Dimension AP492.
Seven black-armored Voyagers appeared in space. Below them was a blue planet. All the masks of the Voyagers were sealed so they wouldn’t meet an untimely death due to the vacuum of space.
Jean Turner was one of them.
A flow of information entered the mind of all seven Voyagers, informing them about the world they were sent to defend and the foes they might face.
Dimension AP492, as far as the Protectors were concerned, had only one habited planet. It was the third planet from the star known as the sun.
Earth.
Earth was the planet Jean and the other six Voyagers were sent to protect.
Jean treated Earth as just another random planet. Unlike most Voyagers, she wasn’t drafted from a world. None of her first three missions involved the homeworld of the human beings. It was just another mission for her.
When the Protectors descended upon dimension AP492 and showed the local inhabitants what they were capable of, Earth had no intention of fighting to the death for their freedom. It was only a difference of time before all the major countries on the planet submitted their rule to the Protector Corps.
After that, life mainly remained the same. The Protectors provided guidance and aid bit by bit so there wouldn’t be a dramatic change to the original powers. After all, too much change leads to chaos, which was against the goal of the Protector Corps. Still, within two years, all organizations that pose a threat to the peace of the world were terminated.
Life went on as usual. Some still talked about the gods that reached out and touched mankind, but that was about it.
Moments ago, well, at least moments ago for the City of the Voyagers, over 72 black portals in the form of gates were created all across the globe. Each and every one of them reeked of dimensional energy. This was not just a natural occurrence. This was a path of invasion. When the leaders of Earth made notice, they contacted the Protector Corps. Seven Voyagers were sent to help.
They weren’t expected to exterminate the opposition. Their job was to hold off the attack and protect Earth until a Protector could be deployed to handle the threat.
Between the time the 43rd Voyager Legion was sent to war and when Jean arrived in her fourth mission, the rebellion has only gone from bad to worse. Nearly one tenth of the Infinite Realms was either under siege or doing the sieging. Protectors moved from world to world, killing rebels like they were pests, but their numbers were limited. In most worlds, Voyagers handled the fighting.
As the information ended, the Voyagers were given a chance to speak.
Seven continents. Seven Voyagers.
Jean started the conversation. During her second and third mission, she allowed Violet and Allen to take the lead. In the World of the Runes, the Voyagers were as threatened by the locals as by each other. Being the leader meant having the target planted on her back. In the Dream Realm, she had different goals than the others.
This time, she and every other Voyager on the mission wanted the same thing. The words of the Protectors have made sure of that.
“72 portals. This feels like a massive invasion. I have an army and a fleet that can hold the door. Anyone else?”
If armies were pouring through all the portals all at once, then Voyagers who were used to fighting by themselves would be in trouble. It wasn’t that they were necessarily at risk of falling. It was just that without an allied army, the local forces and population would likely suffer heavy losses. A single Voyager couldn’t cover at least a dozen gates at the same time.
Of course, if these Voyagers had the power to exterminate any invader on the planet with the snap of a finger, that would no longer be a problem.
Two more Voyagers raised their hands.
“I have at least 150,000 ground units with CAS going from 51 to 250. I also have a fleet of 40 ships with CAS between 650 and 700.”
Jean kept information about the Kashank Guardians and the worldship a secret. A girl should always keep a dagger hidden next to her thigh.
“I hold an army of 12,000 constructs. The average CAS is at 150.”
“I can command a horde of beasts of around 200,000. Average CAS: 100.”
“Very well.” Jean nodded. She waved her hand, and a hologram projection of Earth appeared in front of the Voyagers. As soon as they finished warping in, Jean deployed hundreds of observers across the globe. She wanted to get as much information as possible so she could play the dominant position in the war.
“30 portals appeared in North America. 20 in Asia. 14 in Europe. Only 8 were Africa, South America, Antarctica, and Australia. If no one objects, I suggest that I take care of the portals at North America. You take Asia. You take Europe. The rest of you cover the other three continents.”
Asia and Europe were given to the other two Voyagers with armies.
The other Voyagers nodded in agreement. They weren’t too used to taking orders, but things were urgent. No intruder has exited the portals as of the moment, but all of them knew it was just a matter of time. Plus, Jean promised to take care of the continent with the most portals, which meant she would be facing the brunt of the aggression. The military forces in North America were the strongest, but at the level of the Voyagers, the support the local armies could provide would be negligible. It was obvious she was being impartial in her commands.
“We should maintain contact with our watches and exchange the information we gather. As the Protector said during mobilization, we serve the same purpose, and that is the survival of this planet and its people.”
As the others nodded, Jean went head on, dashing toward the blue planet below.
Meanwhile, inside the White House, the President of the United States of North America was waiting with a roomful of his top generals and officials.
After the Protectors descended and shed their influence into this world, the different nations started to mend together. Leaders have realized how insignificant they were in a greater scale, and the only way to ascend their status quicker was by combining their resources. In North America, after a ton of behind the scene deals, Canada and Mexico joined the USA into the United States of North America.
The President of the United States of North America was a fifty year old man, He wasn’t that old, but his hair has already turned grey, a testament of the stress resulted from his job.
One of the generals posed a question.
“Sir, how much reinforcement did the Protector Corps promise?”
The Protector Corps couldn’t just be called upon by a random person in this world. Only the leaders of the major countries had access to the Protector Corps with means of communication provided by the Corps.
“I sure hope it’s at least a squad of Protectors.”
Another official commented. He was one of the people unfamiliar with the structure of the Protector Corps and what was going on in the Infinite Realms.
The President sighed and shook his head.
“As far as I knew, the Protector Corps only sent in seven Voyagers. No Protector. Things like this are happening all over the Infinite Realms. The Protector Corps is stretched thin.”
“But...the Voyager Corps? Aren’t they just the underlings of the Protectors?”
The official asked again, much more concerned. The President glared at him. Unlike the official, the President had access to much more information, including those about the Voyagers.
“They might be soldiers of the Protector Corps, but I would expect that you don’t say it to their face. That would be unwise. We still need them to defend against whatever intruders that will come out of the portals.”
“But where are these Voyagers now?” The official pushed on. “The portals can open at any moment!”
The President shook his head and changed the topic. He was much more aware of the situation. Whether the Voyagers have arrived or not, him worrying about it wouldn’t change anything. Instead he turned to his generals.
“Are our forces in place?”
“Yes sir. We have dispatched one regiment of the U.S. Army in front of every single one of the 30 portals in North America. They have been setting up a defensive position to prepare for an enemy assault of any kind. The National Guards of all states have been called in. The entire country is placed on red alert. We are preparing for this as best as we can.”
“As best as you can is not good enough.”
“Unfortunately, sir, we have no idea what power scale the invasion forces will be of, thus I can make no real promise.”
The President nodded. It wasn’t his generals’ fault. As far as they knew, a thousand gods could come out of the portals the next moment and slaughter everyone. Any promise made would be empty.
Suddenly, a secret service agent walked over.
“Sir, an individual matching the description of a Voyager has arrived.”
“Only one? Invite her in.”
“Yes sir.”
The President and all the occupants of the room turned to the door as a figure in black armor walked in. The figure tapped her watch, and her helmet transformed and returned to the rest of her armor. As the helmet’s absence revealed the figure’s face, the President could see the figure was a young woman who couldn’t be more than twenty years old. The iris part of her eyes were black, as well as her hair. The moment the President and his people saw her, they felt a surge of discomfort. They couldn’t exactly identify the source, but it was impossible to ignore.
Jean quickly introduced herself.
“I am Voyager Jean Turner of the 43rd Voyager Legion. I am one of the seven Voyagers deployed into this world. The rest have entered their positions at the other six continents. I will be in charge of the defense of North America.”
“Ah, Miss Turner,” The President did his best to put up a smile. “I am speaking on the behalf of the United States of North America when I say we welcome you and your brothers and sisters in arm to our aid. We knew our trust in the Protector Corps wasn’t misplaced.”
Jean returned a smile.
“I am glad to hear that. Now, let’s get to the business, shall we? What is the situation here?”
“Five hours ago, 30 portals appeared in North America. We sealed off the area within a ten kilometer radius of the portals and deployed an armored regiment in front of each portal before we contacted the Protector Corps. We have made no effort to attack the portals.”
“Has anything changed since?”
“No.”
Jean nodded. She could offer to replace the regiment with her machine forces, but she made no such proposal. When the enemies come through the portals initially, they would have the element of surprise. Any army facing them would likely be ill-prepared and suffer great casualties. Her Wardens and Purifiers were too valuable to waste when the locals were sufficient to take up the task as cannon fodders.
After the locals force the invaders to show what they were capable of, Jean’s forces could make the according to plans and counter them efficiently.
“You seem to be handling the situation very nicely, Mr. President. There is nothing more for me to do right now. I would like a place to rest. Inform me at once if there are any changes.”
“As you wish.” The President nodded and turned to his secretary. “Miss Lane. Please take Miss Turner to a guest room.”
Miss Lane was a short woman in her thirties. She smiled at Jean before leading out of the room. Jean followed her. As the Voyager left, the official that first voiced his complaint when he was told no Protector would come finally spoke up again.
“Well, she didn't look too menacing.”
The President ignored him. He turned to his generals again.
“Put one satellite over every portal. Double the guards. I don’t want a fly getting into our planet without us knowing it.”
The thought of a fly coming out of the menacing portals brought a slight smile to the face of the generals as they left.
On the other side, Ms. Lane led Jean into a well-decorated empty room.
“Feel free to tap this button and let the servants know if you need anything, Miss Turner.”
Jean smiled and nodded. As soon as the secretary was gone, Jean’s smile disappeared. She scanned to make sure that her privacy was ensured before going through all her gains from her third mission.
When the Voyager Legion was deployed, Jean didn't have the time to value her profit and turn them into her strength. With the invasion at hand, she had no time to waste.
The forging of the nightmares made her soul much stronger than before. Jean didn't have the chance to get her CAS reassessed at the Arena before the deployment, but she could feel herself handling the Power of Death much more easily. Her ways of killing grew as well, refined by the battle in the Dream Realm.
Suddenly, she tapped on her watch, and a furry mask was produced in her hand. The Mask of the Ice Wolf. It was a piece of equipment she received at the Challenger Tower. It had the power to enhance the psychic power of the user.
Inconsistent with her behaviors, Jean actually forgot to arm herself with the mask during the battle at the Dream Realm. She was smarter than most, but she wasn’t a walking human computer. Mistakes were rare but not impossible. Not that it mattered. She killed Trinity and Ka and survived the onslaught nonetheless.
She wouldn’t make that mistake again this time.
Speaking of the battle at the Dream Realm, Jean produced another watch. It belonged to Trinity and was looted by Jean when she ended the fallen Voyager. She quickly reached inside the watch.
Jean was fortunate. When Trinity fell to the bliss dreams, she didn't have the watch on her. When she was revived, her remaining instincts weren’t enough to guide her to use the watches. This meant Jean got nearly all of her properties unscratched.
The few crystals inside were irrelevant. Jean’s eyes were set on something...warmer.
A drop of golden flame was in the middle of the watch. Jean quickly took it out. As soon as the flame was in this world, Jean felt a surge of heat extending off it, threatening to evaporate the entire White House. She reached out with the Power of Death and engulfed the tiny flame.
The heat disappeared.
Jean frowned. This spark of flame felt similar to the ones that Trinity used against her, except it was much more condensed and much more powerful. If anything, it seemed like Trinity’s flames were stripped down from this spark.
Jean first tried to contact the flames, channel it, lure it into submission, but the flame refused. It was a being of basic instincts, yet even those instincts despised Jean’s actions.
Death was the enemy of all.
Well, your mistake.
Jean’s eyes turned pitch black. Suddenly, black energy poured out of her soul and crashed down onto the flame, wiping away whatever conscious it had and extracting the energy. If the flame refused to submit to Jean by will, then she would have gladly reduce it to a corpse, and then take the corpse instead.
The flame resisted. Its previous owner, Trinity, came into possession of the precious flame only one mission before. As someone majoring in fire, Trinity sensed the rarity of the flame and its endless potential. She tried the soft approach. She attempted to communicate with the flame and convince it into sharing its power with her. In other words, she was a supplicant. Trinity promised to grow the flame, and the flame would give her more power in exchange.
Jean chose the other route. She didn't care about the future the flame could possess. Her major was the Power of Death, and unless something dramatic happens, it would remain that way. She merely sought to add an extra bit of touch to that. Even as the flame surrendered, Jean kept on going.
Death comes to all.
Finally, the flame was broken. Its instincts gone. Its essence merged into Jean’s own source of power. When the dust settled, Jean formed a ball of Power of Death in her palm. Distinctly, she could see a spark of gold.
In addition to empty, it felt scorching.
Its exact usage in combat would be determined...probably not far into the future.
As Jean put away the watch, she suddenly remembered another thing. After she killed Ka, one of the specialized Protectors gave her a phase watch with something she claimed would be of use to a Reapress.
Before Jean could open the watch, a man in a suit suddenly broke through the door without knocking.
“Miss Turner, there has been action spotted at one of the portals!”
