Memory Fragment
“Ngh! Mmph!”
“···Loudmouth.”
Sertina seized Libra's face in her grip and hoisted it high. Then she slammed it down with all her might.
BOOM—!
The force was so immense that the earth flipped over, inverting the landscape's colors in an instant. The shockwave crashed into surrounding buildings, crumbling their outer walls as if they'd been struck by an airstrike.
RUMBLE—!
“···”
Elena stood speechless before the utterly surreal sight.
“W-What is that···?”
It far exceeded the bounds of power she knew. It felt like the laws of reality itself were bending. Was this what it meant for every scrap of scientific knowledge from school—along with all those miscellaneous theories—to become meaningless in a heartbeat?
That's a world boss? She looks on a whole different level just standing there.
She operated completely outside the world's standard specs. Libra, embedded deep in the ground, lay motionless—either unconscious or worse. Sertina shook out her right hand like she'd touched something filthy, brushing off invisible grime, then let out a short sigh.
“Haa···.”
Her exhaled breath carried the heat of a dragon's fury. With a single step forward, Elena flinched back instinctively.
“A-Ah! Um···!”
The surging mana pressed down on her like a physical weight, while a dark crimson vortex flayed her skin like razor blades. Those killing intent-filled eyes seemed ready to shred everything in sight. But as their gazes met, Sertina raised both hands slightly and hurriedly stepped back.
“Ah, sorry.”
Just like that, the aura she'd been radiating vanished as if it had never been. The oppressive pressure blanketing the area lifted simultaneously. Now, Sertina's eyes looked strangely hollow—tinged with sorrow.
Elena swallowed the words that had risen to her throat. Somehow, in this moment, they felt like they'd only deepen Sertina's emptiness.
“Thanks for the consideration.”
Instead, she offered a faint smile. Sertina blinked blankly for a moment, then averted her eyes and scratched her head awkwardly, as if accepting the gratitude. The tense atmosphere lightened considerably.
Only then did Elena glance around and voice her lingering questions.
“Anyway, where is this place? And what the hell is that guy? Or··· is it even a person···?”
“No idea. I just··· saw that thing and suddenly couldn't contain my rage.”
A lie? But Sertina shook her head forlornly, and it didn't seem like one.
“You really don't remember anything? Not even a little?”
“Yeah. Forgetting something this intense would be harder.”
Sertina's eyes trembled faintly as she spoke flatly. Elena caught a glimpse of the confusion and anxiety toward the unknown lurking within.
Elena glanced down at Libra, still unmoving in the crater, and asked, “So, what now?”
“Gonna find out starting right this second.”
Sertina's gaze shifted to the mysterious being. Her small fist clenched with resolve.
“This might··· be my trauma, after all.”
She'd never reacted this emotionally in Pandela. Maybe··· just a hunch··· but what if she had a past she couldn't remember?
She took a slow, deep breath and stood before it. Then she opened her mouth.
What are you?
“Why··· did you do something like this?”
What? That's not what I meant to say.
Her voice brimmed with fury, her breath hot. Even without remembering, the emotions surged vividly, as if she'd stepped back into that moment.
The creature twisted its lips into a wicked smirk.
“Curious for a mere mortal.”
What does that mean?
“Shut up and state your purpose. Now!”
I drew my sword roughly while shouting. ···My body's not my own.
The thing tilted its chin up thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.
“Fine. No harm in telling a fool about to be buried anyway. Consider it a reward for matching me blow for blow.”
“Arrogant bastard···.”
I glared fiercely, grinding my teeth. It scoffed mockingly and continued.
“We are the Immortals. We've come to claim your planet.”
“Claim? Why the hell would you—!”
The Immortal's gaze drifted afar with a wistful glint, as if peering into dimensions beyond mortal sight.
“Our planet has reached the end of its lifespan. Soon, it'll explode and scatter into the void. We've wandered, seeking new homes, and found yours.”
“So you needed a place to live and decided to trample someone else's planet? You could've coexisted!”
At that, the Immortal's serene face twisted viciously.
“Coexist? Ha, you think that's possible?”
Anger echoed in its voice.
“Our hearts are replaced with mana cores that endlessly generate mana to sustain our immortality.”
It tugged open its collar, pointing to its chest.
“But you, with your power—you know what happens when mana saturates a confined space, right?”
“···The object can't withstand it and explodes.”
Like pumping gas into a sealed container to its limit. Materials vary in durability, but eventually, internal pressure wins.
“Exactly. Excess mana from us seeps into the planet naturally. Over time, the planet's overall mana density rises. Fine for a few thousand years, but beyond that?”
I furrowed my brow. Nothing good would come of it, obviously.
It flung its arms wide dramatically.
“Boom! The whole planet goes up. Then we immortals drift the cosmos forever.”
A horrific hypothesis, just hearing it. Still, I couldn't comprehend.
My fists trembled in the air.
“Even so···.”
I spat the words like blood.
“You didn't have to go this far!”
They could've tried coexistence while scouting other worlds. No excuse or justification for invading and massacring natives out of nowhere. And those bastards enjoyed the killing, the torture—treating screaming pleas for mercy like toys.
“Still don't get it, mortal?”
Yet it spoke with bored indifference, as if it were trivial.
“We are gods. Gods have the right to decide the fate of lowly mortals. We merely hastened their inevitable end—the destiny they would've met anyway.”
That hit like a sledgehammer to the skull. To beings who'd lived eons, killing humans was like stepping on bugs. No—more like transcendent entities gazing at mayflies.
Value systems that could never align.
“···I see. So that's it?”
“Hm?”
I bowed my head, gripping my sword hilt tightly. My teeth ground with a sickening crunch, explosive rage warping the space around me.
“All for that···.”
I slowly raised my head.
“You stole my world.”
BOOM—!
Mana erupted, shaking heaven and earth. A golden stellar radiance—not blood-red, but something purer—blanketed the area with overwhelming pressure. The Immortal staggered back.
“Guh! W-What mana is this?!”
“Undying existences··· gods, was it?”
I lifted my sword slowly. Brilliant golden energy coiled around the blade like a dragon ascending.
“Today, one god falls.”
All composure vanished from the Immortal's face.
“Fool! Think gods are gods for nothing? I am eternally immortal!”
“Yeah? But··· you.”
I pointed my sword at it.
“You've got an HP bar. Isn't that your world's 'life gauge'?”
Beings of immortality still had HP values.
“Beat it to zero, and you'll die eventually.”
“Ha, naive. Does that look like a number you can dent to your eyes?”
True to its claim, its HP defied imagination—a value that could solo a world. But···
“Doesn't matter.”
I was certain. My HP might pale in comparison, but my transcendent power, speed—no one surpassed me. Foes relying on raw defense without skill were just walking targets.
“No matter if it takes days, weeks, even if my limbs shatter—I'll hunt you down and kill you 'til that damned HP hits zero!”
“Y-You mad bitch!”
The Immortal's face crumpled, a flicker of fear in its eyes. I glared with murderous intent.
“You feel pain too, don't you?”