Chapter 1: The Tyrant’s Final Sacrifice

Blood soaked the battlefield. Smoke curled into the crimson sky. The once-mighty banners of the Tyrant King lay torn and trampled beneath a thousand boots.

Zayn Valor stood at the center of it all, breathing heavily, his body failing him. His black armor, once a symbol of unstoppable conquest, was cracked and broken. His hands, once capable of leveling entire cities, trembled as he gripped his sword.

His empire—his entire world—was falling apart before his eyes.

The Chosen Ones, the so-called heroes, had finally done it.

They had gathered their armies, their holy artifacts, and the divine blessings of the gods. They had rallied the traitors, the rebels, the cowards who had once called him their king.

And now, as Zayn fell to his knees, they surrounded him like scavengers circling a dying beast.

A golden spear hovered just inches from his heart. Its wielder, Seraphis the Radiant, glared down at him with that self-righteous disgust Zayn had always loathed.

"It's over, Tyrant," Seraphis said, his voice steady, his grip unwavering. "Your reign of terror ends now."

Zayn exhaled through gritted teeth. "Terror?" He let out a bitter chuckle, ignoring the taste of blood in his mouth. "You mean the peace I forged with my own hands? The order I brought to this world?"

"You call it peace," a cold voice cut in.

Lysara.

She stepped forward, her silver cloak fluttering in the wind, her violet eyes void of the love they once held for him. Zayn had once thought she would rule beside him. That she understood him.

He had been so, so wrong.

"You crushed those who defied you," Lysara said, her lips curled in disgust. "You slaughtered kings, burned cities, enslaved nations. Did you truly think the world would never rise against you?"

Zayn's golden eyes locked onto hers. "You stood at my side. You swore yourself to me."

She faltered—just for a second. But then she lifted her chin. "And I saw the monster you became."

Zayn's fingers twitched. He should have killed her when he had the chance.

"Enough," Seraphis snapped, his grip tightening on his spear. "Zayn Valor, for your crimes against this world, we sentence you to—"

Then it happened.

A voice. Not from any of them.

A voice from the depths of existence itself.

[Tyrant's Game System Activated.][Final Command Available: SACRIFICE EVERYTHING in exchange for one chance to RESTART.][Do You Accept?]

Zayn's breath caught in his throat.

The System.

He had always known there was something guiding him. Something that whispered to him in the heat of battle, something that pushed him to claim more, more, always more.

And now, at the moment of his death, it finally revealed itself.

A choice.

If he accepted, he would lose everything. His empire, his armies, his power—all of it would be erased.

But in return…

He would start again.

Zayn looked at his kingdom—the one he built from nothing. His banners burned. His soldiers lay dead.

The world had turned against him.

The same nobles who had once cowered at his feet now celebrated his downfall. The same generals who had sworn eternal loyalty stood behind Seraphis like obedient dogs.

He had given everything to this world. And in return, it had betrayed him.

His golden eyes burned with cold fury.

Fine.

If the world no longer belonged to him, then no one would have it.

"I accept," Zayn whispered.

[Acknowledged. The Tyrant's Sacrifice Begins.][Erasing the Kingdom of Valor… Erasing the World's History… Erasing Everything.]

A deep, unnatural silence fell over the battlefield.

Then—

The world began to break.

A massive crack split across the sky, as if reality itself was being torn apart. The air shuddered with an ancient, hungry force.

The ground began to collapse into an endless abyss.

"What—what is this?!" Seraphis shouted, whirling around. His golden armor glowed, but even his divine strength couldn't stop it.

"The world is... disappearing!" a warrior screamed.

The mountains in the distance crumbled into dust. The seas boiled away into nothingness. Cities, castles, temples—everything Zayn had ever ruled over—was erased in an instant.

A black void consumed everything.

Zayn watched as his betrayers began to panic.

Lysara turned to him, her violet eyes wide with horror. "Zayn—what did you do?!"

He smirked. "I'm taking it all with me."

The abyss reached out, swallowing soldiers, nobles, heroes. The Chosen Ones who had been so sure of their victory realized, too late, that they had won nothing.

Kael, his former general, tried to run. His scream was cut short as the void swallowed him whole.

Seraphis plunged his golden spear into the sky, praying to the gods— but there were no gods left to save him.

One by one, they were devoured.

Lysara was the last.

Her face twisted in fury, in terror. "You—"

And then she was gone.

Zayn stood alone at the center of oblivion.

The world he had once ruled was no more.

And yet, he smiled.

"Enjoy the nothingness, traitors."

Zayn gasped.

He bolted upright, his breath ragged. His hands clutched at his chest—Whole. Young. Alive.

No pain. No battlefield.

Instead—a tiny, dusty room.

His room.

The room he had lived in twenty years ago.

He stumbled to his feet, rushing to the cracked mirror. A seventeen-year-old version of himself stared back.

It worked.

[Welcome back, Tyrant.][Your Kingdom is Gone. Your Achievements Erased. But Your Knowledge… Your Power… They Remain.][Objective: Conquer the world again—this time, do it better.]

Zayn's lips curled into a cold, merciless smile.

This time, I won't make the same mistakes.

This time, I'll rule forever.