Cancer the ancient sorcerer responsible for the destruction of Zuno, finally collapsed unconscious after his brutal battle with Jecht and Nect. His staff fell from his fingers as he hit the ground, defeated at last.
Moments later, dark ships descended through Rathe's sky.
The Galaxy Police, a specialised enforcement force known across the Petan Galaxy, arrived on the scene. Though they were famous for dealing with the galaxy's most notorious criminals, they were more like heavily armed transport officers they never intervened in battles until the target was already subdued.
A tall, muscular officer stepped forward. He wore a fighter-jet helmet, tinted sunglasses, and the unmistakable golden badge of the GP.
"That's enough out of you," he said, nudging Cancer's unconscious body with his boot.
He turned to Jecht and Nect.
"I'm Captain Willams of the Galaxy Police. On behalf of the GP and the people of the Petan Galaxy… we thank you for stopping this monster."
He gave a respectful nod.
"We'll take it from here."
Two GP subordinates hauled Cancer into a small prison transport vessel reinforced with containment fields strong enough to imprison a planet-killer.
"Alright boys, set a course for X482B," Captain Willams ordered.
The ship ignited, lifting into the sky and vanishing into the clouds.
Jecht and Nect watched silently.
"How are your injuries, little bro?" Jecht asked.
Nect flexed his hands, surprised.
"I'm almost completely healed… I don't get it."
Jecht nodded.
"It's a consequence of the Suka."
Nect blinked. "The what?"
"The Suka," Jecht explained. "It can boost someone's strength anywhere from ten to ten-thousand times the average man. But the power is demanding extremely demanding. So the Suka automatically heals the user's body afterwards."
Nect stared at his hands, understanding dawning.
"This is why Father survived longer than anyone on Zuno after being exposed to Cancer's gas attack," Jecht continued quietly. "His body kept healing itself… just not fast enough."
Silence fell between them.
Across Rathe, celebrations erupted. Citizens filled the streets, cheering, crying, embracing strangers. The Hookalot brothers the sons of their fallen hero had saved their world.
"They did it! They actually did it!"
"Their father would be so proud."
"Bless those boys… they saved the whole planet."
"We live today because of the Hookalots."
Rathe had doubted its chances of survival without Mr Hookalot. But now, hope returned. Pride returned. The legacy lived on through Jecht and Nect.
But grief hung heavy beneath the joy.
Zuno was gone.
An entire planet wiped out.
The guilt was unbearable.
Hours later, a transmission was received from Zuno:
Survivors.
A mere 250 people sheltered in a deep underground bunker meant for meteor emergencies had managed to outlast the attack.
Out of one billion Zunians… only 250 remained.
The governments across the galaxy united, swearing to rebuild Zuno and restore it as the sporting capital of the Galaxy.
Five days after the invasion ended, Rathe held the largest ceremony in its history.
Over one million citizens gathered in Rathe's largest park. World leaders, military officials, and dignitaries attended to honour the brothers who saved the Petan Galaxy.
Upon a massive podium stood Jecht, Nect, their mother June, and dozens of surviving soldiers.
Alexander Moon, the head of the planetary council, stepped forward.
"Citizens of Rathe," he announced, "it is my great honour, on behalf of our leaders, to present our heroes with the highest recognition in the Petan Galaxy… the Medals of Justice."
The crowd erupted.
The medals were pinned to Jecht, Nect, and the brave troops who fought beside them. The chairman of the Intergalactic Boxing Company — a close friend of Mr Hookalot who had watched the brothers grow up — assisted with the presentation.
Then Alexander turned back to the crowd.
"We are forever indebted to these young heroes. And to commemorate this historic victory, we have chosen to immortalise their bravery."
He pulled a rope.
A curtain dropped.
Three colossal statues stood revealed Mr Hookalot in the centre, Jecht and Nect on either side, all standing tall, proud, unbreakable.
The crowd roared.
June Hookalot broke down in tears grief for her husband, but overwhelming pride for her sons.
Millions watched from rooftops, screens, and city squares as their new heroes stepped into the spotlight. It felt like a passing of the torch. A new era had begun.
Alexander continued.
"The Intergalactic Commission has also approved additional rewards."
He turned to Jecht.
"Firstly, Jecht we have authorised the transfer of one billion Gems to fund a state-of-the-art scientific laboratory. You will be provided a team of the brightest minds on Rathe."
Jecht blushed, humbled yet grateful.
Then Alexander faced Nect.
"Nect we hereby grant you full sponsorship, housing, and support to compete in the BBL The Broken Bones League on Planet Hiarma."
The crowd gasped.
Even Mr Hookalot had once refused the invitation, calling it "too dangerous."
The BBL was the deadliest, most prestigious combat category in the galaxy a place where restrictions were minimal and fighters gave everything to prove who was truly the strongest being alive.
With Nect's entry, interest in the BBL skyrocketed 500% overnight. Investors lined up. Merchandising exploded. Combat sports across the galaxy shifted instantly.
A new icon had emerged.
From the brink of destruction to a celebration of hope, Rathe stepped boldly into its future.
A hero had fallen.
Two new heroes rose.
Jecht and Nect had inherited their father's legacy and the galaxy welcomed a new age of peace.
Meanwhile…
Far off in the void…
The prison transport ship carrying Cancer drifted toward the distant world…
Planet X482B.
And inside that ship…
Cancer finally opened his eyes.
Jecht's drone hovered calmly above the interrogation chamber, its blue rings pulsing. As long as it remained active, its field kept Cancer powerless locking away his magic, sealing every spell, every chant, every ability he possessed.
Cancer sat strapped to a reinforced metal chair, wrists bound, eyes hollow and ancient.
Across from him stood Captain Willams of the Galaxy Police, arms crossed, his usual smug grin plastered across his face.
"Are you going to cooperate with us?" Willams asked, leaning forward.
Cancer's voice was low but filled with conviction.
"Never. Mystia was destroyed by Rathe. I will never stop my pursuit of justice."
The other GP officers exchanged glances.
According to Cancer, thousands of years ago, Rathe slaughtered an entire planet of Mystics his people and no one in the galaxy cared. Because Mystics did not look human. Because they were different.
Four members of the GP made up the transport crew. Four men alone escorting one of the most dangerous beings in history to the prison world X482B.
For a moment, everything was stable.
Then Jecht's drone flickered.
Just a small sputter in its power core.
Barely half a second.
But for Cancer… half a second was enough.
His eyes widened as power surged back into his veins. Magic crackled along his fingers like lightning.
He broke free.
Before the GP officers could react, Cancer grabbed one of them pressing a palm to the man's forehead.
"NOW DO AS I SAY OR "
Then Cancer suddenly froze.
His expression changed. Confusion. Disbelief. Horror.
Because one of his rare abilities one he despised using awakened.
Mind reading.
Memory reading.
Through a simple touch, Cancer saw everything in the officer's mind.
And he saw Mystia.
Not the Mystia he remembered burning, collapsing, destroyed by Rathian forces for that was the story he carried for millennia.
No.
He saw something else.
Something impossible.
"Whaaa… whaaaat…" Cancer whispered, trembling.
The drone rebooted with a sharp hum.
Cancer's magic vanished again.
He collapsed back into the chair, powerless, gasping, hands shaking uncontrollably.
The officer he touched staggered backward, pale as death.
"I… I need the toilet…" he stammered and ran out of the room, nearly tripping as he left.
Captain Willams burst out laughing.
But Cancer wasn't listening.
He clutched his head as memories not his own rushed through him.
Mystia's final day.
His friends.
His family.
The explosion.
The screams.
The truth.
"This… this can't be…" Cancer muttered, horrified.
Memories he never saw. Real memories. Unfiltered. Unaltered.
"There's no way… no way this is true…"
His voice cracked.
"So all along we… we weren't"
He lifted his head, eyes wide, ready to speak ready to reveal what he had just learned.
But a sound tore through the ship.
A deep, vibrating hum.
A blinding surge of light burst through every wall, every surface.
Captain Willams shielded his eyes.
Cancer's pupils shrank in terror.
The hull peeled like paper.
Time itself seemed to split
And then
The entire ship vanished.
No explosion.
No wreckage.
No debris.
Just silence.
An entire GP transport vessel Cancer, the officers, the interrogation room simply removed from existence as though it had never been there at all..