The space ruptured, sharp dimensional winds overturning the soil like thousands of daggers. But, the portal didn't just spit out magic, it made a lone man appear out of nowhere.
He found himself in a world overflowing with mana, far different from any he had known, without any system to welcome him. Somehow it gave a very primitive feeling.
The wind carried the iron smell of blood as the large leaves of the gigantic jungle trees shook. Thorny vines lay all over the place as roars echoed in the distance.
— RAWR! —
But, the man cared for none of that.
He had eyes and ears only for the softly glowing pink light in his hand, which seemed to pulsate along with his breathing—a soul fragment, something that was but shouldn't have been.
It came from the powerful souls of strong beings, ones resilient enough to survive being separated from their bodies— or that's how it should have been.
Somehow the Succubus Queen had been a fragment wielder, but not just any. It was a part of HER shattered soul.
How?! This shouldn't have been possible! This was— a sharp pang of pain interrupted his thoughts. The migraine was unending ever since he had "defeated" the succubus.
She had wanted to make him pay. She had tried to suck him dry. How long had they wandered in between the Floors? How long had they fought? It had lasted an eternity and more.
He had prevailed. Not because he was stronger, but because SHE belonged to him, because HER power had helped him from the inside.
He had left the succubus a soaking mess, back in some random world. The monster's whereabouts were unimportant, and he'd forget about it all soon anyway.
His memories were fleeting. Sometimes he saw the scenes back on Earth. Sometimes he found himself in a jungle or even had vivid visions that felt like dreams.
All he knew was that he had to save HER. He had known from the very start, but he felt it even more now. This was the only reason he was still breathing…
— RAWR! —
A scaly creature came out of a bush, leaping at him. There was no name tag to be found, no level, only sharps rows of teeth aiming at his jugular and a tail swatting in excitement.
It charged at the human, happily biting him. The fangs crushed the arm, penetrating the flesh and snapping the bone. The creature rejoiced: this new prey was delicious!
That's when it finally saw the pink light resting in the man's grasp. Like him, it became smitten with it as soon as it noticed it. How delicious would it be?!
The creature opened a giant maw wide…
— Crack! —
The man reacted instinctively, crushing the monster's spine. "She's mine…." He uttered in a soft whisper, his bleeding arm showing signs of recovery.
His eyes were glazed: it seemed as if his recent experiences had shaken the very foundation of his soul. After all, traveling between worlds wasn't something a mere mortal could handle.
Monsters rejoiced whenever they witnessed his state. Small ones, big ones, deceptively peaceful-looking ones, savage-looking ones, there were all kinds, but all were as scaly as hungry.
They would inevitably rest their eyes on the "helpless" prey before focusing on the crystal. That's when they would die. His blood mixed with theirs, tainting the dark soil as countless roars echoed.
— RAWR! —
— RAWR! —
— RAWR! —
He had to protect HER: that's the only thing that mattered. The lizards were a nuisance, they wanted to harm HER, and thus they all had to die!
His immobile body finally showed initiative for the very first time. He took a decisive step toward his enemies, eager to extinguish their lives.
A weapon appeared in his hand, one that kept changing every second, showing a thousand ways to kill lizards.
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Words would sometimes float in front of his eyes, but he'd swat them away. Why should he care about skills leveling up? As long as it helped him bring her peace…
— RAWR!!—
"Too noisy, way too noisy." He could barely hear himself think. "I need to find the rest of her…yes. She's out there somewhere—"
A savage glint flashed in his lifeless eyes as he glared at the hundreds of reptiles surrounding him. "All of you must die.."
He had no pity whatsoever for the creatures, mercilessly slaughtering them. Whenever he felt low on energy, he'd fling a piece of their raw flesh into his mouth.
His skin was already a bloody mess, utterly covered with blisters, the surrounding forest burning as brightly as the mid-day sun, a gigantic shadow above him.
He kept killing and killing…not minding how weird the enemies became. He barely reacted even when they started sprouting wings and breathing fire.
As long as they wanted to steal HER, they had to perish!
Perhaps the man was going crazy, but he could almost hear his enemies cursing him. "Human, how dare you challenge this mighty dragon!"
His body acted instinctively, teleporting behind his opponents to rain blows on their scales. His weapon always glowed with mana, so brightly it almost eclipsed the wildfire.
Eventually, the lizards all retreated..or burned to death. The calm returned to the forest, now only ashes. But even then, the rich mana already had new roots sprouting.
As relief overcame him, so did the memories.
"See this!!" Her smile appeared so radiant as she proudly displayed the small potted plant as if a national treasure. "I told you, this plant is just like me!"
"I can think of a few differences, especially the chest." He gave her a teasing smile as he glanced at her entire body.
"Pfft— I'm talking about our resilience, look!" She pointed toward the soil with grand delight.
The plant itself looked dead. Whether it had lacked water or was sickly was unknown, but it was zombie-like. Yet, a new root had appeared, full of vitality.
"You're right. It's as resilient as you." He wholeheartedly praised.
"See! I'm sure it will blossom into the most beautiful plant soon enough." She remarked with light in her beautiful eyes.
"Is that so?" He made sure to appear as serious as possible. "Guess I'll keep plant D as a possible remarriage candidate if anything ever happens to you."
"Pfft— As if! That's gotta be plant abuse: I'm gonna call PETP!" She mock-threatened, showing her white teeth.
This had happened back when he was still alive...
—
As he glanced at the pink fragment in his hand, he gave a nostalgic smile, slight clarity finally returning to him.
"You really are resilient, aren't you? Even dead, you're still here…." He couldn't make sense of how she had ended up this way, but it didn't matter.
He gently embraced the fragment as it seemed to melt into his own body, fusing with him. He would safeguard it for her while he searched for more…
Just as he resolved himself to his new task, a shocked voice echoed near him. It seemingly came from a mound of soil.
"W-what the hell happened?! D-did you do all this?!"
That's when Josh finally glanced at the destruction he had caused. Hopefully, PETP wasn't a thing in this world, or he'd be in deep trouble.
He turned toward the newcomer, one he hoped could get him answers…