Reincarnated Hero System

Their next discovery was an art district, where massive digital screens displayed shifting and morphing works of art. One particularly captivating piece depicted an intense battle between two demonic beasts. The animation was so vivid that it seemed the creatures might leap off the screen at any moment.

“Imagine trying to paint something like that.”

“Pretty sure it’s all done with some kind of energy manipulation.”

Arthur replied to Evan, his gaze fixed on the display. After a moment, he nodded and turned away, adding.

“But yeah, it’s cool.”

Their exploration stretched into the afternoon, leading them through a variety of attractions—a gravity-defying park where physics seemed more of a suggestion than a rule, a museum filled with relics from Gozon’s ancient past and a bustling market, where they bartered for unique trinkets and high-tech gadgets.

As they wandered through the market, Evan caught sight of a pair of earrings glinting under the market lights. His eyes lit up and he dashed over to the stall at supersonic speed, as if scared someone else would get to them before him.

“You wanna pierce your ears?”

“Obviously not, Arthur.”

Evan rolled his eyes at Arthur’s words, picking up the earrings he bought and sliding them into his inventory.

“They’re for my fiancée. It matches the colour of her eyes perfectly.”

He then removed the glove from his left hand, revealing a silver ring with cushion-cut sapphire stones that gleamed faintly in the light.

Arthur leaned in for a closer look, nodding in approval.

“You’re not wrong. That’s the same shade.”

Evan nodded and put his gloves back on, concealing the ring. But even as he did, he couldn’t help but rub it over his gloves, his mind going to the young woman who had the other ring paired with this one.

Not a day went by that Evan wasn’t worried about Eliza or his companions, but there was virtually nothing he could do right now but wait for the law of time to beam him back to the future.

As Evan trailed behind Arthur, who was busy selecting souvenirs for his friends back home, they found themselves face-to-face with a group of Gozonian security personnel.

These officers had been pursuing the duo for a while, though catching up to them had proven difficult due to the boys’ unpredictable movements.

Some civilians, skeptical of Arthur’s youthful appearance, had noticed the silver stars on his uniform and assumed it was a counterfeit. Convinced that he was impersonating an officer—a serious crime on Gozon—they had reported him to the military police.

The officers, taking the report seriously, had finally tracked the two down. However, the moment they inspected Arthur’s uniform up close, they immediately recognized the unique energy signature embedded in the insignias—a secret verification method known only to authorized personnel. It was clear the uniform was genuine.

For formality’s sake, the officers politely explained the situation and requested Arthur’s identification. Evan barely held his laughter when he saw how their attitudes shifted dramatically the moment they confirmed Arthur’s identity as a real Major General in Gozon’s Interstellar Army.

Nearby civilians witnessing the exchange snapped pictures, and within moments, Arthur’s face began circulating across Imperium Astra’s networks.

On Gozon, the names, faces, and achievements of all commissioned officers were publicly accessible unless they were part of covert operations. A quick filtered search using “Aramis Prime” and “Major General” led curious users to Arthur’s profile.

The results stunned many. His list of accomplishments and battle records, his unique race, his actual age, and his estimated strength left searchers in awe.

Naturally, Evan, who was beside him became a search topic as well. Some curious onlookers attempted to look up Evan, but they hit a dead end. The only mention of him in the database was as Arthur’s aide, listed under the alias “Rogue Hero #001.”

The only battle accomplishments he had listed were those of the Nautical Crusade and the War for Plomux High Command.

When it was revealed that he had killed another planet’s Hero, he quickly became a point of interest for Upper-Rank Nobles who understood more about the Planetary Defence Mechanisms that were Heroes.

Unbothered by the commotion, the duo decided to change out of their uniform once the encounter ended, swapping them for casual clothes before continuing their exploration.

For them, the attention was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Their next stop was a massive holo-arcade, a multi-level complex filled with every type of game imaginable, from retro classics to cutting-edge holographic simulations. The air buzzed with energy as players of all ages and races immersed themselves in the games, their excitement infectious.

For Arthur and Evan, it was a treasure trove of new experiences, as neither had encountered these games before.

Evan, in particular, was eager to dive in.

They started with games that tested their reflexes and wits, battling holographic creatures in hyper-realistic virtual arenas.

Evan quickly established his dominance, declaring, “It’s the Return of the Genius Gamer!” as he crushed records and set high scores that caught the attention of even the arcade’s managers.

Arthur, however, took the spotlight when they stumbled upon a game called Chrono Warriors. This co-op adventure required players to navigate through different eras, battling enemies and solving intricate puzzles to prevent a catastrophic alteration of the timeline.

Its complexity was unmatched, with each level introducing new layers of challenge.

Evan found the time manipulation controls confusing—switching between past, present, and future versions of the battlefield to avoid traps and defeat enemies. He often found himself out of sync with Arthur, causing them to lose a few rounds.

Arthur’s experience was the exact opposite. His fingers moved with precision, his character darting in and out of the time rifts, unleashing devastating attacks on the enemy hordes.

By the end of the game, the scores showed Arthur had practically carried Evan through the game, not only saving the timeline but also shattering the previous high score, earning a round of applause from onlookers.

Arthur’s victory wasn’t surprising—it was a time-themed game, after all. Evan did call him out for ‘cheating’ by applying real Time law Comprehensions, however, Arthur merely shrugged, pointing out that the game was designed to be unbeatable without a deep understanding of time mechanics.

They moved on to other games, from crazy dodgeball games to rift-jumping races and many more. By the time they left, evening had settled over the city, and lights began to shimmer like a field of stars.

As they stepped outside, a breathtaking sight greeted them.

“The moons are arranged in a circle?”

“They are. It’s like they’re circling the Interstellar Citadel!”

It wasn’t something they could notice since they arrived on one of the moons, but looking at it from the planet’s surface, it was clear that this was definitely not a natural orbit.

“We can only see 8 out of the 32 moons close enough to light up the night sky from here. The others are probably scattered across other parts of the planet to light up those areas.”

Arthur remarked as he ascended a flight of stairs leading to a terrace overlooking the city and Evan followed behind, nodding in agreement.

“Damn, this is crazy in more ways than one.”

Evan spoke, a wry smile hidden behind his mask as he shook his head at the surreal scene.

“Who’d expect me of all people would be playing around on Gozon of all places? Hahaha!!!”

Evan’s laugh rang out, a mix of disbelief and amusement at the absurdity of his situation—something he could never have envisioned back when he first became a Hero.

Gozon was always the enemy planet that he was fighting to stop from invading Aidos. But in a twist of fate, he found himself in Gozon and was soon going to be meeting its Rulers.

The boy could only laugh at the absurdity.

Arthur who was beside didn’t join in the laughter. His full attention was on observing the planet’s cosmic energy flow,

As the last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon, he caught a fleeting glimpse of something extraordinary. It was an almost imperceptible phenomenon he would have missed if he wasn’t actively looking for it.

“Oh…I get what he meant now.”

For a fleeting moment, the energies of Gozon didn’t feel like those of a typical planet. Instead, they resembled the aura of someone trapped at the pinnacle of their Existence Realm, unable to break through.

“Doomed to forever remain a Prime World, huh?”

“?”

Evan raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by Arthur’s words. Before he could ask, the ambient law energies around them suddenly froze, their natural flow interrupted.

“Wait… Did the laws just—?”

“Yep. I should probably stop talking before I piss ‘Gozon’ off any more.”

With that, Arthur chuckled lightly, leapt off the railing, and dashed across the rooftops toward a spot he had noticed earlier.

Evan stayed behind, narrowing his eyes as Arthur’s cryptic words replayed in his mind.

‘Doomed to forever remain a Prime World? Could it be related to why they’re after other Prime Worlds?’

Gozon’s penchant for Prime Worlds was not without reason.

Only High-Rank demons and above were privy to the truth, bound by layers of binding oaths and memory seals that rendered torture and memory scrying futile.

‘From the way ‘Gozon’ reacted, Arthur must have hit a nerve. If what he said is true, that Gozon is eternally doomed to remain a Prime World… then why?

The word ‘Doomed’ makes it sound like it’s a negative thing to remain a Prime World. If it is, how does that tie into them conquering other Prime Worlds?

Perhaps—!!!’

Evan’s thoughts halted abruptly, derailed by a sudden, chilling sensation.

A gaze.

Not a single set of eyes, but an overwhelming presence that seemed to come from everywhere and everything all at once.

The ground beneath his feet, the air around him, and even the distant horizon seemed to be watching him.

Evan didn’t need to be a genius to know the one behind that gaze.

‘Gozon’ was watching him.

‘I guess my expression must have given my thoughts away.’

Thinking about it, ‘Gozon reacted immediately after Arthur had spoken, so it was obvious that the Planet’s consciousness was actively monitoring him and Arthur.

Sighing softly, Evan acted like he didn’t notice anything and jumped off the terrace, moving to catch up with Arthur in the distance.

◇　◇　◇

“Man, this place is something else.”

“Say that again. They got us a whole estate!”

The voices of the two teens echoed through the grand halls of the mansion, where rows of servants stood attentively on either side.

After following the maps to their temporary residences, the two boys were greeted by a display of opulence worthy of guests of the Demon King.

The estate was absurdly vast, housing multiple mansions within its grounds, each more extravagant than the last. After checking out the first three, they eventually settled on the fourth. Every mansion was fully stocked with clothes, essentials, and formal mess dresses carefully prepared for the start of the Summit.

For the next two days, they continued exploring Imperium Astra. Then, on the 15th, the long-awaited Summit began.