Xavier sprinted across the stone floor of the basement hall that held the portal back to Earth. His steps echoed off the falls. Every stride brought him ever closer to the man who stood in front of that portal.

The tank, whom Xavier thought must be the leader of the D Grade parties that had arrived, had a look of pure rage on his face, but he held himself well. He didn’t look as though he would let his emotions affect what he had been tasked to do.

If Xavier were going to do what he had tasked himself to do—kill this man and return to Earth—he knew he’d need all the strength he possessed. Tanks were skilled at holding their ground, at not shifting from the spot they were in. It was an incredibly useful strength of their class.

And Xavier needed to push this man hard enough to get him to move where he didn’t want to go.

I have the perfect spell for that, assuming it’s strong enough.

After the last two levels he’d gained, he’d put 40 attribute points into Speed, and he still had 40 free points left. He smiled as he ran. Something on the other man’s face faltered. Perhaps he hadn’t expected Xavier to run at him like this.

He probably expected me to fling spells at him. Not that I don’t intend to.

But Xavier had a feeling that no matter how many spells he threw at this man, he wouldn’t be strong enough to kill him. Not in his current condition. He may have been able to kill a D Grade tank earlier that day, but something told him this man was in another league.

I’m not going to be the direct cause of his death.

Xavier put the remaining points into Intelligence, felt the surge of power at having more points in the attribute. Magical power always felt more… potent. Perhaps because it influenced his most devastating attacks. He’d always be proud of just how much damage he was able to inflict with his scythe-staff. He liked having the option of getting stuck into the melee.

But it wasn’t where his biggest strengths lay.

Xavier cast several spells in quick succession. The first spell he cast was Spirit Break. Something to soften the man both mentally and physically. The rage that was on the man’s face flickered. The way he gritted his teeth changed. There was pain mixed in with that rage, now, and if anything it only fuelled the man’s anger.

I can live with that.

The second spell was Core Burn. Not because Xavier expected the spell to truly hurt this man. He’d seen D Grade enemies able to recover from this spell already. But he’d also seen the sheer effort that it took them to do so. The enemy needed to be able to balance the energy within their cores, and because D Grades had three cores, they had even more energy they needed to balance—something that would be harder for this man now that Xavier had used Spirit Break on him, as well.

The third spell Xavier cast was Willpower Essence. He didn’t expect it to work. Something told him this man’s will was far too strong for him to control, even with how powerful Xavier was.

But he cast it anyway.

It will distract his mind when it’s already struggling, focused on every other task I have just given it.

Xavier’s smile turned into a full-blown grin. Two strides away from his enemy, now.

The tendrils of purple mist flowed toward the tank. When they reached him, they slammed into a mental wall. The strongest one Xavier had ever come across—something which he’d been expecting would happen.

Xavier, his mind split, pushed against the man’s mental block with as much of his will that he could spare.

Then he cast the final spell. The first spell that he’d ever chosen.

Heavy Telekinesis.

Had Xavier not worked on this man with all of those other spells, he wouldn’t have expected telekinesis to even be able to shift him. Holding ground was what all tanks were about, after all.

The man stumbled back a step. There was a look of slight shock in his eyes. He clearly hadn’t expected to be moved. He tried to regain his balance.

But there wasn’t time.

Xavier slammed into him. Tackling him as hard as he could.

They both went tumbling through the portal to Earth.

Xavier came out of the portal at a sprint. A sprint he wasn’t able to slow down. He slammed straight into a tent that was near the portal, a few strides away, and tumbled to the ground, destroying the tent as he went. He slid along the dirt, cutting a trough through it, before he finally slowed to a stop.

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Then he laughed. He threw his head back and laughed. Xavier stood up, dusted off the dirt, and looked over to where the portal was.

The D Grade tank was nowhere to be seen. There wasn’t even a kill notification—something which Xavier, admittedly, was a little peeved about. But if he were honest, it hadn’t been him that was responsible for the man’s death.

It had been the System itself. Or, at least, the restrictions that the System put onto newly integrated planets like Xavier’s.

If a Denizen more than a single level higher than the highest-level inhabitant of Earth tries to come here, they die.

Xavier walked over to the portal, over the broken tent he’d accidentally destroyed, the remnants of it crushing beneath his feet. The air here was oddly still. Maybe because of the barrier around the Safe Zone City. He put his hands on his hips and frowned. There was no sign of the tank. None whatsoever. Though he’d been sure he’d pushed the man through the portal.

He was just ahead of me, which meant he’d gone in first.

Xavier paced in front of the portal for a moment. He still had a grin on his face. A part of him was simply surprised that he was still alive. Going to another planet, making a statement, as he had. It had been his plan. That didn’t mean he’d known he would actually survive his plan.

“I’m still alive. I faced over a dozen D Grades and I’m still alive.”

Not only that, he’d actually gained quite a few levels and ranks during the process.

The tank was dead. That, he was sure of. But the System hadn’t popped him out of the portal onto the other side. No, the man was simply… gone. Disappeared by the System.

The System clearly doesn’t like it when Denizens break its rules.

Xavier looked down at his hands. Realised they were shaking. He’d spent a good deal of time trying to ensure that no one knew what he was. That no one knew exactly how powerful he was. And here he’d gone and told another world his name and that he was a True Progenitor.

I hope that you were right, Adranial.

Because if she was, then Xavier’s actions had just secured his world with five years of peace. At least, peace from other worlds—there was still the fact that the entire planet was in absolute chaos.

Xavier didn’t dawdle. It was time to return to his base. He glanced at the Safe Zone city, not far from where he was, and the barrier that surrounded it. Soon, that barrier, and thousands like it all around the world, would fall.

And he would ensure that everyone who came out of those cities was safe.

Still, there was a lot that needed to be done before that happened.

I’ve been back on Earth for less than two days, yet look at how much I’ve already accomplished.

He was giddy. Maybe that was the reason he was shaking. His body was electrified with energy. The entire world, the universe, was before him.

Before he turned to walk away, the portal that he’d just come through disappeared, flashing out of existence.

“Good.”

Maybe that meant that those on the other side had learnt their lesson. That his statement had been made. And the sector would know for a fact that Earth was off limits.

And there would be dire consequences for anyone who attacked after today.

Xavier knew he hadn’t made any friends today. Knew that he had a lot to do in the next five years to make sure that he was strong enough to take whatever Earth’s enemies threw at him when the restriction on the planet finally lifted.

And it’s not just enemies from the Silver River sector that I’ll have to contend with, either. Not after killing that first challenger for the base.

Somewhere out there, a powerful C Grade wanted his head. And something told Xaiver he wasn’t the only C Grade that wanted his head now.

Xavier used his portal stone to return back to the base. When he got there, there was a commotion by the gates. John Hammond spotted him and waved. Xavier frowned. In the grand scheme, he hadn’t been gone from his base for very long. That fight on the other world had lasted for less than an hour. Hell, it had barely been a few minutes. What could have possibly happened since he’d left? A glance around the camp told him there was no sign of Adranial and her party. They must have gone off to explore—and claim those dungeons he’d promised her.

Xavier leapt up to the top of the wall, landing smoothly on the battlements. The fact that he was able to do that so easily made him wonder how well the battlements would actually work when it came to protecting those within.

“What is it, John?” As he asked the question, he spotted people waiting on the other side of the wall. There were about thirty people, and none of them looked to be in a very good state. At their head was a woman, her hands raised as though she were trying to appear unthreatening.

Her gear told him that the chances of her being from Earth were very, very slim.

“She wants to speak with you,” John said, nodding his head down to the woman.

Xavier vaulted over the wall and landed directly in front of the woman. The people behind her stumbled backward, eyes widening at his sudden entrance. The woman, however, didn’t flinch.

“My name is Allegra Delacorte,” she said. “I am a former First Lieutenant in the First Army of the Invasion Force Division from the planet Nasrien.” She motioned a hand to the frightened people behind her. “These people were captured by people from my planet. Enslaved, forced to serve in one of their invasion camps. I helped free them from their bonds, and brought them to you as a symbol of my cooperation, something I hope will endear some trust. I have cut ties from my planet.” The woman swallowed. She looked at the ground.

Was that shame? At leaving her planet? Or something else?

It feels like she has more to say.

Xavier frowned at her, eyes narrowing, not sure what to think of this woman. “Why have you come here?” He tilted his head to the side. “How did you even know to come here?” He paused. “And why did you leave your planet?”

The woman ran a hand through her hair. She looked nervous now. “I came here because I need your help, and these people need to be somewhere safe. And I knew to come this way because… of Justin.”

Xavier scanned the woman. Level 10. Not a threat to Justin, that’s for sure. But where is he? Why would he send this woman here, but not come here himself? “Where is Justin? And you still haven’t answered my last question.”

The woman bit her lip. “I left my planet because I felt underutilised, and thought there might be… opportunities here, after I saw the severed head of Commander Alden Trellot tossed through one of the portals.” Her gaze flicked up to him, as though questioning if he’d been the one responsible. Then she went right out and asked. “Was that you?”

Xavier pulled his shoulders back. “It was.”

The woman looked… relieved? Not exactly the reaction he’d been expecting.

“Good.” Allegra bit her lip again. “Justin… Justin was captured. He’s on my world. And I need your help to get him back.”