“Shit!!” Alan’s thoughts raged with emotion, “Not again…why does it never work out” His muscles grew weaker, plagued with exhaustion, his movements slower. Fighting off beings of such tremendous power was a struggle if it were only one, but five of the strongest currently had their eyes set on Alan’s death. He let out a visceral roar as he parried a sword moving much faster than light, its blade invisible to the naked eye, but the ocean of mana condensed into this single strike was easy to read. The sheer power of this one slash sent out shockwaves that flattened the area around them for miles. With a swift counter of his own, Alan aimed for the Sword God’s neck, but only left a shallow wound as he dodged, his eyes widening. 

“WHY!!!” Alan drilled his foot into the solid rock beneath him, spinning around and plunging his heel deep into the stomach of the Sword God. A wave of power cracked the ground, and a groan escaped the Sword God’s mouth as his body flew away uncontrollably his vision blurring. 

Alan’s attention shifted as the dark landscape was suddenly bathed in an orange hue. The rock began to lose its solidity, succumbing to the tremendous heat and turning liquid. Alan’s skin remained unscathed, a second sun bursting into existence, growing larger and hotter as it began to descend upon him. Time seemed to slow as warnings flared in his mind. Five arrows of red energy shot toward his location, and two more combat gods, one holding a spear, and the other, massive in stature drew his fist back.  

The only chance I have to win is to take advantage of their terrible teamwork. But I have to make this quick before they adapt. Alan’s mind calmed slightly, realizing a potential path to victory. Before any of the attacks could leave a scratch on his body, Alan stabbed his sword into the lava beneath his feet, and whispered words that would cause a catastrophe, “Malevolent Eclipse.” The change happened faster than any of the combat gods could comprehend. A deafening silence plagued the area as it was bathed in a crimson light. The full moon that hung high in the sky opened up, revealing a hideous eye, one that seemed to peer into the very soul of anyone unlucky enough to be caught in its gaze. The eye was blood red, with a vicious black pupil, as it seemed to stare at each of the combat gods simultaneously.

“Impossible,” The spear god mumbled under his breath, stopping his advance on Alan, mesmerized by the eye, and frozen in place by a primal fear. It seemed that the other combat gods felt the same, even the second sun’s movement was halted, except for the fist God, who undeterred by the sudden change in scenery, continued his dash toward Alan, letting out a bestial roar, extending his drawn fist with enough power to atomize any normal entity.

But the power of such a blow would not be seen, and would never be seen again. The horrific eye locked onto the fist god with boundless wrath and in an instant, hundreds of black spears erupted from him. Slimy chunks of flesh and bone splattered onto the surface of the lava, before being eaten by it. The fist god let out a croak, before his eyes, those reminiscent of a tiger, lost all sense of emotion, except for fear. The once formidable god of the fist, feared by kingdoms and skilled warriors, was reduced to a madman, mumbling gibberish, one that seemed to gaze upon the most horrifying thing a human could. With his remaining strength, the combat god opened his hand, stiffening it like a blade, and slicing his neck. The god’s head slipped, falling into the pool of lava with a splat. The eyes of all five remaining combat gods widened in horror. No matter the differences between them, or the previous malice they held for each other, the sight still left them sick. Watching this prideful being kill himself, shot shivers down their spines, drawing beads of sweat as their hearts pounded. 

Shit…just move. Alan gritted his teeth, struggling to conceal his shaking body with fabricated confidence. The technique Alan just used was unimaginably powerful, however, such a power came with its costs. Only thirty seconds had passed since he cast the technique, yet nearly two-thirds of his mana reserves were already gone. Not to mention the voices, the incessant mumbling of gibberish in his mind that threatened to tear away his sanity. The piercing eye above him, although he was the caster, still sent down a dread-inducing glare. The technique itself also came with its own limitations. Ones that skilled warriors such as the combat gods could easily ascertain, especially after the brutal display that played out in front of their eyes.

“Wow…I didn't expect you to all cower in fear. The mighty combat god’s scared to fight a mere peasant.” Alan let out a chuckle, “ Killing you all in such a pitiful manner would be a waste. Why don’t you die fighting…” None of the combat gods moved, “Well, if you all want to die like the fist god, then so be it.” Alan shook his head and clicked his tongue. He waited, and waited, yet none of the combat gods moved a muscle. Bluffing failed. I wasted so much energy on only one of them…but at least that’s one less to deal with. A troublesome one at that. Alan waited a few more seconds, but his fleeting hopes vanished, and he had no other choice but to act. Cutting off all mana flow to Malevolent Eclipse, the world around immediately returned to normal, the blue glow of the moon returning as the eye closed.

Waves of lava sprayed into the air as Alan ripped his sword from it, and dashed to the stealth god. I should deal with the most annoying one while I have the advantage. With the casting of Malevolent Eclipse, the position of everyone under the eyes gaze is made known to him, no matter the stealth techniques they use. With the sword god’s technique, and the magic god’s second sun, all potential cover from the eyes view was erased. So as of this moment, even the stealth god, with such advanced stealth technique Alan would struggle to detect him under normal circumstances, his location was as clear as day.

For what the stealth god has in stealth and assassination techniques, he lacks in direct combat. Killing him with a single attack wouldn't be difficult. The stealth god stayed at a relatively short distance at all times during the fight, so as all of the other combat gods regained their bearings, and immediately returned to their assault, Alan was already in front of his target.

“Void Piercer” With that whisper, his broadsword began to distort, and curve as if space itself was being manipulated, “Two down.” In a heartbeat, the stealth god, clad in a tattered black robe, and now visible to all, sunk to both knees, a pool of blood hissing around him, his head already half dissolved by the lava. This time, the other combat gods kept up their pace, not dawdling on the death of a fellow warrior. 

The magic god, still floating above, like an ethereal entity looking down on his subjects, redirected that menacing sun, now a staggering size, easily dwarfing mountain ranges. The massive pool of lava began to expand, and the area for miles became covered in a thick blanket of white smoke. For a normal warrior, fighting in such conditions would be nearly impossible, but at the level of the combat gods, who very rarely relied on their sight during combat, this was only a slight inconvenience. I have to save the magic god for last. He’s the next most troublesome. But there's only one way I can beat him in the current situation. Alan’s face turned grim as the realization struck him. But he understood lingering on the fact would only inhibit his fighting prowess. Focusing on this fight with the four remaining combat gods, for which, he had nearly run out of surprises, should be the utmost priority. 

Direct combat with such monstrous beings would be risky, but Alan believed he could manage, although he knew he would die with them. What’ll happen if I succeed, but end up dying? Will I regress again? Alan’s face scrunched as he forced that thought to the back of his mind, No matter. Steeling his nerves, Alan brought up his hand, unraveling his calloused pointer finger, aiming it at the center of the second sun. Another whisper escaped his lips, “Disturb.” An intense vibration coursed through Alan's arm, traveling up from his shoulder, through his forearm, concentrating, becoming more intense until it rested at the tip of his outstretched forefinger. The monstrous second sun twitched, a piercing vibration flowed through and toward its core, and in an instant, it vanished. 

Gritting his teeth, and forcing away the tremendous pressure that technique placed on his mind and body, Alan rushed toward the spear god, who took the lead in the assault. The two warriors met head-on, Alan barely dodging a spear thrust, a small wound on his cheek spraying out blood. He quickly moved in for a counterattack, but immediately jumped back as another figure appeared in the corner of his eye, the sword god. 

The sword god arrived with an upward slash, barely splitting Alan’s chin, and causing a similar wound. This back-and-forth of small cuts here and there continued for only a few seconds. The other combat gods wouldn't just sit back and watch, would they? Flurries of arrows made up of an ethereal, red energy crashed down on the three locked in a back-and-forth of attacks. The spear and sword god dodged swiftly, only cut by one or two arrows. However, Alan only had one mind. Focusing on potential attacks from two of the strongest in the world, and ranged attacks from another, gave way to various mistakes. One of which, resulted in one of the crimson arrows lodging itself deep within Alan’s right bicep.

“Shit!” Alan let out a disgruntled moan, as four crimson needles shot from the arrow's tip, and into his skin, causing red vein-like patterns to form around the wound. These veins began to viciously climb Alan’s arm, threatening to reach his head within a fraction of a second. But, without hesitation, Alan acted, and the arm was gone, swallowed by the lava as it hit the ground with a splash. I can’t keep up with this. Alan’s expression turned distant. Maybe I should just let them kill me. Start again. I’ve already gone back 9 times, what's another one? And I'll have more time to grasp Malevolent Eclipse and plan for decades around that technique. The thought sounded appealing. But what if I don’t go back? Everyone… images flashed in Alan’s mind. Bloodied half-eaten corpses, their faces unrecognizable, but Alan knew who they were…his friends. No, I have to at least try. I’ll use everything I have, and then…The next words worried Alan, but, in all honesty, he couldn’t bear to go through another forty years. Regressing 9 times, his mind was over 360 years old. He was…exhausted. Watching his friends and all of humanity die 9 times, was not something he wanted to go through again. It was a selfish wish. He had been chosen by someone or something to go back in time and save humanity, and yet, he didn’t want to anymore. I’ll try in this life at least. 

A grim fate already played out within his worn mind. Killing the bow god would allow him to gather the remaining combat gods close. Overloading his mana core should end the fight. It was a brutal technique he learned on his eighth regression, from a reclusive village in the desolate mountains. The technique held no name and was passed down by village elders. I hope this works. 

Alan whipped his head to the side, barely evading a spear thrust, and countering a sword slash from behind. Bringing his knee up, Alan feinted another kick, “got you,” he mumbled, watching as the sword god frantically rushed to protect himself. But no kick ever came. Alan slammed his foot down, a thick layer of mana stopping him from sinking into the lava. He bent his knees, lowering his entire body, letting out another whisper, “Void Piercer.” Alan’s sword began to warp, and for but a short instant, the world turned gray. 

The sword god let out a groan of pain as he fell, his aged legs, everything from knees down separating from his body. Alan wanted to take advantage of the sword god’s temporary state of weakness, but he had no time. Bloody strands of muscles and veins already began to shoot from the sword god’s knees. 

Mana also began to coalesce around the spear god as he prepared another attack, and Alan saw dozens of blood-red arrows tearing through the air. His eyes, completely ignoring the spear god, followed the origin of the arrows, and he cast various techniques in his eyes, peering through the bow god’s invisibility.

“Teleport.” Another whisper escaped Alan’s lips as he cast another technique. If his mana reserves were a pool, Void Piercer would reduce the water by a hundred buckets worth, while teleport would be a few thousand, and Malevolent Eclipse many times more. But, this only reflected how powerful these techniques were. 

The eyes of the bow god, one known for her tracking ability widened. She snapped her head back and forth, searching for signs of Alan, but she was too late. Suddenly, the world seemed to flip, “Huh?” was the only thing she could utter as her head slipped from her neck. Killing such a powerful entity would usually be room for excitement and cheer, but Alan only became more saddened as he watched the lava consume yet another combat god’s corpse. I’ve done what I could. The only thing left is to hope I succeed. I don’t know if I can go through this again. Alan’s eyes locked onto the magic god, floating high in the sky, hands clasped together, eyes closed, “He’s planning something dangerous!” Alan frowned as he turned more serious, “I need to be quick. Although I should weaken the magic god as much as possible…just in case.” 

Bending his knees, Alan sent shivers through the Earth as he sprung up like a bullet to the magic god. Alan purposely slowed his speed, to allow the spear god, and sword god with his newly grown legs to catch up. The magic god was a key player in this battle, so Alan was sure they would rush to protect him. And so they did. As Alan arrived a few meters from the floating magic god, and the other two combat gods not far behind, the eyes of the magic god snapped open, revealing glowing white pupils. A shiver shot down Alan’s spine, this is dangerous. 

“Ruination-” Alan attempted to let out another whisper, one that would unleash an attack second only to Malevolent Eclipse, but something was wrong. A vibration, similar to when he cast Disturb, rippled throughout his body, and everything just stopped. Not just the flow of mana to a technique or a magic spell, but everything. Alan’s heart, brain, mana, and even the cells in his body stopped moving…they stopped doing anything. However, something that remained untouched was the soul. 

Something no one else other than Alan, and the villagers of the desolate mountains had gained the ability to manipulate. Alan’s ability was far below the villagers, but it was enough. The technique he learned from them involved reaching deep within the mana core with one's soul. The use of this technique would cause unfathomable destruction, but it would also destroy the caster’s soul. 

The soul, although something most people would never understand, or witness for themselves, was still important to them. Whether they believed in the afterlife or reincarnation, the soul played a big part in those beliefs. This was what worried Alan the most. What would happen if he destroyed his soul? Would he be able to regress? Or would it just be…nothing. The thought frightened Alan, as he floated before a bright blue light, the only thing visible in the infinite black void all around. I tried…at least.