"Why is it so vast?" I repeated the creature's question, pondering its meaning as I surveyed the chaotic scene before me. The battlefield stretched out endlessly in every direction, a never-ending expanse of violence and destruction that seemed to defy all logic and reason. It seemed like the battles I had mixed together as weather and terrain shifted constantly.

“The pain, destruction, or violence?”

I replied as I examined what the creature was doing. It was piercing the ground, its body split like roots. However, despite its size, the roots were only able to pierce through the upper layer of dirt before being blocked by some kind of bedrock. The creature turned its slimy form towards me.

“Your mind! How can a mind belonging to a human that hasn’t lived for half a century could have a mind this vast?”

It roared with frustration. The more I interacted with it the more I felt like I was speaking to a misbehaving toddler.

“I am something around 70 to 80 years old actually.”

I remarked sassyly. Even though I was sure that it was powerful and was able to get inside my mind, I felt no real threat from it.

“It doesn’t matter!”

It roared once again.

“A human’s mind shouldn’t be like this! I have been in your kind’s mind before! What is this place? What is this?”

It squirmed as soldiers clad in power armor clashed against the Horde. Gunfire howled as explosions shook the battlefield. Tanks rammed into bigger bugs while planes rained hellfire upon the enemy.

“This how battles were fought in the world I came from. Probably not cool as magic but we were masters of destruction and violence.”

I took a step forward toward it. It retreated its roots back to its body and flew back a step back.

“You are an outworlder!”

Was it afraid of me? I took another step forward and it also retreated a step back. I smiled, the idea of it being scared of me was amusing.

“Yes, I am from another world. A world without mana or magic. A world that doesn’t exist any longer.”

My smile grew more sadistic despite the ache I felt in my chest.

“I have seen some fucked up stuff since I came here. But let me tell you something: I have seen worse. Do you know what’s a concentration camp? Genocide? Enhanced interrogation? Nerve gasses? Do you know what white phosphorus is?”

The pace I was walking was getting faster without me realizing it. The creature wasn’t trying to ask questions or throw a tantrum anymore. It was too busy running away from me. I didn’t run and kept power-walking toward it like a slasher villain. The scenery changed and I once again recognized it. I walked in ash as I gazed upon the destroyed city.

Biomass.

For Horde it was everything. It made fighting them a battle of attrition we couldn’t win unless we destroyed the bodies of allies and enemies alike. That made napalm and white phosphorus one of the crucial tools to fight against them.

“In a harrowing scene that unfolded today on the war-torn outskirts of the city, a group of valiant resistance fighters numbering around 30 made a desperate plea to end their lives in a most horrific fashion: by being engulfed in the deadly flames of white phosphorus. Amidst the rubble-strewn streets, where the stench of death hangs heavy in the air, these brave souls, clad in tattered uniforms and bearing the weight of countless battles, gathered together with a singular purpose: to deny their enemy the very essence of their being. And so, with heavy hearts and trembling hands, they made their plea to the world: "Give us the mercy of fire. Let us be consumed by the flames, so that our bodies may be rendered unto ash, beyond the reach of our merciless foe.”

I looked at the female reporter reading the obvious propaganda. Resistance fighters numbering 30? What a load of bullshit. According to our drones, the group of refugees numbered around 300 and was made up of mostly women, children, and the elderly. Despite my protests and offer to take 50 elite men to escort them to safety I would be rejected, my rank being only enough to know the truth and not to change the outcome.

I was helpless as I listened to the radio, hearing their screams, curses, and pleas as they died a horrible and preventable death.

“Older brother. It is not your fault. You tried to help them. Don’t torment yourself any longer.”

One of the men under my command pleaded with me to put the radio down. I didn’t. Someone had to listen. Someone had to care.

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4 years later, I would learn the true reason for that incident. One of the refugees was a political rival with incriminating evidence to one of the higher-ups. To make sure his dirty laundry wasn’t seen by people while getting rid of a rival, he bribed and blackmailed others to use white phosphorus.

“You don’t know what being powerful really is.”

The creature shrieked as its form slowly became smaller and smaller. Parts of it were torn off and turned into dust before being scattered with the wind.

“You don’t what is like to carry others. Their hopes. Dreams. Curses.”

I wasn’t in the mood to have fun or preach it. What little remained of my patience was gone with bad memories rushing back to me.

“You killed others, tried to wipe out your own home, and betrayed your friend for what? Because you weren’t like others? Because you were jealous? Cry me a river.”

The creature's form trembled and shrank before me, its once-powerful presence reduced to mere remnants of sludge and dust scattered by the wind. As it withered away, it cried out desperately.

“How are you doing this? You can’t snuff my existence like this! You are not even actively resisting me!”

I stood there, my gaze fixed upon the creature which was now as small as a football.

“Because you are weak. Weak and insignificant.”

I coldly answered. The creature grew spikes around its body as a sign of retaliation to me.

“I didn’t choose to be born weak!”

It let out low pitched scream. I shook my head.

“You still don’t get it. We are more than what we are born as. Everyone is born as a fragile baby. But we grow. We mature. We learn and we make choices. But you didn’t grow. You didn’t mature. You didn’t learn. You only blamed your birth. That’s why when it came to making choices, you made the wrong choice.”

I got even closer to the creature who was now as small as a tennis ball. It didn’t run and I wasn’t even sure if it could.

“No.”

It weakly whispered.

“Today you made your last mistake; going against me.”

I reached out and grabbed it. I tightened my grip and just like that, it was gone.

(Mana increased by 10.)

(You acquired Spark Skill Shadow Storage.)

I took one long look at the ever-shifting memory place before opening my eyes to the real world. My companions were all looking at me with their weapons drawn.

“Poyraz. Is that you?”

Lily asked while pointing his sword towards me. Hmm. Guess their reactions were reasonable as the creature entered my body after shouting about absorbing me.

“No. I am the fake one. Please kill me so I can go rest.”

I offered a weary smile. Lily threw his hands in the air.

“It is him!”

He lunged forward to hug me.

“I swear to God if you touch my butt I’ll suplex you so hard they would have to carve you off the ground.”

Elandris stepped forward, his expression a mix of concern and curiosity.

"What happened in there? Are you alright?"

I nodded while squeezing Lily tightly so that he would let go of me.

“It tried to take over me. I encountered it in my mind.”

Methild raised an eyebrow.

“And you were able to fully destroy him? I am not doubting your capabilities but just fighting off another being itself is a difficult thing. To be able to fully erase another being just like that….”

I pushed Lily back only to be pounced on by Gökbörü. I pushed him away so that he wouldn’t put his tongue in my mouth.

“I wouldn’t say I fought it. I don’t think that its very existence was very solid. It couldn’t survive in my mind. It just began to fall apart after a while.”

Cyclara snorted loudly.

“Of course. Who knows how many elementals he absorbed? Then he went and fused with Nidhogg’s corpse. It was inevitable that his existence would collapse. Serves him right, that bastard.”

As Cyclara's words hung in the air, I could see the pained expression Elandris was making. Nereida was hugging him to comfort him.

“Man, I can’t believe the corpse of it disappeared just like that. I wanted to make cool items off it, Monster Hunter style. I can’t believe you took all of it inside you, Poyraz.”

Lily shot me an annoying smirk.

“You are lucky I am too tired for this shit. Otherwise, I would have spanked you.”

I replied with a tired voice.

“Kinky. But you will have to go dungeon exploring to find cool monsters later.”

Despite his light-hearted words, he stumbled and I caught him and put him on my shoulder. Gökbörü quickly climbed on top of my head and made himself at home.

“I will have to run some tests on you to make sure you are okay.”

I nodded and we started to move towards our well-earned rest.