"Neo-Arche".

This place could hardly be called a "country". But it was still as big as an island. This land was a true relic of modern civilization. It had been built somewhere between Asia and Europe. Indeed, after the two phenomena known as "GICMB" and "LSICBM", 97% of humanity and the landmass had disappeared. The calm of the oceans was disturbed, and many aquatic races perished.

It could be seen as a kind of cataclysm. But it was not enough to annihilate the human race. Although humanity was called weak, a catastrophe of this magnitude was not enough to end its existence. Survivors gathered together and built a new - last - civilization, "Neo-Arche".

The construction of Neo-Arche ended on January 1, 1957.

It was truly a new beginning for humanity.

1997.

Neo-Arche was divided into several sectors. Laystation. AreaNEXT, Steam. Eras. High Tower. Polaris. Nyx. Orléans. Rhodes City, and others. These were its largest sectors. And Eras in particular was the most popular and most populated. The cyberpunk aspect of it attracted a lot of young people. The night on Eras was a magical time for many people. The big buildings of the city were lined with lights of all colors. Red. Blue. White. Yellow. They looked like they were dark blue, like the night. And that made them even more pleasing to the eye.

As a result, many people would go out at night just to be under these lights. There was no need to mention the level of development of Neo-Arche, as it almost exceeded what USA would have been if it still existed.

And in this cyberpunk city there was a certain villa.

The estate was huge. It must have covered at least one hectare. In the center of it, the big white villa could be seen from above.

The interior of the famous building was very big. There were many rooms, it was spacious and very well decorated. It was obvious that it was the residence of an important person of this country.

And so, the owner was currently in his large room.

He was not alone.

- "Come on, ladies... Each in turn, hehe!"

- "You are too good, Mr. Prime Minister..." Said a sensual female voice.

- "Ooh... None of that between us, call me by my name!"

The owner of this individual was a man in his sixties. From his appearance, one could easily guess that this man had money. He was fat, and not particularly tall in stature. He was Gunther Maxwell, the Prime Minister of Neo-Arche.

In this room lit only by a dim red light were several women around him, on his large bed.

What he intended to do to them by bringing them here was not hard to guess, with the reputation he had in the shadows. A man greedy for money and women.

He already had children and a wife he had been married to for almost 30 years. But he always wanted more. He was unable to be satisfied.

And all those women he brought here without his wife knowing it knew it. They were all hoes looking for money. If becoming this man's prostitutes would make them money, there was no need to hesitate.

Just as the Prime Minister was about to have sex with two of them, someone knocked on his door.

-" ... ? "

Minister Gunther did not react at the time. He wondered who could have come to visit him so late at night. And above all, how did this person get there with all the security around his house?

A minute or so passed without anyone making a sound. Thinking that he had probably been dreaming, and under the pressure of his libido, the sexagenarian continued his action.

But this time, it was not a simple "knock knock knock".

The large window of his room which allowed him to see the outside had just broken.

-"Gu...Gunther! What's going on?!"

- "There's someone here for sure!"

- "Kyaah!!!"

The women with him were starting to panic. Naked as they were, they each took a sheet to cover their bodies, just in case.

Gunther Maxwell did not let his panic show. Sweat was running down his forehead. Although he didn't show it, he was clearly not well.

As he walked cautiously into the room, as if not to make his footsteps heard, Gunther felt a presence creeping up behind him.

- "Gunther Maxwell, Prime Minister of Neo-Arche." Said an incredibly cold female voice behind his back.

- "Uuugh !!!!!" He shouted in surprise.

The old adult wasn't the only one frighteningly surprised. The other people in the room were frightened beyond belief. They wasted no time in stumbling out of the room. Apparently, the intruder was not interested in them.

The intruder in question was a female individual. From her appearance, one could imagine that she was in her early twenties. She was very beautiful.

Her short hair was magenta in color, which was unusual. Her clothes were in the punk style of the 80s. She had a stern, cold look. And she was very tall, looking down on the minister. She must have been at least 6'3". As for her physique, she had a weight of 74Kg.

Even though she had just broken into his house, Gunther Maxwell could only admire the perfection of her features.

- "Hey, pretty lady... It's not nice to break into my house like this..."

-" ... "

- "Wouldn't you like to spend some quality time with me...?"

- "I've come to kill you, Prime Minister Gunther Maxwell."

- "To...kill me?"

- "Affirmative."

- "And for what reason?" Maxwell questioned, slowly backing away.

- "You are accused of tax fraud. Embezzlement of public funds. Harassment. Murder. Money laundering. Trafficking in dead bodies. The list is long." She said, mechanically.

-"Ah... And there is evidence?"

- "There's no need for it."

Having stepped back far enough to be close to his desk, Gunther grabbed his handgun and shot the intruder eight times, emptying his weapon.

But it wasn't enough to take down this out-of-this-world creature.

Gunther's eyes widened in horror. Had this twenty-year-old woman just taken eight bullets to the skull?

No, in fact, she hadn't even been hit. She had stopped them all with her bare hands.

Then something came to her mind.

- "A young woman... A young woman invulnerable to conventional weaponry... Wouldn't you be..."

- "That's right. I'm the one you're looking for. Metallica Ross."

- "Me... Metallica? You're Dr. Ross' masterpiece? The... [Drive Core]... Im... Impossible!!!"

- "Cogitating about it won't do you any good, Gunther Maxwell. I intend to delete you."

The woman named Metallica Ross looked at Gunther Maxwell with a look that suggested without even knowing her that she was a killing machine. She moved forward little by little, gradually creating fear in the mind of her victim. The Prime Minister was seized with fear. There was nothing he could do. He was facing a creature that could send him to hell with a single blow.

Helplessly, he stood still, waiting for Metallica Ross to react, ready to beg for his life.

Metallica pointed the palm of her right hand at him.

-"Initialization: [Yellow Light Of Death]"

Yellow light came from his hand. This light gradually enveloped the room until it was completely bright. Only a few seconds passed before the room was dark again. And when the light had completely disappeared, only Metallica Ross remained in the room.

Having obviously finished his work, Metallica went to the large glass door. There was a direct view of the outside and the city of Eras in the distance, Gunther Maxwell's room being quite high up. Her gaze was so far away that one would probably not know if she was looking at the horizon and the sky, or if her gaze was directed at nothing in particular.

She had eliminated Gunther Maxwell, the crooked politician. Her "task" had been accomplished.

Her face was inexpressive. It was no strange, coming from a machine.

(Dr. Ross... Why did you create me? Why did you create a [Drive Core] with your own hands? You died without giving me a reason.

I shouldn't wonder about that. I'm just going to carry out the only instruction you gave me. The purpose, the goal of my existence. To remove the [Prime Core: Chariot].)

Metallica Ross with a simple blow of the back of the hand broke the glass of the door, and left the room of a jump. She had thus disappeared in the darkness.

�

A certain scientist called himself "Ross". His former nationality was unknown. All that was known about him was his name and his academic achievements.

This man was the creator of the cyborg, the Drive Core: Metallica.

He had seen something that no other human had ever seen with his own eyes.

Ross had come into contact with the [Prime Core: Chariot], an entity that had no divine nature and was described as a deity by the 'remnants'. No one knows why, but he decided to begin creating 'Artificial Prime Cores' which he named 'Drive Cores'. His aim was to destroy the Prime Core with which he had come into contact. The circumstances of this meeting remained unknown. He had been working for about thirty years. And at the end of his life, he had finally completed his Drive Core prototype. He named it 'Metallica' and gave it a single objective: to annihilate [Prime Core: Chariot].

Metallica was thus the number one target of the Neo-Arche dark side, for its components and for its dangerousness.

But she was elusive. She was currently in Eras, in fact.

Today was the 29th of August 1997.

It was 5 p.m.

--Eras - West, 6th Sector.

The 6th Sector was the WORST place in Eras. It was the home of delinquency, prostitution and crime. It was home to all kinds of cases, even the most sinister and bizarre.

It was a fairly large area, and was surrounded by a large fence around its perimeter. As a result, there were several groups or gangs depending on the corner.

Almost everyone here was a thug or a bandit. There were constant clashes, robberies, rapes and killings. To fit in, you had to be of the same race as the locals. People who pretended to be too decent or overzealous didn't last long here.

--6th Sector Hospital.

In the whole of the 6th Sector, there was one functioning hospital. It was the only place with any respect.

Just outside the hospital, an individual could be seen walking towards the exit.

He looked like a teenager. From the look on his face and his patient clothes, one could tell that he was very ill.

His white hair gave the impression that he was suffering from a very serious illness, or that he had just recovered from an illness that had lasted since childhood. He was slim, and of medium height.

He was walking towards the exit of the hospital, protected by a large gate with holes in it.

This hospital had never been attacked by bandits or gangsters for some time. When the white-haired boy came out of the gate, the reason was clearer.

-What are you doing here? asked the patient (?).

- "We came to get the money in the damn hospital!

- "Yeah, you've been keeping everything to yourself for too long!

- "Even you don't scare us!"

A band of brigands were apparently planning to loot this hospital this time.

The white-haired teenager didn't look scared at all. He looked rather surprised and upset.

-"This hospital is the only one in the area. I won't allow it to be looted by anyone." He said, firmly.

- "Tch... Who cares? Get lost!"

- "Don't you understand when I talk to you? Maybe you need a wake-up call."

Suddenly, a tremendous pressure weighed on the invaders. They could not move, paralysed by insurmountable fear. It was as if a huge gravitational field had settled over their bodies, paralysing every cell. At that moment, they saw the individual in front of them as a veritable titan capable of crushing them with his hands.

It took no more than ten seconds for them all to faint.

-"Saigou...Mitsugi...You bas...tard..."

- "You challenge me when you know very well that you cannot beat me..."

The boy named "Saigou Mitsugi" did not continue on his way.

He looked at the horizon, where the sun was setting.

-"It's strange. I have forbidden any form of attack here for a long time."

Saigou looked at the inert bodies lying on the ground.

(And these people from the other time... [Order Of Sephiroth], isn't it? They've been gaining too much influence ever since. Their Rune Knights have been coming to the 6th Sector lately, and it wasn't for a chat. Maybe it's time I went back to Eras. Apparently, some members of the Elite-One are up to something. And it's strange... There's been something strange about my existence for a while, but I can't figure out what.)

Saigou Mitsugi continued on his way quietly, intent on returning to Eras.

�

Coordinates: Unknown

Time : Unknown.

Location: ???

This space was completely white and vast. The floor was white, too. Its surface must have been as large as the universe as we know it. The smooth white ground stretched as far as the eye could see.

Within this vast expanse was a black orb floating a few inches off the ground.

It must have been in this state for a very long time. Suddenly the great orb began to open, as if it were unsealing itself.

After a minute, it had disappeared completely, revealing its contents.

It was a 'thing' in human form. This creature was indeed human-shaped, but it was completely white and had no face.

-"It looks like I've come back to life... Me, [Chariot]. It probably means that [The Harbinger Of Calamity]'s awakening finally began. This made me, the Chariot, living again. Very interesting. I shall descend in the human realm, then."