The sound of armor buckling and ribs snapping echoed sharply across the battlefield.

Sol’s body was lifted entirely off the ground by the sheer physical force of the Layer 4 strike, skidding violently across the gravel for ten feet, leaving a dark streak of blood in the white dust.

"Sol!" Kira screamed through the gag being forced into her mouth, her eyes wide with tears as she thrashed against her binding.

"Sol!" Zeyra also shrieked, struggling frantically as blood trickled from her forehead.

Vane marched after him, his face contorted in psychotic delight. He reached down, grabbed Sol by his hairs, and yanked him up to eye level, before driving a massive, fist directly into Sol’s face.

BANG!

A spray of dark crimson blood bursted from his nose.

Vane didn’t stop. He slammed his fist into Sol’s face again, and again, and again.

"Die! Die! Die!" Vane roared with every strike. "This is for my son! This is for the Zharun!"

Across the clearing, the remaining Veynar warriors watched the brutal beating in soul-crushing despair.

Evan though they knew that the chance was stlim, but still Sol had been their final, terrifying miracle... the unstoppable man who had single-handedly broken the Coalition’s spirit and held back the tide of death.

Seeing him beaten like a defenseless kid, thrown around like a sack of dead meat, shattered the very last thread of hope they held.

Some dropped their weapons entirely, collapsing onto their knees and staring at the blood-soaked display with hollow, dead eyes.

Still not feeling satisfied. He drew back his right leg, gathering immense amount of power.

The ground beneath his feet cracked from the concentrated pressure.

"Dia, you filthy beast!"

Vane kicked Sol directly in the stomach with the full, explosive force of his Layer 4 core.

BOOM!

A shockwave of air and dust blasted outward.

Sol’s body launched through the air like a cannonball, this time flying forty feet across the battlefield before crashing violently into the limestone rocks near the edge of the central crater.

He bounced twice, smashing through a boulder, before sliding to a halt in a crumpled, motionless pile of broken bones and torn flesh.

A thick cloud of white limestone dust settled slowly over the landing site.

Sol lay completely still, his limbs bent at unnatural angles, a pool of thick crimson blood rapidly expanding from his mouth.

Vane spat on the ground, wiping his bloodied knuckles on his leather armor with a triumphant sneer. "Useless trash. In the end, he was nothing more than a bug."

A heavy, suffocating silence descended upon the edge of the crater. Even the Coalition warriors stared down at the fallen black reaper with a mixture of awe and lingering fear, as if they still couldn’t believe the monster who had slaughtered so many of them was finally lying motionless in his own blood.

Inside the deep, dark void of Sol’s consciousness, the world was completely black.

There was no pain, no heat, no sound... only the vast, hollow echo of a completely depleted Free Use power.

The life force was steadily leaking out of him with every fading heartbeat.

He could feel that he was dying.

The physical trauma of Vane’s Layer 4 strikes had crushed his internal organs, and his spiritual pathways were collapsing in on themselves like empty veins.

Is this... where it stops? Sol thought, the cold darkness pressing in from all sides. Lumi... she’s safe with the alien... but I... I still had so much to do...

The thought drifted through the endless black like a dying echo.

Sol floated in a vast, hollow nothingness. There was no pain anymore... only a profound, bone-deep cold that seeped into every corner of his being. His body felt distant, almost foreign, as if it no longer belonged to him.

The world outside had vanished. No sound of battle. No scent of blood and dust. Only silence and the crushing weight of finality.

For a moment... a terrifying, peaceful moment... Sol accepted it. Being in this world and having experienced so many near death experiences, he was kinda prepared for his own death too.

So this is death...

He had always imagined it would be more dramatic. Flames. Lightning. A glorious last stand. Instead, it was quiet. Almost gentle. The kind of end reserved for ordinary warriors.

But the warmth quickly turned to bitter regret.

He still had so much to do.

Memories surged through the void, sharp and vivid, refusing to let him rest.

He remembered his past life... unremarkable existence on Earth. The quiet dissatisfaction. The endless cycle of gooning, sleep, and quiet regret. The feeling that he was meant for something greater, but never had the chance to seize it.

Then this life... the transmigration. The moment he woke up in this savage world. The rush of power. The burning desire for strength that had consumed him from the very beginning. The ruthless ambition to conquer everything before him. The discovery of this new world filled with powers, ancient secrets, and limitless potential.

And true to being a transmigrator, though slower than his counterparts, he had risen rapidly. He had tasted strength. He had crushed enemies beneath his boot. He had protected those he cared for and carved fear into the hearts of those who opposed him. Yet it was only the beginning.

There were still so many ambitions left unfulfilled.

He hadn’t even begun to explore the deeper mysteries hidden in this world. He hadn’t fully mastered the true limits of his Free Use power. He hadn’t explored the places spoken of in forgotten legends, nor had he challenged the greater powers lurking beyond the horizon.

He hadn’t claimed the beauties and wonders this new existence had to offer.

Most importantly...

A wry, bitter smile formed in the darkness.

...I hadn’t even tasted the beauty of another race yet.

The thought was crude, but it sparked something primal and defiant deep within his fading soul.

In this vast new world filled with millions of races, countless mysterious beings... elegant elves, powerful beastkin, ethereal spirits, and more... he had barely scratched the surface of what life had to offer. He refused to die without tasting all the wonders this world has to offer.

There’s no way... I’m gonna die like this.