[Prelude]

  A giant axe cut through the air just a few millimeters from his nose. The man avoided most of the blow by moving his torso. However, he didn’t have enough time to step aside. The weapon sank into his leg, cleanly slicing off a large part of it. It could have ended much worse, as he saw the unmeasurable sharp edge forming a luminous trail in the ground. A few seconds later, the planet split, forming a nearly perfect cross-section.

  Admiring the effects of the enemy’s attack during a fierce battle was not a very wise idea, as in the blink of an eye, a huge, heavy boot landed on his chest. The galaxy shook once again, and the splintered planet was reduced to dust by the force of the impact. The man’s body was dismembered, and the torso connected to his head flew off into outer space.

  Does he use any Berserker skills? he thought.

  Or an artifact. He should have passed out by now, another voice added in his head.

  His body was already regenerating during the flight. Both torso and limbs grew, like in a time-lapse video showing a plant maturing.

  “Fuck, I’m out of spare pants.” the man said, crossing space at impossible speed. He barely felt the impact with the next planet, which was immediately pierced through. He slowed down only after penetrating the next two, but the impact with the third still created a huge crater.

  Before his body could fully recover, a giant titan figure with an axe appeared before him. His eyes have long since lost all trace of intelligence, now little more than two bloodshot orbs. The huge body, amidst countless wounds, was covered with pulsating veins, and it was easy to see that this was only a temporary state. Probably, if they left now, the titan would have died a few minutes later. As one might expect from a servant of war, summed up the voice in the man’s head. All that matters is the fight.

  You think they don’t have other hobbies? This guy looks like a fishing fanatic. he barely had time to think.

  The giant axe fell again, but this time only to the surface of the planet. Titan looked around vigorously, searching for his enemy’s whereabouts, oblivious to the ground, breaking apart beneath him. It didn’t take long before his attention was drawn to a point where he felt a monstrous mass of mana. He threw himself towards it, only to stop, seized by fear, when he saw the horror beyond reality. Even as a follower of war, with the lust of blood flowing through his veins, sustaining his body, he froze at the sight of the grotesque before him.

  The man was standing on a small rock floating motionless in space. He smiled awkwardly, with one hand covering his crotch and the other holding a crystal sword over his shoulder. Behind him was a creature darker than the deepest blackness and larger than the biggest stars, millions of eyes stared at him with hunger.

  This was the last thing the titan saw, for in the midst of the abomination, he failed to notice his opponent’s disappearance. His head was separated from the rest of his body and immediately began to wither. Before the process was complete, however, both the head and the rest of the body disappeared, clearly hidden into someone’s inventory. Soon the enormous horror began to shrink and flow into the man’s body as if sucked by an invisible vacuum cleaner.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Damn, I have to admit, that’s a bit awkward to swing that junk, the man thought as he swung his sword to get rid of the blood.

  You would be burned at the stake in many worlds for calling this artifact by that, an inner voice said.

  I know, right? They’ll never learn, he replied, remembering the last attempt to burn him. The inhabitants of this small kingdom had quite various expressions, seeing that when the stake he was tied to lost its integrity and the flames decreased their temperature, he used the moment to fry the sausages taken from his inventory. With his resistance to fire, ordinary flames, not saturated with mana, could be at most a verification of the quality of clothes. Are you sure no one else saw you? He thought in his mind.

  It was a private show, the inner voice responded.

  Although the whole fight lasted only two hours, it seemed to go on for weeks. Every fraction of a second mattered, and one wrong step could mean instant death. Still, he couldn’t show his true skills, considering the witnesses to that battle. Operating mana in a spectrum he wasn't accustomed to, and constantly manipulating multiple aspects of his essence, proved far more challenging than the fight itself. He had to do it, however, as the gaze of hundreds of gods followed every move of mana, eagerly trying to guess his true identity. Only a few of them knew who they were dealing with.

  The man has disappeared once again, reappearing on one of the few surviving planets. He wanted to have a moment to think about all the moves he made in the fight, in order to improve them further. However, the energy fluctuations behind him made him once again tighten his grip on the handle of the sword. An emerald circle appeared near him, and the space within it vibrated like a surface of water tormented by high-pitched sounds. A moment later, a slender foot emerged from the portal, and then the rest of the female figure. She was about three meters tall, and her head was decorated with green creeper plants, arranged in three pairs of wings. Her skin looked like a combination of ordinary flesh and moss, and her large, blue eyes evoked the impression of a spring of refreshing water. She was dressed in a revealing silver robe, and from her hands were hanging vines. She had a big smile on her face, but seeing his condition, she raised her eyebrows and turned quickly.

  Seeing a woman, he relaxed, and feeling the gazes in the distance fading, he rejected the temporary weapon.

  “Anointed of Happiness. It’s been a while.” said the man.

  “I’d like to meet for a little longer, but I’ve got some information,” she said. She raised her hand, and a pearl crystal appeared above it and began to float towards him.

  “Another location? So soon?”

  “Yes. This time it’s Anointed of Fear.”

  Hah! Challenge accepted, the voice in the man’s head said.

  “Can I count on you guys to clean up this galaxy? I’ve made sure the fight will take place in an uninhabited one, but I still don’t want to leave it like that.”

  “With pleasure,” she said, and more circles began to appear around her.

  “Then it’s time for me. Oh, I’m planning on having a barbecue soon. I hope you’ll come by. I’ll see you around,” he said, smiling at her. Then he disappeared, reappearing in a distant place whose location no gods knew. He wanted to get some rest before the next fight, after which he would meet his friends.

  No longer worrying about witnesses, his body began to change, and he sat down on the summoned chair. His gaze moved upwards, where he saw the night sky with countless colorful stars.

  He sighed, thinking back to when it all started.