"A ship... hmm..." He put his hand on his chin, thinking. It was a quick thought. Since he trusted Jumkou enough, he was willing to lend his own ship to her. "You could use mine. It's of latest high-tech and it can get you to Earth in less than a week. The hangar is on-"

  "W-WHAT?"

  Jumkou was more than surprised. This is not common behaviour! Are all Testharians like this? I can't believe it!

  "H-hold your horses... You couldn't possibly just lend over your ship to an outsider!" She tried to reason.

  Testharians are known to be very generous and helpful. Getting no for an answer to something that they could use was one of the rarest things to happen in Testharia. But the ship of the Eria?! It's unheard of!

  "You're in a hurry, Jumkou... My ship is the fastest out of any, and besides... I trust you enough."

  "... I... thank you, Sachiel. I shall depart immediately. I'm sorry for your loss."

  "Don't be sorry. We will rebuild."

  And so, Jumkou stood up and walked to the elevator.

  "... Which floor was the hangar?" She stopped, looking back.

  "The 55th floor." He answered almost instantly.

  "55... 55... okay, thank you!" She stepped into the elevator.

  As the elevator doors closed, another thought lingered in her mind. She couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy about giving Flynnigan such a huge responsibility. What if he fails? What if he gets killed?

  From what she has gathered, he was just a kid in this timeline. How can he be of any help to her?

  "Ahh..." She sighed. She's already made up her mind about it. He is the only one who can change the future. The only one who can prevent Kaioshun from plunging the entire galaxy in darkness. Flynnigan, the Call of the Gods.

  Kaioshun, the Coming.

  She had no reason to believe otherwise.

  The bullshit Kaioshun spouted out about Flynnigan being the Coming instead is the biggest load of crap she's ever heard. There's no way that would happen. What does Kaioshun know anyway?

  In hindsight, believing in a fairy tale was probably a bad idea.

  But she had no other choice to believe in a fairy tale. Her timeline was a mess. Her timeline was uninhabitable, unliveable... unthinkable. The war destroyed her timeline.

  So it was either this moment... or never again. Not even Jumkou knows how many times she has probably repeated this.

  Frequent panic attacks.

  Frequent panic attacks.

  It’s eating my mind away.

  I’m tired of this shit, so this time... it WILL work.

  As the elevator doors opened to the 55th floor, she walked out and immediately saw Sachiel's personal ship.

  An orange-white sleek design, with an open door and a small stair to step in. There are several thrusters attached at the bottom, as well as an extended engine at the back. It was huge.

  She stood there for a few seconds and felt like this was a huge responsibility. But she had to do it. She can't fail now, not when she's come so far. Testharians have given her enough hospitality to let her rest for as long as she wanted. Now, she has to return the favour and save the world.

  "...toria... Miss Katatoria!" A familiar voice got louder as the girl came closer to her.

  "Huh-?" Jumkou turned slowly, seeing Asheera hastily walking towards her.

  "Asheera!" Jumkou was genuinely happy to see her.

  "Pardon... my interruption... Sachiel forgot to give you something." She would take something out of her pocket, giving it to her. It was like a walkie-talkie in the form of a singular button. Whenever it was pressed, it would directly connect to Sachiel's personal communication frequency. It was like an instant message sender.

  "... Just in case... something happens on Earth." Asheera said while breathing heavily. She really did run all the way here to give Jumkou the button.

  "... Thanks." She said, taking it and putting it in her own pocket.

  "Safe voyage, Miss... Katatoria." She would have a big smile on her face.

  = = =

  10 hours ago

  A troop transport would land outside what would've been the main entrance to Zephite City a few hours after it's destruction. Roughly 15 Mobilizers would walk out, each accompanied by analysts, scientists, captain, some S&R and a great Soul-General.

  Ramiel Aroki.

  Ramiel would step out of the ship, looking forward to the ruins of the city. He wore his traditional orange, blue armour with white streaks. His hair was combed down, however unable to be seen since he had a helmet on. No one was allowed to take out their helmets. The air could be contaminated by anything, even asbestos.

  His eyes looked at the destruction before him. There were only two buildings standing tall, but aside from that... everything else was gone. The ground looked like it was scorched and then frozen again. The wind blew dust and ashes across the city, some of them flying near the men.

  What did this? What disaster caused this to happen... or what sick individual caused this?

  He wished he knew the answer to that already.

  "Right..."

  The S&R would be underway searching rubble, analysts accompanied by a Mobilizer bodyguard searching the city for threats and evidence. The rest will just stand there, waiting for the go. Ramiel has yet to make a move.

  "... This is..."

  "Disastrous... sir." One Mobilizer spoke. "It is truly... an act of terrorism, sir. The only question now is who?"

  "I don't know, soldier. Not yet." Ramiel answered, taking a look at the other side. "But I have a feeling whoever did this is going to strike again. And soon."

  "How are you certain, sir?"

  "... Nothing's certain. Let us move forward. We have a long day ahead of us."

  "Yes, sir!"

  Ramiel would deviate from the others' path and take his own, towards a more ruined area where several buildings were toppled over each other. His boots would get stained with black soot as he stepped over a fallen building.

  He climbed up the concrete blocks and walked through the remains of an apartment complex, now a pile of broken glass and metal.

  This part of the city looked particularly bad. It seemed like a bomb went off right here and caused a chain-reaction. The blast zone was enough to completely flatten out the entire city.

  Zephite City wasn't just any ordinary city too.

  It was the city with the longest area proper, second only to Tristate City itself. Even if it was the fourth most populated city of anything Testharian. Its population was about 4 million. Now 0.

  He walked around the city alone, looking for any sign of life, any sign of where the devastation ended. He'd eventually only find the City Hall, one of two surviving buildings. "All units, once analysts conclude their investigation, move to the City Hall. It is the only important building standing."

  Zephite City was a beautiful and prosperous place. Its citizens lived in high-quality homes and apartments, and the streets were always bustling with activity. It was the most important city for Testharia, with 33% of Testharia's food reserves, products and trade stored there.

  But now, it was a wasteland.

  The city's buildings were reduced to rubble, and the roads were covered with debris.

  The only two things left standing was the City Hall, and even that was damaged beyond repair, and the only other building standing was some random residential apartment complex.

  It was a tragedy, and the people of Zephite City would never forget the devastation that had been inflicted upon them.

  Not that there was anyone left to remember it.

  Walking up to the cracked steps, Ramiel entered the main hall - turning on a flashlight on his helmet, giving the generators in the city were destroyed. This place was once a bright, pristine example of what Testharia could accomplish. Now, it was a ghost town.

  "The destruction here... is immense." Ramiel whispered to himself. He walked around, his footsteps echoing throughout the empty halls.

  As the mobilizers scavenged for any life left in the hall, they came across something. The City Hall was left with a lot of Soul-Residue which was assumed to be left by the perpetrator.

  "I'm picking up a lot of Soul-Residue in this hall." one of the Mobilizers said.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "Knowing that... it was definitely a person. A living being." Ramiel replied.

  "But... that can't be, right? Only a few people could do this amount of destruction."

  This particular Mobilizer had a device which could determine the intensity of the Soul-Residue left by someone. Or in other ways... it could calculate how much Soul-Energy someone has or had.

  The higher it was, the more likely it was that it was someone of fundamental power.

  "The Soul-Residue readings... are... off the charts." He continued. "It's... over 10 million."

  "... 10 million?" Ramiel stopped for a second and turned his head.

  No individual has Soul-Energy above 10 million. This was ironclad, an absolute truth. No living creature could have that amount of energy. The only person who had this much Soul-Energy was the hypothetical person who killed Kytron Veyron and achieved Ascension.

  "There's no way someone could have that amount of energy." Ramiel said. "Your calculator must be broken. Try recalibrating it."

  "No, sir, I'm telling you, there is a reading of over 10 million!" The Mobilizer tried to argue.

  "... Good god..." He looked at the intensity, slightly wide-eyed under his helmet - visible through a small addition he had in its repairs.

  Other Mobilizers looked at the intensity, some scared slightly and some shitless.

  "... R-right... We're here to look for survivors and piece together what happened, soldiers! Dwell not on the Soul readings, it is not of importance!" Ramiel turned around and commanded the rest. "Obviously, the perpetrator is gone - so there's nothing to worry about! I will alert COMMAND of our findings, get back to work!"

  "SIR YES SIR!" Everyone splits up, getting back to work.

  "..."

  Ramiel sighed, walking to a quiet area of the site - contacting COMMAND.

  COMMAND - "Ramiel, did you find anything?" The voice behind COMMAND was Asheera Eria.

  "Yeah... The entire city has been levelled, besides the City Hall which is on the verge of collapse. No sign of survivors, although the ground has been particularly ashy..." He paused, taking a breath before dropping the news.

  "Soul-Residue has given us evidence that the perpetrator attack was of one of fundamental pow-"

  COMMAND - "WHAT!?" The yell came off a little higher from his end.

  Ramiel winced at the sudden yell.

  COMMAND - "This is bad news... very bad news. What's the intensity of the Soul-Residue?"

  "...10 million. Over that."

  There was a pause.

  COMMAND - "... I can't believe it... That's..."

  Ramiel and Asheera were silent for a whole minute, contemplating everything they knew about the situation.

  "... What are our orders... Madame Viceroy..."

  Asheera had to think long and hard about this. Zephite City is no longer. This was regarded as a generational genocide. The only way to fix it was to find whoever did this and put them down, as quickly as possible. But the damage is already done. A whole city was levelled by a person. And if that person is still alive, then there's no telling what else they're capable of.

  Would it be better to leave this person and not risk another attack? Trying to locate the guy could provoke another attack. On the other hand, if they didn't try to stop them, then they'd just keep going. More people will die. More cities will be destroyed.

  Why is Testharia just suddenly being picked out of all places? Is this the result of their decision to open their arms to Dark Intrinium and Soul-Core?

  Either way, Asheera had to make a choice. She was the highest authority in Testharia at the moment, and the decisions she made were final. Sachiel Eria was not present, as he was doing his pastime work as a S&R operative in Snowfall Heights.

  COMMAND - "... The only thing we can do right now is find this person and stop them before they cause any more damage. I'm afraid we'll have to mobilize the entire Mobilizer force if we want to catch this person... Gods... how is this possible..."

  The pain in her voice was apparent. She never expected that something like this could ever happen, and now that it has happened, she can't help but feel like it's her fault for letting it happen. She was the one who opened Testharia to Dark Intrinium.

  She will never live this down. Oh, never.

  So was she a mistake? No, not by a longshot.

  Testharia knew nothing about Dark Intrinium. Soul-Core, they knew a few stories about since they operated in Earth too. It's funny how they never knew about Dark Intrinium despite the latter controlling about half of the galaxy right now.

  So why did Sachiel push Azrael's agenda, his ideology only just now? It's simple deduction, really.

  Sachiel honestly knew that Azrael wasn't a smart man by any means, but an effective soldier. He was the true commander of the Mobilizers, he only became 'God' of Testharia after the civil war ended and Lantisul was defeated. He was crowned as Father, and his personality slowly changed. But whatever Lantisul said, he truly believed it.

  Where did Sachiel go wrong? Where did Azrael go wrong?

  Should Sachiel have pushed his own agenda and not listened to his greatfather, who really wanted Sachiel to push on his beliefs? Why did Sachiel help Azrael with his idealism instead?

  Why didn't Sachiel listen to Lantisul?

  It makes sense that he didn't. Lantisul is the reason for the death of his greatfather Azrael. Would a young, still-vulnerable Sachiel ever forgive him?

  Homesickness is an illness. Lantisul made an oath to protect Testharia from outsiders and prevent Testharians from becoming weak against the forces outside of their homeland. What he did not expect was for Lantisul to break the peace against him.

  Was Azrael a true leader? No, he was not. He was just a troubled outsider, aiming to lead a planet he knew he loved dearly, but never once called his home. Azrael Testharia is truly someone beyond salvation. He just couldn't let his Earthling ideals go.

  Azrael is a failure for trying to turn Testharia just like Earth.

  Sachiel is a failure for not accepting that his greatfather was a failure.

  Maybe if Sachiel listened to Lantisul and held absolute power over everything instead of giving almost similar power to Asheera and the people, Testharia would be safe from all sorts of external threats, internal arguments and problems. Sachiel would finally bring a return to true safety and peace.

  So... are Sachiel and Asheera mistakes? No, not by a longshot.

  They are uneducated people, whom Lord Kytan Veyron knew how to persuade the princess Madame Viceroy of Testharia and play even the Great Kamisword.

  Lord Veyron beat two birds with one stone.

  Asheera snapped out of it.

  COMMAND - "Man the fort... Make sure that the perpetrator is found. Both Testharia and Dankasho will enter a state of emergency to battle economy crises. Be sure to issue protective lockdowns on all cities in Dankasho, be mindful of the civilians, however. All military deployments will be issued in light of this, all Mobilizers will focus primarily on the issue at hand, disregarding all prior engagements. The Royal Forces, excluding me, will deploy in Zephite City to further assist you."

  "... Affirmative."

  And with that, the connection was cut, as he switched to short-range frequency.

  There was a faint sigh coming from the helmet. His heart did not beat rapidly nor was it slowly, but it was calm. He was a decisive, confident man. He spoke on the radio, urging everyone to return to base and await the Royal Forces to arrive.

  The findings weren't all that irrelevant. What was mysterious, was the survival of the City Hall, at the most important block near the city centre. This led him to wonder even more.

  Every building was made to sustain until a certain level of intensity; in this case, an entire building being blown down and the supports removed. And yet... in such a crucial area, the only damaged thing is the walls. That's all.

  This could only mean one thing.

  "The City Hall... is a message."

  As he said that, everyone felt a pressurizing, penetrating sensation of a Soul nearby. This pressurizing feeling was enough to stun anyone into a choke, their hearts pumping like crazy and their skin oozing in sweat. As time passed, this 'scratching' of their throats intensified. Almost like everyone's throat was being filled with a liquid, trying to get through and ultimately suffocating them.

  This can only happen if the Soul-Aura is unfathomably strong enough to inflict external physical damage without direct contact. This was undoubtedly, someone of fundamental power.

  Everyone experienced this fear; their bodies were literally paralysed. The feeling was enough for anyone, veteran or otherwise, feel like their hearts were being squeezed. Many Mobilizers fell down, clawing the ground while trying to scream and gargle. Someone was desperate to manifest a sword and defend their men.

  Almost... like a feeling of hopelessness. Of impotence, of humiliation.

  Ramiel, the strongest of all and by a longshot, only dropped to a knee, pressing a hand on the ground to keep himself upright.

  One comm cut off.

  [C]: "HE'S HERE!"

  [C]: "FIR----"

  Everybody was dropping like fireflies.

  "Shit..."

  Ramiel begun to try and fight the pressurizing feeling - forcing himself to a wobbly stand and darting his eyes around for a place to hide and call for reinforcements at the city.

  He begun moving towards the back of the City Hall, walking like an astronaut on the moon - slow and large leaps.

  The intensity got worse.

  And worse.

  There was only Ramiel standing now.

  And finally, a shade of aura peeked from a broken corner, revealing itself to the party.

  It was red, but was rainbow-ish in colour, pastel glows illuminating the entire hall.

  ". . ."

  Ramiel couldn't stand anymore. The pressure got so bad, that he felt like every cell in his body was turning to ice. He sat down with his back against the wall. He was truly being suffocated without something touching his neck or head.

  What stood before him was a man, concealed by his aura. It was bright, it was powerful, and it was lethal. This man was not just any man, he was someone who knew how to use his power, he was someone who could kill with just a single look.

  "W-who the hell are you?" Ramiel asked.

  "Did you do this!?" He referred to the city.

  "Is this your doing?"

  "Who..."

  "Who are you!?"

  "WHO ARE YOU!?"

  His yells got louder. But the man still stood there, silently, walking around like a kid in an adult's playground. He turned to face him.

  "It was me."

  Ramiel was not expecting such a blunt answer.

  "Why... Why in Gods names!? These people were innocent people! Good people!"

  "It was a message." The man was not particularly deep in his voice.

  "A... message?"

  "Nothing more, nothing less."

  "So you're not telling me why exactly? For what reason? Why this city?"

  "This place is not a product of perfection. Quite frankly, I wanted it gone."

  "..."

  "He didn't want it, so I blew it up. And I didn't want it, so I burned it all."

  Ramiel was silenced by his presence, his mysterious words and everything he stands for. He stared at them for a moment, before feeling a tidal wave of anger and patriotism.

  "You... YOU BASTA- GH-" Ramiel would summon one of his Crescent Blades and tried to swing point blank at his neck, however he was grabbed by the chest and pushed to the wall with immense pressure, basically locking him inside and slamming the air out of him.

  Who was this guy?

  Ramiel kept trying to force his blade to stab, the tip getting only an inch close to the guy's neck - but in vein.

  "Why present thou as the Absolute, when thou are the Fool. You are not to overstay your welcome any longer... in His envisioned world."

  "Wh-"

  Next thing Ramiel knew, they were somewhere else, completely. Not in Zephite City. Did he just get teleported? But how? How was this person so fast with it?

  It didn't even feel like teleportation. It felt like he was just put there in the tiniest picosecond.

  No, no. Impossible.

  "Who..." Ramiel was more interested in asking who this "Him" was. But he was also interested in... breaking free.

  "... Who are you... Who are you to decide what can or can't stay!? Testharians are not some toys you can dispose of just for the sake of it! What gives you the right!?"

  A small window of escape as the man loosened his grip. A big mistake.

  While in mid-

  Too late.

  Ramiel was pushed further inside the thick wall. He was about to suffocate in there. He couldn't use his Soul, or any of his Soul-Techniques to move out or go. He tried to struggle and move and even try to hit him through the concrete, but it was useless. Right now, he just kept straining, not just because he wanted to attack this 'God', but because it could stall them enough for the Royal Forces to arrive.

  However, are the Royal Forces enough to stop this wild beast?

  If this guy is strong enough to completely stun Ramiel without even breaking a single sweat, or moving a finger... with just his Soul-Aura... what can they possibly do?

  Not to mention the Royal Forces are arriving without Asheera Eria to back them up.

  They would be Soulless creatures before they could even do something.

  "Testharia is nearing it's end, Ramiel Aroki. It is only a matter of time before Armageddon is upon you." The man seemed to know Ramiel by his name. "It may be from me and Him, or something completely different."

  As the man let Ramiel go, Ramiel's arm would suddenly slam downwards with the release, a surprisingly large crater forming where the blade hit the ground.

  "Of Him, I know not. But follow Him, is the viable option. And anyone who rejects Him, will have none of His blessings."

  Ramiel got incredibly angry, standing up quickly and swinging his Crescent blade. However as soon as the blade would hit him, the man vanished but his voice was still there.

  "Survive what is about to come, and I will personally see to it that you live for eternity." He vanished, leaving no trace. Ramiel would search the area for him, darting his head left and right.

  He was completely gone. The reality around Ramiel vanished as well, as he returned inside the City Hall.

  Ramiel would desummon his weapon, standing up slowly - being blown around by the wind for a moment as he thought about what just happened. The Mobilizers that accompanied him were all dead, he was the only one alive. After a moment of contemplation, he sat down. He took his helmet off, despite the danger of it being contaminated, and looked at his reflection in the visor.

  While he couldn't agree with this person, he couldn't help but wonder...

  Is Testharia nearing it's end?

  Three major attacks in such quick succession.

  Could it be more than bad luck?

  "...No..." Ramiel muttered, putting his helmet back on.

  "I will not fall for this madness."