Prologue: The Fall of the Divine Beasts
Darkness trembled.
The sky split open like shattered glass as 72 crimson pillars rose from the abyss, each carrying the roar of a Demon Lord. The air itself screamed — burning, freezing, and twisting in impossible directions.
At the center of the chaos, four titanic figures stood against the tide.
A Phoenix, wings ablaze with suns;
A White Tiger, whose claws could rend mountains;
A Black Turtle, armored in divine obsidian;
And an Azure Dragon, whose roar made the stars tremble.
The Divine Beasts, last guardians of the Heavenly Realm.
Their light clashed against the endless swarm of demons until the world beneath them melted into liquid mana. Yet even their combined power faltered before the one who commanded the abyss — the Demon Lord of the 72 Thrones, a being of shadows wearing a crown of broken halos.
"The age of beasts and gods is over," the Demon Lord's voice echoed. "The new world shall be born in my darkness."
The Phoenix screamed in defiance.
The White Tiger roared until his bones cracked.
The Turtle raised his shell to shield the Dragon, whose blood painted constellations across the void.
And then—
A flicker.
A glitch.
A mortal appeared.
A boy — human-sized, trembling, wearing the cheap gear of a beginner adventurer.
"Wha— where the hell am I?!" Aris Kaien gasped, his VR interface glitching wildly.
[ERROR: LOCATION INVALID]
[WARNING: YOU ARE IN A RESTRICTED ZONE]
He shouldn't have been there. This wasn't a dungeon or a quest. It was a recorded battlefield — something beyond mortal access. But fate had torn open a seam, and the game's system had thrown him into the end of an ancient war.
As the last divine beast fell, the four turned their gaze toward him.
"A mortal?" whispered the Dragon, fading into starlight. "Then... our will shall not perish."
"Let the flame… continue…" murmured the Phoenix.
"Protect… the balance…" growled the Tiger.
"Carry… our legacy…" rumbled the Turtle.
And before Aris could move, divine energy flooded his body — four blazing sigils searing into his chest.
The light blinded him. The world shattered.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a grassy village under a blue sky.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]:
Divine Bloodline Detected.
Partial Awakening Granted.
Reach Level 500 to unlock full inheritance of the Four Divine Beasts.
Aris blinked, still shaking. His health bar was full, but something else glowed above his name:
[Title: Successor of the Divine Beasts]
He exhaled slowly, a grin breaking across his face.
"Guess this game's about to get interesting."