The universe began around 13.8 billion years ago. The event that started it is known as the Big Bang. But many humans believe that the universe wasn't created by a Big Bang, but by God. Every religion has its own god—some believe in a single deity, others in many.
Now, whether the universe was created by the Big Bang or by a god, when it came into existence, many races were born alongside it. Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Demi-Humans, Monster Hybrids, Cacutelle, and many more. At the time the universe began, two realms were also formed: the Demon Realm and the God Realm. Just by their names, one can guess the nature of their inhabitants.
These two realms opposed each other and were full of hatred. Because of this hatred, they eventually went to war—a war that lasted a long time, nearly 13.7 billion years. But over time, both sides began to lose their power. They realized that no matter how long the war continued, neither realm could truly dominate the other. So, the important figures from both realms came together and signed a treaty called the Massacre of the Mortals.
According to this treaty, the two realms would now hold a deathmatch tournament, divided into seven levels. The purpose of this deathmatch was to eliminate the important figures of the opposing realm and claim control over it.
After this, they began searching for mortal races. These beings were not bound by the laws of physics. They could travel through the vacuum of space at incredible speeds and even create wormholes. When humans became advanced—around the year 2025—they were finally discovered. But before that, the other races had already been enslaved.
In this universe, every mortal being has a kite-shaped fragment at the center of their chest, known as the Fractaline. It's cyan in color and solid in form. Inside it lies the soul of the mortal being.
Supernatural powers had existed in the universe for a long time, but they were exclusive to the God Realm and Demon Realm. Mortals had no access to them—until the arrival of the Seed, which could grant supernatural powers to mortals. There are two types of seeds: Blessing Seeds and Cursed Seeds. The Demon Realm possesses the Cursed Seeds, while the God Realm has the Blessing Seeds.
Any slave that ends up in the God Realm has a Blessing Seed implanted into their Fractaline, from which their supernatural power begins to grow like a tree.
And any human who becomes a slave in the Demon Realm has a Cursed Seed implanted into their Fractaline. Not just humans, but all mortal races. Currently, almost all mortal races are slaves in one of the two realms.
But it's not like both realms enslaved everyone at once. Whenever they go to take slaves, they don't enslave the entire race. Instead, they leave behind enough individuals to reproduce. Both realms have mutated the Fractaline of all mortal races so that once a female becomes pregnant, she gives birth in 3 months, and the baby reaches teenage years within just 9 months. As long as the female keeps reproducing, she will continue giving birth to babies. They have removed all natural limits. Males are also given limitless stamina and lust before being left behind. However, those males die after 1 year. No matter the mortal race, this happens to all of them.
The same thing happened to Julius too.
But still… why was Julius enslaved at the age of 20?
Why not before that?
And the same goes for that old man.
This was still unknown.
Julius, the dwarf old man, and the elf kid were sitting quietly inside the cage.
The three of them were waiting for each other to make a move, to strike.
But none of them did.
Just then, the old man stood up. He rose to his feet, and both Julius and the elf kid immediately became alert. There was a smile on the old man's face. His eyes were open, but it looked as if they were closed—perhaps because of his age.
He spoke,
"Kids, I'm sorry. I know you both want to live your lives, but I can't let my remaining days go to waste like this."
His voice was exactly what you'd expect from an old man. Then, he opened his mouth—wide. Saliva stretched from his lips to whatever was inside. Suddenly, there was movement in his esophagus, and something emerged from his mouth—a sharp knife. How he hid it, or what trick he used, was unknown.
But somehow, he had smuggled a weapon in—for his own protection.
Meanwhile, Julius and the elf kid were completely barehanded. They weren't restrained in their movements, but still...
At this point, the three of them were enemies, weren't they?
Julius and the elf kid stood with their backs to the searing lava bars behind them, wary and silent. The old man suddenly lunged forward, aiming straight for the elf kid. But the boy reacted just in time, twisting out of the way with sharp agility. The cage wasn't large—no bigger than a 4x4 meter room—leaving little space to maneuver.
The old man's knife came dangerously close to slashing the bars, but just before impact, he halted his movement. Then, in one swift motion, he spun around and swung the blade toward Julius.
Julius managed to dodge, but not completely—the knife grazed just below his right eye, leaving a thin, stinging cut. A trickle of blood ran down his cheek, but it wasn't life-threatening.
Seeing this, the old man made a quick assumption: Julius was the weakest of the three.
Without hesitation, he dashed toward him.
But this time, Julius moved with startling speed.
As the old man thrust the knife forward, Julius pivoted to his right, grabbing the old man's wrist mid-strike—the one holding the blade. With a forceful shove, Julius drove him backward—right into the lava bars.
The moment the old man's body made contact with the bars, it began to melt. Every part that touched them sizzled and dissolved. In seconds, his body was split into four gruesome chunks, each slipping down in a steaming heap.
The knife fell—clattering to the floor—landing between Julius and the elf kid.
Now, both of them stared at it, heartbeats racing.
There was no need for words.
Only one question remained:
Who would grab the knife first—and survive?