Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

"Argh…"

A groan slipped from Alex's lips as his vision was consumed by pure black.

The [Darkness Domain] had been activated.

Triggered by both Veyrion and Nocturne at the same time, the world around Alex and Kaelios had changed in an instant, like a curtain of night had been dropped over existence itself.

Everything vanished.

There was no light, no sound, not even the faintest outline of shapes in the distance.

Just endless, suffocating blackness.

This domain, unlike others, didn't activate on command alone.

The conditions had been strict, first, their blades had to absorb enough light over time, second, they had to mark their targets with at least one direct hit.

And unfortunately for Alex and Kaelios, both those requirements had been met not long ago.

Now, they were inside the very heart of their enemy's power.

And in this pitch-black domain, control belonged entirely to the enemy.

'I didn't even get to see what the [Wheel of Destiny] chose…' Alex muttered in frustration, standing alone in a void that even his enhanced vision couldn't penetrate.

He stared straight ahead, but there was nothing to see, just a hollow, crushing darkness that devoured everything.

It was strange.

He wasn't blind.

Not truly.

He could still "see"—his eyes weren't damaged—but the world had simply stopped offering him anything to witness.

It was like being buried alive in an invisible coffin.

'Kaelios…' he thought grimly.

'He doesn't have many Destiny Points left, if I die too fast… we're done.'

He took a cautious step forward, then another.

The air was unnaturally still, the silence weighing down on him like a suffocating blanket.

He didn't get the chance to move further.

"You're foolish."

The voice came from behind, and before Alex could even turn—

Slash.

A cold blade tore through his neck, and the world tilted sideways as he felt his head detach from his body.

[You have died.]

"…"

There was no time to rest.

No time to think.

Not when death itself was licking at their heels.

Destiny Shift.

[Undoing death...]

He forced himself back into the world with a sharp breath, but just as he started to move again, another blade cut into his torso.

Another kill.

Another forced revival.

'This won't work.'

He gritted his teeth, pain rushing through him again and again with every forced return.

He revived, dodged by a hair's breadth, and backed away as quickly as possible.

But even now, something was wrong.

The domain didn't weaken his stats, didn't curse him, didn't weigh him down like many others might have.

No, it was worse.

It was subtle.

There were no warning signs or debuffs, just pure darkness and the inability to act.

He tried to retaliate.

Threads of Fate.

He reached into the tangled web of destiny, trying to use his power to find some kind of anchor point.

[You have been overtaken by "Darkness." You cannot use that.]

"What…?"

A cold chill ran down his spine.

He tried again.

Fated Cataclysm!

Nothing.

Destiny Flame!

Still nothing.

The powers were sealed.

Not erased. Not removed. Just inaccessible.

His Destiny Points were still intact, but none of them responded.

It was like being shackled, blindfolded, and thrown into a pit with lions.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The cycle continued.

Again and again, Alex's body was torn apart, his soul yanked back into existence only to suffer again.

And all the while, Veyrion and Nocturne laughed.

Their mocking tones echoed through the void, their delight clear in every word, every slash.

They didn't need to rush, after all, every time Alex died, Kaelios lost power.

The clock was ticking.

And then—

[Destiny Points: 4/200]

He was out. Four points left.

That meant only one more death. After that… no more revival. No more second chances.

One more kill and it was game over.

"I can sense the darkness in your heart," Veyrion murmured, stepping forward from the shadows as if amused by Alex's still-standing figure, "You were a disappointment."

"Fuck you," Alex muttered, barely able to lift his arm.

"You're done," Nocturne said from behind him with a chuckle, "You've lost. Accept it."

But even in that bleak moment, even as his death drew near, Alex did something they hadn't expected.

He smiled.

And then…

"He's here," Alex whispered.

The two enemies froze.

Just for a fraction of a second.

Their blades were still mid-swing when it happened—

Clang! Clang!

And their swords were deflected.

A sudden blast of light emerged out of the blackness, cutting through the oppressive gloom like a divine blade.

The darkness recoiled.

Even the very fabric of the domain seemed to crack under the weight of that brightness.

"WHAT?!"

"HOW?!"

Panic surged in Veyrion and Nocturne's voices.

To them, darkness was everything, not just an element, but a concept. An absolute force.

They had used it to conquer worlds, to erase empires, to shatter even the hopes of gods.

And now, for the first time in who knows how long, light had pierced it.

That light belonged to the [Angel of Destiny].

Summoned by the [World Cleaver] Kaelios had activated at the start of the battle, the divine figure finally descended, just as Alex had predicted, when all hope seemed lost.

[You have made a terrible mistake,] the angel said calmly, its voice cutting through the shadows like a storm.

It didn't swing its weapon, instead, it pointed.

All eyes turned toward that direction.

And there it was, the [Wheel of Destiny], hovering above the slowly materializing [Scales of Destiny].

The wheel had stopped spinning. Its trial had been decided.

A strange symbol glowed briefly, unintelligible at first… until a panel appeared before both Alex and Kaelios, its contents slowly becoming readable.

Ding!

[To complete the ritual, you must pass the trial selected at random by the Wheel of Destiny.]

[Note: Completion is decided from the beginning of the battle.]

Kaelios now hovered beside the wheel, his face unreadable.

Yet Alex saw the slight twitch of his brow, the tension.

Even with the angel present, they were still inside their enemies' domain.

There was no guarantee that they would make it out alive.

And if the wheel had chosen something ridiculous, which it almost always did, then they were doomed.

But then… the trial was revealed.

[The God of Destiny or His Chosen must injure one of the enemy combatants enough to completely amputate one of their limbs.]

Silence.

The words hovered in front of them.

They read them once. Twice. A third time.

The meaning was clear.

And then—Alex and Kaelios locked eyes.

"You think we'll just stand here?!" Veyrion roared, power surging into his blade, "YOU CAN'T WIN!"

But Alex wasn't listening.

He was already looking—straight at Veyrion's leg.

The same leg that had been obliterated earlier in the battle by his [Void Blaster].

And then—

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The sound echoed through the realm, cutting through the void like a bell of judgment.

[The task has been successfully completed by "FateBreaker." The conditions for the "Domain of Destiny" have been met.]

[Good luck.]

The angel's glow intensified for a moment, before fading.

And then—

BOOM!

A violent explosion of light erupted within the void, searing the [Darkness Domain] itself and swallowing half of it.

"Huh?!"

"Wait, what—"

"A domain clash?!"

"What the hell is this?!"

All four combatants were momentarily confused as the realm around them began to crack and shift.

Then—

Ding!

[As you were already inside the "Darkness Domain," but the "Garden of Destiny" is of equal rank, the two domains shall now clash.]

A third explosion followed, and this time, the domain's interior began to warp and stabilize.

On one side, there was now pure darkness, a dead realm of shadow, still seething with malice.

On the other, a vivid, blooming garden.

The sky was blue. The trees alive. The grass beneath vibrant.

This was the [Garden of Destiny], a place of life, balance, and divine order.

Alex wasted no time. He launched a kick, knocking both Veyrion and Nocturne away.

Then, without hesitation, he stepped into the light, into the garden.

Kaelios was already there, grounded and breathing hard.

The [Angel of Destiny] joined them, its wings glowing with divine energy.

Now, the battlefield was split in half, light versus dark.

The two forces looked at each other from across the border of their domains, neither side daring to make the first move.

They all knew the same thing: The final clash was moments away.

Only one side would remain standing by the end.