Demon Lord's Reincarnation

The Strongest Mortal Soul was theorized to reincarnate to places that the branches of the ORIGIN had touched, some even speculate he reincarnates in places that have the most conflict.

Of course, the truth was it was all random since the original incarnation's only purpose was to create a reincarnation that would improve better than him. Still, most of the reincarnations were reincarnated to places with a lot of danger which started the theory of reincarnation in places with conflict.

Mark Mineo was one such reincarnation, he was reincarnated in a rather modern world. There was no magic, but the people used science, and they flourished using science.

Mark was once a normal high school student, albeit one that was physically better than most. Mark was good at almost anything that had to do with moving one's body.

Everything was normal Mark had a family, and friends, and the only problem he was having was what he would do after high school. It has such a simple and happy life but it all came to an end when portals or gates started appearing.

In those gates, monsters from another world came out. In the beginning, those monsters were weak enough to be defeated if one used a gun, but it didn't even take a few hours before stronger monsters came out of the gates which only heavy artillery could harm.

Still, the gates were like Pandora's box it wasn't just misery that came out of the gates there was hope as well. The gate didn't just spout out monsters but it also breathed out the source of the monsters' powers, mana.

Mana was an unknown source of energy that came from the world the monsters were coming from. Over time some of the humans started adapting the mana in the air and were able to utilize it and fight back the monsters these people were later on called the hunters.

Humanity once again gained the power to fight back against the monsters. They even created weapons that used mana as their energy source, these weapons were crudely called mana weapons.

In this new world of monsters and hunters, Mark with his superior physical abilities as well as a knack for combat was able to become a hunter.

Everything seemed to become stable, even though there were gates still opening everywhere in the world, with the powerful hunters on the human's side the monsters became nothing more than slightly more dangerous animals than others.

As humanity was growing comfortable with the status quo some of the hunters rebelled. They who protected humanity became an enemy of humanity. They believed that they were the next evolution of the human race and that they were the ones who needed to be in control.

Of course, not all hunters thought this way and helped ordinary people. Mark was one of those hunters.

That was the start of the war between hunters all this happening while the monsters were attacking. The war was so devastating that more than half of the population had disappeared, in the end, Mark defeated the leader of the rebels, the one proclaimed as the strongest hunter Eric.

"Is this what you wanted?! What was the point of all this?! Because of you lot, we lost so much, and now there aren't enough people to fight off the monsters of the gate. Believe me, I love fighting more than others, but even I know that what you did is too f*cking much!" Mark shouted as he lifted up the beaten Eric.

Eric's battered form hung in Mark's grasp, his face bloodied and bruised, but the defiant glint in his eyes was far from dim. His breaths were ragged, his body broken, but still, he seemed almost at peace with the fact that he had fallen. It was almost as if he had been expecting this moment as if he had embraced it. Mark's words rang out in the cold air of the battlefield, but Eric only smiled a crooked and blood-stained grin.

"You still don't understand, do you, Mark?" Eric's voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. "This wasn't about power. This wasn't about conquering. It was about evolution. About pushing humanity forward. I knew the risks... If it weren't for you, humanity would have moved forward, who knows we might have already treated the gates as a joke or tried to look at the stars for a solution. But no! You have to be this noble hero! What have you gained in the end, nothing but ruins!"

"This!" Hearing what Eric said made Mark let go of the other party as he pointed at him with anger. "You're f*cking saying this is all my fault! You're the f*cker who started this whole goddamn war in the first place! Enough of this, I don't have time to talk to you. Say your final words so that I can get this over with."

"The ORIGIN…" Eric's voice was little more than a rasp now, but his words carried a hidden truth in them. "It's not just the monsters, Mark. It's the future. You've only seen the surface. The war… the gates… it's all connected. The real battle… is still ahead of you."

Mark's eyes narrowed, confusion mingling with disbelief. "The ORIGIN? What the hell is that? Some kind of secret society?" He shook his head, his mind struggling to comprehend. "I don't care about your delusions, Eric. You're a dead man. You lost. Humanity's lost so much because of your ideals. It's over."

But Eric just kept smiling, sick, twisted, as if he was satisfied with something Mark couldn't understand.

"You think it's over, huh?" Eric wheezed, his voice fading. "You'll see… sooner or later, you'll see. The ORIGIN's touch… the gates, the mana, it's already too late."

Hearing Eric's delusion Mark lifted his fist and sighed. "It doesn't matter whether what you say is true or not. The world is already f*cked no matter what..." Mark punched Eric's head and it exploded.

...

Despite the war ending all the hunters and ordinary humans united to fight the monsters, but the devastation caused by the war was too severe. They fought hard to survive while the others tried to create spaceships to escape Earth.

Mark fought hard every single day, he destroyed one gate after another but he was just one man, and the others could not keep up. Every day Mark loses companions that death meant nothing to him anymore. Until finally, there were only a few thousand people left and only one human fortress left in the world.

It was a bad thing there were only a few survivors of humanity left, but there was also a good thing which was there was only one area Mark needed to defend meaning all of his focus was on that single fortress.

Even though the entire world was already filled with monsters of every kind, that last fortress of humanity stood tall and proud solely because of Mark. The remaining humans felt safe because of Mark, it was like no matter how many monsters he would be able to deal with it. The scientists continued to work on their ark to leave the planet and find a new home for humanity.

It took several years, but they were finally able to build a spaceship were everyone could ride to escape, they were also able to set a course to a livable planet within their galaxy. Unfortunately, many flying monsters would destroy their spaceship the moment they took off.

"I will stay behind and deal with the flying monsters targeting the ark." Mark raised his hand and told everyone his plan.

The survivors, exhausted but determined, gathered around Mark, their faces etched with both gratitude and sorrow. They knew that this moment was inevitable. Mark had been their unwavering protector, the pillar holding up the remnants of humanity, and now, he was willing to sacrifice himself to ensure their escape.

"You don't need to do this," one of the engineers, a woman named Claire, said, her voice breaking as she stepped forward. "We can find another way. There's still time!"

Mark shook his head and a vicious smile appeared on his face. "There's no need for you guys to worry about me. You guys can go ahead and leave me here. Humanity should survive, I promise all that died that I will ensure that it will."

Claire's face twisted in anguish, but she knew Mark's mind was made up. She had seen this determination in his eyes countless times before he wasn't a man to back down when the stakes were this high. But still, she couldn't shake the sense of hopelessness that clung to her heart. The world had already taken so much from them. Now, it was asking for one last sacrifice.

"You've already given everything for us," Claire whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why… why does it have to be you?"

"Cause it can only be me, I'm the strongest person here, and I'm the only one who can ensure those monsters up in the sky won't touch the ark. Don't worry you know me, even when you guys are gone I'll survive and die of old age before they would be even able to kill me. Who knows, maybe once you guys have settled in the new world you come back and pick me up."

Claire's eyes were filled with unshed tears, but she nodded, accepting the inevitability of his words. Mark's resolve was unshakable.

"You always say that, don't you?" Claire's voice cracked, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. "You always believe you'll survive, that you'll be there until the end."

"Of course, since I'm Mark Mineo. So do any of you disagree with my plan?" Mark looked around and saw the faces of the last surviving humans as they lowered their heads in sadness and shame.

Claire clenched her fists at her sides, biting her lip until it bled, but she didn't argue anymore. There was nothing left to say. Mark had been their shield, their hope, their savior for so long. They couldn't bear the thought of losing him, but they also knew he wouldn't let anyone else carry the weight of this final sacrifice.

One by one, the survivors began to nod, each of them accepting the reality of the situation, even as their hearts shattered.

"Alright then, make your final preparations while I make mine." Mark left the fortress for on last time.

...

Mark began to slaughter the nearby monsters and everything in the sky on that day blood rained down from the sky and filled the ground. Once it was all clear the ark took off, racing outside the atmosphere Mark looked at the final surviving humans with a smile on his face.

"Good luck, you fools" he whispered, looking up at the stars, at the new world that awaited them. "You'll make it. I know you f*cking will."

On that day, humanity left their home planet in search of a new place, and Mark became the last human on Earth.