Sins of the Reborn Vanguard

A searing, burning pain pierced the center of his chest. The blinding white light from the Hero Ares’s sword was the last thing seared into Leon’s retinas before darkness consumed everything. He could feel the last warmth of his life draining away, mingling with the blood that soaked his war cloak.

"Gah! You... you bastard, Ares..." Leon groaned, fresh blood erupting from his mouth to stain the cold stone floor of the holy temple. "Why... after everything we’ve been through together..."

"You’re too loud, Leon. The world doesn’t need two heroes," a cold, familiar voice replied, followed by the sound of footsteps slowly retreating.

Then, a deathly silence blanketed his consciousness. His heartbeat stopped for a few precious seconds before a violent jolt in his chest forced him to open his eyes.

"Hah! Hah! Cough! Uh..." Leon gasped for air as if his lungs had been forcibly replaced. He lay panting, his body trembling violently on a hard, cold surface.

"Wait... where am I?" he whispered, his voice raspy and shaking. He frantically felt his chest. "Where’s the blood? Where is the hole from Ares’s sword of light? Why... why is there no wound at all?"

Leon stared at his hands in the dim light of a torch flickering in the night wind. "My skin... why is it so smooth? Where are the calluses from decades of wielding a greatsword? And this uniform..."

He pulled at the dull grey fabric clinging to his body in confusion. "This... is this a Vanguard light iron cuirass? The recruit uniform I clearly remember burning twenty years ago?"

"[Sin Eater System initialization starting. Configuring host data...]" a cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed directly in his head, shattering the silence.

"Who’s that?! Who’s there?!" Leon shouted, leaping from his wooden cot and dropping into a defensive stance. He scanned the room, realizing it was an old military barracks he knew all too well. "Come out! Stop playing games with me! Is this an illusion spell from the demon army?!"

"[Soul synchronization complete. Status: Leon, lowlevel Vanguard soldier. Age: 18.]"

"Eighteen? Don’t joke with me!" Leon exclaimed, hitting his own head in frustration to ensure he wasn’t dreaming. "I’m thirtyeight! I was just betrayed and killed by Ares in the Demon King’s lair! What is this weird voice?!"

"[Timeline detection error. Host soul has been drawn back twenty years to the past, prior to the detected tragic death. Sin Eater System is ready for operation.]"

"Back... to the past? Twenty years?" Leon muttered, his eyes widening as he looked into a dull copper mirror in the corner of the barracks. The face in the mirror lacked the rough beard and the scar across his cheek from a dragon’s claw. It was his face when he was young, fragile, and full of naivety. "This is insane... this makes no sense. Have I truly returned to my youth?"

Before he could process the miracle that had befallen him, the night’s silence was shattered by a deafening crash from outside the military camp.

BANG! The pinewood door was kicked so hard it nearly flew off its hinges, producing an earsplitting screech.

"Hey! Wake up, you lazy pigs! Get up!" screamed a sturdy man in dented armor, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Captain... Vargas?" Leon whispered, his eyes bulging as he stared at the middleaged man who should have died over a decade ago during the northern border defense war.

"Why are you staring like an idiot, Leon?! Grab your weapon right now!" barked Vargas, his face flushed and dripping with sweat.

From the bunk next to Leon, a young man with messy brown hair rubbed his eyes lazily while yawning. "Geez, Captain... it’s only three in the morning. I just closed my eyes after a grueling night watch."

"Shut up, Jax! Beasts from the southern forest have rammed the lower defensive wall!" Vargas shouted, spitting on the floor in a fit of rage. "This isn’t a drill! The south gate is about to fall to those damn rock wolves!"

"Damn it! Rock wolves?!" Jax leaped from his bed, his face instantly turning deathly pale. "Why are they attacking now? Isn’t their migration season a month away?"

"How should I know! Ask those damn monsters if you’re so eager to die!" Vargas retorted, the veins in his neck bulging. "Put on your breastplates! The reserve forces need to be in the field right now!"

"Leon! What are you waiting for? You want to die like a fool in your bed?!" yelled Jax, frantically strapping on his loose knee guards. "Grab your spear from the wall corner!"

Leon stared at the standard iron spear leaning against the wall, his mind blank for a moment. "This iron spear... This date... Damn it, this is that day. The day half of our defense squad was slaughtered because of an unpredicted surprise attack."

"Hey! Don’t space out now, Leon!" Vargas roared, stepping forward and grabbing Leon by the collar, nearly lifting the young man off the floor. "Put on your armor, grab your spear, or I’ll behead you myself before those monsters get the chance to tear you apart!"

"I understand, Captain. Take your hands off my collar," Leon replied, his voice suddenly shifting into a tone of cold, sharp authority—a stark contrast to the trembling eighteenyearold recruit he used to be.

Vargas was taken aback, narrowing his eyes at Leon’s gaze, which felt utterly alien—sharp, experienced, and as cold as a veteran assassin’s. "Ggood! That’s the kind of Vanguard soldier I can rely on! Jax, help him get ready! The rest of you, follow me to the gate now! Move, move, move!" the captain barked before turning and sprinting out into the dark night, which was already growing loud with screams.

"Man, Leon. What kind of demon possessed you just now?" Jax asked while tossing a shoulder guard at Leon. "You had a lot of guts talking to Captain Vargas with that cold tone. Usually, you’d turn pale whenever he shouted."

"Just... survival instincts kicking in," Leon replied, deftly catching the shoulder guard with one hand. "Where’s my breastplate? I need to tighten it properly."

"Over there, under your bed! Hurry up, we don’t have time to dress up!" Jax yelled, having already thrown on his gear in a messy heap.

"Found it. Damn, the straps are loose. I need to tighten them so they don’t hinder my movement," Leon muttered, pulling the leather straps of his iron armor tight.

"Don't worry about it being perfect, just protect your chest from their claws! Can you hear that outside? Their growls are clear even from in here!" Jax urged, his body starting to shake as the wolf howls drew closer.

"Yes, I hear them quite clearly. Those are adult rock wolves," Leon replied calmly while grabbing his standard iron spear. "Their hides are as hard as granite; a normal spear thrust won't work if you just stab them aimlessly."

"How do you know about their hide? We haven't even fought that kind of monster once during training!" Jax asked, frowning in confusion.

"I... I read the monster guide in the academy library yesterday afternoon," Leon lied, covering up his past knowledge.

"Ugh, you actually had time to read a boring book like that! Look, just stay behind me on the field, okay? Don’t die first, I don’t want the trouble of carrying your corpse back to the temple!" Jax said, trying to cheer himself up and mask his own fear.

"Thanks for your concern, Jax. But this time, you’re the one who needs to be careful," Leon replied with a thin, meaningful smile. "Don't let them attack your blind spot on the right, like what usually happens to rookies."

"Huh? Right blind spot? You’re acting like a knowitall today, Leon! Since when did you become a military strategist?" Jax protested, walking toward the exit.

"Just listen to me if you want to live to see tomorrow," Leon finished curtly.

As he walked quickly after Jax, Leon spoke internally to the mysterious voice in his head. "System, explain the function of this 'Sin Eater' again. How does it work practically in real combat?"

"[Answering. Every living creature that dies in the host’s vicinity releases residual soul energy and their 'sins.' The system will automatically absorb this energy and convert it into stat points or new skills to enhance the host’s strength.]"

"So, if I kill the monsters out there, I can instantly become stronger without needing years of training like before?" Leon asked, a flicker of ambition in his eyes.

"[Correct. The automatic absorption process is active within a tenmeter radius of the host’s physical position. No additional rituals required.]"

"Extraordinary. This could be my greatest asset for avenging myself on Ares and preventing the tragedy of the past," Leon thought, his resolve burning brighter.

"Hey, Leon! Stop daydreaming in front of the door! Spear in hand, armor on, let’s go before Captain Vargas comes back to drag us!" Jax shouted from outside the barracks.

"Let’s go. We can’t be late and let that gate fall," Leon replied, running to catch up with his friend.

The frigid night air pierced their skin the moment they stepped out of the barracks. The thick stench of rusted blood mixed with the black smoke billowing from the South Gate, painting a chilling, hellish scene.

"Hold the line! Don't fall back a single step! Archers, fire at the monsters trying to climb the defensive wall!" a lieutenant shouted from the watchtower, his voice raspy.

"It’s not working, Lieutenant! Our iron arrows shatter upon hitting their rock hide! They’re too hard!" a panicked archer replied, his eyes filled with terror.

"Damn it! Use the kerosene! Burn them all to ashes!" the lieutenant screamed before a giant wolf monster leaped from the darkness and crushed his head in a single, gruesome bite.

"Lieutenaaant! No, he’s dead!" the soldier next to him screamed hysterically before falling from the tower.

"My God... the Lieutenant’s dead! They’re true monsters from hell!" Jax squeaked, stopping dead in his tracks, paralyzed by the slaughter before his eyes.

"Calm down, Jax! Don’t panic! Panic only makes your movements slow and erratic!" Leon snapped, grabbing Jax’s arm to keep him moving.

"How can I be calm, Leon?! Look at the size of that wolf! It’s almost as big as a fullgrown bull with fangs the size of an arm!" Jax groaned, his breath coming in fast, shallow gasps.

"I know! But if you keep shaking like that, you’ll lose your grip on your spear before you even get a chance to stab them in the eye!" Leon shouted, trying to snap his friend out of his fear.

"Eye? Oh, right! Their weak spot is the part of the eye not protected by rock!" Jax replied, remembering the vital information.

"Not just the eyes, but the underside of their necks where the stone plates don't fully connect. Remember that well!" Leon added sternly.

"Hey, you two! Stop chatting and get into defensive formation! The western section of the gate just cracked and is about to break!" Captain Vargas shouted from a distance, waving his monsterbloodstained sword.

"Understood, Captain! We’re coming!" Leon shouted back.

"Ugh, why the west side? That’s the thinnest part of the defense!" Jax grumbled, running anxiously behind Leon.

"Quiet, Jax! Just follow orders or we’re all dead here!" Leon replied, accelerating his pace, gripping his spear as if it were an extension of his own arm.

A deafening crash rang out as a giant rock wolf slammed into the western wall with brutal force, sending sharp stone shards flying like shrapnel in a storm.

"Look out! Get down!" Leon shouted, shoving Jax to the ground.

CRASH! A massive boulder flew right over their heads, obliterating the weapons storage shed behind them.

"Cough! Cough! Ddamn... that was close! Thanks, Leon! I owe you my life today!" Jax exclaimed, coughing through the thick dust.

"Save the thanks for when we actually survive! They’ve broken through the crack in the wall!" Leon shouted, pointing toward the dust cloud ahead.

A fourlegged creature nearly two meters tall leaped through the rubble. Its body was coated in thick, pitchblack stone plates, and its eyes burned with a hungry, bloodthirsty red light.

"GROOOOAAAR!" the monster roared, shaking the earth and making the soldiers' hair stand on end.

"Tthat’s a Tier 2 adult rock wolf! Our standard iron weapons won't do anything against it!" a veteran soldier nearby shouted, backing away in terror.

"Run! We can't beat a monster this strong without the battle mages!" another soldier yelled, turning and fleeing the battlefield.

"Don't retreat, you cowards! If you run now, the whole city behind us will be slaughtered by these beasts!" Vargas screamed, trying to hold his crumbling line.

"Don't run! Form a spear wall, now! Jax, help me pin the monster's left leg when it charges!" Leon commanded, his voice cutting through the panic.

"Are you insane, Leon?! We'll be trampled to death if we get that close!" Jax protested, staring in disbelief at his friend’s suicide plan.

"Just do what I say if you want to see the sunrise tomorrow, Jax! Trust me!" Leon snapped, positioning his spear, ready to meet the monster's charge.

Leon gripped the handle of his standard iron spear tightly, feeling the cold sensation of metal sending a wave of adrenaline through his body. As the monster prepared to strike, a bloodred holographic screen suddenly appeared before his eyes, glowing in the darkness.

"Come on, System. Show me what this 'Sin Eater System' can do," Leon whispered internally, a cold, thin smirk gracing his young face.

"[Warning: First Prey Detected. Absorption function standing by. Target: Rock Wolf (Tier 2). Status: Ready for absorption upon successful elimination.]"

"Very well. Let’s start this slaughter and reclaim my future," Leon whispered, his eyes locked on the rock wolf as it began its final leap, fangs glinting under the moonlight.