The God Killer drifted to and fro at the edge of life and death. It wasn't that he was struggling to live but to die. Heruzen was dragged into a dark place; to his right, there was Hell and eternal damnation and to his left was the glistening chance to live.

 

"Finally, I have found you."

 

The answer was so laughably simple!

 

He raised both arms and then began running towards Hell!

 

"I'm finally going to die — wait… what's happening?" His body could no longer move forward, he looked back, and a few meters away was the Goddess of Fate's silhouette running in the opposite direction with a red string of fate tied to his waist!

 

[Dammit, you Chosen, that's not that the way to live! That's Hell, you idiot!] The Goddess cursed!

 

"Goddammit, woman! Let me go! I AM going to hell; I have a first-class ticket with me!"

 

[Are you an imbecile? That place is for the dammed! You will be tortured for all of eternity there! Don't you beings pursue immortality? Why the hell do you want to die!?]

 

"Why do you care!? Just let me die!"

 

[You inconsiderate cur! Do you really think I don't want to see you suffer!? It's that I can't have you going to hell and dragging me with you! I can't disappear just yet! I have a role to fulfill! Now just give up and choose to live!]

 

"I'll rather suffer in Hell than return to becoming a puppet! The suffering I endured, unable to create a family, unable to live in peace, unable to trust anyone. All of that I endured, all for what? To prop up a horny teenager to a pedestal? To raise the worth of those incongruous heroes!? Do you think I'll return to such a fate!?!"

 

The Goddess was confused, but she knew one thing; Heruzen would not listen to her.

 

"At least in Hell, I know my Fate is to suffer! I don't have to bear hope for a change to happen! I had enough of hoping and praying!"

 

The pain of betrayal and despair remained fresh. He fell into depression and the times when he was tortured for information he did not want to possess. Times when he watched multiple parents die in more than a hundred lives, watched as Heroes steal the woman he cherished.

 

It was too much.

 

If she did nothing, she would be brought to Hell with him!

 

[Mo-Mortal! Listen to me, I do not know what you went through, but if you decide to live, I'll make sure you do not suffer! You will be in control of your life; your decisions will be what you want. Come on, please, I am begging you to trust me on this… we may have our differences and misunderstandings so take this as an apology from me to you!]

 

Heruzen momentarily hesitated…

 

"Why the hell should I trust you!?"

 

[You're really doubting me right now?]

 

"Why shouldn't I doubt you?"

 

[Because I don't want to die and…] The Goddess gnashed her teeth.

 

"So you were lying then."

 

[I am now your System; I am no longer a Goddess but a servant. The moment I bring you to the [Prime Reality], I will be nothing more than your assistant. Dammit, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have to! I can't disappear without witnessing the ascension of the next Goddess of Fate; else, Existence itself will fall into Chaos!]

 

"…you are lying."

 

[WHY THE HELL WOULD I LIE ABOUT THIS!?]

 

This reaction finally made Heruzen smile.

 

"For a hateful person, you sure take your responsibilities seriously… but, sure, I'm going to accept your deal." Heruzen didn't want to trust her, but… to a certain degree, he could tell she was not lying.

 

The Goddess heaved a sigh of relief.

 

Thousands of red threads of fate appeared before the Goddess; she grabbed the most resplendent of them all, [Okay! I found a life that's willing to give its body!]

 

Red light washed over him as though Heruzen's senses were sucked into a pool of blood. His senses dulled, his perception changed, he was drawn away from Hell. His body was veiled in light.

 

The white silhouette of a beautiful young man appeared before him. He carried with him a melancholic expression, but he smiled at Heruzen and mouthed off some words.

 

'How odd of you to give your body to someone else….' 

 

Seeing a willing host was bewildering for Heruzen.

 

The silhouette smiled and then melded with him.

 

Heruzen opened his eyes, he instinctively raised his arms in celebration... a grave mistake.

 

A fist came hurtling to his face.

 

Instinctively he reacted to dodge, but drowsiness fell upon him as the aroma of alcohol wafted over.

 

'How swell I'm drunk.'

 

BAM!

 

A punch straight to his nose! His back touched something soft, accompanied by a squeal.

 

"Sir Theo, are you okay!?!" a lady asked, concern written all over her face.

 

To which, Heruzen hesitatingly replied with, "You're a flag, aren't you?"

 

"I'm sorry?"

 

BAM!

 

"You dare ignore me, you waste!?" a bandit-looking man struck Heruzen on the nose once more. Blood spurted out like a faucet as Heruzen staggered away from the "flag".

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Thud.

 

Flat on his back, Heruzen was mounted... non-sexually.

 

A flurry of punches flew to his face... again, non-sexually.

 

"I told you not to mess with me, you bastard! Do you even know who I am!? HUH!?"

 

It hurt Heruzen. But not enough to be endangering.

 

Slightly swaying his head in the same direction as the punches.

 

"There! Learn to respect your Elders, brat!" the bandit shouted down on Heruzen.

 

But Heruzen just looked at him, uninterested, "You done?

 

"Huh?"

 

"Either way, your free trial just ended,"

 

"What?"

 

"That means I'm going to beat you to a pulp now."

 

BAM!

 

Standing up quickly, Heruzen bashed the man's nose with his forehead!

 

The man staggered, and when he regained a semblance of balance, two feet were already coming for him.

 

"Dropkick."

 

The man fell, and Heruzen finally gained his sense of self.

 

Mounting the drunk, Heruzen lazily stretched his wrist, "Clench your teeth... it's my turn."

 

"Wai—"

 

PAH!

 

PAH!

 

PAH!

 

PAH!

 

The consecutive sound of palm meeting a face echoed around the road. The young man who was being beaten to a pulp earlier was now slapping his assaulter with impunity.

 

Heruzen did not stop even when the man's face was swollen and bruised. He does not know what was happening before he took over, but if he just let this drunk go with a few smacks, he'll come back to haunt him like a fly in the future.

 

'Better nip it in the bud before it becomes an infestation.'

 

[Hey! HEY! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!] the Goddess, however, did not like what he was doing.

 

Heruzen heard the Goddess. He would have sneered at her hypocritic words, but as he let go of the man who had long been unconscious, he looked at then looked at his bloodied hands.

 

He was trembling.

 

'Yes... YeS! YES! I can slap someone half to death without getting forcefully stopped by the System! I am free, I am free —

 

Finally, Heruzen was free from the grasps of the System! He was no longer bound, no more chains, no more—

 

'Hmm?'

 

However, something felt amiss...

 

'—wait a minute, why are they smiling and cheering for me?'

 

He asked, seeing the cheering around him instead of fear-laced gazes.

 

"Thank you, Young Noble! For you to save me, you were…" the beauty with the "big heart" approached him and asked with concern. She pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom and even wiped the blood from Heruzen's face.

 

All the while he's being treated like a Prince, Theo looked around, still confused about the situation, 'People cheering, there's a beauty who's looking really terrified and worried for me instead of being terrified….'

 

Heruzen crouched on the ground and forced open the eyes of the man he was just slapping, not to see if he was awake or anything, instead, to see his reflection.

 

"I'm terrifyingly handsome, people are cheering at me for beating someone… wait… oh no no no no… this can't be happening." Heruzen looked up and grabbed the nearest person next to him; it was the woman with ample assets and clear eyes, "Hey you, who are you? Did I, in some way, shape, or form, save you from this man who looks like he was born to sexually assault somebody?"

 

The girl with the big breast blushed, bashfully looked away, and nodded her head as if she was some tiny animal, "Ye-yes, you did..." she then lowered her head and looked at him with an upturned gaze.

 

That's the last nail in his coffin.

 

Heruzen's entire body shivered; he fell to his knees with a groan, 'Ho-how can this be?'

 

"Sir Theo?! What happened!?" girl grew ever concerned by both his mental and physical state.

 

And so, in the middle of a triumphant victory over a local gang member, the Heroic Lord Theo fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

 

Heruzen looked up at the skies, a single tear streaked down his face as he hugged the pitiful man he was slapping to death earlier, finding solace at a defeated scum, 'This can't be happening… no, no, no, no!'

 

In disbelief, he looked at the heaves!

 

"GODDAMMIT!"

 

Heruzen screamed in despair.