-??? Rock and Salt-
Where the seas crashed upon, was where the pile of rocks stood despite its enormity. At the top of the valley was a bunch, a large group of collective standing side by side, watching below the scenery and the unfolding scene.
"The dead lies beneath the soil, the strong stood above for what they are, tis but a common fact as the world revolves around the fittest, and we need everyone we can get." briskly, yet elegantly walking in full view through the rocky salt of a terrain, where the waves crashed, the likeness of nature around them, surrounded by hundreds of abominations, devils per say, Makima with her long red hair braided in long length, she kept her yellow golden eyes with spiraling pupil locked staring towards the woman with gray hair at the opposite end of her view.
"Humans, devils, abominations, all so different, divided by causes and existence, yet, they all adhered to and for power, not because, but simply everything is bound by it... Power is the most important thing in the world. Wouldn't you agree, our dear lost Elf?" she look beneath her feet and saw the piles and lifeless, unmoved bodies of countless devils, before her golden spiraling pupils. Ahead of her was the assailant, in still silence. "Say, would you care to join our faction, we could use some help in this times of dire need." stretching out her arm, the hand of the devil, Makima smiled honestly, and innocently despite the heavy atmosphere where the sky glooms in heavy and light rain, flowers and the sun unable to bloom for the cloud formations blocked the sun, and beyond her back was another hundreds of abominations or devils, standing side by side with humanity in nervous. Particularly, a yellow haired young man with a pull on his chest, and a violet haired young woman with a pull on her neck stood side by side with their hands interlocked together.
"You don't seem to be a demon, get out of the way, the zoltraak don't wait for none, it approaches them, to kill them, that's why it was created." the gray haired short elf with her long staff, pointed it overhead the red haired, while bearing a low, cold, ever so serious face and tone in her voice. Her presence alone kept the regeneration from the lifeless devils to come back to life, ensuing the weight of her overflowing mana to overtune the capabilities of their to come back to life. A knowledge she had gained after fighting for quite a while before this ref haired came into a view and came in peace, or so that it appears to be.
"Fufu... newcomers, all the same..." she lightly laughed before following with another speech. "I will say this to you for i value strength and power most of all-" Makima then took more casual steps, forwarding herself towards the lost elf.
"Abandon all your previous missions in life, adhere to the new one, embrace the new agenda, follow me, and i show you the way, LOST elf." Makima spanning her arms around, making the waves for some reason all around them calm down so suddenly, yet the gloom in the already heavy atmosphere gradually, and faintly got even heavier for reasons and time unknown.
A hotdog dog with a chainsaw on its face hiding inside the chest of the yellow haired young man suddenly felt scared and tremble upon its small body.
"..." the lost elf, not just in place, but also in her thoughts then lowered her staff as she opened her mouth, but the waryiness in her vision still have yet to left her. "Where is this place? I need some questions asked first." she asked.
"A cliche question, but a reasonable nonethless. In this world, you're not the only one lost at the moment, we all are." Makima with her smile, still, creepily crept in like a photo captured, engraved on the lost elf's mind. She took her feet sideways, before fixing her pants and sitting on the nearby dead devil with her large butt squishing what's beneath.
"What is your agenda?" the elf asked.
"The common goal of survival, to be remembered, and go back home, it is as old as ancient time, even older than for the likes of even you, Elves, right." Makima replied swiftly with not a bit of lie in her words, yet her chin was up, as if she's looking down beneath the short elf.
They stare at each other for a good few seconds were silence dominated, and only the for what the scene could be, and be heard. Nervous, a lot of the ongoing spectators from above the valley gulped their mouth in unison as beads of sweats dropped and slid down their heads. They watched, unable to interfere between the two. An old man from the side, with stitches from the side of his lips, drank a mouthful of beer from his flask.
"You ever heard of the common trope or genre in literatures and stories where the protagonist got transported in another world and go on an adventure? Let me tell you right now, you are not the protagonist." Makima coldly stated as she then put a leg over her other one, and put her elbow on top to support her chin with her palm. "I do like me reading some manga and novels to pass the time."
"Im not the protagonist, i never cared for glory or adherence by the people, i simply tried to be myself, and live by myself." as if insulted, she countered back. "So, what can you tell me about this world then?"
"There this powerful being beyond the stars, see up there in the sky, s star that glimmered brighter than anything where the clouds bend over and refuses to obstruct its views on this planet we are standing on. It's a being of immense power even beyond of us, it is a caricature of all fear even by itself. It presented before the first batch of newcomers as a young kid, and simply told everyone of us to kill each other for his amusement. Insulting, right?" changing her posture once again, Makima this time ledged her back while keeping her intertwined fingers locked onto her knees. "We don't know why, we don't know how, but there's been a strict evidence of the isekaid bunch that were premodestly brought back to their homeworlds. And as such, we tried to follow it at best we can."
"A being of immense power beyond the stars?" the short elf slowly held her chin up, and saw a particular star beyond the sky, sitting at the grand cosmos of space, overlooking over them, free of any obstruction. "What's the batch number of newcomers of the current one, assuming the previous one either killed or brought back to their homes?"
"We're part of the third batch, and the lands beyond this was already seized beyond fix. Some damaged even became permanent, but who are we to care, it is not our world. Times had passed, and for those who are still stucked for they are unable to satisfy this great being with the stars, some tried to lived in this new world, and adjusted themselves with it if they can't ever hoped to go back home. Don't worry, we're a recent batch, just a bit earlier than probably you, so while we still have the patience, with your great power to aid me in help, let's work together." Makima abruptly stood up from her seat before stretching her hand again, another offer with the devil, is it a good or a bad thing.
"..."
"Tell me, if you're from the third batch of comers, can i assume this place you're refuging under to, there were some from before that stood just like you?" the short elf coldly asked as she looked beyond the valley where a mighty castle and village stood and was built on. Banners were raised, and the noise of crowd was present.
"Yes." no hesitation, Makima sweetly replied.
"Did you kill them?"
"We didn't know any better at that time as they attacked us first with no explanation, and was forced to fight instead, we had to. Unlike what you're receiving. If you wish to know more, accept my offer, and come work under me. If you have companions, there's a probablr chance they too were transported, albeit in a different place. You wished to reunite with them, help me and i help you."
The short elf suddenly raised her staff, pointed at the red haired woman with braids in length. "You're a demon, correct?" sensing ever since that something off with the presence and feeling the red haired woman exude, then short elf's mana level gradually exploded like a bomb setting off, to which one the violet haired woman responded with the intetion of pulling the pull on her neck from the top of the valley where she stood. As she tried to immediately counter attack in protection of Makima, her actions was immediately halted by another woman with a broken neck by her side, putting her hand in between. "Not yet..." the woman with a broken neck said.
"Try not to be stupid, as i said, abandon all your agenda, and work with me, it would be much more beneficial for you." Putting one of her hands behind her back, she briskly, and swiftly move her fingers around, and chains hidden beneath the rocky terrain made their way through quietly after the short elf raised her staff, despite Makima taking her time to recruit and persuade her.
Up above, the star that glow brighter than anything, watched the commotion unbothered, as if mocking them from beyond.
-Back at the side of the continent, where the northern plain lies-
"BOOM BOOM BOOM" rain of snow cascaded all over the place as the ground fractured, fissured in its way as a lone figure with red haired, held an axe on his arm and swung it with his powerful arms. Veins continously protuded and sweat slid off his body, damping his clothes, worsening his forearm wound due to his continous movement of attacking in all directions where he is surrounded by a numerable number of demons.
A large chunk of the forest was destroyed with more parts on the way being already, the ground cracked and cracked nonstop. And the bunch of regenerating demons were relentless in their pursuit to kill or eat, while also a large bunch were already disintegrating. "Good thing, Miss Frieren somehow magically enhanced this axe of mine! That Kokushibo guy just keep coming back despite his wound that i gave with my fists. But with my axe slash, it appears he is more scared than ever since the wounds barely closed this time around. Still, he's so annoying to deal with, along with this many others!"
"Swing Swing Slash" bloods spurred out, staing the white snowy plain, as Stark didn't hesitate to cleave their heads and necks sliced with a powerful slash of his axe.