The crimson Rift stretched across the storm-covered sky like a wound carved directly into reality.
Rain poured endlessly around the armored figures as civilians fled the streets in panic. Car alarms echoed through the city while shattered glass glittered across the wet pavement.
Danny stood alone at the center of the chaos.
The lead soldier pointed its massive silver blade directly at him.
"Eliminate the Rewrite Origin."
The moment those words left its mouth, the soldiers moved.
Fast.
Far too fast for ordinary humans.
The first attacker blurred through the rain, its blade cutting downward with enough force to split a truck in half.
Danny reacted instantly.
Clang.
He caught the blade with one hand.
The impact shattered the asphalt beneath his feet, sending cracks racing across the flooded street. Water exploded outward from the pressure, but Danny didn't move an inch.
The soldier paused for the first time, as if confused that its attack had been stopped so easily.
Danny slowly lifted his eyes.
"You came all this way just to disappoint me?"
The soldier twisted its weapon violently, trying to overpower him.
A second figure appeared behind Danny in complete silence.
The blade swung toward his neck—
Then stopped.
The rain behind Danny froze midair.
Every droplet sharpened into needle-like points before firing backward like bullets.
BOOM.
The second soldier crashed through a nearby storefront as shattered concrete erupted around it.
Danny released the first blade and drove his fist forward.
The armored chest imploded instantly.
The soldier launched across the street and tore through a traffic light before crashing into the side of a building.
But the others didn't hesitate.
Three more attacked at once.
No fear.
No emotion.
Only purpose.
Danny exhaled slowly as reality distorted around him.
Space bent slightly beneath his feet.
The next few seconds became impossible to follow.
A silver blade swung toward his shoulder—
Danny slipped past it effortlessly and grabbed the attacker's arm, slamming the soldier into another incoming enemy hard enough to crater the road.
A third soldier appeared above him.
Danny vanished.
A shockwave exploded through the air behind the attacker a split second later.
The soldier's mask shattered from a kick powerful enough to send it flying through two buildings.
The remaining enemies immediately repositioned themselves.
Adapting.
Analyzing.
Learning.
Danny clicked his tongue.
"Great. Tactical robots."
A familiar voice suddenly echoed from above.
"Duck."
Danny crouched instinctively.
A massive spatial fracture ripped across the battlefield overhead, tearing through two armored soldiers instantly. The cut distorted the air itself before fading away.
Ren landed casually on a nearby streetlight, hands in his pockets despite the rain.
"You seriously attract the weirdest problems."
Danny glanced at him. "Nice timing."
"I was eating noodles until the sky exploded, so you owe me dinner."
Another Rift cracked open above them.
More armored figures descended from the crimson light.
Ren stared upward for a moment before sighing dramatically.
"…Yeah, we're cooked."
The lead soldier stepped forward again despite the damage already done to its forces. Sparks flickered across its broken mask as silver light pulsed beneath the armor.
"Rewrite Origin identified as extreme threat."
Danny narrowed his eyes slightly. "Can you people stop calling me that?"
The soldier ignored him completely.
"Elimination approved by the Sovereign."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Even the rain felt colder.
Danny's expression hardened. "Sovereign?"
The soldier raised its blade again.
"The one who exists beyond rewritten law."
A chill ran through the street.
Ren's joking attitude disappeared immediately.
"…That title sounds illegal."
Danny felt it too.
Something about those words carried weight.
Like reality itself disliked hearing them spoken aloud.
Then—
The soldiers suddenly dropped to one knee.
All at once.
Danny frowned. "What are they doing?"
No one answered.
Because at that exact moment—
A new presence appeared.
The rain stopped falling.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
Every droplet froze in the air as silence swallowed the city.
Then a voice echoed through the storm.
Calm.
Elegant.
Dangerous.
"So you are the one who rewrote the system."
Danny slowly looked upward.
A man stood above the crimson Rift.
Long black coat moving gently despite the frozen wind. Silver markings glowed faintly across dark fabric while shadows curled subtly around his body.
One hand rested in his pocket.
The other behind his back.
Relaxed.
Completely relaxed.
That was the terrifying part.
His face remained partially hidden beneath the darkness and rain, but his faint smile was clearly visible.
And somehow—
That smile felt more dangerous than every enemy Danny had faced combined.
Ren stared upward uneasily.
"…Danny."
A pause.
"I don't think we can beat that guy."
The man laughed softly.
Not mockingly.
Amused.
"Smart one."
Then his gaze shifted toward Danny.
The smile remained, but the atmosphere suddenly became heavier.
Sharper.
Like standing near the edge of something ancient.
"You broke inevitability," the man said quietly.
Danny stepped forward despite the pressure pressing against the entire street.
"You're Velkron."
Velkron tilted his head slightly, almost impressed.
"And you are far more interesting than I expected."
Danny's fists tightened.
"You sent these things after me?"
"No," Velkron replied calmly. "I merely pointed them in your direction."
That answer somehow sounded worse.
Ren muttered under his breath, "Yeah, definitely villain behavior."
Danny ignored him, eyes locked on Velkron.
"What do you want?"
Velkron looked at him silently for a moment.
Then his smile deepened slightly.
"To see whether you become salvation…"
The frozen rain slowly began orbiting around him.
"…or the greatest disaster reality has ever known."
The pressure across the city intensified.
Danny felt it immediately.
This man was different from the Overseer.
The Overseer felt absolute.
Velkron felt limitless.
And somewhere far away in the Crimson Kingdom, Abby suddenly stopped walking through the palace halls.
Her eyes widened in horror.
Because she recognized that presence instantly.
"…No…"
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"…Velkron found him."