Chapter 78
A sharp wind howled through the snow-capped mountains. Standing tall atop a towering peak, I gazed out over the horizon.
"Hm..."
I flexed my small hand, gauging the flow of mana.
"This is definitely weird."
Lately, I'd been feeling it more and more. My skills were somehow different from ordinary ones. They packed power beyond standard skills, had unusual abilities, and required far less mana than they should for their effects. This wasn't in the realm of skills anymore.
Thinking about it, there was only one conclusion.
"Authority..."
Authority. A legendary power held by only a scant few even in Pandela. So rare that it was passed down only through oral tradition, its very existence was questioned. Even I, who'd lived for centuries, had never seen it. It might just be a baseless rumor, whispered from mouth to mouth.
The most famous one would be the Warrior of Memory.
The being said to have saved Pandela from destruction in the past. A transcendent entity who wielded omnipotent might through the medium of "memory" itself. Witnesses spoke of a brilliant golden aura and overwhelming power that left them spellbound, unable to tear their eyes away.
But from some point on, the Warrior of Memory faded into obscurity. As if a part of their existence had been erased. No one remembered their name or face, and most records from that era were lost. All that remained were faint traces left by the Warrior—like the Phenomenal Memory spell, supposedly one fragment of their legacy.
Given all that, they probably did exist...
The peculiar part? Reincarnation. The Warrior's authority was over memory itself. Upon death and rebirth, they inherited all the power and memories of their previous life intact.
But after centuries with no sign, it's probably hopeless.
Standing in direct opposition was another figure. A harbinger of despair and bloodshed wherever they went, one who tread into the domain of evil gods. That's the treatment I'd received, actually. Silver-white hair tipped in blood-red, crimson eyes. Terrifying, immense power. Every trait matched me perfectly.
That one was suspected of possessing some kind of authority too, from what I'd heard.
...Who knows. I never talked to people to find out.
They all fled in terror at the sight of me like I was an evil god—how was I supposed to strike up a conversation?
Sigh. Why am I even dwelling on this?
Authority or not, it was just legend. No point agonizing over it. If it was authority, it'd probably align more with the evil god side anyway. The recorded abilities of the Warrior of Memory were nothing like mine.
"Hoo..."
Calming my mind, I exhaled and spread my senses wide. Like a single drop falling into a still lake, ripples of mana spread through the mountains, reaching unseen distances.
At last, I opened my eyes.
"There it is..."
A massive concentration of mana registered. At a glance, it looked like one enormous mana cluster. But focusing my senses, picking it apart—it was clearly monsters. Densely packed, too numerous to count.
Right before the strategy meeting wrapped up, we got a report that monsters in eastern Russia had vanished.
They'd probably all gathered there. With that many in one spot, raids would naturally drop off.
"Even better."
I curled my lips slightly. Clustered together like that? Easier to wipe out. One phase-three ultimate ought to finish them.
"Russian military intel confirmed two world bosses: Rox and Azaros."
Rox. A colossal steel golem the size of a mountain. Slow attack speed made it relatively manageable, but its transcendent bulk unleashed devastating destructive power, and its stamina seemed bottomless, testing players' patience to the limit. Some even called it a stamina-testing machine back in the day.
Still, it was just a watered-down Titaronz. Nowhere near that level.
"...Stamina means nothing against me anyway."
And Azaros. A 3-meter swordsman clad in black armor. A massive heat source slumbered inside, said to radiate intensifying waves with each phase transition, melting the surrounding land into magma. Tricky due to the ever-changing battlefield and blistering speed—that was the consensus.
"Still melts to my phase-three skill."
Fast enough to dodge a meteor? Muscled enough to stop a speeding train?
"Hm."
I clenched and unclenched my fist, feeling the air coil around it.
"Rox... might hold up, maybe?"
Good chance to test some damage output.
***
"What? What do you mean? She's coming?"
The Ancient Ice Queen Priscilla paused mid-creation of an ice statue, reacting to the report.
She'd grown fairly adept with modern gadgets lately. Keeping up with news via radio or TV was no trouble.
"Azaros, she's coming for us?"
"...No sign of her yet."
Azaros had been standing stock-still for hours, staring out at the frozen world. Perpetual snowfields, blinding white, suffocating silence. Irritated by his statue-like demeanor, Priscilla sneered.
"Tch. Some TV nonsense says she's coming to kill us? Time to teach her a lesson."
"She's a swordsman too. As a fellow warrior, I'm curious just how far she's advanced."
"Hah, so boring."
Priscilla clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. In that moment, Azaros's massive shoulders twitched faintly—him, who'd been rigid as stone.
"Hm?"
"What, did 'boring' sting that bad? Hurt your pride?"
Azaros didn't reply. He stood, sensing only the subtle wind drifting down the slopes. Then—
Shing—
He drew his enormous black greatsword.
"...Looks like she's here."
"Oh?"
Priscilla turned, sensing the approaching presence herself.
Thud. Thud.
Small footsteps crossed the deep snowdrifts. Just as described, petite build. But an unfathomable aura dwelled within—something impossible to define.
Not to be underestimated.
He couldn't measure its scale, but eyeing the girl before him, Azaros thought as much.
***
The Pentagon, Washington State, US. Amid the frenzy of intelligence gathering, an unexpected visitor arrived—accompanied by some unidentified stranger.
"Ah, Lord Damien! You've arrived!"
The Pentagon's head rushed out, bowing deeply in welcome.
Damien. Guild leader of Imperium, world guild ranking number one. America's de facto powerholder, outstripping even the president.
"My apologies. We're not prepared... Had we known, we'd have arranged something."
After a long absence, his sudden appearance left the man flustered, hands clasped politely as he gauged the mood.
Damien glanced at him impassively, straightening his collar.
"No need. I have business. Gather all the key executives—now."
"R-right away! But..."
The director eyed the elderly man beside Damien.
"Who might this be...?"
An odd dissonance, like modern clothes forced on someone from another era. Eyes devoid of warmth, wild white beard. Something subtly off amid the ordinary. As the director tilted his head—
"The man you need."
Damien offered only that cryptic line in his curt tone.
Huh...?
The Pentagon was pouring everything into tracking Sertina's intel and movements. Yet the unprecedented city annihilation in Beijing remained unsolved—a power that could threaten America, the world entire.
Then Damien's words halted the director in his tracks.
"You're investigating Sertina, aren't you?"
"Indeed, focusing on uncovering her phase-three skill."
Internally, the Pentagon leaned toward her not being that much of a threat. They were just following orders from above.
Damien placed a hand on the old man's shoulder.
"This one can give you definite answers. To all your questions."
"Him...?"
The director eyed the elder dubiously. By then, they'd reached the Pentagon's most secure underground chamber. Executives seated primly in swivel chairs offered courteous greetings.
"Welcome."
"An honor to meet you, Lord Damien."
The meeting began. Damien nodded silently, handing the floor straight to the old man.
The elder cleared his parched throat with a couple dry coughs, then spoke in a quavering voice.
"Sertina... must be eliminated."
The executives inhaled sharply in unison. The airless chamber fell into a stillness like frozen time.
"I know that monster. Even the secrets it hides!"
The old man's raised hands trembled with strain. One executive hesitantly raised a hand.
"Pardon, but how can you be certain? What's your basis for such a claim?"
To the Pentagon, it must've sounded like ravings from some mad old coot. But the elder nodded unperturbed.
"Because..."
His next words plunged them all into shock.
"I come from the same world as her."