The air reeked of ash and blood. Fires flickered across the ruins, painting the broken skyline of London in a faint, dying glow.
An old man sat in the middle of a shattered road, his body soaked in blood, each breath shallow and heavy.
"So this is how it ends, huh?" he muttered, voice coarse and tired. "Never thought the great London would crumble long before the other country."
He gave a weak, humorless chuckle and let his sword fall, the blade clattering against the cracked pavement.
"Well we we're in chaos when it started suddenly so it was just a matter of time"
And from his torn coat, he pulled out a worn cigar crushed at one end, dirt-stained and bent. His weary eyes softened for the first time.
"This old thing," he whispered. "My friend's last gift."
A faint voice echoed in his mind: "This is my last cigar. I know you don't smoke, but at least keep it, alright?"
The old man smiled faintly. "Guess I'm finally gonna be a smoker my friend let's smoke together up there."
He snapped his fingers, summoning a weak flame of fire magic. The tip glowed red, and he took a slow drag. Smoke curled into the night, mixing with the dust and ash around him.
In the distance, monsters screamed as hundreds of them charging through the ruined streets toward him.
Then, a crimson system window flickered into existence before his eyes.
[Kill Count Mission: 563 Low Minions]
[Mission: Failed]
He glared at the red text, exhaling smoke through bloodied lips.
"Shut it, system," he growled. "How about you send me back to the past instead? I'll make sure this Hopeless Scenario never reaches this point."
He paused, eyes drifting to the bloodstained sword beside him. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, a soft metallic ting echoed.
A new line of text appeared, glowing brighter than the fires around him.
[Will you proceed to go back in time to prepare for this apocalypse?]
[Warning: You will never be able to use the system again.]
The old man's eyes widened, then a grin crept across his scarred face.
"Of course. I'll make sure you never get past us again... if I ever go back."
The ground trembled as the light from the system grew blinding. The monsters froze mid-charge, the entire street swallowed in white.
[Good luck.]
But amidst all of that the old man only raised his middle finger and growled,
"I don't need your luck, system. Watch me I'll make sure this Hopeless London is Prepared And Guarded next time."
As the old man slowly opened his eyes, a voice he had almost forgotten echoed softly in his ears.
"Oh, is our little Lord Richard awake?" his mother said gently.
His blurry vision caught the faint light above him, and the warmth of familiar arms around his small body.
The once-battered old man was now back as a baby.
And now he must prepare against the upcoming doom. with monster towering high from the building, entity's that's faster than a car and unknown creature that flies in the air