After a long, boring voyage, Jumkou finally arrived at the atmosphere of the most popular planet in the Solar System:

  Earth.

  It took about a week to reach Earth from Testharia all the way. The total distance was about 4 light-years. Humanity's technology, or better yet, Testharian technology is so ahead of it's time that people can travel a million times faster than the speed of light, completely disproving Einstein's...

  "Theory of Relativity".

  With the Soul, anything is possible.

  - Jumy, after 7 days, 8 hours, 39 minutes and 24 seconds, counting... you've arrived at Earth. -

  "... Hm? Oh, finally!" Like that, Jumkou jumped out of her seat and immediately focused on the view below. This was the first time she saw her home planet... inhabited.

  She will never forget the barren wasteland Earth would become if she failed her mission. This was everything for her. For her, it was like the first time doing this mission, but it felt like she has done this a million times.

  It was clear that the memories she held in the numerous time loops that she has done, doesn't follow suit in her brain. Which would explain the amnesiac episode she had when she woke up on Sachiel's rescue ship.

  However, it was frankly, so easy to remember them.

  "... Nasse, do you think you can check if Flynnigan Shotaro lives in Ainzite City?"

  - Certainly. Checking Flynnigan Shotaro's latest location. Analyzing Soul-Residue, emitting Soul detecting frequency waves with a diameter of 2000 kilometres... Analyzing Soul-Trail... I am sorry, I cannot track Flynnigan Shotaro's Soul and it's Soul-Residue. -

  Due to Flynnigan not having a form of power, there would be no trace of him relating to Soul-Residue. This doesn't explain how he got such a huge surge of power. Surely, he has some form of power. Some powers are innately dormant and need incentives to bring about those powers.

  In Flynnigan's instance, this power was unlocked in a near-death situation and exacerbated by the destruction of his village. A powerful incentive to bring forth his power.

  How will Jumkou even find Flynnigan if the same power is dormant? If there is no Soul-Aura, Residue or anything else to detect, then it would be like finding a needle in a warehouse of haystack.

  "Damn... I figured. I was suspecting him to not really be anything huge." Jumkou brainstormed ideas, as she stared outside the window. The beautiful view of Earth. It was like the view she would see everyday, and she knew exactly what would happen.

  And then, something clicked. She'd think back to Kaioshun's attack, thinking about power surges and how that could help her.

  "Hm... Can you trace any Soul-Residue spikes around the planet?" Remembering her events back in Testharia, when Kaioshun mentioned about Flynnigan's power surge and how everybody felt it.

  While Sachiel and Kaioshun were fighting, Jumkou was eavesdropping. Her reset point was way before when she decided to scare Sachiel and meet him again.

  .:. "Sachiel Eria. I will tell you this now... Even if you do not care about anything that comes out of my mouth. There is an uprising of power. We all felt it. Incidentally, all of it correlates to Flynnigan Shotaro. Do you understand what I am getting it? That Flynnigan Shotaro is going to be so incredibly powerful that he will plunge the galaxy in darkness. He will be the Coming, I want to stop him from being the one that brings the apocalypse. Let me go and I'll make sure that never happens!" .:.

  So much vigor, life into what he said, all to persuade Sachiel to let him go, and create more destruction. Kaioshun's plan isn't just to destroy Flynnigan Shotaro, but to retain the future and prevent Jumkou from changing anything.

  The thought would sadden her for a bit, before hearing Nasse speaking again.

  - Tracing Soul-Residue spikes on Earth over the past month. - Nasse's recalculation took about a minute. - There have been 3 Soul-Residue spikes over the course of this month and previous. One has a recorded Soul-Energy level of 8 million. -

  This was probably the clue she was looking for. A Soul-Energy level of 8 million is enough to be considered of extreme power. Jumkou was curious about how that number would translate into her powers but decided not to ask.

  "And where was that picked up at?"

  - A small and remote village in the outskirts of Ainzite City called Shard Village. Might this be the person you are looking for, Jumy? -

  "... Shard Village... sounds about right...”

  - However, the residue that the power surge had left a trail that goes all the way to the Envia Dome on Mars. This might mean with higher certainty that Flynnigan Shotaro has left for Mars. -

  “So... Envia Dome it is?”

  Nasse nodded.

  And with that, she set up the coordinates to Mars, prompting Nasse to redirect course from Ainzite City to the Envia Dome.

  = = =

  [ Sky City, Jupiter ]

  Evtoria would lean her head against the railing- looking down at the cloudy void that Jupiter is. She would stand there, sulking; hoping that Evto would've had the coldness to kill her rather than saving her.

  It sounds bad, but that was the pain that war brought.

  .:. I didn't need your help, brother. .:.

  She would take out her comms. "Central, patch me through with Rakoji Kovac."

  Ordering central to call the HYPERVOLVER wielder, she had a plan. A plan that concerned one of the best mercenaries in the galaxy.

  "Uh... are you sure, ma'am? If you don't recall--"

  "I don't care, patch me through."

  "Understood." Central would allow her to have direct contact with Rakoji.

  Through a certain frequency linking Jupiter to a remote place where Rakoji was vacating, it linked pretty fast and Rakoji picked it up quite fast too. For a mercenary trained to assassinate for money, he's always a bit paranoid.

  Vacating in his own private vessel, he enjoyed gazing into the vastness of space.

  [C] - "Who's this?"

  [C] - "... Suppose we meet up?"

  Upon recognizing her voice, he spat out his drink, a 20-year-old Jirubian Spirit.

  [C] - "You're--" He coughed and cleared his throat. "Well... this is awkward... why would you want to meet up?"

  [C] - "You like payment, no?"

  [C] - "You want to... hire me? Heh... Forgive my suspicion but last I checked, I've had to steer clear of an entire region of the galaxy because of your orders. I still remember that."

  [C] - "Being a mercenary is a complicated profession that I am well aware of. However, you won't miss this kind of payment."

  After hearing the words 'kind of payment' he knew he was going to regret saying yes, but a mercenary does not pass the opportunity for cash. He sighed and took a swig.

  [C] - "You're lucky me and White Eye are on bad terms. I'm all ears. Where do I go?"

  [C] - "To Jupiter. Sky City."

  [C] - "...I'll be there in around half an hour. I hope you understand I will have a few questions once I get there."

  [C] - "And they will be answered."

  The comms were cut.

  -

  Exactly an hour and a half later, Rakoji found himself in the outer ring of Jupiter's Sky City, just a few hundred meters away from the Mugen Tower.

  Evtoria would stand around, waiting for Rakoji. Hearing footsteps come up beside her, she turned to face him.

  "I'm here. Next time, please pick a more obvious spot - took me a while to figure out which end of the outer ring you were on."

  "That is because this is not a meeting for the public eye. Welcome."

  Rakoji would stare at the building before him, before looking at Evtoria.

  "So... what is it? Why ask for my help, despite our history?" He leaned on the railing, supporting his belt with both of his hands. A classic cowboy pose.

  Evtoria would sigh. "I suffered a humiliating defeat not too long ago. I need help to regain my honor. In particular, I want you to assassinate somebody. 4 people, actually. You can name whatever price you want."

  "...Hm..." Rakoji gazed into the sky.

  He looked back at Evtoria. "60,000 to hire me, 12,000 in compensation for ruining my business for two years and my bounty lifted so I can travel through the West Region again and being repairing said business. I also want another 6,000 in extra for killing these four."

  "I'll double all of that just for coming here." Evtoria would reply.

  Rakoji laughed, revelling in his newfound fortune. "Even better! So, who are these 3 targets? This secrecy you've kept has piqued my interest, no matter the payout."

  Evtoria placed a hologram on the railing, showing four different targets.

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

  "This has something to do with White Eye, hm?" He said sarcastically, reading the names. The names were:

  Evto Mugen.

  Mitchel Reeds.

  Ken Magami.

  Megami Duvet.

  "I can probably have each one dead by the end of the month- maybe longer, give your having me go up against 2 of extreme power." He also noticed Evto and Evtoria sharing surnames but decided against mentioning it.

  "I'd be more wary of the so-called Ghost Assassin, however. He is a hidden force, so they say..." She said, turning and leaning against the railing, almost mimicking Rakoji's pose.

  "I know about Evto Mugen and his... rather unique power. Megami Duvet is a wild card too, but her abilities aren't anything too special. They will all be dead, though."

  Evtoria smiled. "Thank you. You may leave."

  Rakoji bowed his head slightly, before turning to walk off.

  He stopped in his tracks, however, as a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Hey, uh..." He turned his head slightly, before turning it a little more.

  "...So... How will I be paid?"

  Evtoria grabbed the hologram of the targets and threw it to Rakoji, given he would need it to recognize them. "If the payment isn't up-front, I at least expect access to the West Region to make my job easier."

  "Fulfill the contract and we'll see."

  This came off more as a threat than anything.

  "Hmph... I'll contact you when I've handled the first one, be seeing you."

  Rakoji left a small chip, giving her the frequency to his communicator so she could contact him without hacking into it like last time. Afterwards, Rakoji would take a glance at the gas giant clouds before shoving his hands in his pockets and leaving. Taking one last look at Evtoria and tipping his hat down, in which, Evtoria would do the same.

  = = =

  [ Envia Dome, Mars ]

  .:. "Thousand Leaves, to commemorate the victory of the Battle of Fortner City, and your performance, I'll give you the job of clearing out any N.S.C soldiers seeking refuge in your home planet, Mars. You can go there and rest for a bit. Think of this as a part-time job. Don't worry, the N.S.C soldiers aren't very strong." .:.

  "..."

  "Home's still like home." Megami said with a frown on her face. She expected the Envia Dome to be a little better with upgraded architecture and the tackling of poverty. However, this was only wishful thinking.

  Mars has always been poor, and the Envia Dome, a poor excuse for a city, was nothing to boast about. As the years went by, it only became worse. The Envia Dome is the murder capital of Mars and the entire Solar System, with a homicide rating of 32.6 every 10,000 residents.

  It's truly a terrible place.

  It was crowded in the busy and impoverished streets in Ubashi Plaza. She, currently, was the only presence of a huge power waddling around. The plaza itself was filled with the usual things a city would have. Restaurants, a mall, and a few other attractions. Its only problem is that everything is a scam.

  Everything here is overpriced.

  Just try getting a Nuvarian Cold Ball, you'll spend 10x more here than for one in Nuvaria.

  "Nothing has changed in this neglected scrapyard hell..." She looked around, all she could see were thousands of homeless people sitting against walls of crooked homes. The streets were littered with trash and broken glass.

  The only good thing about the Envia Dome was that it was still habitable and has a stable ecosystem. However, this has only happened within the past 20 years. Before that, the Envia Dome was nothing but a dustbowl and was deemed unliveable.

  It was the beginning of a new generation. The first generation born in the Envia Dome was finally reaching the end of their youth.

  But what has changed?

  The answer is: Nothing.

  Everything was still the same as before, with the exception of the buildings being fixed up, but it's still not a great place.

  It was so bad that she was about to vomit by the smell alone. "This place... needs to change."

  However, a certain noise would drown out the sorrows of locals. A pub transport ship, landing on the biggest landing pad in the Envia Dome. A separate dome above the main one.

  The Central Station.

  It would open up its loading dock and release a bunch of tourists and refugees from Earth, Jupiter, Venus, etc. And in that transport ship was someone else. He would walk around with his head down, going down the staircase elevator.

  "Mars... what a dump. Didn't think it would be worse than Earth." The elevator took long to go down and was pretty slow. He didn't look like a Martian either, he looked more like an Earthling human.

  Upon entering the main street of the Ubashi Plaza, he would accidentally bump into Megami.

  "Oh- sorry..."

  "N-no, excuse me." Megami apologised, opening her eyes and looking at him. "..." She then viewed the pub transport ship that just loaded in new passengers and took off.

  "Were you in one of those transport ships?"

  "...Yeah, I was. I just came from Earth."

  "From Earth, huh? Why would you? This is the center of poverty, I doubt a rich boy from Earth would want to visit this dump."

  "Rich, huh..." The boy chuckled. "... Well... I'm not from Ainzite City. I just came from a village outside of it."

  "... Hm. Just be careful out here. Lots of pickpocketing, robberies and violence. Try not to pick a fight with the big guys and you should be fine."

  "Yeah... thanks... Oh! My name is Flynnigan Shotaro. You can call me Flynn though."

  Bummer... Jumkou was too late to find him on Earth.

  "Right, Flynn... - I'm Megami Duvet, nice to meet you."

  Flynnigan was a bit shaky. He has never really spoke to a developed woman. The women of his village were always very old or were the age of a sister. Being coddled most of the time by elderly people, he didn't have the courage to speak to anyone his age, much less an older and matured woman.

  Megami could sense his uneasiness. She had a slight smile, knowing why he was so awkward. She too was here to rest. Somewhere outside of the Ubashi Plaza lay a great tourist place with the best pools, saunas and relaxation areas.

  A place named The Heavenly Resort.

  It was a place where anyone could pay to enter and spend a whole week in the resort, relaxing. A paradise away from the hellhole called the Envia Dome. She can't forget what she really came here for, though. The N.S.C soldiers are scattered around the Envia Dome, seeking a safe haven from the military.

  It is up to her to find and kill them. But first, relaxation was the goal. She had already planned out the killing spree of the N.S.C members.

  "...This place is lovely from afar, right?"

  This caused Megami to stop thinking and look at Flynnigan.

  "You think so? It could be, if you're careful... I wouldn't get your hopes up though. This place is again, a dump."

  "Does this place have a bad history or something?"

  Megami sat on an empty bench and looked him up and down, smiling. "It's known as the heart of criminality in the entire galaxy. NO one comes here knowing that they'll get bruised over anything... You didn't do any research, did you?" She chuckled.

  "... Unfortunately no..."

  Flynnigan was fiddly with his hands. He was very anxious. "I'm new to all of this, actually."

  "All of what? Traveling? You should know to check things out before traveling, you know?"

  "... Well... I should've since Mars is a neighbour planet but... well... urm... my village isn't... well versed about the galaxy. We're pretty enclosed."

  "Your village? Are you an isolated group?"

  "No... not really 'isolated' as you think."

  She sighed. "Do you at least carry some kind of firearm with you?"

  "...Firearm!?" He'd freeze at the thought. Flynnigan is only 19 at this time around, so seeing a young man travelling alone wasn't rare... but not as common either. Most pretend to be refugees and some ARE.

  "N-no... I'm only 19 you see... so I don't know any regulations and plus... I don't think I'm really that capable of wielding one... Do you carry a firearm...?"

  Megami closed her eyes and chuckled. "I don't need one."

  "...Huh...? But, how? This is the crime capital, no?"

  "I'm strong enough to handle even the greatest threats in the galaxy. I know I look like a delicate young girl but trust me when I say that I could destroy a small army without breaking a sweat... or worse. I have abilities derived from my Soul, you know?"

  Flynnigan was shocked at the information.

  "Soul...? Are you- Soul-Abilities?" Flynnigan gulped and quickly stepped back, not because of her abilities, but because she said Soul. "I've heard stories of those... is it true? The Soul?"

  Megami nodded. "Souls and Soul-Wielders exist, uneducated man. In fact, a lot of people have it."

  "...So I take it there are bad ones too then..."

  This could only mean a reference to the destruction of his village. It was still unclear why his village needed to be destroyed, or his Soul to be 'confiscated'...

  But the very mystery surrounding this man is that his power comes in immense surges... and with no Soul-Aura, Soul-Residue or anything to trace... means he is far from someone with a 'condition' like Hana Zurgen.

  No, he was something entirely different.

  Someone who doesn't realize has a power, but that power cannot be read by others either.

  An enigma, more than a person without Soul and Soul-Energy.

  But does this mean that the power doesn't come from the Soul or Soul-Energy? This was a question, a hypothesis that even Jumkou struggled to know.

  "...Unfortunately, yes. Most people use it to please their own desires and goals. Most want to gain power and take control of everything they possibly can. I use my power to keep myself safe, to keep my comrades safe... and to defeat a common enemy of another peacekeeping government."

  This was a referral to Dark Intrinium and Soul-Core.

  The Galactic War.

  "The war between Dark Intrinium and Soul-Core, right... I know that much. So... are you powerful?"

  "Powerful isn't what I would really call myself... More like, reliable." Megami gave a modest answer.

  "Hm... so, you're saying you're a peacekeeper? You're fighting for peace, right?"

  "In a way, I am. However, it isn't so simple. It's not just fighting a war against one government; it's fighting a war to bring forth peace and freedom. People have become so dependent on governments and the power it holds that it has brought out a corrupt mindset and ideals. Ever heard of White Eye?"

  "... I'm familiar with the name, but I don't know what they do. Is it an evil organization?"

  "... Well... I don't know. We're covert ops, and we can't reveal our identities until we are fully prepared to bring forth our full might. I am one of those members. I fight for them.

  The Envia Dome was really crowded today. She would glance around to see if there were any potential enemies lurking, but the place was mostly harmless. "Anyway, I'd get off the streets if I were you, you don't know what's lurking behind the shadows... Do you have somewhere to be?"

  "...Uh, yeah. I do have somewhere to be." Flynnigan started feeling uneasy. "Ahem... Thanks again for letting me know ot be cautious... I'll keep that in mind and be more aware of my surroundings- Megami was it?"

  "Remembered my name! Yeah! Have a safe rest of the d-"

  Now Megami felt uneasy. A strange aura had appeared and was heading their way. This was not a normal soul.

  This was something else. Something not good.

  "Get behind me. Now."

  A ship had bypassed the dome of Envia and was headed straight for street. A hatch opened, which revealed someone with dark purple-red hair and purple clothes and a black skirt, designed for battle.

  "... What the-"

  .:. Flynnigan Shotaro... spiky hair, white tee... blue eyes... That's him! .:. Jumkou would stare at him.

  Jumkou went in for a kick, however Megami dodged by putting her forearm in front of her, blocking the attack. The red-haired girl was clearly stressed, thinking Megami was a threat.

  "What the hell, who are you!?" Megami asked.

  The crowd that was gathered started to panic, trying to flee from the situation.

  "Who the hell are you and how do you know Flynnigan Shotaro?" Jumkou interrogated.

  "Hmph!" Megami grabbed her foot and smashed her onto the ground. As she wanted to stand over the girl, she disappeared. In a fraction of a second, she appeared behind Megami and formed a Time-Locking Bomb behind her back, blasting her away.

  Flynnigan couldn't really help and stood in shock, as he fully witnessed Jumkou's ability. So this was the power of a Soul-Wielder...

  "You fucking..." Megami appeared to the left of Jumkou, trying to get a kick in but was quickly intercepted by Jumkou, who would catch the kick and elbow her stomach, knocking all the air out of her.

  After that, she locked Megami in a Tempo Barrage, unloading barrages of unblockable hits from time remnants.

  Sometime amidst the barrage, Megami would wrap her Segmented Sword around Jumkou's neck, throwing her inside a building. Jumkou would groan as she got up and saw a figure coming from the broken glass and quickly dodged the sword attack. She froze Megami's segmented sword in time, basically rendering in unmovable until time was released.

  "What the- How is that possib- GUH!"

  Megami was Soul-Blasted all the way to the plaza again. The plaza was cleared out, where only Megami Duvet, Flynnigan Shotaro and Jumkou Katatoria remained.

  "What is your ability??" Megami asked.

  "That's none of your concern. What's your purpose with Flynnigan Shotaro?"

  "Who? This kid? I just met him!!" Megami was angry. She wasn't expecting an interruption to her vacation. "What are you, trying to kill him? Is he in danger?"

  "Listen, I need to bring Flynnigan Shotaro to Testharia and there is nothing you can do about it."

  "Over my dead body, you're not just going to kidnap a poor fucking boy!" Megami's BOA was still frozen in time, which was a huge disadvantage to her. However, she could just dematerialize and rematerialize her Signature Weapon.

  "I'm not kidna- Listen! He is the key to saving the galaxy! I doubt you'll believe that but, just let me take him and-"

  "No. I'm not letting you go anywhere, especially with him. Just who the hell are you and what do you have with this boy?"

  "Look, I've got no time to explain this, and he is not in any danger!"

  Jumkou was tired of explaining. She just wanted to take Flynnigan and leave.

  "Wait, what-" Flynnigan stepped in, trying to make the situation calm.

  "Just stay back, Flynn... She doesn't look like she'll give up anytime soon." Megami replied.

  Flynnigan went silent again. He wasn't used to all this action.

  "Why are you so hellbent on not letting him go? What does he have to do with your mission? And how does he play a part in it? Tell me, or I will kill you." Megami said, materializing her signature weapon again, ready for combat.

  "... It's best not to tell. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to get you out of the way."

  "Right..."

  Before Jumkou and Megami could resume their fight, a glowing green laser would shoot, directly past Flynnigan's face, as it crashed into Megami's barrier and phased through it. Due to her strong nature, it was strong enough to slow it down. Fortunately for him, the laser did hit her, pushing her back into a wall.

  "GUH!"

  "!"