Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

Just when Anna thought they had it, a sudden flash of light blinded everyone for a second. By the time they recovered from the flash, the dragon's last head was severed. The beast's body crashed to the ground, and the battlefield fell silent.

"W-Who did this!?" Anna yelled, but no one stepped forward.

Anna's rage didn't subside as she looked around. The dragon had been nearly dead, but she had already told her team to let her get the kill. Then who dared to steal her kill?

Damn it!

The one who killed the dragon would receive plenty of rewards. The dragon's core was especially important for the upcoming trials. But now she had lost everything.

"Come out, damn it!" she yelled, losing her grip.

But to her annoyance, no one did. All of them looked just as confused as she was, glancing around as if looking for the culprit. Anna gritted her teeth, her hand clenching into a fist.

"Who did it?" she growled under her breath. "I'm asking for the last time!"

She waited for a minute for someone to step forward. But no one did.

"Fine, have it your way!"

Anna opened the rewards tab and searched for the name of the person who had stolen her kill. But she saw it. Her haughty demeanor disappeared in an instant.

Kang YuWon...

All the color drained from Anna's face.

"No... that's impossible," she whispered.

She felt her chest tighten as the name sank in. Kang YuWon couldn't possibly be there. No one could make their way back from the penalty zone. The angel had confirmed it herself. Then how was YuWon's name on the list?

"This must be your doing!?" Anna snarled, pointing at Yeji. "You dare play mind games with me? You dare test me, bitch!?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about—"

Yeji pleaded, but Anna wasn't hearing a thing. Her grip on Gina's chain tightened so hard that her knuckles turned white. Gina whimpered quietly but didn't resist, wearing the worst.

Even though Anna said it had to be Yeji's doing, she knew following the system wasn't possible.

Anna's heart raced as she tried to make sense of what was happening. How was he here? How had he come back? It didn't make any sense. None of this had ever happened in any of her regressions.

Her anger quickly turned to fear. If YuWon was back, everything was at risk. He was the one thing she hadn't accounted for, the one person who could ruin everything for her.

"YuWon…" she mumbled. "Show yourself!"

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, out of nowhere, Anna gasped and jerked forward as pain shot through her back. Her teammates were equally shocked as she fell to her knees, gasping for breath.

"Careful what you wish for," YuWon smirked as his invisibility dissipated. "You might not like it when it comes true."

Anna turned her head slightly to see YuWon standing behind her. His hair had grown long, and he sported a beard, but there was no mistaking it. It was him.

"You..." Anna mumbled, but YuWon wasn't paying any attention to her.

He was looking at Gina and Yeji. The sight of them broke something deep inside him. Meanwhile, Yeji's eyes widened in disbelief.

She blinked and slapped herself, thinking it was a hallucination. But it was no dream or hallucination. Her brother was there, right before her eyes.

"It's really... you?" Yeji asked as tears welled up in her eyes.

Before she could hold back, tears poured down her cheeks like a dam had burst. She covered her mouth with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably as thousands of emotions overwhelmed her.

All the grief, the guilt, the hope she had buried for so long came rushing out in that moment.

"You did well... sis," YuWon smiled, finally letting go of all the anger he had towards her. "Just hold on for a little longer. It'll be over soon."

But Gina… she was different. She stared at YuWon as if her mind couldn't register what her eyes were seeing. Anna had tortured her to the point of no return, unable to distinguish between reality and dream.

YuWon couldn't bear the sight of her. He had returned for them, but it was too late.

Anna saw YuWon's helpless expression and laughed. "Haha! Do you feel that helplessness, YuWon? That's what I felt when you turned your back—"

Anna was in the middle of speaking, but YuWon backhanded her. His face turned dark and anger surged in him like never before. Without a word, the souls he had stored left one after another.

It shouldn't have been possible. He should only be able to release one soul at a time, but something had broken inside of him and so did his abilities.

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

The system kept warning YuWon to recall the souls. But he didn't give a rat's ass about it.

The souls targeted the survivors, turning them mad. Some tried to resist, but most couldn't, and in an instant, Anna's carefully assembled army turned against each other.

Anna, still kneeling on the ground, looked around in horror. She raised her hand, trying to use some ability. But the next moment, a sharp pain shot through her body and she collapsed back on the ground.

A crimson screen flashed before her eyes.

[The awakener has been impaled by ]

[All inherent abilities have been sealed permanently.]

[Slay the dagger's owner to revoke the weapon's effect.]

Anna couldn't believe it. All her abilities were gone. It meant she couldn't even access her regression ability. No matter what happened now, she couldn't turn back time.

If she didn't kill YuWon, this was it. She'd lose everything. But she didn't understand one thing.

"How... did you get your hands on it?" Anna snarled, staring daggers at YuWon. "Mythical artifacts shouldn't... exist in this world. Not yet."

YuWon squatted down to her level and grabbed her hair before pulling her head back. Anna's enraged and confused eyes made him chuckle. She realized what a terrible position she was in and yet she wanted to act all high and mighty.

"I'd have to thank you for that," YuWon slapped her, drawing blood. "That's all you'll ever know."

"You bastard—"

Smack!

"You wanted to make me feel helpless? Push me into despair?" YuWon laughed. "And here I thought you knew me. Tsk, tsk, tsk. To think I ever had anything to do with you. Just the thought makes me sick."

With that, he shoved her to the ground before pulling her head up by the hair and forcing her to watch her comrades kill each other.

"I'll show you what true despair feels like."