At the start of the First Stage of the Star Games, Khaos rampages through the ruined lands, battling countless Stars. He crushes skulls into the dirt with brutal force, tearing through native warriors and seizing their weapons to slay any foe, Star or native, who dares to cross his path.
Rudi spots Khaos tearing through the many natives and Stars as she gasps. "Whoa… I've got to stay away from that one. I need to find Corvex and the others."
Just as she turns away, Khaos appears right in front of her in great speed. He swings his metal staff with monstrous strength, sending her crashing into a brick wall. Blood spills from her mouth as she groans, "Strong… he's so strong!" She grips her ribs, trembling. "He broke a few… but this pain is nothing. I' need to survive....for the sake of my family, for my planet. I must survive!"
Khaos tosses aside his shattered weapon and mutters, "Weak… these toys are worthless. I miss my sword." He glances back at Rudi struggling to stand. "I felt it earlier, that God, his presence and his scent. It was as if it was an Angel itself, if I have to play these games to become one of them… then so be it."
He charges at her again, but a massive man suddenly lands between them, blocking his punch. The impact rumbles the ground. Khaos's eyes widen in surprise.
"I am the Hero of Courage, from Planet Jaksho!" the man declares, muscles gleaming under the sunlight. "Also known as Jayden Courage!"
Khaos doesn't respond, as he launches a flurry of brutal punches. Jayden raises his arms to block, the force is shattering as he's thrown into a brick staircase. He coughs, smiling through the pain. "Whoa… you're strong. Feels like I'm fighting Sir Courage himself."
Khaos turns back toward Rudi, ready to stomp her into the dirt, when Pax suddenly slams into him with a powerful kick, knocking Khaos across the field. Breathing heavily, Pax shouts, "Finally found you! I'd recognize your bloodlust anywhere!"
Jayden dusts himself off and smiles. "Looks like I'm not the only hero here. Nice metal arms, by the way."
Pax ignores him. Jayden chuckles. "Ah, I see. Personal grudge, huh?"
Rudi crawls closer, grimacing. "Why are you saving me? We're not even from the same planet."
Jayden strikes a pose, chest out. "Because I'm a Hero!"
A low, haunting hum fills the air. Khaos rises from the rubble, dusting himself off. Jayden frowns. "Great… he's even got a creepy growl."
Pax narrows his eyes. "You look different without all that thick blood covering you. You look almost… human."
Khaos then gets serious as he walks forward. "Pax Orda. Let's finish this."
They clash, fists meeting in a violent shockwave, but Pax's metal arm bends backward under the sheer power of Khaos's strike. Khaos follows up with a brutal kick, sending Pax tumbling across the battlefield.
Jayden steps in front of Pax, cracking his knuckles. "You've got heart, but it's clear. No one here stands a chance against him but me."
He rushes in, trading rapid blows with Khaos. Their fists collide like thunderclaps. Pax, is still on the ground, as he watches in disbelief.
"What… is this? How is he stronger than before? Wait… the magic bear from earlier healed us both. That means he's back to full power. Damn it all! I get it now.... back in Scarlet City, he was already weaken from all his previous battles. And I thought I had a chance… he's still so much stronger than me."
He struggles to his feet, watching as Jayden matches Khaos strike for strike. "Who is this guy? Those muscles… that confidence that he carries… is he even human?"
The two warriors exchange one last heavy blow, sliding back across the dirt. Jayden points at Khaos and says, "With that kind of strength, you could've been the next Hero of Courage! But what a shame..… those are the eyes of a villain."
Before they could continue fighting, the sky fills with light. Hundreds of thousands of missiles descend upon the ruined lands.
Explosions rain down like hellfire. Khaos dodges several, but the shockwave throws him far into the distance.
Jayden races forward, scooping up Rudi and Pax in his arms as more explosions erupt behind them.
Later that night, the group takes shelter in a crumbling, abandoned building. The wind howls through shattered windows, carrying the faint scent of ash.
Pax stands by the window, staring out at the dark horizon. Fires still flicker across the ruined lands, their orange glow painting the sky in quiet destruction.
Jayden steps into the room, wiping his hands on a rag. "I'm done patching Rudi up. Everything went smoothly."
Pax turns slightly, surprised. "You're full of surprises… If my people had someone like you back home, maybe I'd never have ended up in this mess."
Jayden laughs warmly. "If I had you back home, you'd probably be my top student. But hey, what's your story, anyway? Why are you in the Star Games?"
Pax exhales slowly, his metal arm gleaming under the dim light. "So much has happened, I almost forgot I was even in the Games." He looks over. "Well… we've got all night."
He begins to speak, recounting everything, how his home planet, Lilac, was destroyed; how Khaos tried to wipe out humanity on Scargo; how his people fought desperately to stop him; and how, through the chaos of that final battle, they were accidentally drawn into the Star Games.
Jayden listens in silence, eyes wide with disbelief. When Pax finishes, Jayden wipes away a tear. "That's… one hell of a story. Thanks for sharing it. Guess it's my turn."
He leans back against the cracked wall, taking a deep breath. "I come from Planet Jaksho, a world of heroes and villains, all chasing their own ideals. When I was young, my city was attacked by a group of villains. My parents were killed in the chaos."
His voice lowers. "A hero came too late. He defeated the villain, but my twin sister, Fushi, blamed him for not being fast enough to save our parents. When his guard was down, she stabbed him in the neck, causing a major wound. The hero fought back, but before he could harm her, another villain appeared. His name was Baron."
Jayden's gaze hardens. "Baron killed the hero… then turned to my sister. He saw the potential in her so he took her away..... He offered me a hand too, but I refused because I was afraid of villains."
He glances at his knuckles, still faintly scarred. "After the attack on the city, I couldn't forgive myself, for being weak, for letting my parents die and for letting my sister get taken away. So I started to punch walls, a lot of walls, until my hands broke and bled. And every time they healed, I felt less pain."
The room falls silent for a moment. Only the faint crackle of distant flames fills the air as Jayden looks down at his hands, flexing his fingers before speaking again. His tone grows heavier, more reflective.
"I kept punching, day after day, year after year, until I caught the attention of the greatest hero alive, the Hero of Courage himself. He saw something in me and took me under his wing. From that day on, I trained harder than anyone. He told me I'd inherit his title one day, that I'd become the next Hero of Courage."
Jayden pauses, smiling faintly. "Those years were brutal. My body changed, my strength grew, and I learned what it truly meant to push beyond human limits. I traveled the world, saving lives, fighting villains, becoming a great hero…" His voice trails off, then hardens. "But one day, I met a villain who knew me."
He looks at the cracked floor, his jaw tightening. "It was my twin sister—Fushi. She called herself Baron Bomber now. She was infamous, spreading chaos and destruction with her explosives. I fought her countless times but could never bring myself to end it. Every time we clashed, we argued about what was right. I fought to protect humanity. She fought to destroy the government she believed was hiding the truth from us all."
He leans back against the wall, eyes distant. "The truth she spoke of… were the Star Gates. The villains believed the Gates were the path for humanity to become gods, but the government kept them sealed, saying they were too dangerous. Eventually, the villains united under her banner. They launched a massive assault on the capital. Even with all my power, I couldn't stop them all."
Jayden's fists tighten. "They overthrew the government and activated the Star Gates until it time for the games. I was ordered to stand down, to let them go but I couldn't. I disobeyed and entered the Games too… because I couldn't let my sister die. I needed to save her… to bring her back home."
The room grows quiet. Pax takes a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the floor. "So you don't even want to win the Games… You only want to save your sister from it all."
Jayden smiles faintly. "Yeah. I guess I'm not interested in becoming God." Then his gaze sharpens. "But what about you, Pax? You said you joined by accident, but what's your plan now?"
Pax straightens. "I too don't care about godhood, I'll stay in the Games as long as I have to until Khaos is dead. I can't die or leave before that happens. If he becomes a god… it'll be the end of us all."
Jayden chuckles softly. "Then I guess we have something in common." He holds out his hand. "Let's stick together. We're stronger as a team."
Pax looks at him for a moment, then nods. "Agreed."
They clasp hands, sealing a quiet alliance beneath the broken moonlight.
Morning light seeps through the cracks of the ruined building. Pax stands by the doorway tightening the bolts on his metal arms while Jayden rolls his shoulders, preparing for another day of fighting.
Suddenly, they see a man outside approaching them. Pax and Jayden immediately turn, ready to fight, but the figure steps forward with his hands raised in peace.
"Whoa, whoa—calm down! I'm not here to fight! I'm only here to recruit you guys," the man says. "There's a new Star group forming, lots of Stars has already gathered there. We call it Vel Temple. You'd be safer with us."
Jayden narrows his eyes. "Vel Temple, huh? Sounds nice, but how do we know you're not lying?"
Before he can answer, Rudi steps out from the back room, her arms and body wrapped in bandages. "He's not lying," she says softly. "I know him, his name is Ambros."
Ambros turns at the sound of her voice, his expression softening instantly. "Rudi!" He rushes over and pulls her into a tight hug. "You're alive… thank the stars."
She smiles faintly. "Barely. I thought I'd never see you again."
Ambros pulls back, still holding her shoulders. "Vesper's alive too, he's at the temple. But Corvex…" His voice falters. "We haven't found her yet."
Rudi looks down for a moment, then gestures to the others. "Ambros, these are my new friends. Jayden and Pax. They saved me yesterday."
Jayden smiles and gives a casual salute. "Hero of Courage, at your service."
Pax crosses his arms. "If what you say is true, maybe strength in numbers isn't such a bad idea besides, we'll need it to face him."
Moments later, in the ruined lands, in a crater. From its center, Khaos drags himself out, his body trembling and burned. He breathes heavily, his words low and strained.
"I'm too weak… I need a stronger weapon… something that kills easier."
He limps forward through the wasteland, his glowing eyes fixed on the horizon, where broken weapons and corpses litter the ground.
Meanwhile, in the other part of the ruined lands, Pax and his group reaches Vel Temple. Thousands of Stars has gather around it, resting, training, or trading supplies.
They climb the long stairway toward the top. Two armored Star guards, step aside from a door way and let them in. Inside, the grand hall shimmers with a bit of light.
At the far end, on a high throne chair, sits Vel, when she noticed them she stands.
"Well done, Ambros," she says softly, her voice dripping with grace. "Our numbers continue to grow. Together, we will survive."
Pax and Rudi both step forward, mesmerized by her voice, their expressions dazed as they fall under her subtle charm. But before they can kneel, Jayden grabs their arms and pulls them back.
"Nice trick, lady," he says with a smirk. "You've got honesty in your tone, but there's no need to use charm powers on us. We were going to join anyway."
Vel raises an eyebrow, impressed. "Interesting. You're the second group who's noticed my ability today. We'll need more people like you, who's strong-willed. The more we have, the better our odds when the second wave of doom arrives."
"The name's Vel," she adds, offering a welcoming smile.
Pax shakes his head, still trying to clear his mind from the lingering charm. "With this many Stars in one place… it's going to attract him."
Vel turns her head. "Attract who?"
Pax's eyes harden. "Buzz Khaos. Another Star. His strength, speed, and adaptability are beyond anything you've seen. He's also beyond reasoning, he'll kill anyone in his way. Sooner or later, he'll find this place. And when he does… we'll have to fight together in order to beat him."
Vel lets out a confident laugh. "A Star that strong, huh? Too bad for him. We've gathered plenty of powerful Stars here. As I said, you're not the only group today to noticed my charm powers."
As she finishes speaking, the heavy doors to the side chamber creak open. A group of cloaked figures steps out, their hoods casting deep shadows over their faces.
One of them removes her hood, revealing a woman with sharp eyes and silver hair tied in twin braids.
"I knew you'd join the games and eventually show up here," she says, her voice cold but familiar.
Jayden freezes, disbelief washing over his face. "Fushi…?"
She steps closer, her expression unflinching. "I don't go by that name anymore," she says. "I've told you many times before, call me Baron Bomber."