Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

"Nuh-uh," YuWon shook his finger before her eyes. "You don't get to move."

Anna growled, wanting to force YuWon off herself. She had a year to become stronger than him. Her stats alone were enough to overwhelm him, and soon it happened.

Even though YuWon put all his weight on her back, Anna pushed herself off the ground, ready to fight.

But before she could completely overpower him, she felt something wrap around her waist and pull her back to the ground. Anna looked down, and it was a vine. She was confused, but a calm voice interrupted her.

"Savior," Lysandra spoke. "Leave her to me. You can leave to gather the souls you need."

"Thank you," YuWon said, stepping off Anna's back.

"You bastard—" Anna yelled, trying to chase after him.

"No, you won't," Lysandra smiled and waved her hand around.

In an instant, thick vines broke through the ground and wrapped themselves tightly around Anna's limbs and torso. The more she struggled, the tighter the vines got until she couldn't move an inch.

"Let go!" Anna hissed.

"We both know that's not happening," Lysandra replied, summoning a chair to sit and enjoy the show.

Anna was helpless and yelled various commands at her team. But her subclass of a commander was nothing compared to the control YuWon's souls had on her people.

Meanwhile, YuWon went about collecting as many souls as he could. He already had the dragon's soul. But if he wanted to make good use of it, he required more souls.

In a desperate move, Anna turned to Gina and smirked.

"Gina! Kill him! Now!"

YuWon's eyes darted back to Anna, and Lysandra quickly covered her mouth. But it was too late. The master issued the command and the slave would have to obey it.

"Kill... YuWon?" Gina mumbled.

For the first time, her eyes showed some sign of life. She finally realized YuWon was there. But the moment was short-lived as her body jerked violently.

The collar sensed her unwillingness to attack YuWon and shocked her. Gina screamed in pain as tears streamed down her face. But despite it all, she remained steadfast, unwilling to fight YuWon.

But her struggles made the shocks worse. The collar was pushing her to obey. YuWon watched her and his heart shattered into a million pieces. The despair he wanted Anna to feel had returned to haunt him.

"Yu...Won..." Gina mumbled, taking a step towards him.

Even though she was being tormented, she kept smiling. How could she not when her love had returned to her? She was happy and at peace.

YuWon's grip tightened around his sword. He knew what he had to do because it was the only way to end her misery.

Even if he knocked her out, the collar would keep electrocuting her. Eventually, the collar would force her to fight until her last breath. As such, there was only one way to end her suffering.

"Forgive me..." YuWon whispered.

As Gina stumbled towards him, YuWon shoved the blade towards her. The blade pierced her chest, and for a moment, Gina's eyes widened in shock. Then, her body went limp, and she collapsed into YuWon's arms.

YuWon gently lowered her to the ground, holding her close. YuWon's vision blurred with tears as Gina touched his face. She smiled at him as if she had achieved everything she wanted in life.

"I-I'm glad... I met you," she smiled a last time and closed her eyes.

The hand caressing his face fell. Gina was gone. For a long moment, he just sat there, holding her lifeless body. A stray tear fell on her face as he kissed her forehead.

"I'll see you soon."

YuWon gently laid Gina's body down on the ground and stood up. There was still more to do, especially with some of Anna's subordinates rushing at him. They were desperate to take him down at his weakest moment.

However, they didn't realize one thing. Gina's soul was the last soul he needed. Suddenly, his eyes glowed as he summoned one of Tiamat's skills and a stream of hellfire gushed from his body.

The next moment, flames engulfed everything. The smell of burning flesh and screams filled the air. By the time YuWon stopped, everything was burned to a crisp, and not even their bones remained.

A few people remained on the other side of the arena. But even they were being slaughtered by YuWon's controlled puppets.

Anna could only watch in horror as everything she had spent the last year building was gone in an instant. The people, her plans, all of it was gone.

However, it wasn't until YuWon turned that she felt genuine fear in all of her regressions. He walked up to her, each step causing Anna's heart to burst with rage, fear, and despair.

Without saying a word, YuWon grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back, forcing her to look at the charred ground where once her people stood and fought beside her.

He wanted to say something, but using a dragon's skill from a human body had its effect. YuWon's throat had turned to toast. He coughed, trying to say something, but couldn't.

Just then Yeji ran towards him and placed a hand on his neck. Within a few minutes, she had healed his throat and YuWon quickly thanked her before turning back to Anna.

"I wondered what the difference was between a regressor and a respawner," he mumbled. "Then I realized I don't lose my skills or stats when I die. Unlike you, who has to start over again, every single time."

YuWon leaned forward and continued, "That's why, no matter what you do, I'll always come out on top to kick your ass."

Anna couldn't speak with the vines in her mouth, but her gaze remained as defiant as ever. If she was going to die, she would die with no fear.

"As stubborn as ever..." YuWon shook his head, placing his hand on her head. "It's alright. I got a remedy for that."

[Skill: Soul Grapple has been activated.]