Plop… plop…
I could hear the large drops hitting the ground, like heavy raindrops.
A small puddle had formed, red, and for a brief moment I could see my reflection before it was distorted by the constant fall of the crimson liquid.
In that fleeting moment, I saw one of my eyes gone, half of my face chopped away, and a dimly lit, deep violet eye staring back at me.
A deep gash ran across my chest as my thick blood fell to the ground. I could smell the metallic scent and taste it faintly on my lips.
On my knees, I felt my world shatter. My ego was bruised, corrected.
"This wasn't supposed to happen…" I muttered as blood dripped from my lips.
Yes. None of this was supposed to happen. This world was supposed to bow before me… it should have been just another mission.
My name is Zerath, and I am the Collector. I move between worlds, from planet to planet, with only two missions: collect the world's Origin Core, containing the history and evolutionary path of its dominant race, and take the strongest, most attractive female for my Master.
It had always been simple. at shortest, I was done in a day; at longest, a week. I never failed. No one, except my Master, could defeat me physically.
I had grown arrogant because of it. I didn't even make plans anymore....just attack, take over, complete the two goals, and leave, leaving the planet destroyed. But who knew that today I would receive a harsh reality check?
Here I am, on my knees, battered. A long gash ran from my shoulder blade to my upper abdomen, my organs dangling, blood gushing. All I could see was red.
My head was constantly ringing from the side blow to my left ear. Half of my face had been chopped at various angles and degrees. My eyeball was missing.
All of this—done by a single being.
Aluma. The goddess of this world. My first encounter with a race that could challenge my Aethernox race. I always believed my race was the ultimate one or at least i was invincible, until she revealed the truth I had never known, the reality is hadn't discover.
"You dare defy a god?" A mocking female voice rang out, cold and chilling. Instantly, a shiver ran down my spine.
Aluma spoke, her voice carrying a divine authority I had never heard before.
Thump.
I felt a familiar weight on my head as my neck was pressed down.
Aluma pressed her foot onto my skull.
"I don't know which wretched race you come from, but one must know who the superior is and who the slave is," Aluma said—and then, the weight disappeared.
Before I could relax…
Boom.
Crack.
Thud.
My face was kicked, the force breaking my nose as I was lifted and finally slammed onto my back.
The bright sunlight hit my eyes.
"Ngh… ha…"
Heavy panting escaped me as I felt my heartbeat slow. Once mighty and thunderous, it now faltered, and with it, my limbs went numb, my body heat rapidly dissipating.
A shadow fell over me. She stood close to four meters tall, radiating a pressure that seemed to command all beings.
Her eyes glimmered… sunlight bouncing off them like divine judgment, an unblemished power that demanded all to bow.
She wore ancient warrior-like attire, barely covering her private areas, muscles gleaming under the sunlight.
On her shoulders rested an almost three-meter-long axe, the head itself a full meter. It was imposing, carrying both divine authority and a savage aura.
"I won't kill you now. Enjoy the slow torment as your life ends. Your body won't be buried but left as a warning to arrogant races like yours," Aluma's cold words lingered in my ears as she turned and left.
The sunlight struck my only eye as I squinted. Memories surged, taking me back to my landing on this planet…
---
Boom…
A blur shot past a planet with vast blue oceans and nearly 40% greenery.
A massive sun, over twenty times larger than Earth's, shone, and the planet—ten times the size of Jupiter—lay ahead, the destination of this blur.
All space rocks and debris in its path were obliterated.
Finally, the blur halted at the exosphere of the planet.
It resolved into a humanoid form: two meters tall, clad in dark, tight armor of soft and hard material, with deep violet eyes.
This was Zerath the Collector, here for the planet.
Zerath floated, folding his arms, gazing upon it.
"Another pathetic planet for me to destroy," he muttered as he descended, speeds easily surpassing twenty times the speed of sound.
Glitch…
The memory shattered and overlapped with another…
Boom…
A fist, almost as large as his head, slammed him, his skull hitting the ground. Darkness followed, and he tasted the gritty sand.
---
"Am I going to die?" The memory receded, leaving only thought.
My heartbeat slowed until it was almost imperceptible, barely noticeable to even someone pressing their ear to my chest.
I began to accept my death… perhaps this was the end. Regrets lingered—my name left unknown, the destroyer of my race unpunished, my Master's mission unfinished.
With that, my eyes finally closed, and my heartbeat ceased.
Seconds passed. Silence reigned. Only the faint fading footsteps of Aluma remained, like a distant beast walking.
Just then…
"Master's mission…"
Vrooom…
My eye snapped open, the deep violet glow blazing.
I could feel my body being nourished by a terrifying energy.
My limbs reshaped, my organs rebuilt, as my cells divided and I regenerated.
My second eye was restored, and now two deep, glowing violet eyes gazed at the sun.
Whoosh…
Whoosh…
I could feel my cells rejoicing as warm energy filled me. New strength coursed through my body. I felt stronger, faster, more complete than ever before.
This was one of the many perks of the Aethernox race. After every battle, as long as our body wasn't fully destroyed, we could regenerate, heal our wounds, and with it, our new strength could triple, quadruple—or even more—depending on how terrifying our opponent's attack had been.
For me… my opponent was a god.
Badum…
I felt my strong heart beat pick up as a grin spread across my face.
"I have tasted the power of a god…" I muttered, feeling a soft yet aggressive energy reshape my body, pushing me beyond anything I had ever known.
In the distance, Aluma froze as she sensed a surge of energy behind her.
"Is he from a race that can regenerate?" she muttered, a smile crossing her lips.
"Well, it doesn't matter. I will defeat him once more. This time… I will make sure to kill him," she thought, dismissing it lightly.
But her grin froze. Her eyebrow twitched as she looked at the spot where Zerath's body should have been, only to find it had vanished. The blood pool remained, as did the scattered organs, but there was no trail, no trace of footprints.
It was as if Zerath had simply disappeared.
"Where is he?" Aluma muttered.
Before she could react further, a terrifying wind slammed against her left cheek.
"Not good…"
Aluma didn't have time to respond before a horrifying force struck her.
Booom…
Dust rose like a veil as the ground sank a few inches, cracks spreading for hundreds of meters.