I died.
That realization came with surprising calm.
No pain. No fear. Just darkness — endless and silent, stretching beyond thought itself.
Then a voice echoed.
[Reincarnation Complete.]
Light exploded across my vision.
Memories that weren't mine flickered past — stars forming, civilizations rising, worlds collapsing beneath beings powerful enough to rewrite reality itself.
I inhaled sharply.
Air.
Cold air filled my lungs as sensation rushed back into my body. I lay on rough stone beneath an unfamiliar sky, ancient and untouched, the stars brighter than anything I had ever seen before.
Before panic could set in, glowing text appeared in front of me.
[System Initialization Successful][Welcome, Host.][World: Marvel–DC Fusion Universe][Era: Ancient Age — Pre-Modern Heroic Period]
"…You've got to be kidding me," I whispered.
Marvel. DC. Fusion.
So gods, cosmic entities, demons, sorcerers, New Gods, Celestials — all in one universe.
Yeah… I was either incredibly lucky or catastrophically doomed.
Another window appeared.
[Starter Ability Granted][Template System Activated]
Rule: Every template obtained will manifest as the strongest possible version of that character.
My heart nearly stopped.
"The strongest… possible version?"
Even a weak race would become absurd under that rule.
A goblin?
Then it would be the most powerful goblin to ever exist.
A mage?
A god?
My breathing grew uneven.
A massive wheel of light materialized before me, countless names spinning too fast to read.
[Spin for Initial Template]
"…Okay," I muttered, sitting up. "Stay calm."
I clasped my hands together instinctively.
"I'm praying to literally every god right now. Zeus, Odin, Vishanti, anyone listening — please don't give me something useless."
The wheel began to slow.
Names flashed by.
Warriors. Monsters. Cosmic beings.
My pulse thundered louder with every passing second.
Then—
A name appeared.
And my thoughts froze.
Hao Asakura.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Then realization hit me like lightning.
"…Oh."
A slow grin spread across my face.
"Oh, I'm overpowered."
If this really was the strongest version rule… then I wasn't just lucky.
I was terrifying.
Hao Asakura — the legendary shaman capable of merging with the Great Spirit, a being that transcended time, space, and life itself.
A magic user whose power scaled toward omniscience.
In a world filled with sorcerers like Doctor Fate, mystics trained by the Ancient One, or prodigies like Doctor Strange, I might actually stand at the very top.
And that was before growth.
Because this…
…was only a template.
[Template Acquired: Hao Asakura][Synchronization: 1%]
Benefits Unlocking:
Spiritual Sensitivity ✔
Mana Affinity ✔
Memory Integration (Locked — Progress Required)
Great Spirit Connection (Dormant)
Pain exploded through my skull.
Not injury.
Information.
Fragments of ancient chants. Spirit contracts. Combat instincts. Mana circulation techniques far beyond anything I understood flooded my mind.
I collapsed to one knee, laughing breathlessly.
"So I level it up… and I become him."
Not exactly.
Better.
Because I wasn't just inheriting power.
I could learn this world's magic too — Asgardian sorcery, Atlantean mysticism, chaos magic, divine authority, demonic contracts.
All of it could stack.
All of it could evolve.
I looked up at the ancient sky, excitement burning hotter than fear.
"Yeah," I whispered.
"I'm about to become a monster."
[Main Quest Generated]Survive the Ancient Age.Grow the Template.Ascend Beyond All Magic Systems.
And somewhere, far beyond mortal perception…
Something ancient opened its eyes.