Ten minutes earlier,

  The ruined mansion breathed dust and smoke.

  CRACK!“Tell me what happened.” she demanded.“Tell me who killed the Tyrants.”

  Robert coughed, spatting red onto the marble. “I’ve told you enough.”

  The vines tightened around him, a reminder she held all the cards.

  Heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor. 666 entered at speed, with a sleek metallic device tucked under one arm. 666 set the device onto the table and announced.

  “Look what I found sitting all by itself in a safe—must be important,”

  The Baroness didn’t look away from Robert. “What is it?”

  “A Laptop,” 666 replied, rubbing metal fingers together.

  Robert gave a dry laugh that turned into a wet wheeze. “Be my guest, that's top tier Tanaka tech. You’ll never crack it.”

  SMACK! 666’s metallic hand slapped onto the laptop aggressively.

  “Ding! Welcome, User!” The laptop bloomed to life with soft chime

  “I’m in,” 666 giggled.

  The color drained from Robert’s face. “Wait!”

  “Listen, I can pay you! I’ve got a lot of cash you ca—hurkThe Baroness seized his throat, cutting his words off mid-syllable. Robert’s boots scraped weakly against the wall as his eyes bulged.

  “If you have nothing useful to say,” she said quietly, “stay quiet.”

  She released him. Robert sagged against the vines, gagging. The Baroness wiped her hand on his jacket with open disgust and crossed to the table.

  “What are you doing,” she asked, eyes on the screen.

  “I’m looking through his personal file, there's a lot of it,” 666 replied, fingers flying over the keyboard.

  “That’s a lead,” the Baroness said. Her jaw tightened. “What about the other's?”

  “He’s still working on the girlfriend,” 666 answered, but voice tinged with doubt.

  “Her chances don’t look too good.”

  “Damn it…” the Baroness muttered, a flicker of worry slipping into her voice as thoughts of the woman crept in.

  “Comrade!” Krov's voice thundered across the floor as he entered with a wide, triumphant look. “I have come bearing great news!”

  “You saved her?” 666 asked, stunned. “How? I saw her body. She was a corpse.”

  Krov crossed his arms, chest puffed with pride. “Nothing is impossible with my talent. I hold dominion over life and death itself.”

  Krov turned toward the doorway.

  “Ms. Sugarlumps, would you care to introduce yourself to our comrade?”

  Footsteps echoed.

  Everyone braced for the sight of a woman restored.

  What emerged was far worse.

  A hulking mass of warped muscle forced its way into the room. Its veins writhed beneath skin stretched tight over an unnatural frame. Lifeless eyes stared forward without recognition. Only blond hair and a pair of outstretched pink undergarments hinted at who the creature had once been.

  “What…” The Baroness staggered back a step, “What did you do?” horror in her voice

  Krov beamed. “I improved her! Fireproof. Bulletproof. Poison-proof. All kinds of proof.” Pride radiated from every word.

  “Why?” the Baroness demanded, revulsion shaking her voice. “Why would you do this?”

  “Why not?” Krov replied lightly, as if the answer were obvious. Krov gestured toward the abomination. “Now Ms. Sugarlumps has nothing to fear. Is this not wonderful?”

  “Is that thing even alive?” disgust coloring 666 voices

  “It looks brain-dead,” 666 added.

  “Mind your manners, comrade! ” Krov warned, feeling offended

  “…But yes. I suppressed its thinking capabilities. Now she won't remember anything from today for our very own safety.” He gave himself a self-satisfied smile.

  Disbelief swallowed the room.

  The Baroness and 666 stared at Krov. Even behind their masks, judgment pressed down like weight.

  Krov shifted under the gaze. “I… suddenly realize that's quite an inhumane idea,” Krov said quietly, embarrassment creeping in.

  “This outcome was not my intention.”

  The Baroness closed her eyes and exhaled sharply. “Dios mío… Can this night get any worse?”

  KRAKOOM!! Blinding white light erupted from the surrounding forest outside. The glow washed over the mansion as a colossal humanoid shape rose from the brilliance.

  Everyone's eyes locked on the horizon.

  Its Divine.

  “That’s can't be good,” 666 blurted out

  ------

  “Hmph.” Divine exhaled, with a sliver of impressed irritation.

  “Who’s this supposed to be? Your boyfriend?” Divine sneered

  Victory briefly looked back. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” Eugene forced out, pain etched across his face.

  “Just finish this already.” he muttered

  Divine scoffed. “So what now? Your boyfriend gonna kis—”

  CRACK!!! Crash!! Divine gasped, struggling to breathe as his vision spun. His mind clawed desperately at consciousness.

  The colossal glow flickered. Dimmed.

  Then Divine collapsed, shrinking back into human form, unconscious amid the shattered trees.

  The last thing he saw was Victory standing over him, towering, calm, looking down towards him.

  Victory can't even see him now, as if Divine were nothing more than an insect amid the destroyed forest

  -----

  Crash!! Beneath a pile of rubble, the Pretender stirred. The thunderous crash had jarred her back to consciousness.

  Her body throbbed with pain. One leg refused to move; every breath was a fight. She clawed at the debris until her fingers found bark. A tree trunk, scorched black but still standing. Inch by inch, she hauled herself upright.

  Trees burned like torches, their crowns collapsing in showers of sparks. The ground was ripped open, earth thrown aside in deep craters that still smoldered

  The last thing she remembered was Divine’s massive foot crashing down toward her, and instantly knocking her unconscious. But now the titan was nowhere in sight.

  “Mmmmh!! Mmmmh!!”

  A muffled cry caught her attention.

  She hesitated for a moment, but against her own better judgment, she limped toward the sound. Curious on what it could be.

  In an open clearing, she found Nikolai buried deep in the ground with only his head sticking out. Around him lay several sticks of dynamite, all tied together by a single fuse… which was burning steadily toward him.

  And in front of him, Havoc is performing what seems to be a Victory dance.

  His movements were jerky yet fluid, unsettling yet weirdly graceful—like a puppet animated by something wrong.

  *What… what the fuck?* horror twisting in her gut.

  Suddenly Havoc stopped mid-motion, snapping his masked head toward her with unnatural sharpness making her flinched.

  But instead of attacking her, he casually waved.

  The Pretender, confused and terrified, slowly waved back.

  *What is he doing…?*

  Havoc pointed at the trapped Nikolai, bouncing gleefully— urging her to witness the impending explosion.

  The fuse burned on.

  Before it reached the charge, the air changed.

  Victory appeared.

  There was no sound. No rush of wind. No warning at all. One moment the space beside the fuse was empty, the next it wasn’t. Victory stepped down calmly, golden boot stepping onto the burning fuse and crushing it out.

  Havoc's posture shifted, the loose theatricality draining away and leaving something tight and sharp underneath. Irritation radiated off the rigid stance.

  The Pretender thought quickly, dragging herself to slip behind the nearest tree for cover.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Victory…” Havoc growled, voice low and eerily distorted.

  Crack! Snap! Victory remained composed, his hood casting shadows over his face, making it impossible to read his expression.

  Havoc unleashed everything he had.

  Blam! Kabang! Zapp! Boom!Crack! Havoc let out a faint, twitching chuckle, arms jerking in spastic, dance-like motions. Then, with a groan, he collapsed, his tentacle-like limbs twitching limply across the ground.

  A powerful gust of wind then blows through the smoke and ash, clearing the area in a single sweep.There stood Victory and Nikolai, untouched amid the devastation.

  Victory’s fist slammed into the ground in front of Nikolai, the earth cracked. With a smooth motion, Victory lifted Nikolai from the soil, releasing him.

  “What happened?” Victory’s voice was calm, controlled, and unyielding.

  “Urrgh…” Nikolai groaned

  “There was an explosion at the mansion, so we ran to check it out. But then Eugene… he suddenly changed direction into the forest…”

  “Wait… Eugene?! Is he okay? The giant—” Concern lanced through his voice.

  “He’s fine,” Victory replied evenly. “And the giant is dealt with. Focus on yourself first.”

  “That’s a relief. I know he’s hard to kill.” He exhaled in relief and quickly straightened despite the pain. “I’m also fine,” he said firmly.

  “We need to get to Cycloneman. He could be in trouble,” Nikolai said sharply.

  “Eugene had it handled,” Victory answered quickly.

  “We are ordered to handle the intruders here…” His head turned slowly, scanning the treeline with deliberate precision.

  “All three of them.”

  Victory’s gaze locked onto the slight movement of The Pretender’s helmet as she peeked from her hiding spot.

  The Pretender’s blood ran cold when she realized they were looking directly at her. Panic seized her as she prepared to bolt, but it was already too late.

  Red energy sparked along Victory’s arm, crackling like live wires. His focus sharpened, measured, and unyielding.

  KRAKOOM! The Pretender was hurled from cover as if she was weightless. She slammed onto the dirt hard and bounced painfully with a sickening crack. Pain shot through her ribs making her lungs burn.

  “Arggh…” She tried to scream, but no sound came.

  The world around her spun and the edges of her vision darkened. She slumped against a tree while her body screamed in protest, but she had no strength left to fight it.

  Her breath turn slower

  The dark pulled at her like a heavy blanket, smothering her.

  Her head drooped, her energy completely drained and her breath finally stopped as she let herself sink into the abyss, surrendering to the darkness.

  Victory’s hooded gaze swept over the unconscious Pretender, sharp as a blade.

  “Imbecile,” he muttered with sharp disdain

  “Did you have to be so rough with her?” Nikolai asked, worry etching his features

  Victory said nothing but only stared at him. Nikolai can feel the sharp focus of Victory’s eyes beneath the hood pressing down on him.

  “…Sorry,” Nikolai murmured. His glance fell to the Pretender’s unmoving body. Guilt twisted in his chest like a knife.

  “What’s going to happen to her?” His voice softened.

  “If she's still alive,” Victory replied, voice flat. “Depending on the trial—hard labor or prison for up to twenty years.”

  Nikolai frowned, his gaze flicking to the still form of the Pretender. “ That seems… harsh.”

  “She tried to kill you,” Victory reminded him, his tone hardened.

  “I know,” Nikolai replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “But… They're not bad people. People like her…they’re just desperate.”

  “The Workers’ Association changed,” Victory said, colder now, inflexible.

  “Look at what they're wearing, they don’t care about right or wrong anymore. They only care about getting their way.”

  Nikolai feels silent, his attention is now elsewhere. Fixated on something behind Victory.

  A shiver of fear tightened his chest.

  “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Nikolai’s voice trembled slightly.

  Victory turned slowly, following Nikolai’s line of sight.

  Behind him, The Pretender was standing.

  Silent. Unmoving. The bloodstains that had marred her clothes vanished as if they had never existed. Her legs—once broken and useless—now aligned flawlessly, carrying her weight with inhuman precision.

  A sickening feeling crawled up Nikolai’s spine. “What the hell...?”

  Victory’s hands tightened, subtle but deliberate. Sensing something was wrong.

  "What are you up to?" Both Victory and the Pretender spoke in perfect unison.

  The Pretender’s voice came out flat and cold, stripped of any trace of femininity, perfectly matching Victory’s cadence and tone.

  "What?" they said again, simultaneously..

  Victory’s eyes narrowed. The Pretender stood where she was, posture identical, head angle identical, shoulders squared the same way.

  The Pretender was mimicking him. Mirroring him.

  "That’s enough!" Both voices barked, sharp and commanding, in perfect harmony.

  Nikolai’s gaze snapped between them, heart pounding. His mouth opened, then closed. “What… What is she doing?”

  The Pretender tilted her head. The motion was stiff, segmented, wrong, like joints snapping between positions instead of flowing.

  Victory’s stance shifted a fraction. For the first time, uncertainty crept into his posture.

  “How are you doing this?” Both asked at the same time.

  Victory’s thoughts raced. Recognition stirred, sharp and unwelcome.

  Suddenly The Pretender white helmet — began to change.

  A dark stain spread across the surface, like ink bleeding across paper. The shape twisted and writhed, forming strange, indecipherable patterns, reminiscent of a Rorschach test.

  The stain resolved into a single, unmistakable mark—a V.for Victory.

  Victory inhaled slowly. “Nikolai,” he said, without looking away.

  “Run. As far as you can. Find Eugene and get him out of here.”

  “What?” Nikolai whispered.

  "NOW!" Victory’s voice cracked with raw intensity.

  Reluctantly, Nikolai took a step back and bolted, sprinting into the dark forest with no idea what he was running from, only the sharp instinct to obey.

  KRAKOOM! “You’re supposed to be dead,” Victory said quietly

  The Pretender tilted her head. “So are you.”

  KRAKOOM! Victory’s grip on the hilt of the blade tightened, with a flash of motion, he lunged, his blade raised high, ready to strike.

  The Pretender stepped forward without hesitation, her movements mirroring Victory’s, her own hand raised.

  CRACKTHOOM!!The two radiant blades collided, meeting with a deafening explosion and a shockwave of blinding white light rippled through the air with an intensity that left everything in its wake reduced to pure brilliance.

  The impact was catastrophic.

  The force of the collision obliterated both blades in the same instant they met.

  The air shattered.

  The space fractured outward from the point of impact, the world splintering into jagged seams as if struck by an invisible hammer.

  The sky itself split open, revealing nothingness behind it but a blinding white void, its light spearing through them like cracks spreading across broken glass.

  The earth answered with a groan that felt alive. The ground beneath their feet ruptured, splitting wide into a violent chasm. Trees along its edge didn’t fall so much as disintegrate, their trunks vanished midair, erased upon entering the chasm.

  A massive abyss yawned open where forest and soil had been, filled with an endless, blinding white void that had no bottom and no horizon. There was no sense of up or down within it, only absence.

  The cracks spread like wildfire, carving through earth and air alike. The land peeled apart as though unzipped, the world opening itself against its will.

  It raced toward the mansion like a wound in the world, opening the earth as though the gates of hell had been revealed.

  ----

  Inside the mansion, the room was filled with sound—low, rhythmic moaning spilling from the laptop speakers, loud enough to drown out the reality of the outside world being teared apart,

  666, Krov, and Sugarlumps 666, Krov, and Sugarlumps— still a hulking monstrosity—stood clustered around the table.

  On-screen was an explicit recording of Robert with an unknown woman.

  "Who's your daddy! Who's your daddy!" Robert’s voice repeated from the laptop.

  666 turned away in visible disgust, visor tilting aside. “Sheesh. How much longer is this?”

  Krov rested a gloved hand against Sugarlumps’ broad back and gave a gentle pat, like soothing an anxious animal. “Do not worry, Ms. Sugarlumps. You are safe now.”

  The creature responded with a deep, echoing growl that vibrated through the floorboards.

  "I Thought you were going to turn her back?" 666 asked Krov sharply.

  “I gifted Ms. Sugarlumps with the ability to control her transformation. Now she can protect herself from any debauched man.”

  “Very elegant solution, no?” Krov tilted his head, pleased.

  666 stared at the hulking figure, then back at Krov. “That’s… probably for the best…”

  “Mmmmph! Mmmmph!” Robert thrashed violently against the golden vines, his gag muffling frantic screams.

  666 slowly turned, visor locking onto him.

  “Now,” 666 said flatly, “we need to figure out what to do with you.”

  "Mmmmph! Mmmmph!" Robert thrashed against the vines, the gag muffling his screams.

  "Now we have to figure out what to do with him," 666's visor fixed on the restrained man.

  -------

  Above the mansion roof, Eugene hovered atop with his broken wings.

  His sniper rifle was aimed down at Krov’s head through the scope, eye narrowing as the scene inside played out in surreal clarity.

  “What is a ‘Sugarlump’,” Eugene muttered.

  “I have no idea either,” Tomoe replied, her voice crackling faintly through the rifle, confused but alert.

  Eugene exhaled. “Let’s just end this now.” his rifle’s crosshairs locked on Krov. His finger twitched, just about to pull the trigger.

  Crack! A deafening rupture echoed through the air before he could take the shot. Eugene’s head jerked up as the heavens split wide open above him. Vast fissures of blinding white light tore across the sky, radiating outward in jagged lines that erased clouds, stars, and distance alike.

  “WARNING. UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED,” Tomoe alarmed, the calm warmth gone, replaced with sharp urgency.

  The ground below tremble violently. Fractures splitting open, revealing a vast, gaping void beneath—trees, buildings, everything around them fall into the oblivion below.

  Eugene’s eyes widened as the sky fractured, and the ground beneath them buckled.

  The mansion was still there, but it was being pulled apart, the floor beneath it warping as the void neared.

  -------

  Inside the mansion, the situation spiraled out of control.

  Robert’s muffled scream was swallowed by the roar of failing stone. The walls shrieking as stress fractures raced across them. Dust rained from the ceiling in choking clouds, the structure groaning as if the building itself were in pain.

  "What the fuck is happening?" 666 snapped attention upward.The visor flared red as the ceiling split in a spiderweb of glowing cracks.

  Sugarlumps let out a deep, guttural growl. Her muscles knotted as instinct screamed danger. Even in that warped body, fear took hold.

  Krov's eye flicked from one danger to the next, "Blayt!! We need to make our escape,” Krov said, urgency finally breaking through the confidence.

  The mansion tilted violently. Everyone staggered as the floor dipped, the walls creaking like a sinking ship. Krov turned sharply toward Robert, still pinned upright by golden vines, and rushed forward to release the bindings.

  Too late.

  The golden vines shuddered, their glow flickering as the wall behind Robert split with a violent crack. A deep fracture tore straight through the stone, racing past his shoulders.

  “Arrgh!—” Robert let out a sharp, cut-off cry before a sharp crack struck him, silencing him instantly as his body began to shatter.

  Everyone's eyes turn wide in shock. Robert's body shattered like glass, splitting apart in an instant.

  -----

  Eugene’s gaze fixed on the mansion as the ground buckled beneath the weight of the chaos, swallowing more of the mansion into the growing void. A gnawing fear settled in— he wasn’t sure if he could make it in time to help anyone, or if he’d even survive if he did.

  Gasping for breath, Eugene minds struggling to comprehend the unfolding disaster. What is this? What have they unleashed?

  “We need to move, Eugene. ” Tomoe's voice cuts through his haze, sharp with urgency.

  Swallowing his pride, Eugene slowly pulled back, fighting the shame of his failure to save Robert Judd, The Cycloneman.

  “WARNING! RISING HEAT DETECTED.” Tomoe suddenly warned.

  KABOOM! Eugene staggered, vision rattling and ears ringing from the explosion

  SHHRROOOM! ZOOOOM!! In an instant, Eugene knew they were dangerous. Instinct took over. Time slowed. Eugene raised his weapon and pulled the trigger—

  Blood spilled from his mouth.

  The recoil felt wrong. Too heavy. Like a hammer smashing into his skull. His head snapped back, pain exploding behind his eyes.

  “Eugene?!” Tomoe’s voice cracked with panic.

  His head throbbed as sharp pain lanced through his skull. His vision swam, darkness threatening the edges of his sight. He tried to lift his arm again to aim, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. The effort shattered him.

  “We... retreat,” Eugene muttered in a raspy voice, his words barely audible.

  -----

  666’s blazing mechanical wings flared, keeping pace behind Krov as he carried Sugarlumps through the collapsing sky.

  “What was that?” Krov asked, curiosity edging into the voice as the fractured horizon burned behind them.

  “A hot Asian man,” 666 replied flatly.

  Krov blinked. “Huh?”

  “Just focus on finding the others,” 666 said, tone sharpening. “She must have found them by now.”

  Sugarlumps let out a rough, distorted growl and began flailing, one massive arm jerking downward. The gesture was unmistakable.

  Below them, the Baroness stood atop a towering golden tree grown from living vines. The branches stretched outward over the fracture like grasping fingers. Golden restraints held Havoc and Divine suspended among the limbs, both bodies limp and unconscious, swaying above the abyss.

  Without hesitation, they dove.

  ----

  Victory and the Pretender faced each other across the jagged wound in reality. Between them, the abyss writhed, an uncrossable divide of blinding white nothingness.

  Neither moved.

  Victory’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. The Pretender stood perfectly still, the smooth white helmet fixed in his sight like a target he could never reach.

  Then she turned away.

  Victory’s breath hitched. “Wait—”

  ZOOM! The Pretender vanished into the sky with golden vines snapped tight around the body. The Baroness held her while hanging by 666.

  Krov followed close behind, massive vulture wings beating powerfully. In Krov’s arms, the monstrous woman clutched Havoc and Divine, holding both with crushing strength.

  The Baroness twisted by her vine, eyes tracking the swinging The Pretender below.

  “Hey! Are you okay?”

  The Pretender only dangled limply by the vines, unconscious.

  Below them all, the fractured world continued to collapse, the void spreading wider as reality crumbled into nothing.

  “Dolly, get us the fuck out of here,” 666 ordered under the breath.

  “Affirmative!” Dolly replied almost too cheerfully and opened a portal in the sky.

  They went through it, leaving the destruction behind them.