Decimation

The ground got more rural as we traversed closer to our destination. The tempered ground felt moist beneath my feet as if it had rained violently in the past few days.

“Eck! What the fuck is up this ground? It looks like actual shit," Raze commented as he walked with Komoria not too far behind me and scowled at the newfound terrain.

“It's usually like this. We like it damp around here,” Komoria explained.

“Well it kinda smells like shit too. You bat-things are so weird.”

“Do not insult another race’s customs before taking a look at your own, Raze Havok. You humans possess slaves, kill for sport, and are extremely against mixing with other races. What can you say to that?” I tilted my head to face him while I continued to walk forward in a slow, but steady pace. It was to not get too far ahead of the others.

“Get that tail outta my face! And for starters, I ain't from this shitty world. I don't care what they have done or will do. I’ll talk about any of these barbaric life styles that would be on par with a third world country at best in my world.”

I touched my chin. “So it is true. The Savior really does hail from another world.”

“Yup. And it's a whole lot higher-tech than anything here.”

“Would you stop bragging… I don’t want any of my family or friends to catch your disposition.”

“Pfft. It would be their loss.” Raze rolled his eyes before walking ahead of myself. All that stood before us was a barren field, devoid of life and moisture. It was like another realm compared to where we just were.

“How bizarre; this can’t be right…” I slapped my gauntlets together. When I brought them apart a large red sack descended to the tarnished soil. I stuck my hand into it, fumbled around for a minute before pulling out a tattered scroll. I unrolled it and peered at it with all of my concentration.

Of the registered beast-kin tribes, the Vatre bat tribe should be right in front of us and yet…..

“Did a bomb go off or something? There's supposed to be stuff here, right Komoria?”

We both turned to her in unison, but neither of us could meet her downcast gaze. Hidden under her bangs, her amethyst eyes glowed faintly like a lakes reflection. I could just barely catch a glimpse of them beneath her jungle of hair. 

Raze was shocked as well. He apparently had never seen her like this.

“W…..at… …..ow….” She was practically whispering with how low and weak her voice had become. I gravitated towards her, trying to salvage the situation on her behalf.

“W-W-Who………………….w-w-would d-d-do t-this……..why………………….???!”

“Komoria, I know that you are going the—”

“What the hell do you know?!” She screamed. I caught a glimpse of her eyes once more—puffy red and tear-stricken.

“Hey, don’t lash out at the scorpion. We don’t know for sure that it g—”

“I know, Raze. Vatre Village was right here! All...of them….were right here….”

Her breath grew ragged as she dropped down to her knees, ignoring the rocky remains that was now digging in her stockings.

“Sniffle…..Whhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy….snifffle ……..WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

She cried like an infant; it was quite hard to watch. 

Raze didn’t know how to handle the situation in the slightest. His visage shifted from scornful to empathetic to disgust to then gloomy. 

He just turned away from her. “Give her some time or something. I'm going to inspect the wreckage…”

He departed at a brisk pace, leaving the two of us together.

 I had never been in this kind of situation before, so I lacked the skills to delve into it correctly. No one in our tribe showed weakness—no matter what. Crying was something that was frowned upon—something you would be ridiculed for.

 Now, there was a crying beast-kin who had just lost her entire tribe. If I was in her shoes, I wouldn't care about our traditions. I would probably let my heart flow out, even if I couldn't really imagine what that would be like anymore. I ripped off both of my gauntlets and tossed them aside. My hands were beyond pale compared to the rest of my skin. I almost never removed my gauntlets, even in sleep or hibernation. But if this girl simply required some affection... Then perhaps I could assist with it.

“It will get better, but that doesn't mean you should ever lose what you are feeling right now. Don’t ever let anyone invalidate that. Just grieve.” 

I awkwardly wrapped arms around her body and squeezed with what I assumed was the right amount of strength. My chest size may have been diminished in comparison to her own, but at least it didn't hurt as badly when I brought her in close. It was rather soft, actually. I could feel something wet drop on my shoulder and then a lot more of it.

“Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Joshe! Kremi! Mom. Dad! Uncle Voro! Granda Kalora! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Wh-why does it hurt so muuuuuuuch…………..”

I couldn't give her an answer. Even though I had next to no family left, mine had all died honorably in battle. They died as warriors and heroes to the Azurespine tribe. We had to be strong, but that didn't mean this frail girl had to be. Our cultures are very different and I had to be considerate.

She stayed in my embrace for quite some time.

————————————————————————————————————————————

“So...uh...how's the bat...I mean, Komoria?” Raze Havok seemed to genuinely be interested in her condition.

I looked back. “Well she definitely isn't in a good position, but I got her to fall asleep with some herbs. She's currently sleeping in my travel bed.”

“You have like a sleeping bag or something in that small sack?” Raze Havok inquired as he raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“A portable bed with a compression spell enchanted with it, but I suppose that would be an adequate name for it.”

“I see…..” He look around solemnly at what remained of the Vatre tribe. There was nothing but the ground they once walked upon, now filled with rubble and rocks.

This young human was acting different from when I first met him. He had a very despicable personality, but he didn't seem to lack a heart.

Maybe something similar happened back in his world? I would not know.

Out of nowhere, a large red flash filled my field of vision. The pressure of what came out of it sent a shiver down my durable spine.

They are strong, very strong.

A large human stood twenty feet away, gazing absentmindedly at the wreckage. He had a long sword and majestically-crafted crossbow strapped to his bare back. He wore long green pants with a large glass bottle tied to his waist and a strange-looking armament tied to the other side. Over his eyes were a special set of goggles with green crystals in the sockets.

 They was something very rare in this content: Magic detection sensors, crafted from pure-gold emeralds and enchanted with infinite durability. There were only three to five at most in existence from what our scriptures stated. Some were said to be over a thousand years old, but I had never seen one in person—until now.

The man was easily over 7 feet in size, something only a few human warriors would ever reach. Our tribe could get a foot taller or more, but it was still impressive.

He had a mix of black and white long hair and a set of long canines like a wolf's inside his pure white grin.

He seemed to notice our presence, but was still searching for something on the barren ground. His left arm was completely covered in purple and black crystals—a few shards jutting out here and there like a sickness. His hand was twice the size of his human one, as if he was wearing a large gauntlet.

As he moved closer, I could finally pick up what he was muttering.

“Here….. No, no, no….. Here? Y-Yes!”

He thrusted his diamond infested hand forward at the ground in front of him. “Specific Temporal Manipulation: 3 hours, 2 minutes and 33 seconds.”

A small purple magic circle appeared in front of his hand, and nearly attached to it. He tilted his hand slightly to the left. That was all it took for the circle to start spinning counter-clockwise. At first, nothing changed, but then a large explosion shook the ground but dissipated just as quickly. Now there was a large village pulsing with life. Older-designed homes were rowdy and full of children running around. Boisterous songs from what appeared to be a festival with more bat beast-kin then I had ever seen. They were walking in reverse, creating food from nothing after spitting them out of their mouths or vendors handing money back to the buyers themselves. They were all moving in reverse.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted two large creatures made of what would be the equivalent to a night sky, full of stars. They loomed over us, the world above our world warping over their body with every massive step. With no features besides being massive, lacking even a face, it was difficult to even see them as intelligent. 

The only feature that was blatantly out of place was a crimson star-shaped crest covering the area where a face would reside. The giants walked away from each other in opposite directions.

“Bingo!” The large man stopped the time of everyone in the village, including the two hulking voids.

He waded through the beast-kin and houses as if they were ghosts before reaching one of the two voids.

"Heheh. Would ya look at that."

He moved the goggles to his forehead, revealing the blood-colored eyes of a beast. Interesting. If I were looking for a man, this one would probably suit my taste as far as humans went. However, now was not the time.

“Wow! A real Nebulos! This will make a fine addition to my collection," he sneered and pointed his free hand directly at it.

“Interacting with the past is a pain, but using copy magic on it should be fine. [Full Clone] and [Shrink Formation].”

A analogous green and blue entwined beam shot out of his palm and enveloped the Nebulos. The Nebulos, still frozen in time, split into two identical versions. One stayed in place while the other grew smaller and smaller until I could no longer spot it. The man brought out his alabaster crossbow and took aim.

“Alrighty! Capture mode has been set up. C’mere lil guy!” He released a black bolt that shrunk away from my view instantly.

“SUCCESS.” The man gleefully grabbed a small, transparent orb with something dark swirling inside it.

“This guy is really fucking op.” 

I turned to my right. Raze Havok was there with his arms crossed, entirely focused on the large man. He had been silent for quite some time.

'Op'? What does that mean?

I trained my gaze at the man once more. He held the small orb between two fingers. “Welp, Don’t need this anymore.”

He crushed the purple magic circle with his large hand causing the entire city to fade away like the wind. All those smiling children and adults gone—once again lost to time.

With his large hand, he precisely removed the top of the large bottle from his waist. With his other hand, he dropped the orb in. It fell to the top of what seemed like over twenty other orbs, each with extravagant or basic color variations.

“Let’s, give it a go—[Copycat].” A vile green aura enveloped his entire body, but ceased to exist just as fast.

“[Chaotic Void].” His chest swelled up and is pushed back into his body as if someone has thrust a fist all the way through yet failed to puncture through the other side. Everything around him, the rubble, the air, and the three of us were pulled towards the black void that manifested inside his chest. We had a large issue on our hands. 

Fortunately, after a few seconds, the void receded and reverted to normal.

“A success. Now—[Long Warp].” A red light enveloped us again and a moment later, the man is gone.

“Man, What the hell was that shit? He had to speak his abilities out loud, but they were unbelievably strong and bullshit. And his stats... Jesus Christ.”

My eyes grew wide. “You have a way of seeing your opponents stats? Is that even possible?”

He pointed to the red device over his right eye. “With this baby I can. It also has a connection to a shitty goddess, but we don’t talk about that. Wanna see?”

“See what?” I tilted my head, eager to learn more.

“This. Its even got a screen share setting.” A  red project flickered out of his device and took the form of a large square.

"This is….truly impressive,” I remarked.

“His abilities or the scanner?”

“Both....”

“This crazy fuck has more abilities the scanner can handle. I could scroll down, but they don’t matter for now. What matters is that op shit,” he explained, pointing to where it said [Copy Cat].

“Oh-pee?” I inquired. "What is that word you keep saying?" 

“Means 'overpowered', usually for shit in video games or stories and stuff like that.”

“'Video games'?”

“Besides the point, lemme read out his top two abilities. Man I'm jealous—but only a little," he quickly corrected.

“I see….”

“[Copycat] allows the user to temporarily replicate any Skill that an individual around him possesses. Every ability, including [Copycat], must be spoken verbally for them to work except for passive Skills. Once maxed out, [Copycat] will last for up to five minutes and can be used to acquire more than one skill simultaneously.”

“So, the bottle around his waist must hold many different creatures that he constantly exploits the Skills of to use for his own gain,” I surmised.

“You may be a girl, but you're kinda sharp sometimes.”

“Thank….you?” I looked into his eyes, but all he did was infect me with his matter-of-fact tone. I’m sure Komoria had to deal with this side of him a lot.

“The other busted Skill is [Passive Eternal Immortality]. This ability has protection from immortality-disabling Skills and special destruction items. With this Skill, the user is able to live until the end of time, never aging, while also reforming back to their original self even when nothing remains. This Skill is exclusive to archangels and gods. When maxed, the user regenerates any body part in mere seconds.”

“That is insanely challenging to beat if not impossible.”

“Yup. He's like a god, but it says he's a Demigod Bandit King for his class. That's a pretty 'fantasy boss' name.”

“Because it is.” A female voice replied from nowhere. I looked around, but there was no one else in the vicinity.

“My dear, I'm in here.” She appeared on top of the large rectangular screen.

“A goddess?” I knelt at the touch of her otherworldly presence. I was not worthy.

“O-Oh, please stand up. You're too nice.”

I hesitated, but rose. A real goddess is speaking to me. To. Me.

“Yo ,Hoe, what were you saying about that dude?”

What?! What did he just say?!

"R-R-Raze H-Havok. That's a goddess you are speaking to. You can't talk to her like you would with anyone else. Please, show her some respect.”

"Thank you." The goddess nodded and blushed. She seemed touched at my declaration, but it was the bare minimum to me and my people.

“Eh? Nah, I'm good. What are you—religious or something?”

“Indeed, we Azurespine worship the—”

“Anyway, what were you saying?”

He cut me off. What a troublesome child.

“O-Oh, yes. Well for starters, I, Endina, the Goddess of Friendship and Bo—”

“Get. To. The. Point,” he hissed, despite being the main issue of it all. 

“Ok! You don't have to be so rude, Raze Havok. That man you just encountered is one of the strongest of the remaining six Lords of Tyranny. He is pretty infamous up in Heaven for not only being born of god and human, but for slaying an archangel that was a son of an earth goddess. You don’t want to go anywhere near him for a long, long time.”

“Tch. I know that! Just tell me how to kill him.”

“I apologize, but we know no way as of now to kill an individual with a similar immortality to us gods.”

“Then how do you expect me to save this continent?”

She shrugged, but brought up an idea. “Well, there is an ancient sealing technique that could bind his soul to a specific place where it wouldn't matter if he was alive or dead, but you are much too low level to take on that journey as of now.”

“I can fight him.”

“No, you can't. The only reason he didn't kill you now was because he didn't even register you as an enemy.”

I let out a gulp. “Then we really are lucky to still be breathing.”

“Yes. Now I must be going. It was a pleasure meeting you, my dear, and welcome to the team. I hope to hear from you all after the Basilisk Queen is defeated.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Raze Havok snorted.

“Oh, one last thing. I have discovered her location and added it to Komoria’s map. It's quite far away from here, but I have set up an interview for you, Raze—with the Twelve Olympians. You should get a call from them soon. Now I have a certain thing to take care of, so, bye!”

She vanished from sight and left the two of us in silence.

“Well, I'm going to go check on Komoria.”

“I shall come as well. We are finished here. However, I have some business to take care of before we search for the Basilisk Queen.”

“Eh? Why kind of business.”

“Well...after meeting you two, I have an excuse to leave home for good. Therefore I will notice them of my plans for departure. Would you like to join me?”