“Block it! You must block it at all costs!!”

People let out desperate cries as they fought against horrific monsters.

“Aaargh, my leg!”

The battlefield was filled with screams everywhere. The situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for humanity. The frontlines were being pushed back by savage beasts and monsters, creating a hellish scene that seemed to foretell impending doom.

In a corner of this infernal battlefield, a man stood dazed, watching the chaos unfold as if resigned to his fate.

‘This is the end. Even if the Sword Emperor and the Martial Emperor returned, we couldn’t win this.’

His gaze turned toward a distant figure, a Death Knight standing solemnly alone, emanating a dark aura.

‘So that’s... the master of the Sixth Night. Its sheer presence surpasses all the previous masters of the night. Tonight will mark the end of humanity.’

He muttered inwardly, letting out a bitter smile.

Humanity wasn’t always so powerless. Sixteen years ago, during an era of peace when human civilization flourished, and the Earth’s population was estimated to have surpassed ten billion, it appeared out of nowhere.

Seven nights when the entire Earth was plunged into darkness, as if all the lights in the world had been extinguished. After that bizarre phenomenon, a message appeared in the sky, visible to any intelligent lifeform:

[The population of Earth has reached ten billion. From now on, Earth will become the stage for a trial. Humanity must overcome the seven nights to come. A preparation period begins before the nights arrive. Blessings upon humanity's future.]

It was a strange event. The message in the sky was written in an unfamiliar language, yet everyone could understand its meaning instinctively.

Initially, countless conspiracy theories circulated, claiming it was the apocalypse or divine judgment. However, it was neither the simple end of humanity nor divine punishment. It was, in fact, a great upheaval in the world.

From that day forward, humanity gained the ability to possess powers called "Traits," transcending human limitations and even touching the realm of the divine. At first, it seemed like a gift, granting wings to the ever-advancing humanity. But it didn’t take long to realize that this upheaval was no blessing.

With humanity’s awakening came monsters and gates as a counterbalance. These creatures, impervious to conventional and advanced weaponry alike, brought despair to humanity. Only superhumans who had awakened could fight against them. It signified that humanity was no longer the ruler of Earth.

Thus began an era of coexistence between humans and monsters. At first, humanity adapted to this new order, uniting to fight against monsters reminiscent of those from fiction. However, as time passed, selfish individuals emerged, prioritizing personal gains and the interests of their groups. Humanity gradually began to forget the warnings delivered by the initial message.

Then came the Gate Break. It occurred seven years after the upheaval began. Monsters and beasts poured out of gates worldwide, causing humanity to lose significant territories. National borders collapsed, and the existing human order crumbled.

It was a catastrophe, a trial for humanity. Yet, humanity persevered, enduring the hardships without falling.

But that was not the end. The "Seven Nights," mentioned in the initial message, marked the prelude to humanity’s extinction. Just as humanity was beginning to adapt to the Gate Break, the meaning of the nights was still a mystery. As a result, the trial of the First Night dealt a massive blow to humanity.

‘Humanity was too complacent. If we had even tried to understand the meaning of the night’s trials, we wouldn’t have fallen this far.’

At the time of the Gate Break, only a few remembered the trials of the nights. Consequently, humanity was entirely unprepared for what lay ahead.

The First Night’s trial was devastating, reducing the population that had survived the Gate Break by over a third.

A year later came the Second Night’s trial, inflicting another severe blow on humanity. One by one, the trials of the nights continued, gradually eroding humanity’s foundations.

By the Sixth Night, humanity was on the verge of extinction. Had the six Thrones, including the Sword Emperor and Martial Emperor—estimated to have surpassed the 8-star rank—not fallen so easily during the Fifth Night’s trial, humanity might not have been driven into such dire straits during the Sixth Night.

‘If only back then…’

Boom—

The man’s train of thought was interrupted by a sudden, overwhelming force.

“Aaaaah! Help me!!”

“Ugh… Damn it… This is impossible to win!”

The Death Knight, who had been merely observing, took a single step forward. That one step was enough to render a third of the elite forces fighting on the frontlines incapacitated.

Witnessing the overwhelming power of the Sixth Night’s master up close, the man trembled at his own helplessness.

‘If only I had discovered my Trait a little earlier….’

The man’s rank was barely 6-star. Compared to the superhumans currently classified as 1st tier, who had surpassed 7-star, the gap was significant.

Though the man possessed a Trait with infinite potential, it had awakened too late, leaving him no time to catch up with the frontrunners.

As the man’s thoughts spiraled, the Death Knight moved once again.

Swish—

The sound of a sword being drawn. In that moment, the world turned pitch black. That was the last sight the man ever saw.