Isekai: The Eight Soul Fragments

(Part 1)

Half a day after Juniper and her group returned to Preeliance. She went to the castle with Pauleen to give a proper thanks to Draxus who had returned.

The first thing they have seen as they saw Draxus in the [Dimensional Laboratory] was a person with a serious expression, blood could be seen staining his clothes as he remained completely indifferent with the scenario. When the two of them saw that kind of sight as he used magic to clean himself, they were somewhat terrified to know what he may have done.

It took Draxus from early morning to just after lunch to finish his quick business. The two of them thought that he may have pushed in some personal interest to the two Heroes. "You two have returned huh...? What's the state of your group?" His expression remained serious, which meant Draxus used one of the tarot cards or maybe even used a soul to eliminate his opponents. They felt guilty knowing that each one of those cards can bring in severe aftereffects to both his mind and body. Making their choice of relying on him to become a bit of a burden. However, Draxus read their minds easily, sensing the guilt that was built up within them. "I didn't use any cards. I just felt genuinely pissed off from the acts of those two heroes." Lily and Julie were sitting next to him, both of them contained a slight bit of worry about Draxus overdoing it. Judging by his clothes, he did one thing. "Those two heroes were heavily injured, but I couldn't step in after [People of Earth] started to back them up. It's totally gonna lead to war." With his serious words, the two of them knew that they wouldn't be safe now that those two heroes became hostile.

Draxus stared down at the two heroes, who were severely injured after a horribly trampling on their capabilities. "Is that all the two of you can muster? I must say that this is quite a disappointment." He brought out the coldest tone of his voice, backed by the freezing environment that he entangled both heroes with. Ice spikes pierced through multiple joints, as their attempts of shaking willpower and overwhelming them were sent back without even batting an eyelid. "First, a brazen attempt to do something like that to the [Sentinel of Hallows], who is engaged to the [Sentinel of Spirits]. Next is the attempted kidnapping of Lily, and Julie while you kept me busy. And now to lay your hand on my weaker friends. I wonder if the two of you want your countries to be removed from existence..." The two heroes couldn't say anything, as the pressure coming from Draxus was completely abnormal. It could be said that his willpower is completely capable of terrifying the entire country in one drop. It was mostly due to the divine energy that Draxus is bringing out. "Unable to speak huh? Guess I'll make you talk." Draxus brought out a turquoise gem that he had borrowed from Serkyrio. He completely froze their limbs and created a freezing choker in their neck. He made sure to spread their legs before he began making them talk forcefully. "I took notice from earlier, the [People of Earth] are up to something right? Simply tell me the location of their base." "And what if we don't say anything?" The [Hero of Prodigies] quickly tried to bite back, but he was made to pay with extreme pain immediately. "[Micronova]" He instantly charged a weaker version of [Micronova] as he wasn't in the proper form to cast it in the correct power. He directed that blast in the [Hero of Prodigies]'s nether regions.

A painful scream could be heard as he tried to check the existence of his [Partner], but it was pulverized in an instant. Draxus didn't even say anything, but he didn't care about how his enemies felt. Seeing that heartless expression Draxus have, which only a short number of people have seen, understood that he won't stop until the man completely fears his very own existence. The [Hero of Control] understood this, but there was still something he didn't understand. The turquoise gem in Draxus's hands had a purpose he didn't know yet, but after hearing him cast a certain ability, he now knew what is about to happen. "[Eternal Regeneration]" In that instant, the [Hero of Prodigies]'s genitals were completely regenerated. Draxus actually had an ability that allows him to do the same kind of regeneration of flesh on somebody else without [Eternal Regeneration], but he had no reason to compensate for his enemy's agony. "What about you, [Hero of Control], do you think your will is strong enough to shake mine? Seeing you fail against my subordinate by itself is pretty embarrassing for your position as a [Hero] lol." Draxus sighed after laughing at the two heroes. He immediately then destroyed their nether regions, and regenerated them over and over until it hit triple digits. Blood continued to splatter everywhere, after the last time he regenerated them, the boundary itself was starting to dissolve. He was ready to hand them back after showing that he sliced their heads off in the face of the public. But just as he was ready to slice of their heads, the [People of Earth]'s leader, Lawrence Argentum parried his sword. "As expected, you won't let these pawns die off." "Hm, I suggest that you leave now Draxus Heimdal. Unless you have a belief that you can handle all these enemies at once. When Draxus looked around, he immediately recognized that he was surrounded by high-threat members of the [People of Earth], but seeing as he was asked to leave instead of attempting to kill him outright, he knew that all of them won't be able to handle him. "Perhaps you're just stalling for time in the end, I know that we're being watched by the council right now. And if I attack, they all come down to kill me huh?" "It is as you thought, so are you ready to die?" "Well..." Draxus pretended to ponder a bit, then raised both his hands looking like he's going to surrender. "I guess I can't win this one." Just as Lawrence smiled, he was hit by reality on Draxus's on the spot planning. "[Lunatic Thunderstorm]." He actually made it look like that he was genuinely tired and planning to surrender, but magic instantly materialized in his pointing finger and created an instant thunderstorm with it as the source. With nobody now able to reach him, he quickly opened a rift under him and escaped. "It's easy for me to escape, but I'd like to cripple your army on the way out of course." Draxus left those parting words as he escaped back to the Preeliance castle, pissing off Lawrence as he was damaged badly from the surprise attack.

"That's how it went, I didn't enjoy the fact that they didn't die at the end but it was satisfactory nonetheless." After Draxus spoke about what happened after his interference, he felt completely convinced that there's some dealing with [People of Earth] within the Aquila and Temockria.

But, one thing managed to resurface on Draxus's mind as he remembered when using the [Destroyer's Soul]. He kept that thought to himself as he felt slightly curious to explore the memories of the soul. "Amy... Huh...?"

A few hours after the incident, Draxus was finally allowed to rest in his room after what he had done. But instead of getting punished, he was commended for his actions to identify undeniable proof that [People of Earth] are attempting to create an alliance with other countries to fight against them.

With Draxus alone in his room, he pondered deeply as he took a glance on a picture near his desk. It was a picture that was placed in a frame, meant for storing the memories of how nice his life is currently, despite all the chaos involved in it. The content of the picture contained himself, at the center of all his fiancés. He glanced over to Matilda's somewhat stiff posture, as she still wasn't used to the technology of smartphones. He then closed his eyes and opened the memories of the [Stardust Destroyer]. "As I thought... They do look similar."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Are you sure that this [Destroyer] has impurities?" A voice echoed in the heavenly space as a body continued to float without a bit of consciousness. "Yes, it seems that another soul had inserted itself in the body. This used to be an empty husk of a corrupted destroyer, something we shut down before it goes out of control." "Understood, but I think it's best to exercise caution for no-" "There's no need for that." A third voice intervened between the two as the body continued to have no signs of movement. "[God of Administration]? Why the sudden visit? How can we help?" A single god appeared as he moved closer to the destroyer. "It's dangerous, we shut this destroyer down because of its corruption of impurity." "There's no need to worry, I already know the reason why. [Awaken]." The body, fulfilling the words of the [God of Administration]. "Nn... Who...?" "As expected, the memories of the [Prime Existence] do get locked when they host a body. But that's for the better, as there would be no hidden responsibilities that he has to take over." As the god muttered to himself, he gave a quick order. "Go and live your life, you have the power of the stars, and destruction. But you live to create memories, and to live means to seek out the life that you wish for. Without being bound by duty or strife. I bestow you the mind and proper emotion." "[God of Administration]... Are you sure about this?" The two gods had a questioning gaze as one of them asked the god. "Yes, this is a gag order, but this destroyer contains a part of the [Prime Existence], due to a wish of seeing the life more, he asked us, the [Gods of Infinite Space], to take care of matters." After being told to leave, he was given a name by the god.

Within ten thousand years, he continuously fulfilled the requests of other gods to eliminate certain worlds that have been corrupted. He didn't take any rewards, as he never really needed anything yet. He continued to jump from world to world to examine things as they are. And if ever a world gets corrupted, he waits for a god to come down to tell him to just destroy it. That's how it felt until he was tasked by a creator. "You... Somehow feel familiar to me... As if we host the same thing..." "Yes, both of us are a part to a much more powerful being. As such, I have a request for you."

He was sent to a world to keep an eye on it, he was told to eliminate threats that could damage the world, but to him, it somewhat seemed like he was told to protect it. He still complied, as the being that requested it is almost the same as himself in terms of presence.

"Living huh...? Just like how the [God of Administration] told me..." He recalled his first order from the god that awakened him, he was given a clear mind to think things properly, and emotions to make the decisions that he thinks is right for himself. With that compliance, he entered the world out of pure curiosity.

In the world, technology has fairly advanced, but the magic being more used, it was pretty obvious that there was a certain mix involved. However, instead of relying in pure magic, the people of the world relied on spirits and divine arts. He wandered around as he kept his weapon in hand. "I wonder, who might I end up encountering in this world... I have destroyed many, yet I am tasked to protect one. Truly, a strange turn of events." He never went hungry, nor he will ever get thirsty, due to the divine presence he has. But he didn't mind it all anyway, he thought about crossing the bridge when he gets there only.

Within the first year, he never had any fateful encounters. He saved passing merchants from monster attacks, or visited the cities to explore the life of a regular human. He didn't have any ambition nor any reason to get too close to a human as he is wary. That was until he was wandering in the forest, he met a young girl seemingly at the mid teenage age. She was unconscious, and seemed to be left alone. In his mind, the destroyer first thought that she was abandoned, which led to him being slightly confused as to why. But that thought had dispersed as he looked at the girl slowly open her eyes.

"W-Who...?" The young lady muttered as she started to move her hands to her waist to grab the sword. With her weakened movements, the destroyer quickly judged that she was heavily injured after doing something reckless. "Wait, I am not an enemy here. I just found you lying down in the middle of this forest, I'm merely curious as to why you ended up in this place." After a quick explanation, the girl dropped her grip on the sword and started to rub her eyes gently. She had azure, long hair, paired with a knightly attire which gives a small assumption that she is a female knight. "Are you a knight perhaps?" The girl shook her head slowly as she finally gained a clear view to the appearance of the destroyer. "I'm a knight in training still, but I was told to hunt a certain monster if I was to be accepted as a knight by the others..." "What kind of monster was it?" "An Earth Dragon..." The destroyer was surprised as he somewhat felt pity to the girl who was given an impossible task. "Isn't it impossible for you?" "But I have to get stronger..." She contested with her will, as she was really determined to become what she had wished for. "I don't want to lose... To them..." "I see... Then allow me to join you." "W-Wait..." The girl coughed, seemingly dehydrated as she tried to reach for a small canteen somewhere. She quickly drank the remaining contents of the bottle, and began her attempt to stop the destroyer from coming along. "W-Wait, I can't let you be dragged into this!" The destroyer decided to not listen and immediately activated something. "Don't move too much, you seem to be heavily injured." The young girl then immediately felt something transfer into her. She glanced over her injuries that instantly disappeared after the destroyer had done something. But she felt somewhat familiar of the essence that she received. "Divine essence...? A-Are you a G-God...?" "God...? No... I am a being ranked below the gods, a [Destroyer]." "A Destroyer?!" The girl panicked and quickly grabbed her sword to form a stance. "With a strange turn of events, I was tasked here by a creator to protect this world." "Should I t-trust you?" "I have no reason to lie either, but believing me is your choice." "A-Alright..." The girl slowly sheathed her broadsword as she remained wary of the destroyer. "By the way, do you have a name?" She asked the destroyer while remaining nervous as she might end up being the cause of the world's destruction. "Reito... Reito Hoshino..." "Then Reito... Call me Amelia." "Alright..." The two of them conversed as they start to walk towards a city, to which Amelia lived in. "By the way, why is a destroyer like you in this world?" Amelia, glanced over to Reito as she felt slightly wary of how his power might shake something in the world that she lives in. "I honestly, do not know... Not only I was told to reside here, but I was also told that I shouldn't destroy the world." "And who told you that?" "A Creator, I simply abided since a god did give me an order where I am to live any kind of life I want, then I want to try living normally." "Living normally...?" Amelia, confused as to how Reito's plan would work, probed in as she couldn't really understand much. "So, what were you like when you were normally in duty?" "Normally? Well, I don't do much but, I simply wait for a god to call for me. A world that has been corrupted will be destroyed, and once I destroy a corrupted world, I can rest." "Why do worlds have to be destroyed? And corrupted worlds?" "If you were to think that the world was something like, constant wars, domination of a species without much civilization, or beings that have taken in divine essence and taken over negative emotions. It's something like where, if they're unstoppable by anybody in their world, then we destroyers come in. Once the world is destroyed, the creators create a new world from the debris of a ruined one." Before long, they finally arrived to the city after their short talk about other worlds. Reito felt more understanding of how the world works now considering how he interacted with Amelia. But it was only what the beginning was. He was given a quick tour and told how he would be able to make some money, he took bounty hunting missions as it would help him rigorize his body and train for combat at the same time. They then parted ways with a promise from Amelia to meet again eventually.

A couple months later, Reito had finished performing his daily training routine, as he felt quite bored on what to do. He had risen to the fame as he took on requests that are normally known to be impossible. "Oh? It's Reito, what brought you to my stall today?" "I kinda just feel like eating a bit, I just finished a tedious bounty after all." Not only that, he had also learnt etiquette to a certain extend by simply observing other people. "Haha, you've been quite busy then? Who do you train with normally?" "Currently, I don't get to train with others, but Amelia does come around from time to time." He stayed in an expensive hotel for the security, since he earns a lot from bounty hunting which comes around randomly, he pretty much manages to survive. He didn't need to eat or drink to revitalize himself, nor he needed any kind of supplies or preparation to eliminate a bounty, so he was pretty much working without any operating expenses. Before he knew it, he noticed a presence approaching him.

"Amelia...? You did come after all." Amelia slightly laughed in a troubled expression as she couldn't really talk badly. "I was actually trying to get some time after you told me about your plans here. So after this, we should train together for a bit." With Reito being Amelia's partner, she also had been able to rise to a bit of fame due to the skills she had learned. With divine essence inside her to support her natural reactions, she was now a force to be reckoned with and became the knight order's vice-commander despite her young age. "Also, I should introduce you to the order! They really want to know who got me this capable." Amelia was somewhat excited, as she would finally be able to introduce Reito to the knight order.

"I wonder if he'll be alright? There's rumors about the knight commander having some sort of intimacy with that young vice commander right?" "Their commander and vice-commander are young, so there were definitely rumors of them dating. But with how the vice-commander acts with our homeboy, I think she's much more clingy to him." The two men, who were chatting about the rumors, were stopped by a lady that seemed serious but had a motherly presence. "Alright you two, that's enough talking about them, get back to your work." With things seemingly to have settled within them, they had hopes about the famous bounty hunter and the vice-commander.