A storm churned over the Ravaged Coast, the last strip of land before the Crimson Veil. It was no ordinary storm—black lightning cracked through the sky, and a blood-colored mist rolled over the sea. Beneath it, ancient whispers echoed, a chorus of forgotten beings stirring in a realm where even time feared to tread.
The Thousand-Suns had gathered. The makeshift alliance of warriors, brought together by fate and forced to trust one another, stood at the edge of the veil. Naruto's cloak flickered in the wind, Kurama's chakra swirling subtly around him. Beside him, Luffy stretched his arms with uncharacteristic focus, a shadow of thought behind his usually wide smile.
Gojo glanced sideways. "So, this is where your so-called 'Veil' is. Lovely décor. Very ominous." He said it casually, but his Six Eyes never stopped scanning.
"Don't get cocky," Vegeta muttered, folding his arms. "Even Kakarot hasn't come back from here. And I doubt he'd fall to anything ordinary."
"True," Saitama chimed in, scratching the side of his head. "That guy was loud, even louder than me when I sneeze."
Sasuke stood at the cliff's edge, eyes narrowed. "This place... it's a dimensional fracture. I can feel remnants of other planes bleeding through. Something is tearing the boundaries from the inside."
Yuta and Megumi exchanged glances. "Cursed energy is off the charts," Megumi whispered. "It's warping the Shikigami. My Ten Shadows can't even stabilize."
A sudden gust blew back Luffy's hat. He grabbed it quickly. "Let's go. If Goku's trapped in there, then we can't wait."
Before anyone could respond, the mist parted—and a figure stepped out.
He was tall, cloaked in obsidian armour lined with rust-red veins. His eyes gleamed with a dead light, flickering like dying stars. At his side hung a jagged blade, glowing faintly with stolen ki and cursed energy.
"Who the hell is that?" Bakugo spat, already crackling with energy.
The figure raised his hand. "I am Mordain, Warden of the Crimson Veil."
The temperature dropped instantly. Time seemed to slow.
"You're one of the Old Guard," Gojo muttered. "A relic from before even cursed energy had form."
Mordain didn't flinch. "I am the guardian of the last door. The Veil must not be crossed. The prisoner must remain."
"Goku isn't your prisoner," Naruto shouted. "He's our ally!"
Mordain's voice was like thunder through bone. "He is the harbinger. He awakened the Rift Star. His power pierced the fabric of this world. I sealed him, not out of malice—but necessity."
The wind howled. Clouds split.
"Let us through, or you'll find out what necessity looks like from our side," Vegeta growled, stepping forward.
Mordain unsheathed his sword. The moment it left its scabbard, the world twisted. Flames flickered in reverse. Rain flew upward. Time unravelled for a heartbeat.
"I don't want to fight," Luffy said, stepping forward. "But I will if I have to. Goku's one of us."
Yuta summoned Rika, her monstrous form manifesting at his side. "And we don't abandon our own."
With a cry, Bakugo launched first, exploding forward with wild speed. Mordain raised his blade—and a silent shockwave knocked him back, cracking the cliff edge. Gojo vanished and reappeared behind Mordain, aiming a point-blank blast of Reversed Cursed Technique. It hit—but Mordain did not fall. Instead, he turned, slashed through the residual energy, and threw Gojo backward.
Sasuke activated his Rinnegan and disappeared in a flicker, coordinating with Naruto's Rasengan blitz. They spiralled in together, a synchronized force of wind and lightning. Mordain roared, spinning his blade and shattering their attack mid-air.
Even Saitama narrowed his eyes. "Guess I can't just poke this guy."
Behind the battle, Luffy closed his eyes and breathed. "Gear Fifth."
His body shifted—lightning and laughter exploded from him like a storm. He bounced forward, dodging Mordain's slash and grabbing the air itself, twisting the battlefield like a cartoon come alive. With a single punch, he cracked Mordain's shoulder armour.
The Warden roared in rage.
"This is insane," Megumi muttered. "He's absorbing our techniques. They're feeding him."
"We're playing into his rules," Yuta said. "We need to break the source."
In the distance, through the mist, a strange pillar of crystal pulsed. Sasuke caught sight of it with his Rinnegan.
"There. That's the anchor. It's channelling Rift energy from the prisoner. If we destroy it—"
"—the Veil will collapse," Naruto finished.
But time was running out. Mordain unleashed a wave of corrupted fire, searing through the cliffside. The team scattered, the ground breaking apart.
Bakugo was the first to reach the pillar. He shot forward with a roar, blasting everything in his path. "I'LL BLOW IT TO HELL!"
Before he could, Mordain teleported—his blade aimed directly at Bakugo's chest.
And then, Saitama stepped in.
With a silent, casual movement, he intercepted the blade with his forearm. Steel bent. Mordain's eyes widened.
"Don't touch my friends."
Saitama punched. A shockwave tore the sky open. Mordain was sent hurtling into the mist.
Bakugo blasted the crystal. With a massive explosion, it shattered—sending a pulse of blinding light through the realm.
The Veil screamed.
Reality twisted. The mist peeled back.
From the cracked sky above, a figure descended.
Hair glowing silver-white. Aura flaring with divine light. Goku.
He opened his eyes slowly—and they were no longer normal. They burned like stars.
"You came," he said, voice calm and ancient. "I tried to contain it... but I failed."
The ground rumbled again. From the broken remains of the pillar, a black ooze began to crawl outward.
Luffy stepped forward, hat casting a shadow over his eyes. "Then we finish what you started."