Over and over and over I was cut down. This wasn’t a mage, but a **ing god. He destroyed me each time I was revived, but each time I did manage to last a little longer. Ultimately, every time I thought I was actually going to do well, I was cut down once more.

I used different combinations to expand the amount of time I was able to live, but the only things I had in my artillery were my magic staff and the sword I had retrieved in the first few rounds. My buffing skills worked like a charm, but each time I died, it was miserable. I couldn’t get over the fact that I had actually been slaughtered.

On top of that, with each death, I collected more and more scars. Some faded with time but some were permanent and left a brutal reminder that I was nothing compared to this man. It was almost like he was created for the sole purpose of those asshole executives to watch me struggle over and over while he ruined my perfect body.

But, after exactly fifty-four deaths, I had survived long enough to gather concentration to activate Throne World: Plane of Demonic Flames. I clasped my hands together and quickly directed everything I had at the man dressed in flawless white robes. His pearl-white hair drifted with the gust of wind that erupted from my land of demonic flames and then-

“What a uselessly weak technique… One Thousand Cuts.”

…

Legendary Buff – Return By Death has been activated

Death 55

/100 has been used

Round will restart

.

“I can’t win… I can’t win…” I coughed, my eyes glowing a dim green glow while the monster taking the form of a humanoid merman stepped forward. His face had fallen into that of boredom, descending from its slightly intrigued expression prior to me losing all hope.

“One Thousand Cuts is a skill that transcends time and space. I’m well aware of the legendary buff that you have, but I’m sure you know why it was created… because without it, nobody could beat me. Although, it’s truly unfortunate that some people don’t have the mental capacity to keep going… you can’t even hear me… can you?”

“Shut the ** up…” I grit my teeth, but upon seeing the merman’s cold eyes, I froze in place. My body littered with scars from head to toe was sucked into a frozen position. It was as if my entire being had been locked in a prison of time, leaving my consciousness to run as the man walked up to me.

“I have another name. I doubt you’re aware of it since you come from the future. I’ve already erased my existence from the past and future. I can only reside in the present with my own throne world… Warlock of Agony. That is my title granted to me by the all-powerful Algos.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” I heaved, with each word my chest compressing just a little bit further.

“Because when you go to hell, I want you to spread my name. I’m coming back. Whether it be in the form of a dove or a devil, I will come back. Spread the name of Juzil when you return.”

You have died

…

“Bella, you have too much pride,” a voice echoed through my mind and as the cloud hanging around me began to clear, I noticed Luna in the distance. “You have already fallen from your noble status so you’re hopelessly trying to cling onto it.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I chuckled, stabbing the monster beneath my foot with the sword she had tossed to me.

“I can tell, you want to be like Orion, right? So much that you don’t even care what happens to you… I mean, taking a bath with Cy was risky. You both had a good relationship and it could have ended right there.”

“Well, nothing did happen,” I rolled my eyes tossing the sword back to Luna who then stabbed another monster beneath her foot.

“Exactly. It’s not just you, but Cy as well. You all have given up so much to follow Orion. You let yourself be his pawn for the sake of growing stronger and having more political power. You wanted to be the head of your family but look where that got you.”

My eyes squinted at her, moving between annoyance and reasoning. It made sense, and I was aware of it all this time… and I was sure she knew of that. I wasn’t stupid so why was she saying all of this?

“You both want to be like Orion. No, it’s better to say you want to BE Orion, am I wrong?” She smirked, causing me to lightly shrug in agreement. “Well, that’s the problem. You have too much pride to be him and Cy doesn’t have enough. Yours is the most challenging one though as there will come a point where you will need to give up your pride in order to succeed or possibly straight up survive… or would you rather die clinging onto that useless pride of yours?”

I stared at her, grimacing at the words that had just come from her mouth. It was annoying but she was right. It was so **ing annoying that it scraped the back of my brain, egging me on, telling me that she was right, yet that piece of nobility deep within me just shrugged it off.

…𝒪𝑣𝓵xt.𝕔𝒪𝚖

At that moment, when Bella awoke on the dawn of her fifty-seventh death, something shifted within her. When the man appeared, ready to slaughter her once more and see her suffer, he was disappointed but also pleased to see her down on her knees, forehead placed against the floor, moments away from begging for mercy.

“Mercy. Please have mercy…” Those words. Those slimy words filled to the brim with agony and conviction flowed from her lips like water. It ran up from her throat like it was nothing but carbon dioxide. The merman smiled with pleasure. Yet, at the very moment, little did he know, Bella was smiling as well. An uncanny smile unfit for the chains of human flesh.