Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided - Chapter 129. Finish Line II

He was once a kind boy — loyal to family, faithful to love, and full of hope.But kindness means nothing in a world that spits on your loyalty.Roman died betrayed.His stepbrother beat him.His girlfriend cheated.His family used him like a slave — and when the world ended, they threw him to the undead.But death wasn’t the end.Roman was reborn — weeks before the apocalypse that would erase humanity.And this time?No more mercy. No more weakness.This time, Roman builds his empire in the shadows, manipulates nations, steals resources before the collapse, and creates a stronghold while the world sleeps peacefully — blind to the hell that’s coming.> What?! A supermarket in New York is completely wiped out overnight!Japan’s largest food storage warehouse was found empty — zero inventory, massive losses.Similar cases in South Korea and Australia? No trace, no witnesses. Just... gone.One man is preparing.One man is rising.Roman.But just when he thinks he's the only one pulling the strings in the dark...Others begin to move.Reincarnated. Ruthless. Just like him.The game is no longer survival.It's domination.In this new world, only one king can rule from the shadows.And Roman will burn the world before he kneels.

Rainer, an amateur arcanist and college student, sought to create a new spell far surpassing the magic of the few he inherited from his grandfather. Yet the interference of an unknown event during the casting of his spell led him to be thrown through space and time.

“After every fire, ants survive.”

…

Mysterious anomalous biological metals have polluted the world, and the world has undergone tremendous changes. Metal sickness is like a key that opens the door to evolution. Under the tide of evolution, there are no innocents.

The choice is up to you, do you want to be the surviving ants after the fire, or do you want to risk your life, step on the glorious long steps to the gods, and glimpse the supreme glory of the mother goddess?

…

Touch the totem in your heart, follow the inspiration, and step on the long steps of ascending to God:

[Amphibians] → [Atlantic Glory] → [Ningen]…

[Eight Arms] → [Nightmare in the Sea] → [Deep Divers]…

[Eagle Eye] → [Owl Ghost of the Night] → [Jersey Demon]…

[Living Dead] → [Grave Digger] → [Death Ferryman]…

…

“On that day, the world was polluted, and I was the source of pollution. Human desires are endless, desire is the best food on the way to evolution, and I am the embodiment of desire.”

– Joe Tour.

- Description from novelbuddy

This story is set during the end of the Sui Dynasty, a time where multiple powers struggled for supremacy and power.

Into the fray enters two orphans Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling; these two youths by many chances and luck obtain ‘The Secret to Long Life’ allowing the two to obtain profound martial abilities and a chance to rise to the top in this age of turmoil.