Nathan shot forward at blinding speed, a glitched greatsword forming in his grasp as he swung it straight at Zerathos.
Zerathos caught it.
Effortlessly.
No shift in stance. No strain.
Nathan followed immediately, his other hand igniting into a light saber as he swung again—
—and again, Zerathos caught it.
Both blades, halted like they meant nothing.
Then—
a single Spartan kick.
Nathan was sent flying backward, the air cracking around him.
From behind, Eric struck—aiming directly at Zerathos' blind spot—
but Zerathos had already foreseen and seized Eric by the throat in an instant.
He pulled him forward, placing him directly in front of himself like a shield, his grip tightening as he dragged Eric closer. Eric struggled, clawing at his arm, but the strength behind that hold was absolute.
The light in Eric's eyes began to dim.
Seeing this, Augustine tried to bind Zerathos—shadow tightening, pressure increasing—but no matter how hard he pushed, Zerathos didn't even flinch.
Not even a twitch.
Eric fought back desperately, striking, resisting—
nothing worked.
The grip only tightened.
Angela appeared from his other blind side, invisible, striking fast from Zerathos' left—
—but he had already foreseen it too.
He caught the blade mid-swing.
Snapped it.
And drove it straight into her throat.
At the same moment—
crack.
Eric's neck broke.
It all happened too fast and so sudden that it shock everyone.
Silence fell for seconds.
Then—
rage.
Charlie moved.
She burst forward at full speed, and the moment she entered range—
time fractured.
To everyone else, the world didn't know anything but to her, everything was clearly visible.
She struck once—
then again—
then a third time—
each punch carrying enough force to tear through structures, each impact rippling shockwaves strong enough to level buildings in an instant.
But Zerathos—
after the second hit—
moved.
On the third—
he caught it.
Mid-strike.
Charlie's eyes widened—
just for a moment.
Caught.
Zerathos: Almost forgot you could do that. Upon closer inspection… you're a lot like your mother. And I like it.
Then—
it happened.
Charlie's body jerked as the damage she had dealt moments ago came crashing back onto her. Every punch—every shockwave—returned.
All at once.
Zerathos stepped in and drove a punch straight into her abdomen—
and she was sent flying, tearing through multiple layers of walls as time snapped back into motion.
Kael crashed into another room, his body battered and bleeding. Metal rods pierced through his shoulder and thigh, pinning him in place. Nearby, Herald lay motionless on the ground, unconscious, a swelling bruise forming on his head.
Footsteps echoed.
Slow.
Measured.
Jax approached.
Jax: You should've done what I told you to do… but you rebelled. And now look at you—just dead weight.
Kael lifted his head slightly, blood trailing down his face.
Kael: And you're a deadpan. Has anyone ever told you that?
Jax: You think you're funny? You haven't even lay your hands on me yet. And Herald… I wasn't expecting a backstab from him. I gotta say you really are good at manipulating people.
Kael erased the rods impaling him and forced himself back onto his feet, unsteady but standing, still staggered.
Kael: Herald… was my friend. Even now. He turned over a new leaf—and that made me realize… if he could, so can everyone.
Jax:(Sigh) Poetic. But oblivious.
Then—
the cables in the room snapped to life.
They coiled around Kael's body, tightening, crushing, locking him in place as Jax slowly approached.
Kael struggled, breath uneven.
Kael:(Struggling) I'm… oblivious? You're the idiot… who walked right into my trap.
For a split second—
silence.
Then the world gave way.
The room collapsed into nothingness, vanishing beneath them as both of them dropped into open space. The cables loosened, and Kael tore free mid-fall.
And for the first time—
he struck Jax.
A clean hit to the face.
Jax's head barely moved.
But his expression changed.
That was enough.
The air around them twisted.
The environment itself answered his anger—metal, debris, fragments of structure warping and reshaping into weapons—
and in an instant—
they drove straight through Kael.
Impaled.
Kael choked, blood spilling from his mouth as the force ripped through him. His body convulsed, organs rupturing under the impact, strength leaving him all at once.
Then—
he was thrown.
Crashing through walls after walls and put of Ice Box.
His body broke through into the open air and crashed into the freezing river below, the surface swallowing him whole.
Cold.
Silent.
Gone.
As Nathan looked around, most of his friends were already down—some unconscious, others… gone.
Charlie lay barely conscious, her breathing shallow. Blood pooled beneath her as her internal organs failed, and her spine—damaged beyond repair—left her completely paralyzed.
Charlie:(Wheezing ) H-he moved… during my time skip… that's… im-impossible…
Her body could'nt keep up and it knew, rest was needed. Then, she closed her eyes, her mind floating in the oblivion.
Nearby, Lyra and Leona had finished healing Diego, but he remained unconscious, his condition still unstable.
Leona:(Thought) Aegis… can't you help us?
Astral Aegis, then, answer from within, through Leona's mind.
Astral Aegis: I wish I could… but Old Dominion is beyond my capability. Only Jaded Angel has the highest chance of defeating him—and even that chance is very slim. Our fate… rests on him.
Silence settled.
Heavy.
Alan stood on standby, watching, waiting—while Nathan and Augustine remained the only attackers left standing.
Nathan: Give it everything you've got, Augustine. We're past clean fights now. We're getting ugly.
He exhaled slowly—
and then moved.
His body coated itself in tungsten armor, dense and unyielding. In his hands, dual glitched katanas formed, blazing with ember for destructive force and photon energy for blistering speed.
The air around him distorted.
Then—
he summoned a swarm.filled the sky—glitch angels and demons clad in tungsten armor, each armed with photon spheres glowing in their hands, leaving trails of paper as they streaked through the air. They moved as one, acting as aerial support.
On the ground, Augustine summoned every land beast his shadow could produce. Creatures of all forms surged forward, while he himself rode at the front, gripping a shadow-forged spear.
The battlefield became a storm.
An overwhelming army—
against a single man.
Nathan: GIVE YOUR ALL!!!
Zerathos: A minute still remains… but I'll enjoy every second of it. All your actions, your sense of justice, are all futile.
And then—
they charged.
Kael opened his eyes.
White.
Endless white.
A room with no walls, no edges—stretching infinitely in every direction.
He slowly pushed himself up, scanning the void around him.
Afterlife?
That was the only answer that made sense.
Then—
a voice cut the silence.
Voice: No… you are not.
Kael froze.
He turned, searching—
and then he saw him.
A man standing just ahead.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Like looking into a reflection that wasn't quite his own.
For a moment, Kael was stunned but after recollecting his previous memories, he remembered.
Kael: You… you're Reuben, from that time i saw, right?
Reuben: Yes… you are right. I've been wanting to talk to you for a long time.
Kael: Where are we?
Reuben: We… are in your mind. Don't be so surprised, your thoughts are as pure as this place.
Kael frowned, trying to process it.
Kael: I died… didn't I?
Reuben gave a faint, almost amused smile.
Reuben: Yes… and no. I've been here for quite some time. And you—out of everyone I've seen… are the most worthy.
Kael: What are you saying? I... I don't understand.
Reuben: You're not meant to. Not yet. The reason I called you here is because I want to tell you about Zerathos... who he is. Long ago, he was an ordinary man like you and me. He was driven by curiosity and adventure, seeking answers everytime. Sometimes, his ideas and morals often contradict what others thinks but... In the end, he always emerges as the truth. He is unique, he's in pain of what he believes. He do not wish to take lives but to make things right, he will resort to awful things, thing that are unimaginable. That is why he must be stopped and it is why I choose you.
Silence.
Heavy.
Kael: H—How? I couldn't even reach his level. I don't have any way of defeating him. Let alone protect my friends when they need me.
Reuben stepped forward and placed a hand on Kael's shoulder.
Firm.
Certain.
Reuben: All your imperfections, all your choices, the person you decide to become, the hero... that knows his reason and still risk his life for others, that... is who you are. That is why I chose you.
A pause.
Reuben: I will give you the power to stop him. This power is beyond all others. And you… are the only one I can trust to carry it.
Kael didn't speak.
Reuben's voice lowered—
not louder,
but heavier.
Reuben: Through everything you've endured… every choice you've made… you've already proven yourself.
Another pause.
Final.
Reuben: So now, I grant you the power to defy, the power... of AbsoluteDefiance.
Reuben let go of Kael and began to fade into nothingness.
Reuben: Farewell, Kael… son of Elise. Use this power well. Defy—and it will obey you.
And then, he was gone.
Kael stood still, trying to comprehend what just happened but before he could process, the ground tremble and stream of water rush towards him. He tried to run away but before he could reach far, the current pulled him.
Two-thirds of the army had already been wiped out. Augustine was down, unconscious. Nathan had given everything he had, yet nothing worked—and now, even he was nearing his limit.
Then, the solar eclipse arrived.
The alien structure began to hum… and charge.
Zerathos: Playtime's over.
He clapped his hands.
A shockwave exploded outward—greater and far more violent than anything Charlie had ever produced.
Everyone was thrown back, bodies slamming into the walls, their strength collapsing along with them.
Zerathos stepped into the chamber.
The doors sealed behind him.
Locked.
The machine roared to life and fired a massive white beam into the sky—piercing through the clouds, visible to the entire world.
Far away—
Marshall saw it.
And immediately, he reached for the phone and called Reacher.
And they were ready to execute Plan X.
Marshall then connects to Submarine Units One and Two—
Marshall: This is the Executive Director of WHA. Unit One and Two, you are code green to launch the missiles. I repeat—code green.
Hearing the command, the two submarines launch.
Two nuclear missiles.
One from each.
At the same time, Kael emerges from the river, dragging himself onto the bank, gasping for air.
He collapses flat on the ground.
Above him—
two missiles tear through the sky.
Kael: What the hell…? Are those... Never mind—I have to get back to Herald and save him from that lunatic.
He forces himself up.
But when he looks at the towering height of the Ice Box—
his body hesitates.
Kael: How the hell am I supposed to get back up? ...Reuben… He said, 'Defy it and it will obey.'
A pause.
The wind howls. The sky burns with the trail of missiles.
Kael: What am I supposed to defy…? My inability to fly supernaturally… Ugh, what a pain in the ass.
He takes a single high step—
—and his body shoots upward instantly.
The ground vanishes beneath him.
A moment later—
he crashes onto a rock.
Hard.
Kael groans, slowly pushing himself up from the impact.
Kael: What in the—?
Then he looks up.
And everything stops.
Day had turned to night.
The terrain—wrong. Unfamiliar. Alien.
Nothing looked like Earth.
He lifts his gaze to the sky—
and sees a distant, white, burning light.
Far. Too far.
Kael: What—? Is that the sun…? Why does it look like a star from here…?
He turns.
Red mountains stretch across the horizon.
White, frozen ground beneath his feet.
Silence.
Endless. Crushing silence.
And then—
it hits him.
Kael: I'M ON THE FUCKING PLUTO?!