"Mister... Magami? But how... we never..." Asheera laid there, still holding onto the hole in her stomach.

  "Felt the trouble! With permission from the general, we were to engage! You don't gotta worry! After this; The Soul-Core will assist in any repairs Tristate City needs."

  This was perfect, hearing from the top guy of the Star Gazers Squad himself.

  Asheera felt hopeful for the first time. If they weren't strong enough, then maybe the Star Gazers Squad was. She was still injured and Marin prompted her not to speak, but she felt angry. "I was a fool to accept Lord Veyron's alliance proposal..."

  Claude Magami landed, breaking the ground and forming a small crater around him. He brushed himself off before running towards their position. "Now! Who's the enemy at hand here?"

  "Hey! Magami guy! It's dat Kaioshun fella! He beat us funny an' jus' like dat, he's gone!" Marin explained to him. "Somethin' about findin' dat Flynnigan Shotaro fella and dat Jumkou chick! We don't know if dat Jumkou chick is still alive or not but 'e did say dat he killed 'er!"

  "Alright... I think I got the gist of it now."

  Asheera took the comm from Marin and put it next to her face. "M-Mister Magami, d-don't engage! He was way... too strong for us! He's... way above our l-league!"

  Claude smirked incredibly as he ran towards Asheera's position. This was him at his best, fighting a strong guy. He always wants to fight strong guys because it's exciting.

  .:. Above our league? ALRIGHT! .:.

  "That's all I needed to hear, love! Over and out!" He turned off the comm and began making his way.

  "Mister... Magami... Mister Magami! Do not e-en..." Asheera trailed off. "Did he... just... ignore me?"

  She sighed in defeat. She couldn't believe what was happening anymore. She laid there on the ground, bleeding profusely from her stomach. She was almost dead already. However, Marin sat next to her and supplied her with Soul Energy of her own to keep her from dying.

  "... We can't lose ya too, Berserker..." Marin told her.

  "Marin... Thank you..." Asheera managed to smile, even though she was in so much pain. She was losing blood faster than Marin could heal her with Soul-Energy. It was a losing battle.

  Maduk sighed, holding Kaelan and Samuell tightly.

  -

  .:. Tracing Soul-Aura... .:.

  Claude picked up a threatening aura. There's only one aura that's as evil as this, it's gotta be him. He knows the trail that he left behind, and now he's hot on his tail. "There!"

  However, Claude wasn't the only one on Kaioshun's tail. Running behind him was the blue haired girl in her dedicated Argo-Suit. "I hate you and your knack for fighting strong guys! We're running towards a suicide mission here!"

  "I'm going to face even more danger! This Kaioshun guy must be very strong! That just gets my blood pumping!"

  Nanasu groaned. She knows Claude Magami better than anyone, and this is something he would do. In fact, fighting is all he likes doing. He wouldn't hesitate to fight the most strongest people he can find. He rarely loses fights as well, so there's nothing to worry about.

  It doesn't mean Nanasu won't worry. Especially when the person they're fighting against is the same person who was even unharmed after fighting Sachiel Eria.

  "Maybe you should listen to what the Princess says and not engage him at all! We're nowhere near his level, we should wait for the Great Kamisword to arrive!"

  "Huh! I came here for a specific reason, not backing out of it! You can stick back and help defend but I'm going straight for the core. No distractions!" Claude smirked.

  She sighed in pain, her legs were tired from running after him. Which was funny. Her Soul was all about speed, she should've been able to run faster than him but because she was running after him for a while, she got tired.

  "Man... I'm so going to die after this!"

  Another minute passed by and that's when Kaioshun was in sight. "Here. We. Go!" Claude said, jumping and punching right through a torn building wall - intercepting Kaioshun.

  "Hm?" Kaioshun stopped.

  "Heh." Claude rubbed his nose. "So you're the one that caused this mess, eh? Well that's going to end now, buckaroo! Because Claude Magami of the Star Gazers Squad has arrived! You won't be causing any more trouble as long as I'm here!"

  Kaioshun looked at him with a blank expression. "... I see. So the Soul-Core found themselves in Testharia too."

  Nanasu stopped, out of breath. "Geez... Oh man... You run... so fast..." She fell to her knees, panting heavily. She had never ran for so long in her entire life.

  "Why persist..." Kaioshun got frustrated now. First the Royal Squad, and now these two. "The Great Kamisword is not here anymore, nor is Jumkou Katatoria. If you are not affiliated with the Testharian forces, then get out of my way. I've already done what I need to."

  Claude's smile didn't fade away at all as he got into stance. "Hey! I didn't waste all of this time running and following your trail just to let you go without a fight! You'll have to get past me!"

  "Yeah... yeah... what he said... hhh... You don't... mess... with our allies..." Nanasu was really out of breath, everything that came out took so much effort out of her. She could barely even stand on her own feet.

  She did however, go into stance as well. Nanasu had a basic combat stance, which made it look like she lacked experience in fighting.

  "Listen, Claude Magami." Kaioshun crossed his arms.

  "Jumkou Katatoria is dead. You're too late. Nothing you'll do will benefit anything or anybody anymore. Your presence will only delay my mission. Now, step aside. I have no intention on fighting you or that pretty girl behind you."

  "Hey! If Captain wants to fight... nothing's stopping him..." Nanasu said, breathing heavily. She was starting to catch her breath. "And besides... I wouldn't let you go either, anyways..."

  Kaioshun got frustrated now, releasing a beam at them. "So be it, then!"

  "Ah!" Nanasu fully caught her breath and punched the air, forming a tripled beam that clashed with his. She called this move the 'Tri-Laser' and is a common move of her. It's easy to control and easy to perform.

  Kaioshun simply put more power into his beam by concentrating more Soul Energy. The beam was getting pushed back towards Nanasu's Tri-Laser, before penetrating through.

  "Ah! Not good!" She panicked, jumping to the side as the beam flew past her.

  Kaioshun extended his arm and simply brought his beam back. It was a heat seeker. It made its way towards Nanasu again, this time becoming a surefire hit.

  "How the hell does that work!?" Nanasu yelled, trying to fend it off but was shoved to the side by Claude.

  "Look out!"

  Claude extended his hands and created a Soul-Barrier over his arms. He blocked the beam. Kaioshun's beam increased in power the more time it freely roamed around. It wasn't going to die anytime soon.

  He couldn't stop his beam with his bare hands and took the hit and crashed into a building. "WHA-"

  "CAPTAIN!"

  Nanasu gritted her teeth, looking at Kaioshun. That beam was enough to make a hole in a building. There's no telling if Claude survived that or not.

  "... Captain..." She glared at him. "That's going too far!"

  "Then don't engage me and let me be on my way. Or do I have to put you down like I put Asheera Eria down?"

  Nanasu gritted her teeth more. .:. How am I supposed to fend off someone like that, Captain? ... Fuck it! .:.

  "HA!" She double-punched the air, forming 2 Tri-Lasers and discharged it at him.

  Kaioshun easily dodged both beams, but Nanasu would continue punching the air, forming more Tri-Lasers and eventually even grazing him.

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  "Hah!" She grinned, seeing that she managed to hit him. Even the great Kaioshun couldn't dodge forever. She's fast enough for him to react.

  Kaioshun super speeded behind her and grabbed her hand.

  "What the-"

  Nanasu's Soul is specialized in speed. She is known by the Soul-Core as being the Flash of the Star Gazers.

  She's known to be so fast that even the greatest Soul-Wielders can't catch her. Not only that.

  The fact that she discharges 3 beams in one instead of just one, is just her moving so fast that she can produce 3 in the time it takes for a normal person to make one.

  However, against Kaioshun, he could keep up with her. Her speed was nothing compared to his.

  "Ai-" She quickly discharged her Soul-Energy, turning her hand into an automatic immediate detonator in hopes of freeing herself from his grip.

  Kaioshun realized that and created a Soul-Barrier around them to trap her in her own explosion.

  "Wha- ARGHGH!" She damaged herself from the explosion.

  "You know... Your energy has created a blind spot. You should've known better." Kaioshun grabbed Nanasu by the neck. "I'll confiscate your Soul now, goodbye."

  He raised his other hand up and manifested something but was cut short when he sensed something coming towards him.

  "Agh! Let her go!" Claude yelled, jumping towards him but was stopped by the barrier. He punched the barrier, cracking through and punching Kaioshun out of it.

  "Augh!" Kaioshun stumbled to the side, finally letting go of Nanasu and finally had a direct hit against him.

  "Hhhh...." She fell onto the ground, holding her neck. "Unhinged... bastard..." She uttered before getting up. She was going to attack Kaioshun but saw Claude flying past her.

  "Hah!" Claude went for punch in the face but punched his arm instead, as Kaioshun lifted it to block the punch. "Don't you think that only men who are spineless cowards would go for a girl instead?"

  Kaioshun grabbed Claude's fist and swung him around, throwing him away. He flew past Nanasu and back at Kaioshun, who just caught him again.

  "I call it an opportunity!" Kaioshun used an ancient Soul-Technique to blow Claude away by his own momentum. Claude was suspended in the sky. Kaioshun fired a volley of beams at Claude in hopes of seriously injuring him so he could move on.

  "Hm!" Claude backflipped in the air before rapidly slapping all the beams away with his hands. The beams were redirected around Claude and Nanasu - exploding the building behind them.

  "Hmph!" Claude charged towards Kaioshun again and punched his fist.

  "So be it!" Kaioshun finally engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Claude. He punched his fist as well and they were both locked in an intense exchange of punches.

  They exchanged punches left and right, blocking and dodging each other's attacks. It was like watching two warriors fighting for dominance. Every punch and kick were dealt with another counterattack, but none of them seemed to have the upper hand yet.

  "Finally, a manly fight!" Kaioshun went for a full right hook and Claude dodged it successfully. It left Kaioshun wide open which allowed him to bash his side with his elbow.

  "Guh-"

  And uppercut him.

  Claude always seemed dense on the outside but when it came to battle, he is a work of force. It was as if all his intelligence was built around fighting.

  Claude caught another punch from Kaioshun and used it to pull him in closer, giving him an even stronger right hook. He didn't stop there; he kicked his side and overhead slammed him down with both of his hands.

  "Come on, Captain! Beat the shit out of him!" Nanasu yelled.

  Kaioshun held himself up with one hand and swiped at Claude's legs. He evaded the attack by jumping but Kaioshun kicked him back while still in midair. He used this opening to get up and discharge a beam towards Claude.

  However, Claude fired a beam and intercepted his to redirect it away, close to Nanasu.

  Nanasu swiftly moved away from the trajectory of the beam as it exploded behind her. "AH! Hey! Watch out!"

  "My bad-" Kaioshun quickly moved behind Claude. He tried gutting Kaioshun with his elbow but Kaioshun caught it, twirling him into the air.

  "WHAA-"

  "You've annoyed me quite a lot!" He grabbed Claude by the face and spiralled into the air before slamming him into a building wall, crashing through several buildings.

  Kaioshun let him go, brushing his hand before facing Nanasu. "Is he really your Captain? Who would ever choose him to lead a squad?"

  "..."

  Nanasu was silent for a second, looking down at the ground. She clenched her teeth in anger, seeing Claude like that. However, she knew that if she fought him now... then she wouldn't win. Which is why she didn't engage. She had no reason to. And besides... Kaioshun hasn't won yet.

  "The smart kind... Because every time you think you've beaten him, he'll come back even stronger. That's the kind of guy he is. Nothing stops him from getting the thrill of a good fight, not even death."

  "... You sound so sure about that." Kaioshun sighed, looking at his fist. Something warned him and he put his arm up, turning.

  Claude was going for a punch and ended up colliding with his forearm - creating a shockwave from the collision alone.

  Nanasu was pushed back from the shockwave and had to adjust the pressure inside her Argo-Suit to stay standing. The whole thing was shaking violently, trying to keep itself in tact.

  "You annoying... persistent fuck!" Kaioshun attempted to grab Claude but Claude discharged a quick beam beneath his arm and pushed him back significantly.

  "Alright." Claude stood up. "No more pulling my punches. Someone of your power should receive the most out of me if I want it in return, y'know! So!"

  He stomped the ground and then got into a charging stance. His Soul-Aura exploded around him, making it look like he was glowing. "It's time..." His aura became visible, flashing yellow and white.

  "TO EVOLVE!"

  His Soul-Energy spiked up drastically, becoming stronger. All the blood vessels in his body were pulsing from the large amounts of energy being pumped in his body. An Evolution of the Soul. A rare ability that only some are able to do. The Soul can be prompted to exert more power and Soul-Energy.

  An Evolution. It's a rare ability that about a small percentage of all Soul-Wielders in the world can perform. It gives them access to new abilities or increases their current ones. It can also give power boosts or strengthen weapons. It has a different purpose for different types of Soul-WIelders.

  In Claude Magami's case, his power gets a large spike, almost doubling in strength. But it's not just a singular evolution. There are 4 types of evolutions and Claude only has the first stage unlocked.

  They call this the Spirit Evolution, the first of the 3 stages of Evolution.

  "Heh... Unleashed Empyrean should do the trick..."

  Kaioshun analyzed Claude for a moment, crossing his arms and sizing him up. He looked like he was going to move soon. This man called Claude Magami is incredibly dangerous.

  "I recognize that form of power... an Evolution."

  "Huh? It won't matter because you'll recognize this ass kick!" Claude charged at Kaioshun in full speed, faster than before.

  Kaioshun discharged a beam at Claude to force him out of the way only for Claude to punch right through the beam, his cheek connected to Claude's punch.

  "What the-"

  "You're one of fundamental power, yes. But one issue I can clearly see is that you are incredibly reliant on techniques! Why don't you use some of your abilities?"

  Claude chained his punch with a special move.

  "Spirit Rush!"

  Kaioshun was locked in a 6-hit combo with the final hit dealing a heavy blow on his face. It knocked Kaioshun into the air. He would then charge up his final attack, which then he would call:

  "Pulverized Cannon!"

  It's a powerful beam attack performed by Claude which results explosive damage if the target is hit, alongside several shockwaves of energy. It's very damaging and strong, capable of taking down an entire city block.

  Claude brushed the dust off his clothes and did an awesome pose. "Hm! Kaioshun, down the bucket!"

  "...That easy?" Nanasu uttered as she walked to Claude. "It was a little bit anti-climatic, really..."

  "What are you talking about? It's not over yet!" He turned around, seeing Kaioshun emerge from the cloud of smoke.

  "I never would've thought that you could be so strong, Claude Magami." He wiped his mouth, before smirking. "Such an impressive light show, really..."

  Kaioshun then released his Soul-Aura, a penetrating feeling hitting Claude and Nanasu. What was this guy about to do now?

  "However... I've had enough. If you really won't let me go then I'll destroy this planet so you don't have a choice anymore."

  "What..." Nanasu was in shock.

  "You wouldn't dare do that!" Claude said, going back into stance.

  Of course, no such fool would even think about destroying a planet because what would happen to themselves? Even Kaioshun wouldn't be safe if he did that, which is why it was a stupid decision to even try. Is he really that desperate to finish his mission?

  "I can, Claude. I'm certain everyone here knows that Soul-Wielders can survive in the vacuum of space."

  "What have the Testharians ever done to you!?" Nanasu yelled at him. "You can't just do that!"

  Kaioshun crossed his arms, glaring at her. "I warned all of you beforehand, yet you all ignored me. I gave you choices to let me go, yet you refused to take them. I've killed Jumkou Katatoria so my mission is done, and now I'll go off-world to kill Flynnigan Shotaro to stop a catastrophe from destroying the galaxy."

  Kaioshun then facepalmed. "Why would you not let me on my way? Do you so value the destruction of your beloved galaxy? Our beloved galaxy? Don't you understand that by fighting me, you're delaying what I can prevent!? I will destroy this planet if you continue to fight me if it meant having more time! I've wasted enough time as it is! This world is expendable for the lives of all people in the rest of the galaxy!"

  "No planet is expendable you vile asshole! You don't get to decide that!" Nanasu said, going into stance. She was ready to do whatever it took to stop him from blowing the entire planet up.

  "Sachiel Eria wasn't enough to stop me, so what makes you think you'll stop me?" He pointed his finger at Claude. He fired a penetrating laser beam at Claude's chest, without hesitation.

  Claude didn't have time to react. He couldn't dodge it or block it either. He used a Soul-Barrier but it penetrated right through, piercing him. It was like it was an unstoppable force.

  "CAPTAIN!" Nanasu yelled.

  "AGHHHH!!"

  Claude fell to his knees before falling over completely. He exited out of his Spirit Evolution and held his chest. It was a clean pierce. Blood seeped out of his wound and his clothes were wet with it. He was coughing heavily, spitting out blood.

  "DAMN YOU!"

  Nanasu's eyes screamed rage, turning towards him and firing a plethora of Tri-Lasers in hopes of getting one through.

  "How hard is it to let me complete my mission? Don't rage over a stupid Captain who doesn't know better." Kaioshun put his guard up and activated a Soul-Barrier, blocking her attacks.

  "What will a psychopath like you know about sympathy anyways!?" She kept firing her Tri-Lasers, each one getting stronger and stronger from the rage building up inside her. He smirked while still getting hit before his guard completely broke.

  "Ah-"

  Nanasu would finally utilize her Unique Ability.

  "MACHSEIN!"

  Machsein. This allows her to increase her agility to meet speeds as fast as Mach 3. Faster than the speed of sound, she could even utilize sonic abilities. That's why her hair fluttered as she moves at those kinds of speeds. A sonic boom would always be heard around her.

  She violently jumped from the ground, creating a somewhat huge crater and flew at him.

  Kaioshun imbued Soul-Energy inside his hand and discharged a Soul-Beam at her. However, Nanasu is just way too fast to even be caught.

  She dodged the Soul-Beam easily, moving quickly and then meeting Kaioshun just mere inches from his face.

  She punched her gut 12 times in just 1 second. Each punch was devastating, with an amount of power that could make someone vomit out all their guts.

  "GAH!" Kaioshun took heavy damage for the first time. He was knocked back by a good distance but he managed to recover.

  She would go for an uppercut that would leave her completely vulnerable to any attack. Her anger made her forget all about defense. All she wanted was to punt this guy to the ground.

  Kaioshun looked down and acknowledged her guard dropping. He used his right hand to point at her, prepared to fire a beam through her just like her Captain. Smirking, he said:

  "Game set."

  "!" Nanasu saw it, unable to save herself from the situation.

  Now she, alongside her Captain, will bleed to death in the vast barren wasteland of snow, about 20 kilometers away from Tristate City.