“Jumkou!”

“Jumkou, where are you!?”

He looked around and all he saw was a barren wasteland of snow. Outside the city, he only saw the silhouetted skyscrapers from the distance. He couldn't even feel Jumkou. He didn't even realize that the attack happened. In his perspective, everything happened in a single frame.

The first millisecond interval of him trying to conjure up a Soul-Barrier to battle Kaioshun’s intense AOE attack to the second millisecond interval of him being in a desolate snowy wasteland.

Looking at the ground and how the skyscrapers of Tristate City were silhouetted all the way from here, he knew that he was about 10 to 20 kilometers away from the outskirts. How far did Jumkou teleport him? It was crazy even for a fundamentally graded Soul to be able to pull that off.

“Jumkou!”

Sachiel’s yells fell onto deaf ears, his response strayed in the dark vastness of the wasteland, his hopes of Jumkou appearing proven to be naught. Did Jumkou Katatoria really die? Was this the end of her journey, and her annoying rambling about the fate of the galaxy?

Was this all a ploy created by the terrorist to destroy Testharia?

First, the civil war that brought Testharia to it’s knees, to the Zephite City incident in Dankasho, to an direct attack on Tristate City with Jumkou Katatoria as the finale.

It was all too good to be true, Sachiel couldn’t even believe it.

From any other person’s perspective, this would’ve been a perfect setup for the terrorist to destroy Testharia. This could’ve even been an attack planned by Lantisul Arbitrum, the perpetrator of the civil war 20 years ago.

Such a thought brought Sachiel’s eyes down to the ground, shaking it off.

“You sure got a lot weighing down on you by the actions of a clumsy, annoying girl. Is this how far your leadership goes, Sachiel?”

Sachiel heard a voice.

A familiar one, a voice that he had gotten used to.

A voice that always talked in such a monotone yet had so much vigor in each sentence. It was a voice that never changed. The voice of his Soul.

Before he could even respond to his own Soul, he felt reality collapse around him, teleporting him to another place.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that he was back at Tristate City.

What was that sight of reality collapsing around him? He had so many questions. Did the Time-Step of Jumkou work in the sense that once teleported, there is a limit to where you would end up? Nothing made sense to him.

Did reality collapse because he felt himself collapse, or did it collapse because he was in such a state of shock?

Jumkou Katatoria's state is unknown. When a Soul dies, they leave Soul Residue for a substantial amount of time depending on their power and influence. The stronger the Soul is, the longer the residue will last.

With the fact that Sachiel couldn't feel any traces of Jumkou's presence, it meant that Jumkou didn't die but was simply gone. It was a feeling akin to when someone was missing.

Jumkou Katatoria had one of the largest Soul Reserve of any other Soul-Wielder, in Sachiel's perspective. So he would at the very least know that if Jumkou died, the residue left by the Soul would be strong and would last about a decade.

While the world reformed itself from the blinding shade of white from Sachiel’s perspective, he realized that he was in the center of Tristate City.

The center was dealt the most damage by Kaioshun’s terror. While some buildings stood upright, the more crooked and older ones collapsed, with a lot of tents of shops reduced to rubble.

There were still people present in the streets, notably the ones who haven’t found shelter. Some people attested that the shelters were full, and they resorted to seeking shelter in tents and shops.

Sachiel looked around. His city, shaken up by the terrorist’s actions. Just like how they were shaken up by the civil war 20 years ago. It looked the same, felt the same, and he felt anger building up inside him.

He felt the need to destroy the terrorist, kill him, feed him to the crows hanging on the pointy roof of the building, leaving him impaled there.

Jumkou might as well dead, right? If you can't feel it, pronounce it dead. That was what the common saying went.

But Sachiel refused to do so, not after being shown the future by her.

"..."

"It cannot just end there, I know that."

He tried establishing telepathic communications with Jumkou Katatoria.

No response.

He tried again.

No response.

He felt his resolve wavering.

No response.

He felt angrier.

No response.

He felt nothing.

Jumkou Katatoria is dead. He failed to destroy the terrorist. He failed to protect the one he swore to be his knight in shining armour.

-

Asheera walked around the popular Rias Square in Tristate City. It was a rather large square where multiple buildings were located, one of them being the infamous Hotel Rias.

It was named after Rias Kranz, who was the first ever 'foreigner' that received Royal status in Testharia. She was born and raised on Earth, and later found herself living in Testharia, where she eventually married Azrael Testharia, the founder of the planet, to be his wife.

There were many statues of her throughout the city, all depicting her beauty, strength and charisma. There were even rumours going around that if you were to talk to her statue, your wish would come true.

There was even a statue of her in Rias Square, the biggest statue in Testharia.

It was kind of funny for the founding father to not have a statue erected for him but that was how Azrael Testharia was.

He was a secretive man, and only appeared occasionally. He skyrocketed in popularity when he saved the city and the planet from the civil war started by Lantisul separatists.

The day's activities in Rias Square consisted of the people enjoying themselves while eating or playing games. There were street performers too, dancing around to their own music or singing. It was an overall fun place to be in.

Not anymore.

Now it was again desolate, with shops closed down. The only ones in sight were Asheera Eria and her Royal Squad, with a couple dozen people on the ground. Some were critically injured, and some were fatal.

"Fuck... this is so fucked." Asheera squatted down to the body of a once happy Testharian who fell victim to the attack. "Once again, Testharia's in crisis. But this time it's on a different scale."

SInce the terrorist was concealed, they didn't know if he was Testharian or a foreigner. If it was a foreigner, that would only solidify the fact that foreigners were finally out to get Testharia after opening their doors.

It could also be a Testharian, someone who resented the government. They did open their celestial borders now, with a lot of outsiders entering the planet for vacation purposes, or to work.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

This terrorist attack could be an act of terrorism, but it could also be someone trying to get rid of the government.

They had to find out either way.

But there had to be an underlying reason. Testharia doesn't simply have 'terrorists', they're the most peaceful planet in the galaxy.

"...Help me carry this one, Kaelan." Asheera called him out, beckoning to him with her hand.

He walked over and hoisted the feet of the corpse, with Asheera carrying the head. The two carried the body away to the stack of corpses that was growing in size as the minutes passed.

Kaelan noticed that Asheera was frowning more and more as each minute passed.

Of course, they were dealing with a terrorist attack that killed about 107 people and injured a couple thousand. She had no time to waste, no Royal Squad member had.

But Kaelan couldn't help but notice her stress levels rising, even though she didn't show it.

"What's on your mind?' He asked her.

"..."

She ignored him, continuing to walk forward with the corpse.

Samuell Dargen was trying to tend to the injured people. He was a trained doctor, and he knew his way around injuries.

Marin was assisting him, while Maduk was standing guard, looking out for any suspicious individuals.

He had just finished treating a man who lost an arm, and previously had to help one missing the bottom half of his body. It was a gruesome scene, and the smell of blood lingered in the air. That wasn't the strong smell that they had to endure.

The putrid stench of hanging intestines, or the splattered brain matter and the rotting bodies of dead people destroyed any nice smell that the city center had.

Any fresh air, and air conditioners hanging on the shops were now filled with the pungent odor of death.

Asheera and Kaelan dropped the dead body onto the stack.

"Count?" Asheera asked.

"108..."

108 confirmed deaths now. This was a disaster that would go down in Testharia's history, just like the civil war did 20 years ago. It was a tragedy that shook the country to its core, and this was even worse.

The civil war was between Testharians, but this was a terrorist attack that even some foreigners died too. If another foreigner died here, the news will spread like wildfire.

The minute Testharia opened its doors, the sins of humanity entered.

This was their Pandora's Box. Everything capsuled in the box was the bad traits of humanity, that Testharians had nothing to do with.

Now that they opened this box, they were involved with the Soul-Core and Dark Intrinium war, and this.

A couple minutes later, all the bodies on the square were stacked up while the injured people were all brought to the nearest shelter.

Samuell Dargen wanted to make sure that everyone had at least proper medical treatment before leaving, even if he was tired.

He wanted to save everyone, no matter what. Which is why he went to the shelter.

Marin, Asheera, Maduk and Kaelan stayed here, keeping guard of the square.

Asheera knew that Sachiel was fighting the terrorist somewhere in Tristate City, so she didn't have to worry about him. She was worried for Jumkou, as she wasn't in sight. The terrorist attacked the city because of Jumkou anyways, so she felt bitter.

All this happened after Jumkou arrived. What did she have to do with this? Who was she really? Asheera wanted answers, but all she got that she was a 'special guest' by Sachiel. She was never told anything else.

"Can't believe it guys..." Kaelan sat down on a huge rock, gripping his spear tightly. "Didn't think that we'd become janitors for... dead bodies."

"Betta' den havin' em rot outta 'ere in ta sun." Marin commented. "Y'all, we wouldn't'haf known dat this woulda happened..."

"It's a surprise to all of us." Asheera walked towards the statue of Rias Kranz. "...If only we knew who this guy was, and who he was working for. I'm positive it isn't Lantisul Arbitrum. A guy, incarcerated for 20 years, wouldn't suddenly be interested in Miss Katatoria. This is... something new."

"The Great Kamisword got it covered, no?" Kaelan asked.

"Without a doubt..." Asheera trailed off, looking back at the stack of corpses and then to the brown sky.

The environment looked like a painting. A painting that depicted despair, death and destruction. The brown sky was a reminder that once that was a vibrant blue has now lost it's vibrance, and that the citizens of Tristate City were stuck here with no way to escape.

The snow was white, but now red from the blood of hundreds of people. The shops were all closed down, with their windows broken and their doors shut. There were no signs of life anywhere, as if it were a ghost town.

The rubble of collapsed buildings was scattered around the streets, with pieces of concrete and debris covering the sidewalks and road. Some people were trapped inside the ruins of their homes or offices, waiting for someone to rescue them.

And the skyscrapers, towering over everything else, looked like they were abandoned by everyone who worked there. It was a truly depressing sight to behold.

"...This is not how I wanted to spend my day." Maduk sighed, resting against the wall of one of the buildings. "I guess today was just... one big pile of shit."

"Yeah..." All of them agreed.

Kaelan looked at the stack of bodies with Marin. Marin was typically scarred and scared by such sights, but this time he was more composed.

Kaelan guessed that after seeing so much bloodshed and injuries, he had gotten used to it. The Royal Squad was the squad to call for bigger fish to fry, like CHAOS and the terrorist.

But this terrorist was far above their paygrade. None of the squad members had such power to plunge a bustling city into darkness, let alone a simple town. They were outclassed by the terrorist, and they couldn't do anything about it.

All they could do was wait until Sachiel defeated the terrorist.

"...Y'all. We hafta cremate ta fallen..." Marin spoke up again, with all the other squad members listening attentively. "We can't leave em like dis..."

It was tradition for the Testharians to cremate their fallen, as to send them off to another realm peacefully. Testharians believed in the afterlife, where if they died, they would ascend to what they called the Janninegan, which was 'The Final Place'.

Testharians didn't believe in the divergence that split Heaven and Hell apart, instead having one single place.

Once the dead entered the Janninegan, all their sins, their memories and their personalities would be erased, and they would live out the rest of eternity as cleansed Souls. That was how Testharians viewed the afterlife.

Even the most evil man in the world would find himself cleansed when entering the Janninegan. That is how peaceful Testharians are.

Marin, Maduk, Kaelan and Asheera were quiet. It was the first time that Marin had suggested such a thing. Usually, Maduk or Asheera would suggest that, but this time Marin did. It made sense though, as they couldn't leave the bodies to rot outside in the streets.

And then, Marin would clap her hand, seemingly annoyed by the silence. "C'mon, y'all! We did allat! Can't choose ta slack in ta middle of ta task!"

Asheera sighed, and then nodded. "We have to."

With that, Kaelan, Maduk and Asheera stood up and got ready to lay down everybody in a perfect circle. The square was big enough for that. 127 corpses. It was going to take a long while.

There was still a lot to do though. Asheera wanted to gather any remaining survivors, check if there were any missing people in the area, and finally help Sachiel with defeating the terrorist.

"Kaelan, get the lighters from Samuell. He's at the nearest shelter." Asheera told him.

Kaelan nodded, but would stop suddenly, his eyes widening from the light that penetrated his eyes. It came all the way from the outskirts of Tristate City.

"... What is th-"

Before he could speak about that thing, a sudden shockwave, stronger than before, struck all of them. They were blown away from the impact, while the corpses blew away from the force of the attack, scattering all over the square.

The buildings with finer architecture swayed while some older ones collapsed entirely. The statue was unharmed, having a permanent Soul-Barrier placed on it by Azrael to preserve it.

His Soul residue resided in this area, meaning he died here.

Samuell was seen running over to the square.

"The fuck!?" Maduk shouted, grunting as he got up. "What the fuck is happening!?"

"... The terrorist... is Sachiel really struggling against him?" Asheera stood up, coughing all the dust from the air out of her mouth. She was bleeding from the left side of her head. "Damn..."

"...Heya...Asheera... I don't think the Great Kamisword is fighting against him anymore." Kaelan said, pointing towards something.

They looked at where he was pointing at.

Sachiel was stood there, looking around, dazed and confused. He kept yelling the name of Jumkou Katatoria. Asheera saw Sachiel and ran over to him, wobbling at first but regaining her balance.

"Sachiel!" She yelled. "What in Numa happened there?"

Numa meant Goddess in their language. Yes, even Testharians believed in a goddess.

Numa Hayelek, who was the actual founding mother, is now the one and only Goddess of Creation in Testharian religion. The mother of everything, that created the planet of Testharia and left the angels to do their part in creating the rest of the universe. Testharia has only been around for 150 years, and all of them are descendants of humans on Earth.

This religion was created by Silivan Petrov, who knew Numa Hayelek and named her Goddess of this religion, and took her last name out.

Azrael Testharia, previously known as Azrahil Alhere, was not the founding father of Testharia but was the founding father of the Singular Order of Testharia, that controlled the entirety of Testharia.

Testharia back then was ruled by Zark Leyen, leading an absolute monarchy that ruled over devolved governments of other countries within it, with each region having a leader to lead it. It was an overall disorganized and chaotic system.

In present times, it is now classified as a constitutional monarchy with limited democracy or a consultative pseudo-democratic monarchy.

This is how Testharia stayed peaceful. Vox Populi, the voice of the people, ruled over Vox Dei, the voice of God. It was the perfect representation of a king that listens.

But now, this king was confused.

"Sachiel, answer me! What happened? Where is Miss Katatoria?"

Sachiel stood quiet for a good 10 seconds, before speaking. "Kaioshun... the terrorist, is stronger than what I felt from him initially. And Jumkou... I do not know where she is. She pushed me away, saving me, and then disappeared."

Asheera's eyes widened in shock. "Is... she dead?"

"It's unknown to me." Sachiel responded, his eyes still showing signs of confusion. "There was no Soul residue, none at all."

"... Fuck." Asheera cursed, clenching her fist tightly. "Fuck!"

Asheera looked at the Royal Squad and whistled to them, telling them to come over. They did just that, gathering around Sachiel and Asheera.

"Sachiel, go and find Miss Katatoria while we fight the terrorist. I know that you're going to hate this suggestion... but we'll be there to buy time for you to find her, and then when you have found her, come back and help us."

Sachiel nodded, understanding what had to be done. "I shall do just that."

He turned around, getting ready to leave the group and search for Jumkou Katatoria. He then turned back around, his hands resting on her shoulders.

"There is one thing you must know. Kaioshun, the terrorist... has a large arsenal of lost techniques. You cannot predict what he will do next. That is why you must not get cocky in combat against him. Play on the defensive at all times, and do not directly attack him."

He left them with those words, before disappearing from their sight. Sachiel was fast, so fast that they didn't even see where he went to.

It was like he just disappeared in thin air, without a trace.