On an unknown planet, so far away from the Cloud Plane that those residing there wouldn't even know of its existence, two men stood amongst a large pile of rubble.
"Is the job finally done?" One of them asked, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"Not sure yet. We need to check for any stragglers before we go, or else the boss will kill us." The other replied.
"Tch. That damn boss. If he's going to act like a tyrant, at least do it properly."
"It can't be helped. You know that's a Pseudo-Divinity we're working under. Even if he has no leadership skills, his power alone is enough to keep his subordinates in line."
The two men shook their heads in unison and stepped out of the rubble. As they did so, the scenery around them slowly came into view.
Calling it a wasteland would be far too generous. The scene around them was closer to purgatory than anything else.
The ground was charred and cracked as far as the eye could see. Small flames still raged as an aftereffect of the fire that had burned down all of this planet's flora. The sky was covered in black clouds made up of the ash from that flame, clouds that carried an insane amount of mana.
That mana turned the sky into a hell worse than the land. Mysterious phenomena and bursts of random elemental essences filled the sky. If anyone dared to fly into a sky like that, they'd be killed instantly.
And the most gruesome part of the image, the piles upon piles of corpses that littered the ground as far as the eye could see. The entire population of the world…was eliminated.
"This place has really become a hellhole. It's surprising that it only took a month to do it."
"Tch, don't mention it anymore. It still makes me feel disgusting."
"Paul, you're too sensitive." The other man spoke seriously. "We didn't choose our line of work, we were forced into it. It's either they die, or we die. This isn't a place where you can show sympathy."
Paul sighed. "I know, I know. But I can't change my nature so easily. You should know that best, Talias."
Talias grinned, his massive body tensing at his friend's words. "Right, you've always been a crazy bastard."
Their conversation was cut short by a strange sound coming from a point not far away. Curious, the two moved in that direction.
"He…!"
"Help! Somebody help!"
As they drew closer, the cries formed into words. The two looked at each other in surprise.
"A survivor! Who knew somebody would actually be able to stay alive through all that?" Paul sighed in admiration.
Talias shook his head. "Poor girl." He muttered under his breath. "You should've just stayed quiet."
The two soon arrived at the location of the cry. When they did so, they witnessed a small girl, no older than 16, trapped under a metal beam. Although her lower body was crushed, she held onto her vitality like a cockroach, not succumbing to death in the slightest.
When she saw Paul and Talias, her determined eyes were filled with rays of hope.
"Please help me! I will reward you handsomely if you do!"
Paul stepped forward. "Of course, little lady. Since we've found you, it's our duty to save you."
Tears formed in the girl's eyes when she heard his kind words. And as he drew closer and closer to her, her excitement became palpable.
Paul smiled when he saw her state. His hand went to the hilt of the sword on his hip. "Little girl, stay still. I will save you now."
A singular black line was drawn through the air, following the sword's path. When it reached its end, the air was filled with red.
"Now, you have been saved. This is the best escape from those nasty bastards. Your will to fight will only burden you further. I pray that you will live peacefully in your next life."
The girl's head dropped to the floor a few feet away from her body. As her blood dyed the charred ground red, Paul's lips slowly curved into a smile. But he suppressed it quickly.
Turning to Talias, he spoke in his usual tone. "Let's get moving. We need to see if there are any more survivors for us to save."
Talias shook his head, but still followed along. "Damn crazy bastard."
The two continued their journey, finding those who survived the catastrophe that shook this world and sending them off. But it wasn't as if they were alone in their search.
The world was covered with people who were doing the same as them. And it wasn't just this world.
If one was able to observe the wider universe surrounding this world, one'd be able to see the true scale of the catastrophe.
Not just a single world somewhere in the universe, but hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of them…
All met similar fates to the small world that was still standing, the final one of its kind.
***
Somewhere not far away from that small world, floating in the endless void, there was a large starship that was armed heavily for battle. Its sleek black design almost let it blend in with the surrounding blackness, making it a stealthy yet deadly weapon.
And considering its size as a vessel that could easily house hundreds of thousands of people, this camouflage ability wasn't something to be looked down upon.
"This place is no longer habitable. The mission is nearing completion."
In the control room of that starship, a man in a white suit spoke to the ship's captain, who sat at his desk placidly.
"Is the information confirmed? This isn't a small operation. There can be no mistakes."
The man in the suit shook his head and waved his hand, dozens of holographic screens appeared in the air, depicting different scenes.
But those scenes all shared a single commonality. They were scenes marred with destruction and gore.
"Of a total of 100 billion planets, we have discovered 132,627 worlds that were suitable for life. Of the 132,627 worlds, 63,385 have been conquered, 69,241 destroyed, and 1 remaining. Although the result isn't completely satisfactory, it is better than the expected estimate."
The ship captain furrowed his brows in thought. "Hmm, it is indeed desirable, but I'm afraid the higher-ups will push for more. What is the level of destruction for the worlds that weren't conquered?"
The man in the suit swiped his hand and changed the images on his holographic screens. Although the theme of the new images remained the same, they were now accompanied by statistics and analytic reports.
"The sustained damage to the worlds is substantial. This sector has been converted into a Dark Zone by the rampant mana from the destruction. However, there is a small number among them that are salvageable."
The captain skimmed through the data and nodded heavily. "Good. With these worlds, we should exceed the quota enough to satisfy those old geezers. And what about the final bastion?"
"It is the home of the ruling family. It has been left for last, as per the Commander's orders."
The Commander nodded. "Then that is all. No need to worry about the ruling family. I will l mobilize Exadrion and take care of it myself."
The man in the suit's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't speak a word. Meddling in the Commander's decisions would only cause his death.
Getting rid of the holographic screens around him, the Commander stood up. His arms moved, his hands cupping into the shape of a diamond in front of his torso.
"Executor Bak, heed my command. Direct all personnel to do a final sweep of the area. After that, convene at the mothership for further instructions."
Executor Bak returned the same hand sign. "Understood, Commander. Per the Lord's Decree."
"Per the Lord's Decree." The Commander repeated sternly.
As Executor Bak left his study, the Commander looked out the window at the destroyed universe around him and sighed.
"This campaign will be a long one. I wonder how long they'll manage to resist this time?"
With that, he returned to his desk and sat down. His hand pressed down on the pristine wooden desk, causing a slight indent to form in its surface.
"Command: Activate Battle Mode. Destination: Inputted coordinates."
On his command, the study-like atmosphere of the control room completely changed. The wooden desk and floors retracted into the ground and were replaced by a spotless white interior.
The desk now contained a myriad of controls and holographic displays that showed the state of the starship. The walls also retracted into the ground, giving way to clear glass that showed a panoramic view of the starry sky outside.
The mechanisms of the ship roared to life, albeit quietly. Mana spread to cover the ship's exterior as it started to move.
It's destination? A world called Aurora.
