Against the Gods: Dark Justice

"What… What is this?"

A six-year-old child muttered shakily. He had short black hair, black eyes, and wore a simple small kimono. His name was Akainu.

He stood frozen in place, staring at the horrific scene before him. The village he called home was engulfed in flames, screams echoed in his ears, and lifeless bodies littered the ground, men, women, children, even infants.

"Ahaha, kill these insects!"

"Praise the Sacred Land!"

Akainu's eyes darted to the source of the laughter. In the distance, he saw several people clad in white Taoist robes, their faces alight with twisted joy as they slaughtered the villagers. The cruelty and horror of the scene gripped Akainu, paralyzing him with fear.

"Akainu, run!"

A desperate voice called out as a figure rushed to his side, grabbing his arm. It was a woman carrying a small infant in her arms. Her long black hair flowed behind her, and her black eyes brimmed with anxiousness as she tried to pull Akainu away.

But before she could, the sound of piercing flesh filled the air.

"Mo… Mother?"

Akainu's wide eyes stared in horror as he saw a sword protruding from his mother's back, piercing through her chest. Her eyes widened, blood dripped from her mouth, and she collapsed to the ground, still clutching the infant in her arms.

"There's no escape for you, weaklings." A Taoist mocked as he stood over her. His sword dripped with her blood, and his cold gaze shifted to Akainu, who was frozen in shock.

"You bastards!"

A furious shout erupted as a villager charged at the Taoist with a crude weapon. But it was futile, the Taoist swung his sword effortlessly, slicing the man in half.

"No! Father!"

Akainu's cry rang out as he saw his father fall lifeless to the ground. He wanted to do something, anything, but before he could move, a hand clamped around his neck, lifting him off the ground.

"Kuku, you sure have a nice family." The Taoist said with a mocking grin, his laughter cutting through the chaos. "Too bad it suddenly became a dead one! Ahaha!"

'Bastards… You bastards!'

Akainu screamed internally. Rage surged within him, but his body wouldn't obey. He could only glare at the Taoist, his hatred burning in his tear-filled eyes.

"Hoo, that's a nice look you've got there," the Taoist mused, surprised by the fiery defiance in Akainu's gaze.

"But will you be able to keep it?" he asked with a sadistic smile. He sheathed his sword and raised his hand, flames suddenly sparking to life above his palm.

'No… It can't be.'

Akainu's eyes widened in panic as his gaze dropped to the infant lying in his mother's lifeless arms on the ground. His baby sister.

"Yeah, that's the look I wanted. Where'd that glare go, huh?" The Taoist's laughter rang out, delighted by the fear etched on Akainu's face.

"Now, enjoy the show." The Taoist sneered, flicking his wrist. The fire shot forward, engulfing the two bodies.

'No! Stop!'

Akainu struggled desperately, his small hands clawing at the Taoist's arm as his legs thrashed in vain. But he was helpless. He could only watch as the flames consumed his mother and sister.

The baby's screams pierced the air, a sound of unbearable pain and terror.

'No… Sister… No!'

Tears streamed down Akainu's face as he thrashed harder, his heart breaking with every second. The baby's cries echoed in his mind, searing themselves into his memory. He could do nothing but cry, overwhelmed by helplessness, fear, and rage.

"Are you sad? Well, that's too bad, because I'm quite enjoying this tune!" the Taoist mocked, grinning as he watched Akainu break down.

Minutes passed. The screams faded, replaced by the crackling of the flames.

Akainu's eyes became hollow, his tears flowing endlessly. His heart felt like it was being torn apart.

Then, without warning, he gasped as something sharp pierced his chest. He looked down to see a sword embedded in his heart. Blood gushed from his mouth as he coughed weakly.

"Hahaha! Pathetic." the Taoist sneered, pulling the sword free and letting Akainu's limp body fall to the ground. "I never tire of seeing expressions like yours. It's exhilarating!" Laughing, he turned away to rejoin his companions, continuing their slaughter of the remaining villagers.

'Why? Why did this happen?'

Akainu lay on his back, staring up at the night sky as his life ebbed away. The sounds of chaos faded into the distance.

'Did I come here just to suffer?' Bitterness filled his thoughts as tears rolled down his face. Memories of the six peaceful years he had spent with his loving parents and baby sister replayed in his mind.

Akainu was someone who had reincarnated into Against the Gods, a world of cultivation where the strong dominated the weak. This was a world without mercy, a place where power dictated survival. However, his reincarnation came with no advantages, no cheat abilities, no special talents. He started with nothing, reborn as an ordinary villager, a mere mortal in a world fraught with danger.

For six years, his life was peaceful. He had loving parents who cared for him deeply and, later, a newborn sister who brought joy into their lives. Over time, Akainu allowed himself to let go of his initial desire to cultivate. He thought he could live a simple, happy life, untouched by the chaos of the cultivation world.

But that decision turned out to be a grave mistake.

His parents and sister were dead. They had been mercilessly killed in front of him. His parents' bodies had been cut down without hesitation, and his baby sister, she was burned alive. The piercing cries of her agony still echoed in his mind, an unrelenting reminder of his helplessness.

The six years of happiness and peace he had cherished played vividly in his thoughts, cruelly contrasted against the nightmare unfolding before him. Those precious moments, once a source of warmth, now felt like a distant, unattainable dream, mocking him as he lay surrounded by devastation.

'I'm sorry, Mother. I'm sorry, Father. I'm sorry, Sister. Maybe in the afterlife, we'll be together…'

He closed his eyes, his breathing slowing, his heartbeat fading until it stopped. Death was claiming him.

But then…

'Bullshit.'

A guttural growl erupted in his mind. Akainu's eyes shot open, bloodshot and filled with unrelenting rage. Transparent tears turned crimson as his face twisted into something feral. Veins bulged across his face, his rage seemingly defying death itself.

'Kill.'

The word echoed in his mind like a mantra.

'Get up! Get up!'

He glared at the heavens with fury that could burn the skies. His body wouldn't move, his heart had stopped, and yet his consciousness raged on.

'Move, I said!'

Though his body refused to obey, Akainu could still feel. He could still see. That meant he could get up, he had to.

'Damn it all!'

Growls escaped his lips as his willpower burned brighter than ever. He couldn't accept death. Not like this. Not after what had happened. He had something left to do. Revenge.

'I'll kill them all! Every last one of them! Not just them, the world itself must pay the price! I'll exterminate every cultivator in this cursed world!'

Hatred consumed him, fueling his desire to defy death itself.

Akainu blamed himself.

For thinking his life could ever be peaceful.

For failing to become strong in a merciless world. 

For foolishly betting on luck in a land where mercy did not exist.

But it wasn't just his fault…

"I'll rip out their spines! I'll skin them alive! Burn them all!"

The words reverberated in Akainu's mind, each filled with the raw fury that consumed him. The people who had inhumanely slaughtered his family and razed his village, they would pay. He would claw his way back to life, if only to drag them into hell with him.

"I don't accept my end! I won't accept the truth!"

Akainu fought to keep himself awake. What truth? What reality? The reality he envisioned was one where he stood, unbroken, to annihilate the filth of this world. To tear apart the injustice that had shattered his life.

"I'll shape this world with my own justice!"

Since the world had shown him only cruelty and injustice, he would become justice itself. Not a representation of it, but its very essence. Justice that stood above all. Justice that would scorch this world until it bent to his will.

'If only… If there was a second chance.'

Even as darkness crept into his vision, Akainu's eyes burned fiercely, filled with unrelenting anger. If that second chance existed, he would use it to demonstrate his strength, absolute justice. That, he swore.

Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed through the void of his fading consciousness.

[Ding! Sensing the host's desperation.]

[System activated.]

[Sensing Host in critical condition.]

[Activating emergency regeneration.]

A green light enveloped Akainu's broken body. His grievous injuries began to heal rapidly. Torn flesh knit itself back together. His pale, lifeless skin regained its vitality. His heart, silent moments before, started beating once more. Even the blood that had soaked his body vanished without a trace.

Akainu's closed eyes shot open, now filled with calmness and cold resolve.

"Took you… long enough." Akainu muttered, his voice low but steady.

The mechanical voice belonged to the system he should have received long ago.

Akainu pushed himself to his feet, his body now fully restored to its original state. He glanced at the charred ground where the bodies of his mother and sister lay scorched. His gaze shifted to the place where his father's bisected body rested. Around him, the once-thriving village was nothing more than a smoldering ruin. Blood painted the ground red, the lifeless bodies of villagers piled in heaps.

Time passed.

Akainu now stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking the remnants of his village.

In front of him stood three freshly carved tombstones. The graves of his family. While he had buried the villagers near the village out of respect, he had chosen this peaceful cliffside for his family's final resting place.

He stood in silence for hours, unmoving. The cold wind tugged at his kimono, but he didn't flinch. Finally, he turned his back on the tombstones and walked into the dense forest.

"System." He muttered as he strode through the trees. "Is there a starter pack?"

[Yes, host.]

"Open it."

[Starter pack opened.]

[Contents: Lava Fruit, Hot Fruit, Fire Fruit, Soul Fruit, Diamond Fruit, Shock Fruit. Observation Haki, Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki. Reverse Profound Technique. Navy Six Styles. Basic entry-level cultivation manual.]

Akainu's expression remained stoic, his cold eyes fixed on the items displayed by the system. Not a flicker of emotion crossed his face as he processed the bounty before him.

"This is where it starts." He muttered, his voice calm yet laced with an iron will.

From this moment forward, his vengeance would begin. The world would know the depths of his rage, the weight of his justice. He would bring this unjust world to its knees.

"I'll burn this planet down."

The beginning of the rise of a mad hound.