"A seer once told me… that I would be the one to save this world. That I would do whatever was necessary… and shape it the way I desired. I believed her—truly.
But now… after everything I've witnessed… I realise…it will never unfold the way I once imagined."
—Zerathos
[Few Hours Left]
The sun had long since set. Dark clouds swallowed the sky, unleashing relentless rain and rolling thunder.
From the depths of the ocean, Zerathos emerged—his form reshaped, his body rewritten into an untouchable, unharmed state of existence.
Looking down and seeing Nathan was fine after healing him—
Kael: Everyone, evacuate this area immediately! Nathan, get them out!
Nathan: You're not my superior. And at the very least, address me properly—I'm your senior.
Kael: Oh, for fuck's sake—
His words cut short.
His gaze snapped forward.
Zerathos already float—just a few meters away, opposite of Kael.
Silent.
Unmoving.
And staring straight at him.
Thunder roared. Lightning carved the sky open.
Both of them hovered midair, drenched in relentless rain.
Kael: You've done enough damage. Stand down… and let's settle this like—
Zerathos: —civilized people? No… no, no, no. I have been civilized long enough. I have tolerated your kind long enough. Your ideologies. Your fragile performance of 'goodness.' Your hollow sense of justice.
You've seen how quickly they turn on you for a single mistake… and yet—you still choose to protect them?
Kael: Yes. Because it doesn't matter how they treat me. The faults of a few don't condemn the whole. Humanity isn't perfect—but it's worth saving.
Zerathos:(Sigh) Then I'll show you what humanity truly is.
In an instant, Zerathos surged forward—grabbing Kael and vanishing into the storm, dragging him far beyond the battlefield.
Back beneath the temple, Nathan rushed inside, scanning the area to ensure if everyone was safe.
But as he check around, Nathan froze—stunned to see Eric and Angela standing right in front of him.
Nathan: H-how…? I saw you die. Are you… ghosts… or am I losing my mind?
Angela: Oh, shut the hell up, Nate. Your eyes have always been terrible.
Eric: I… don't understand either. The last thing I remember is blacking out… and then… I woke up.
Angela:(Sighs) Same here. I remember choking on my own blood—and now… not even a scar on my neck.
From behind, Diego walk up to Nathan—
Diego: That… that was Kael, wasn't it? He—he could fly, and then he—he...
Charlie: Diego. Calm down. Breathe.
Michael: We need to help him.
Blake: Help him how? Zerathos completely overwhelmed all of us.
Nathan: Enough. This isn't the time to argue. We evacuate—now.
Diego: But… what about Kael?
For a moment, Nathan couldn't answer. He kept looking down, his eyes roaming around, searching for an answer. And finally—
Nathan: It's true—Zerathos surpasses all of us. But from what I've seen… Kael was able to land a strike on him. I hate to admit it, but… it seems our fate—no, the fate of the entire world—now rests in their hands.
Back in A City, chaos rippled through the WHA headquarters. Staff moved in frantic urgency, voices overlapping in panic. Even Marshall—usually unshaken—was beginning to falter.
Marshall:(Thought) Damn it… even nuclear options are meaningless. We're finished. Unless—by some miracle—
Worker: Director, we've detected something in the sky.
Marshall: Why the fuck would I care about that right now? Humanity is on the brink of total extinction.
Worker: Sir… you'll want to see this.
With a heavy sigh, Marshall turned toward the monitor.
Worker: Our satellite has identified a supe, capable of flight—heading straight toward Z City. And this supe originated from the last place anyone would expect… the Ice Box. Earlier—
Marshall: Alright, enough. Cut to the point—have you identified the supe?
Worker: Sir… we believe… it's Oblivion.
Marshall:(Exhales) Well… I'll be damned.
In I City—where countless lives had been erased by Kael—emergency broadcasts blared, urging civilians to take shelter.
Then—
Something slammed into the ground.
Concrete shattered. Dirt and debris erupted outward from the impact.
Panic rippled through the crowd. Some fled immediately. Others—frozen between fear and curiosity—stayed to see what had fallen.
A hand pushed up through the rubble.
Then—
Kael rose from the crater.
Soaked. Covered in dirt. His prison uniform torn to shreds.
And yet—
Not a single bruise. Not a single wound.
But as soon an he was seen—
Women:(Terrified) AHHH—! IT'S OBLIVION! HE'S HERE TO ERASE US ALL!!!
The crowd gasped—then broke.
People screamed, shoving past one another in blind panic. Some stumbled. Some fell. Others were trampled beneath the chaos.
Kael: No—I'm not here to harm anyone!
Voice in the crowd: Everyone, run! Stay away from that monster!
Shock flickered across Kael's face—then something heavier.
Disbelief.
They saw him… as a monster.
Above him, at a distance, Zerathos hovered—silent… watching.
Zerathos: Do you see now, Reuben? We are human… and they are human. There is no saving them. What they require… is correction. The method may seem unorthodox but it is necessary.
Kael: And if they resist?
Zerathos: Then they are unfit to exist within the new reality.
A pause.
Rain fell between them.
Kael slowly rose and sharply exhales.
Kael: Then… I'll fight for them.
He steadied himself.
Kael: And I'll prove you wrong.
Zerathos despised Kael's gut—because, somehow, he kept surpassing his.
Without warning, he dove from the sky.
Kael slipped aside at the last instant—and drove a kick straight into Zerathos' face.
The impact sent him crashing through a toy store, skidding across the floor, blood trailing from his nose.
Zerathos rose slowly, wiping it away.
Inside the store, children clung to their parents—frozen in terror.
Zerathos glanced at them… then back at Kael.
A smirk formed.
Kael understood instantly.
Before Zerathos could act, Kael surged forward—tackling him and blasting through walls, dragging him across multiple buildings.
But Zerathos twisted mid-motion—
reversed the momentum—
and hurled Kael away.
Kael slammed into a fountain, water erupting skyward, before crashing through the glass of a garment store.
Zerathos slide across the pavement and eventually comes to stop. Patting off the dust from his shoulder.
Zerathos: I'll admit… you've improved…but you're still weak.
From above—
Nathan suddenly dropped like a meteor.
His foot collided with Zerathos in a brutal drop-kick—which send him flying away, slamming into a stone statue, the impact cracking it in half before he tumbled down the stairs.
Nathan (Tungsten): Sorry, mate… but we're not letting Oblivion fight you alone.
A sharp gust split the air.
Another Nathan descended—Glitch—carrying Lyra and Leona.
Blake followed, gripping Michael over his shoulder.
Above them, Paper and Photon Nathan streaked across the sky, bearing Alan, while Augustine emerged riding a living shadow, ferrying Charlie, Diego, Eric, Christopher, and Lynn.
A wormhole open besides them—
Magnus stepped through. Shimmer, Estridith, Jaiden, Carter, and Aiden followed in his wake.
From the far end, Daito arrived, gliding across the ground on his spikes, while Angela dropped from the sky, landing beside the others.
Then—
Kael stepped out from the shattered garment store.
Fresh attire. Calm stance. Eyes locked forward.
He took his place at the front, standing alongside Nathan (Tungsten).
Across from them, Zerathos rose from the rubble—
alone.
Yet unmoved.
Facing—
the entirety of S-Class, the strongest of A-Class, and Nexus-5.
Above it all, unseen but ever-present—
the WHA watched through countless city cameras,
silent…
waiting.