Continuing the World

“How is it?”

“All normal.”

After a brief exchange, the two soldiers in heavy armor let out sighs of relief.

Today was their final day patrolling the Demon Clan’s seal site.

Please, no more trouble. If we can hand over our shift without incident, we’ll gladly spend our precious time off praying before the Great Saintess.

But life rarely goes as planned—misfortunes strike nine times out of ten.

Not far from them, in an unremarkable corner, a dark mass seemed to twitch faintly.

Was that…?

The two exchanged glances, instantly alert. They slowly drew their silver swords and crept cautiously toward the unknown object.

Until they reached it, they desperately hoped it was just a trick of the light. But what lay before them was no illusion—it was undeniably a human being.

They gave the figure a light kick. Receiving no response, they leaned in closer, inspecting the unconscious youth.

The young man’s eyes were tightly shut—alive or dead, impossible to tell. But his strange clothing stood out sharply.

In this place, anything unusual was a bad omen.

One soldier crouched down, his gaze drawn to a small tag on the youth’s chest, pulsing with a soft blue light.

What is this?

The other soldier noticed it too and didn’t dare hesitate. He knelt and struggled for several long moments before finally prying the tag free from the stranger’s odd attire.

It read:
United Nations Human Army – Lieutenant General Bai Ci

“Have you ever heard of this ‘United Nations’?”

One soldier turned the tag over and over in his hands. Despite its tiny size, it felt unnaturally heavy.

“Could it mean a union between humans, elves, dragons, beast tribes…?”

“Impossible.”

Both chuckled, as if the idea were absurd.

Seeing that the youth remained completely unresponsive—even after a few slaps—they decided not to waste any more time. The safest move was to pass this hot potato to their superior.

The sky hung dark and oppressive over the land, as if even a smile would be a sin beneath such shadows.

A middle-aged officer in silver armor had just finished issuing orders when he received a report: a suspicious figure had been found within his jurisdiction.

When his two subordinates carried the unconscious youth into his presence, he frowned deeply.

This is…

At first glance, countless questions surged through his mind.

The youth wore something he’d never seen before—resembling armor, yet unlike their bulky suits. Except for a few key joints, his body was almost entirely uncovered by hard plating.

His obsidian-like shoulder guards and the cracked, webbed patterns across his frame radiated a terrifying aura—one even ordinary men could feel.

And that red crystal embedded in his chest pulsed at a frequency that made the air itself feel uneasy. In any world, such a sensation meant blood—and warning.

After hearing the full account from his soldiers,

the officer understood this stranger was no mere intruder.

His appearance meant someone under his command had failed their duty.

If he and his men had truly guarded the area properly, this youth would never have appeared here.

Reporting this upward would bring consequences he couldn’t afford.

On his watch, nothing—nothing—would threaten his career.

Still won’t wake up, huh…

The officer muttered, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

“Perhaps some delusional cross-dresser sneaked in here, and the curse of this forbidden land simply consumed his weak body.”

He turned away casually, but the murderous intent in his gaze said everything.

The two soldiers immediately understood. Reading their superior’s expression was a basic skill of being a subordinate.

“As a reward, your leave starts today,” the officer said with a satisfied smile.

“Let’s do it here.”

“Mm.”

The two soldiers walked far—until they were well beyond the sealed zone—before dumping Bai Ci into a shallow pit in the forest.

“Sorry, kid. Blame your bad luck for being born in the wrong place.”

One raised his silver sword, ready to plunge it into Bai Ci’s heart.

What—

Ugh…!

But they never completed the act.

Two unnatural screams rang out. Then, like puppets with severed strings, they collapsed beside Bai Ci.

From a distance, a girl watched it all unfold.

Purple mana, crackling with immense power, still danced around her hand.

“Was it… you?” she whispered, staring at the unconscious Bai Ci.

Who knows how much time passed.

So painful…

Sorry… I took such a long break…

Gritting through the pain in his chest, Bai Ci slowly sat up from the dirt pit.

His memories were fragmented, but the instinctive combat signals still flashed in his brain.

No time to rest now…

Hmm…?

Where am I? Bai Ci shook dirt from his head and looked around. Only then did he notice the bizarre surroundings—the two silver-armored soldiers lying beside him in grotesque positions.

They looked like medieval Western knights from old movies he’d once watched.

“Dead?”

He checked their breath. Finding none, he didn’t bother trying to save them.

Compared to two dead soldiers, his priority was finding clues about why he was here.

Climbing out of the pit was exhausting—his body was near its limit.

Yet for the Second Legion’s Lieutenant General of the United Nations Human Army, it was still manageable.

Gradually, he pieced together the hazy fragments in his mind. Useful information surfaced, though he couldn’t yet connect the dots into a coherent timeline.

Shouldn’t I be over the Pacific right now…?

Memories of Operation Morning Star began to return.

One thing was certain—this place was wrong.

There was no way this terrain existed over the Pacific.

He’d fought in that region hundreds of times.

Bai Ci clenched his jaw against waves of pain surging through his body. He spat out a mouthful of sand. Using the crystalline display on his combat suit’s wrist, he caught sight of his own face.

This…

He stared in shock. He knew that face too well. What baffled him was that the youthful features reflected in the crystal were his own—from ten years ago.

So young… I should still be in high school.

Back then, Earth had no Extinction Species.

Extinction Species…

After a brief daze,

Bai Ci finally retrieved the last piece of the puzzle.

His memories snapped into place.

He remembered everything—Earth, the war, the final moments of Morning Star.

The dimensional gate had opened.

Then, a twisting, incomprehensible frequency had enveloped him.

He felt himself—and every Extinction Species on Earth—vanish.

When he woke again… he was here.

****

Another world…

Wait…

Before he could steady himself, a wave of vertigo struck.

The next moment, Bai Ci felt his soul detach from his body, drifting toward a distant space.

His consciousness blurred. His spirit merged with the heavens, the stars, the very fabric of existence.

This strange state felt oddly peaceful—like drifting into deep sleep while fully aware.

Finally… time to rest…

In the blinding light, all thoughts slipped away.

“I’m so tired…”

Just… rest for a little while.

As Bai Ci’s consciousness neared oblivion, a thunderous roar shattered the silence—a hammer blow to reality.

“BOOM!!”

A deafening explosion erupted in his spiritual form. His mind detonated again and again—then, total darkness.