NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: [2]: Prologue (II)
In a certain dimension.
[***]
"Let's begin with the enemies that will invade that world, and which you will have to face to protect it," said Yog-Sothoth, moving their hand slightly.
Immediately, an image appeared in the hologram: a creature made of crystal, with a bright red core visible within its transparent body.
"These creatures are called Phrases. They live in a parallel world and exist in different ranks: low, mid, and high."
More images unfolded before Aiden.
The low-ranked Phrases had the appearance of insects, such as beetles and other seemingly harmless creatures, but their appearance was unsettling.
Through their crystalline bodies, the same red core throbbed within them.
"The low-ranked ones are, obviously, the weakest. They don't pose a significant threat, but they can still easily defeat humans without combat skills. Their bodies are extremely sturdy, and regular weapons cannot penetrate them. To defeat a Phrase, you must destroy its core, which functions as its heart; as long as they have it, they can completely regenerate."
Aiden's eyes widened.
The idea of an enemy that could regenerate from nothing was terrifying, especially for a human armed only with iron weapons.
If these creatures attacked a defenseless village, the people wouldn't stand a chance of survival.
Aiden noticed that the world had a medieval aspect, with few options for defense beyond swords and armor.
Although there were adventurers and mages, they represented only a small portion of the population.
Yog-Sothoth continued, and a new image appeared before Aiden.
This time, it was a larger creature, also made of crystal, but with more limbs and, notably, two glowing cores within its body.
The creature measured around four meters in height and two in width, though this varied among mid-ranked Phrases.
Some resembled giant worms, while others looked like birds, each with its own terrifying forms.
"These are the mid-ranked Phrases," explained Yog-Sothoth as the images displayed chilling details of each type.
"As you can see, they are much more durable, fast, and strong. Additionally, they possess two cores that act as hearts. They are a real threat to civilization; facing one without a competent group of adventurers is suicide, and even with an experienced team, it's highly likely someone will die in combat."
Aiden observed the sharp limbs of the creature and had no doubt about how lethal it could be.
"Is the civilization in that world doing okay?" he asked, imagining a large invasion of these creatures fighting against the cities. The scene felt apocalyptic.
"The civilization is safe… for now. These invaders have not yet reached that world; the images you see are from other worlds they've already destroyed," replied Yog-Sothoth, and with a wave of their hand, a new image appeared.
Before them, an army of Phrases invaded kingdoms and faced off against human soldiers, elves, and other races.
The war was brutal: spells lit up the air, flaming swords clashed against crystalline bodies, and massive earth golems rose to fight alongside the defenders.
However, it was all for nothing.
The image changed, revealing the outcome of the battle: devastated kingdoms and a field strewn with corpses.
Aiden felt a shiver; his non-physical form bristled.
The Phrases were opening the corpses and tossing them aside after examining them.
"What… what are they doing!?" he exclaimed, furious at seeing innocent people, even children, falling victim to those monstrosities. "Why are they opening their bodies and discarding them like nothing?"
"I'll explain that now. Let me finish telling you about the ranks of the Phrases; it's necessary for you to understand the purpose behind their actions," said Yog-Sothoth.
Aiden nodded, and another image appeared before him.
It was total catastrophe. If he'd had a body, he would have been drenched in cold sweat.
"These are the high-ranked Phrases," said Yog-Sothoth, and the image that appeared was shocking.
Before Aiden stood a colossal creature, a monstrous amalgamation of various animals, but what truly chilled him was its size.
This Phrase was gigantic, as tall as a building, as wide as hundreds of meters, and stretching in length up to five hundred meters. Inside its crystalline body, at least five cores glowed.
The creature, with a form resembling a crocodile, opened its enormous mouth and began concentrating a blinding light within.
Suddenly, a deafening roar filled the air, and a white beam was fired with unstoppable force.
The ground beneath its path disappeared, pulverized, and when the beam struck its enemies, half of a kingdom vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
"Gulp..." Aiden swallowed hard, terrified.
The image of such devastation was something that even in his previous world, with its arsenal of weapons and nuclear bombs, didn't seem to stand a chance against.
As he watched how these invaders could traverse dimensions and appear anywhere to unleash their destruction, he realized how desperate the situation truly was.
Humans couldn't just launch nuclear bombs without severe consequences, and he couldn't imagine how anyone could defend against that beam of pure annihilation.
'Not even in my previous world do I think they could defend against these invaders,' Aiden thought.
"Yog-Sothoth-san, how am I supposed to protect that world from these invaders? If it were just one, maybe I'd have a chance... but I have to face millions, and for at least a hundred years...!" Aiden couldn't contain his concern.
"Haha~, there's no need to worry," Yog-Sothoth replied with a calm smile. "I'll give you the power you need. You'll start off a bit weak, but over time, as you face more of these invaders, you'll grow stronger. I'll grant you abilities with great growth potential; plus, you'll be quite versatile, so there's no need to worry. And you have a smart brain... I know you'll survive."
Aiden nodded, feeling a bit more reassured.
If he was going to be given the necessary power, then he was determined to accept the offer. It was either that or lose his second chance at life.
"Now, this is the highest rank of the Phrases."
"Wait! There's an even higher rank?" Aiden was stunned.
"Yes... If you've noticed, all the previous Phrases were beings without intelligence, merely fulfilling a purpose. Who do you think gives them their orders?"
Yog-Sothoth waved his hand, and new images appeared before Aiden, who frowned as he looked at them.
"Humans? Crystal humans??"
Indeed, before him were humanoid crystal figures, and the next image showed one of them leading an army, giving orders to low, mid, and high-rank Phrases.
"Yes, these are called humanoid Phrases. They are intelligent beings and, most importantly, the true masterminds behind the invasions."
Aiden clenched his fists upon hearing this, a fire of determination beginning to ignite within him.
[***]
End of Chapter
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A/N:
Here's Chapter 2.
Just letting you know, the plot about protecting the world and the Phrases will only last for a few chapters.
The final goal of this fanfic is to make it part of the DxD universe, along with other slice-of-life anime.
For now, I'm just trying to give some background on how Aiden became strong.
By the way, the Phrases are from the series Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni.
Also, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me if the grammar is okay, since English isn't my first language, and I'm translating the story using various applications like ChatGPT.
Thanks!
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