Max roamed through the bustling city streets, sightseeing while searching for opportunities to transform items of interest into Beast Souls, immediately distracted from his mission of securing accommodations by his shiny, new, civilized environment.
A feeling of giddiness never left Max while he marveled at how the entire place was a futuristic, neon-lit fusion between a lively casino and an expansive shopping mall, with bright lights, diverse shops, and an atmosphere bumping with excitement.
After a few hours of roaming around, he eventually got down to business and targeted the Aetherius Grand, a luxury high-rise hotel featuring massive, sweeping balconies, which provided a great view of the orbital shipyards and the planet's glittering ring system overhead; Max was given the delightful impression that he was in a 'Star Wars' movie or something similar.
Max strolled up to the pristine, white marble reception desk. A polished, silver-skinned android receptionist greeted him with a flawless, synthetic smile. "Welcome to the Aetherius Grand, sir. Do you have a biometric registration or an Alliance network ID for reservation?"
"Neither. Just a walk-in," Max said, pitching his voice to sound perfectly relaxed. He reached into his pocket and produced a massive, crisp stack of high-denomination Alliance cash—currency he had hoarded in abundance right now, courtesy of his Beast Soul sales in the 1st God's Sanctuary.
He placed the thick stack onto the counter. "I'd like your best executive suite for the next six days, including today, well, tonight I guess, eh? Paid fully upfront. No digital footprint, if you catch my drift. I value my privacy."
The android's optical sensors blinked, scanning the cash.
While the Alliance ran on network IDs and digital tracking, privately owned, high-end luxury establishments always possessed a protocol for wealthy, anonymous travelers who preferred to keep their business a little more discreet.
"An offline, cash-secured residency..." the robot confirmed, its fingers sweeping the cash into a secure slot below the desk, "...a deposit has been logged. Room 804, the Eclipse Suite. Enjoy your stay, sir."
A sleek, obsidian keycard with a moon overlapping a sun etched on it slid across the counter.
Max picked it up, offering a casual nod as he turned toward the glass elevators, ready to kick off his week of pure luxury.
For five glorious days, Max lived like a king.
Using a tiny, unnoticeable fraction of his mountain of wealth, he swept through the high-end commercial sectors of the city like a rich whirlwind.
He bought exotic delicacies that made his mouth water, stocked up on premium cigarettes, turning each and every one of the thousand smokes into a single-use Beast Soul while in his hotel room, and bought himself several different sets of clothing in a size that would fit his original form (also all turned into basic, ordinary class Beast Souls)—all while casually sipping espresso at outdoor cafes every morning.
He had to be careful not to sit too close to other patrons, just in case someone tried to squeeze past his chair and got blocked by a foot of invisible, solid muscle, but the total relaxation was worth the effort.
'Ah, this is the damned life... adventuring with super powers is top tier, but... boy is it nice to get pampered, especially without having to worry about that piece-of-shit theft target bullshit popping off! This is the vacation you deserved, Nanami... man, too bad JJK is on the list of no-go jumps, I would mess with the storyline there sooooo hard...'
Max already knew the different universes and realities he wanted to visit and was locked in with his choices; on top of that, he also had promised himself at the start all those years ago that even if he did slightly deviate, it would never be to a 'verse' where people with unknown 'hax'-like abilities could pop up at any time. Max placed Jujutsu Kaisen in that category alongside the likes of 'Bleach' or 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure', to name a few.
He had [Destiny], sure, but Max didn't want to have to look at the future everyday just to make sure he wouldn't run into a random that had a unique power he hadn't accounted for.
Max had had enough of that in the Marvel Jump during the unknown stretch between the end of the X-Men Evolution storyline that he knew and his time spent with Peter Parker and Miles Morales.
Super God Gene was different for the most part, as long as he stayed in his lane within the sanctuaries, he could get more powerful relatively carefree.
Max set his freshly-empty cup neatly on the table, paid his tab, and headed toward the spaceport of the sprawling city. Beside it was a scrapyard that had piqued his interest during a guided tour he had taken two days earlier.
By the evening of the sixth day, Max was standing out on the expansive balcony of his Eclipse Suite, leaning one of his still cloaked, massive forearms against the high-rise railing.
And what a view it was.
Planet Aurelia was a crown jewel of the Outer Rim. Situated right on the skirts of Alliance-controlled space, the planet's atmosphere was a swirling, vibrant masterpiece of blue nebulae and glowing planetary rings.
Below his suite, the city of New Verona sprawled across a massive, crystal-clear coastline. Glowing, hovering yachts drifted lazily above neon-infused street markets, and luxury casinos projected massive, hard-light fountains into the sky. It was a world dedicated entirely for pleasure, yet considered an absolute haven of safety.
Normally, this wouldn't be the case out in the outskirts of Human controlled space, but the shipyards and city beneath were guarded by a small orbital outpost and a sizeable defense force.
If Max tilted his head up toward the void, he could see them: the glittering silhouettes of the Alliance Border Fleet, their massive hulls anchored in high orbit like silent, invincible guardians. They were the ultimate shield against the dangers of deep space.
To anyone looking from the adjacent towers, he was just a wealthy, handsome young tourist admiring the spectacular view of the orbital shipyards, where massive star-freighters drifted against a backdrop of glowing planetary rings.
He took a bite of a rare, perfectly chilled 'star-fruit' pastry he'd picked up from an exclusive bakery downtown. 'Man, this is the life, he thought, letting out a deeply satisfied sigh. No multi-dimensional stress, no tracking drawbacks, just a beautiful view and an impendin—' A sudden, violent tremor shook the entire skyscraper.
'...Impending attack. Ah, it's that time eh.'
The planetary rings outside seemed to lose their glow slightly as the night sky itself seemed to come alight with lasers. A massive, deafening boom rolled across the upper atmosphere as a localized EMP blast tore through the city.
Instantly, the neon-drenched metropolis plunged into darkness.
The glittering lights of the orbital shipyards and the fleet protecting them were fine, but the automated defensive systems sputtered out. Down in the streets, thousands of vacationing Alliance citizens who had just been enjoying the night life began to scream as emergency sirens finally kicked in, their low, ominous wails echoing off the buildings.
Max didn't panic. He slowly munched his pastry, his eyes narrowing as he looked up into the shattered sky. Through the atmospheric clouds, several jagged, crimson-and-black hulls began to tear through space, bypassing the disabled Alliance orbital defenses entirely.
'Shura stealth warships.'
Max didn't have a shred of panic in him. In fact, his cold smile widened as he finished the last bite of his star-fruit pastry and dusted the crumbs off his hands.
"Well," Max muttered, the smile slowly spreading even further across his face as he tapped his wrist, "Vacation's over... you're coming with me, you wonderful, plushy-thing, you, I'm not going back to that rock hard mattress..."
He turned and looked at the beautiful furnishings of his room, and without a second thought, turned the bed fit for a king he had been sleeping on for the last couple of nights into a Beast Soul. A much needed upgrade from the basic bitch one he had taken from Steel Armor Shelter back in the First God's Sanctuary.
Max's relaxed and happy demeanor wasn't born out of arrogance—it was because he had been expecting this entire thing.
On his very first night at the Aetherius Grand, right after the robot receptionist had handed him his keycard and he'd stepped into the privacy of his luxury suite, Max had immediately activated [Destiny].
He wanted to see if his vacation was truly going to be a peaceful walk in the park or if the universe had any hidden surprises cooked up for him.
And well, well, well.
What did his cosmic foresight show him?
A massive, planet-wide Shura invasion. Which actually just meant a takeover of the city and adjacent military installation, as it was the only city on this 'vacation destination' party planet.
Back then, Max had just stared at the shifting threads of the future and laughed. Super Gene was one of his favorite novels, and the Shura were one of the most badass, brutal, and physically dominant races in the 'main universe'.
He hadn't expected to cross paths with them at all during his stay in Super God Gene, let alone get a front-row seat to their military might, but since he was already at the level of a Surpasser, he didn't mind. So even if it was Theft Target doing its thing a few days earlier than expected, that was cause for the Shura to attack, it was all good to Max.
Instead of packing his bags and teleporting away like a normal person would upon discovering themselves in a soon-to-be war zone, Max had decided to stay the course.
Six days of uninterrupted luxury shopping, great food, and total relaxation—followed by a bunch of high-tier Shura to test his newly evolved strength on before he finally used a teleporter to ascend to the Third Sanctuary.
It was the perfect end to his vacation.
Max tapped the holographic watch on his wrist, ensuring the image inducer kept his handsome blonde disguise firmly locked in place.
He didn't put on his new Silver Dragon Crest Beast Soul just yet, despite really wanting to try it out. For these initial waves, his bare hands—and his massive, invisible physical bulk hidden beneath the hologram—would do just fine, plus, he wanted to catch his reflection in battle if he could, while he was more-or-less cosplaying as Nanami!
Down in the plaza below, the ground shattered as the first Shura drop-pod punched into the pristine marble walkway. The metallic doors hissed open, and a squad of physically imposing, White-Horned grunts in combat armor stepped out into the smoke; their eyes, the only part of their face that was visible behind their masks, gleamed with predatory cruelty as they raised their laser guns and melee weapons toward the screaming tourists.
Max leaned over his 80th-floor balcony, looking down at the targets with absolute glee. "Alright, boys," Max muttered while opening his gene locks, his fingers flexing as a heavy pulse of purple energy began to crackle around his body.
"Let's see if you pointy headed fucks are as tough as the book says."
Max hopped on top of the railing with a casual jump, then took one step forward and plunging straight down into the chaotic fray below.