. I can already feel that bone-creaking aura approaching. The forefather will be here soon," one of them said.

The others nodded and continued.

---

In the sky of the mortal realm…

The sharp-browed man floated, staring into space.

Far beyond their solar system… beyond their planets… near the edge of their known domain—

He could feel a world-ending terror approaching.

At that moment, he couldn't help but question himself.

Was his decision right?

Was this really how he was supposed to go out?

Foolishly standing against an immovable force?

"Ah… what a joke," he muttered bitterly.

He couldn't understand how he had been stupid enough to do this.

He wouldn't change anything.

He would be annihilated instantly.

And yet… he still came.

But then—

"Awooo!"

"Ahooo!"

Loud voices rang out.

His eyes snapped downward—and he froze.

Millions of mortals stood below.

Guns, advanced weapons.

Swords and other cold weapons.

Determination.

He sensed warships rising into the sky, heading toward him.

Across the planet, nuclear warheads were being prepared.

This wasn't a primitive world.

Information had spread.

The mortals knew what was coming.

And yet—

While their leaders tried to escape…

The weak… stood to fight.

Even against certain death…

Humanity did not run.

They did not cower.

Against a god-like being…

They chose to stand.

The sharp-browed man hadn't felt this proud in a long time.

He… couldn't comprehend it.

If these people could do this much… then what about him and the other leaders?

He could hear the thundering blade sounds of helicopters, the hum of space warships.

He could see soldiers gripping their weapons. He could sense terrifying heat rays being prepared.

Of course, by now they should have realized that the leaders had abandoned them… yet these mortals still stood up.

"Today, we fight till our blood is sucked dry! Today, we fight till our bodies can no longer move! We give our all! We either kill… or perish! And here—what will we do?!"

A supposed leader or general stood at the front, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"WE KILL!!!"

The human voices spread far and wide.

Just then—

A terrifying aura descended.

The sharp-eyebrowed man frowned as even the humans felt their bodies sink into the ground.

The waves of the sea surged high and crashed violently.

The mountains trembled.

The forefather… was here.