Nousterra, a land blessed by the gods with power and miracles, brought the lives of every creature to such harmony. However, the laws of nature are not always about peace and tranquility, but also chaos and death.
Life and death are cycles that will always exist as long as this world does. One death that returns to the earth can bring a thousand new lives from the soil.
Death is nothing new. Yet humans are unable to let go of everything they have achieved in this world. That is why the teacher who was also a parent to Kaiser advised him: "Death is not always frightening. Whenever it comes, accept it with a joyful heart. It is the end of someone's life story, but also the beginning of another."
That was the last message given by his teacher.
His teacher, a father figure who had taught him knowledge since he was a child until he grew into who he was now—a strong young man—had gone forever to the side of the gods.
Yet there was one final regret his teacher could never fulfill. Meeting and fighting the killer of his daughter.
He never asked nor gave permission for Kaiser to take revenge in his place. But for his teacher's sake, Kaiser would at least meet that creature.
The death of his teacher's daughter was not caused by a god, but by an entity born from nature, a natural calamity in the form of a monster.
Ormr Simulacra was its name. A monster said to be the size of a mountain range stretching from the rising to the setting of the sun.
After searching for several months, Kaiser found its last trace in an isolated cave beneath a mountain deep within an untouched forest. It was only a rumor, no certainty that the creature was there. But Kaiser would still take that chance to find it.
Ormr Simulacra. It was the embodiment of darkness itself, like the night—and was said to be the Divine Being created by Vierra, the White Moon.
In front of the massive cave entrance, Kaiser's eyes swept around with full alertness and caution. The darkness made it difficult to see with the naked eye, but with the power of Aura, Kaiser could perceive everything inside the cave with ease.
Click—!!
With a single snap of his fingers, an extremely powerful sound wave echoed into the cave like a shockwave. Kaiser quickly drew his sword as the air grew heavier and birds shrieked and flew away.
The Ether around him became denser and heavier, the air suffocating. Kaiser could feel his instincts reacting as though something was terribly wrong. Something life-threatening was approaching. His instincts told him to run from that place immediately.
"Come, Ormr Simulacra!" Kaiser shouted.
HISS!!
The loud hiss of a serpent answered Kaiser's call as the massive creature slithered out of the cave at a speed that defied its colossal size, heading directly toward Kaiser.
Energy surged within Kaiser's body as he leapt backward, his body propelled far to the side at the same time, avoiding the gaping maw of the giant serpent.
BOOM!!
CRRAAKK—
Thanks to his precision, the victim of the giant serpent was the enormous tree behind Kaiser. Everything before its massive power shattered—the creature's size rivaled a mountain.
Ormr Simulacra, a serpent with pitch-black scales that seemed to absorb light, writhed and coiled around Kaiser swiftly. The reptile's blue eyes glowed with an intensity that showed aggression and fury.
Still suspended in the air, Kaiser grinned at the serpent. His sword glowed with blue light, releasing a projectile of energy as he swung it.
The serpent shifted its head to avoid Kaiser's attack before lunging with its jaws wide open.
Wasting no opportunity, Kaiser pushed himself through the air toward the open maw of the massive serpent. Without hesitation, he entered the creature's mouth. Immediately, Kaiser drove his sword into the floor of Ormr Simulacra's mouth.
SCCREE—!!!
Kaiser was certain that if he hadn't blocked his hearing with Aura, the serpent's scream of pain would have deafened him.
The sword remained embedded to hold him in place as Kaiser's fingers emitted Aura that extended into a blade. He swung it, and the Aura shot forward, destroying the inner mouth and throat of the creature, severing the base of its tongue.
The serpent forcefully closed its mouth. Moments later, strong magical energy built up inside, ready to erupt from its mouth, but Kaiser quickly slashed open an exit. A blast of poison and curses burst inside Ormr Simulacra's mouth just as Kaiser leapt out and flew away.
Kaiser looked down at Ormr Simulacra as it writhed from above. A few seconds later, the serpent opened its mouth, and darkness swallowed the entire region—as if the great god of light, Soare, feared the darkness of Ormr Simulacra.
But shortly after, everything returned to normal and Kaiser remained in the sky, though the massive presence of Ormr Simulacra was nowhere to be seen.
Where was it? How could such a colossal creature vanish from sight so suddenly? And why didn't it kill him when it had the chance? What was the reason? Kaiser questioned silently. He extended his perception to its maximum range.
—He felt it.
Kaiser shot toward the anomaly he detected.
Reaching the exact position, Kaiser found no giant serpent, but a severely wounded woman staring at him intensely. Blue eyes, black horns, and a reptilian tail with dark, obsidian-like scales.
"Ormr Simulacra …."
Kaiser murmured before descending and approaching her.
His sword glowed, showing that Kaiser's intention had not changed even after the creature had taken a woman's form. In this world, beautiful women were red flags that must be treated with suspicion.
Just like Kaiser, Ormr Simulacra still intended to survive. This was shown by the countless stakes and spikes formed from darkness that shot from the ground, trees, even falling leaves toward Kaiser.
But all of Ormr Simulacra's efforts were futile. The air around Kaiser burst outward like a wind barrier formed from Aura, pushing every attack away and stopping them from touching him.
"You are a Transcendent …." Ormr Simulacra muttered, seeing her attacks vanish with nothing but a burst of wind that required no movement of his hands.
Transcendent?
Kaiser's eyes narrowed but he said nothing.
He kept approaching with his sword ready to sever the woman's head.
Ormr Simulacra looked at Kaiser in silence before speaking again. "What is your reason for attacking me, Transcendent?"
Hearing that question, Kaiser decided to give her a little story before ending her life. Continuing to advance, Kaiser began to speak. "The grudge and vow of my late teacher. His daughter died from your poison. I am doing this in his place because he no longer can."
"I see …." Ormr Simulacra lowered her gaze. "If so, do it, Transcendent. My defeat is proof that I am far weaker compared to you."
"Pleasure to meet you, Ormr Simulacra." Kaiser raised his sword and Ormr Simulacra closed her eyes.
The blade descended, touching the woman's neck and slashing it in one stroke. Her head separated from her body just like that. But Kaiser felt it wasn't enough. He thrust his sword straight into Ormr Simulacra's heart and destroyed it, ensuring the death of the embodiment of darkness and nightmares.
Kaiser left his sword with the corpse of Ormr Simulacra, satisfied with the result he obtained.