Thunder rolled across the city as the Rift continued tearing open above the skyline.
The creatures emerging from it were enormous—twisted masses of black flesh and silver veins, each one radiating enough pressure to make the air feel heavier. Their roars shook windows across nearby buildings while people below fled in terror.
Danny stood in the middle of the ruined street, staring upward as another creature crawled out of the crimson fracture.
There were too many.
Even worse—
The Rift was still expanding.
Velkron watched everything calmly with one hand in his pocket, almost like a man observing waves crash against a shore.
Danny's jaw tightened. "You're really just standing there?"
Velkron glanced toward him. "Would panic be more reassuring?"
Another creature dropped from the sky.
Danny vanished instantly.
BOOM.
His fist crashed through the monster's skull before it could reach the ground. The impact created a shockwave powerful enough to split the surrounding clouds apart.
The creature disintegrated into black fragments.
But before the remains even hit the street, two more emerged from the Rift.
Danny landed hard against the pavement, breathing slightly heavier now.
"…There's no end to them."
Across the rooftops, Ren warped through space repeatedly, pulling trapped civilians away from collapsing structures while hurling spatial cuts at descending monsters.
"We can't contain this forever!" he shouted.
Danny already knew that.
Because the Rift above the city felt unstable in a dangerous way. It wasn't merely opening anymore.
Something on the other side was pushing through.
Velkron looked upward thoughtfully. "Reality is resisting the rewrite."
Danny frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The more existence changes," Velkron explained calmly, "the harder reality pushes back."
Almost immediately after he finished speaking, the Rift distorted violently.
A massive hand emerged from the darkness.
Then a colossal creature forced itself through the opening.
The entire city shook.
Silver horns curved backward from its skull while dozens of glowing eyes opened across its body. Crimson lightning crackled around its enormous frame as it roared loud enough to distort the air itself.
Ren stared upward in disbelief.
"…Okay. That one definitely breaks several laws of nature."
The creature lowered its head toward the city below.
Then charged.
Danny moved instantly.
But before he could intercept—
The heavens split open with crimson light.
A spear of scarlet energy tore across the sky and pierced directly through the creature's chest.
BOOOOOOM.
The explosion illuminated the entire city in red.
The monster let out one final scream before collapsing into ash midair.
Silence followed.
Danny froze.
Because he recognized that power immediately.
The crimson Rift above the battlefield widened.
And someone stepped through.
Long crimson coat flowing behind her.
Black armor traced with glowing silver patterns.
Scarlet eyes burning against the storm.
Abigail Shunku descended slowly from the sky like a queen returning to reclaim a battlefield.
The moment her feet touched the street, crimson energy spread outward and stabilized the distorted space around the city.
Even the Rift itself trembled.
Ren stared at her for a moment before pointing dramatically.
"She somehow got cooler."
Abby ignored him completely.
Her eyes were locked on Danny.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Three months apart.
Three months pretending the distance between worlds didn't hurt.
And yet the moment they saw each other again, everything else faded into the background.
Danny stepped toward her slowly.
"…You came."
Abby crossed her arms, trying—and failing—to hide the relief in her expression.
"Your world was about to collapse," she replied. "Someone had to save you."
Danny laughed softly despite the chaos around them.
"You sound exactly the same."
For a brief moment, Abby's expression softened.
Then Velkron spoke.
"So the Crimson Heir finally arrives."
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Abby's eyes sharpened as she turned toward him.
"…Velkron."
Danny looked between them. "You know him?"
Abby didn't take her eyes off Velkron.
"Everyone in higher realities knows him."
A pause.
"And most fear him."
Velkron smiled faintly. "Fear is such an ugly word."
"Pretty accurate one, though," Ren muttered.
Abby subtly stepped closer to Danny.
Instinctively placing herself between him and Velkron.
Velkron noticed immediately.
And smiled wider.
"…Interesting."
Crimson energy flared around Abby instantly.
"Don't."
Velkron raised both hands slightly in mock surrender. "Relax. I'm not here to kill him."
Danny frowned. "Then why are you here?"
Velkron's expression changed.
For the first time since arriving, the amusement faded from his eyes entirely.
"Because something has awakened."
The Rift above the city trembled violently.
Every creature still emerging suddenly began screaming.
Then the sky split open again.
But this time—
Not with crimson light.
White.
Pure white radiance flooded the heavens, swallowing the storm itself. The pressure descending from above felt completely different from Velkron's darkness.
Cold.
Absolute.
Even Velkron's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…So they came personally."
Danny looked upward as six silhouettes slowly appeared within the white light.
"…Who are they?"
Velkron answered quietly.
"The Executors."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Every monster in the sky screamed in terror.