Chapter 1 (1/2)
Splat!!
Her blood landed everywhere.
Her dazed gaze slowly drifted downward to the spear impaling her left chest.
Her pupils shook as she felt the coldness of the steel penetrating her heart. Her entire body lost strength and fell to the ground. She could hear the desperate, anguished cry of someone as the owner of the voice rushed towards the spearman. His speed was as fast as the ray of light.
The spearman flinched in surprise, and let go of the spear. That wasn't all, though. He spun around, and threw a punch to the enemy approaching from behind.
The victim toppled over from the impact. The spearman didn't stop and his bloodied fist landed on the victim again.
Pow!!
The side of his victim's head burst open in an instant.
However, even then, the spearman didn't stop.
Once, twice, thrice, again, and again….
He savagely roared out, and pounded on the head of his dead enemy, until the skull was crushed and the brain matter scattered everywhere.
Only then, he finally halted his fists. With a pair of bloodshot eyes, he took a quick survey of his surroundings. Then, he picked up his spear.
He stepped on the wet ground, soaked with mixture of brain matter and torn flesh.
The man resembling a demon dashed into the thick swirling fog without hesitation - into the swirling fog of ashes….
Cough.
The fallen woman heaved out a dry cough as she woke up. Her facial expression crumpled from the pain oozing from every pore of her body.
But, even her frown didn't last long.
She lifted her head and surveyed her surroundings.
”Is…. anybody there…?”
A quiet, sorrowful wind blew by.
”Is…. everyone… dead?”
She waited but no reply made its way back.
Kek.
She let off a sudden chuckle and began muttering as if she was singing a lullaby.
”Everyone's dead, everyone's dead….”
She thought that the burnt corpse near her was in a better shape than some others. For instance, there was a lump of meat that once used to be a human being slowly floating on the pool of blood not too far from her.
She looked around her vicinity one more time as disappointment dyed her expression.
Her throat began to itch.
She somehow managed to drag her upper body into a sitting position and spat out her saliva. Her complexion brightened ever so slightly. She slowly lifted her blurring sight towards the empty sky above.
'How did we…'
….How did she end up in such a miserable state?
One day, an alien race from another world intruded upon hers.
It was discovered a bit later on that this race had been chased away from their original home world.
After experiencing a bitter defeat, this race aimlessly wandered in the emptiness of the outer s.p.a.ce for a very long time. Then, they invaded her planet in order to create a new home for themselves.
….In order to become the new lords of this world.
”Those despicable sons of wh.o.r.es.”
This woman's ident.i.ty was the princess of a certain kingdom that used to be under the Empire's protection.
The news of the alien's invasion reached her when she was six years old. And then, she heard the news of the mighty Empire falling at age ten. The Empire, boasting overwhelming scientific and magical prowess…. The Empire, often referred to as the 'Never-Setting Sun', had fallen in four brief years.
Soon, the alien race took over the world, even going so far to destroy the deity wors.h.i.+pped by the Empire's denizens, promptly turning this whole planet into an owner-less Wild West of sorts.
Maybe, it started from around then.
Soon, many other races descended on this land bereft of its deity's protection. They had been waiting for a long time for an opportunity to devour this world.
The first invading alien race initiated their b.l.o.o.d.y invasion throughout the planet; meanwhile, their leader fas.h.i.+oned himself as the new G.o.d, too.
It was around then, when 'groups' from other worlds began appearing one by one as well.
There was a group uniting in the name of 'survival', another one marching forward under the banner of 'conquest'….
Recalling the various events of the past, the princess began chuckling softly.
The land once ruled by mankind was now a b.l.o.o.d.y warzone where many other alien races fought for supremacy.
As for the fate of the original inhabitants…. they were pushed around this way and that, swept away helplessly by the whims of fate. Just like a flickering candle facing the wind.
Also making their appearance then, was the seven G.o.ds. The seven beings, born together during the birth of the planet, but for some reason or the other, failed to be recognised and wors.h.i.+pped by the inhabitants until now.
These seven G.o.ds promised the survival of the remaining original inhabitants, and the populace promised to wors.h.i.+p them in return. And so, the deal was struck - yet, the aid from these G.o.ds were…. quite funny, to say the least.
Their method of fighting back was to summon another race that most closely resembled the original inhabitants; then, form an army with them.
There was no other choice but to do this, however.
Even the mighty Empire had fallen in four years. So, what chance did her kingdom and its military have, a kingdom that needed the Empire's protection to begin with?
Besides, there weren't enough survivors as a result of the constant and b.l.o.o.d.y warfare, too.
”…Those rotten sons of wh.o.r.es.”
She aimlessly stared into the sky and spat out curse words.
'We shouldn't have trusted them from the beginning.'
Actually, it wasn't so bad in the beginning.
The first one or two Earthlings summoned by the G.o.ds displayed astonis.h.i.+ng growth rate after receiving the grace of the seven G.o.ds.
However, their sphere of influence grew just as vast as well, and soon, the situation gradually s.h.i.+fted as they began isolating and persecuting the original inhabitants.
The reasons for this were many: they were separated by nationality, skin colour, dogma, and even, political backing.
But at the end of it all, the true culprit was 'benefits'.
When the division within the ranks of the summoned Earthlings deepened, it also caused a deep chasm to form within the once-united structures of the kingdom.
The alliance formed under the desire for survival was soon fractured into pieces, and the power structure rebuilt with so much sacrifice began to weaken once more from the internal conflict. Some even went as far as to denounce the new G.o.ds as well.
They were all truly unbelievable events, indeed.
But, was that all?
The majority of the Earthlings refused to partic.i.p.ate in this final battle. They coldly ignored the desperate pleas to partic.i.p.ate, and returned to their own home world, instead.
The princess's never-ending anger towards them was all because of this history.
”Sons of….”
She was about to swear out one more time, but then, she shut her mouth real quickly.
Splash…. splash…
A soft sound echoed out within the rapidly-cooling graveyard of countless corpses. The sound approached closer and closer, until it eventually stopped by the spot right next to her.
A burnt-out corpse was there.
[I am surprised.]
And in front of this corpse stood a large darkness that defied all description.
[How amazing this is! I did not place much hope, yet you have survived this desperate battlefield….]
'He's an Earthling?' (princess)
As if to answer her question, the collapsed body of man slowly raised his head, albeit with much difficulty.
A powerful emotion welled up inside her, but soon, she had to swallow it back down.
….Because, the state of the man was horrific enough to make her nearly avert her gaze away.
The numbers may have been very, very small, but it wasn't as if no Earthlings had partic.i.p.ated in the battle. For him to end up looking like that, he had honoured the agreement in his own way, it seemed.
When she thought like this, she began developing a sense of sympathy towards him, but at the same time, she thought it was such a loss, as well.
If all the other Earthlings were like this man….
[Although I'd like to praise your worthy actions for a while longer, regrettably, you do not have much left in your life span.]
The low-pitched voice seemed to shake her eardrums.
[You have honoured your side of the deal, so I shall honour mine. What is it that you wish?]
His weakened, blurred eyes gazed into the approaching darkness.
When his lips slightly parted open, the blood containing bits of his inner organs poured out. As if he couldn't even find his voice, only the noises of winds whistling by came out of his mouth.
[It is fine if you don't try to speak. I shall simply read your mind, instead…. And so, do you wish to be revived?]
The princess suddenly felt an urge to laugh out loud here.
Did the darkness really ask the man if he wanted to be revived? Under the current circ.u.mstances?
What could he possibly do if he was revived, then?
Everything had been lost and destroyed already, so what was the point?
[That's not what you want? How foolish, when your life is hanging in the balance. In that case, what else do you wish for? Perchance, are you seeking wealth even in a situation like this? Perhaps, do you seek honour and glory?] [What did you say?]
The tone of the darkness's voice increased a great deal.
[You, wish to start all over again?]
Suddenly, a dense, suffocating sensation of ill omen grew heavily in the princess's heart.