"Ha… Ha…"
The voice of panting echoed in the air as a man climbed on top of a mountain that had been covered in ash.
Once he reached the top, he couldn't help but look around him, finding the entire world had been covered in ash. The city next to the mountain had crumbled, with a lot of people getting buried underneath the ash.
He turned his head to the west, finding a marching army of aliens.
"This time is the same, huh? I don't really have enough familiars to take them on…"
When he looked back, it felt like a vivid memory crawling into his mind. In one memory, there was a woman stroking his cheek gently while her face turned paler and paler every second.
"You have worked too hard. It feels unfair for me to tell you to keep pushing forward."
When he shook his head, a different scene appeared. It was a middle-aged man with a gentle smile on his face. He gave him a thumbs up, saying, "As expected of you, brother. I won't lose to you…"