The night air felt heavy.
Anthony and Cosmic ran through the shattered entrance of the Hero Headquarters, their footsteps echoing across the cracked concrete. The sky above them was filled with smoke and distant sirens, the city trembling under the aftermath of chaos.
Anthony's breathing was uneven. Adrian's unconscious body was slung over his shoulder, his weight feeling heavier than it should have. Every step sent pain through Anthony's body — poison still burned through his veins, his missing arm throbbed with phantom agony, and exhaustion clawed at his muscles.
Cosmic looked ahead.
Then he stopped.
So did Anthony.
In front of them, the world had changed.
Thousands of heroes stood in formation, covering the entire area like an ocean of armor and weapons. From the weakest F-class rookies trembling with fear, to veteran S-class warriors radiating overwhelming pressure — all of them had gathered in one place.
Their eyes were filled with anger.
Betrayers.
Traitors.
Enemies of humanity.
The word spread silently among them.
An S-class hero stepped forward slowly, his expression conflicted, his fists trembling.
"Sir Anthony…" he said, his voice shaking. "How could you do this? I used to respect you. You were the hero I looked up to—"
His words never finished.
Anthony moved.
In a single instant, his fist crashed forward. The shockwave ripped through the air, and the S-class hero was slammed into the ground like a meteor, the earth shattering beneath him. Dust exploded outward, cracks spreading in every direction.
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
Then everything erupted.
Heroes charged.
Anthony stepped forward.
The battlefield exploded into chaos.
He swung his remaining fist again and again, each punch tearing through waves of heroes, bodies flying through the air like broken dolls. Shockwaves shattered buildings, cracked streets, and sent tremors through the city. Even weakened, even poisoned, even missing an arm — his raw power was monstrous.
But the enemies kept coming.
Cosmic moved like a phantom among them.
He vanished.
Reappeared behind a hero.
A slash.
Blood scattered.
He teleported again, sword flashing through the air, cutting through armor, weapons, and bodies with merciless precision. His movements were sharp, efficient, emotionless — a storm of steel and teleportation.
Yet even Cosmic began to feel it.
The weight of numbers.
The endless flood of enemies.
Anthony staggered slightly as dozens of heroes attacked him at once. Blades cut his skin, fists slammed into his ribs, magic blasted across his body. He couldn't dodge everything. Couldn't block everything. Every second, his body grew heavier, slower, weaker.
A sword flashed through the air.
An S-class hero appeared above him, blade raised high.
For a split second, death hovered above Anthony's neck.
Then—
A black blur crossed the battlefield.
Cosmic appeared between them, his sword piercing straight through the S-class hero's chest. The hero's eyes widened before his body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Anthony exhaled slowly.
Their eyes met.
Neither said anything.
They both understood the same thing.
If this continued, they would die.
Suddenly—
The air split apart.
A single slash tore through the battlefield.
Hundreds of heroes collapsed at once.
Blood rained.
Silence followed.
From the smoke and dust, a familiar figure stepped forward.
Kenji.
His body was covered in blood. His clothes were torn. His breathing was slow and heavy. His presence, however, was still terrifying.
The strongest swordsman.
The monster who refused to fall.
"Don't push yourself, teacher!" Anthony shouted.
Kenji turned his head slightly and smiled faintly.
"Don't forget who I am," he said calmly. "This is nothing."
Then he stepped forward.
The battlefield changed again.
Kenji's sword moved.
And with each movement, heroes fell.
Not dozens.
Not hundreds.
But entire lines of them vanished.
Cosmic joined him, their movements synchronizing like warriors who had fought together for years. One cut through space, the other cut through existence itself. Anthony followed behind them, his punches becoming fewer but heavier, each strike fueled by sheer willpower.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Mercilessly.
The army of heroes collapsed.
Inside the Hero Headquarters, far away from the battlefield…
Edward sat calmly in his office.
Bookshelves surrounded him, filled with unread knowledge and forgotten history. The dim light of the room made his wrinkled face look older than usual.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
He didn't turn around.
"So," Edward said calmly, "what do you want, Lucius?"
Lucius Falcon stood behind him, his white hair shining faintly under the lights, his glasses reflecting Edward's silhouette.
His smile was gentle.
Too gentle.
"I came here," Lucius said softly, "to kill you."
Edward turned.
He didn't even have time to react.
A blade flashed.
The next moment, his head rolled across the floor.
Blood spilled across the office like ink on paper.
Lucius stared at the corpse silently.
For a moment, he showed no expression.
Then his lips moved.
"With that taken care of," he whispered, his voice cold and calm, "the Hero Headquarters is officially destroyed."
He walked toward the window and looked outside.
The battlefield below was almost finished.
Only three figures remained standing.
Kenji.
Cosmic.
Anthony.
And the unconscious boy in Anthony's arms.
"The only people left…" Lucius murmured, adjusting his glasses, "…are those four."
Outside, the final hero fell.
Silence covered the battlefield.
Smoke rose into the sky.
The city was quiet again.
Anthony exhaled slowly, his legs trembling. Cosmic stood beside him, his sword dripping blood. Kenji rested his blade on his shoulder, his eyes half-closed.
They had won.
Or so they thought.
Then—
Footsteps echoed.
Heavy.
Mechanical.
Everyone turned.
A figure stood at the entrance of the destroyed headquarters.
His body was partially metallic. His eyes were empty, glowing faintly blue. His movements were stiff, unnatural.
Kenji's expression changed.
Cosmic's eyes widened.
Anthony froze.
It was Jake.
But not the Jake they knew.
His voice echoed through the ruins.
Cold.
Emotionless.
Robotic.
"Target locked," Jake said.
A mechanical sound followed.
"Attack mode activated."
And in that moment—
Everyone understood.
The real battle had only just begun.