It was morning.
Adrian and the others were escorted to the throne room without explanation. The massive doors shut behind them with a heavy metallic echo. The atmosphere felt different from yesterday. Colder.
They were ordered to kneel.
"Your Majesty, you have called for us. Do you need anything?" Cosmic asked carefully, sensing something was wrong.
The king's expression was stern, far from the subtle amusement he once had. His eyes were sharp.
"Yes," he said slowly. "Last night, one of my men searched your spaceship. This morning, he was found dead inside it."
The room went silent.
"Explain yourselves."
Cosmic's eyes widened. "Your Majesty… are you accusing us of killing your man?"
"Maybe I am," the king replied coldly. "For ten years, there has not been a single unexplained death in my kingdom. Then you arrive. And suddenly, a man is murdered in your ship."
His gaze hardened.
"It would be foolish of me not to be suspicious."
"But we didn't do anything!" Adrian shouted. "We were in our rooms all night!"
"I do not believe you."
The king lifted two fingers.
That small gesture was enough.
Fifty soldiers rushed into the throne room, forming a perfect circle around them, spears aimed directly at their heads.
"Please! You're making a mistake!" Adrian yelled desperately.
The king didn't hesitate.
"Kill them."
The soldiers lunged forward.
Cosmic moved first. His sword flashed in a wide arc, slicing through the front line with a clean, lethal sweep. Blood sprayed across the polished throne room floor as bodies collapsed instantly. Anthony followed with explosive force, driving his fists forward in a barrage of crushing punches. Each impact shattered armor and sent multiple soldiers flying across the room, crashing into pillars and walls.
Within seconds, the first fifty soldiers were down.
The king's eyes widened slightly, impressed by their overwhelming strength—but he remained composed.
Then the doors burst open again.
Hundreds of soldiers flooded into the throne room. The low-ranking ones wielded spears, forming tight formations, while high-ranking soldiers with swords advanced with disciplined precision.
They attacked all at once.
Adrian shot forward like a bullet, weaving between blades with impossible speed. His fists and kicks struck with precision, dropping soldiers one after another. Anthony roared and unleashed a devastating HULK PUNCH into the center of a cluster, the shockwave alone taking out dozens at once.
For a moment, it seemed manageable.
Then several high-ranking soldiers surrounded Cosmic. Their sword strikes were coordinated and relentless. Cosmic blocked the first slash. Then the second. Sparks flew as steel clashed. The third blade slipped through and cut across his shoulder.
He gritted his teeth.
In a single decisive motion, Cosmic spun and delivered a lethal counter-slash, cutting through all of them in one clean motion. They fell simultaneously.
Meanwhile, a mage in the back chanted rapidly and launched a blazing fireball toward Adrian. The flames roared through the air—
—and vanished.
Riley stood behind him, her eyes focused. The fireball had simply ceased to exist.
The soldiers hesitated for a split second.
That hesitation cost them everything.
Within minutes, the throne room was covered in fallen bodies. Cosmic and Anthony were bleeding from minor wounds. Adrian was breathing heavily. Riley looked strained from using her ability repeatedly.
They turned toward the throne.
The king was gone.
And then the palace trembled.
Through the shattered windows, they saw it—thousands of soldiers mobilizing toward the palace from every direction.
"We need to run. Now!" Cosmic shouted.
He dashed toward the nearest window and smashed through it, launching himself into the air. The others followed immediately.
"Where do we go?!" Adrian yelled over the wind.
"Our only option is the spaceship! We leave this planet!" Cosmic shouted back.
They flew as fast as possible toward where their ship had been stationed.
After several minutes, they reached the landing area.
It was destroyed.
Their spaceship was nothing but burning debris.
Anthony stared at the wreckage. "What now?"
"We hide," Cosmic said urgently.
"Where?!" Anthony snapped.
"I don't know! Just move!"
They flew low through the city, weaving between skyscrapers. Sirens echoed. Civilians fled indoors. Drones began tracking them.
Suddenly, large futuristic jets roared through the sky, locking onto them.
Missiles fired.
They split apart instantly, dodging the incoming explosives as they detonated midair behind them. Another volley launched.
Anthony snarled and shot upward toward one of the jets. He drove his fist into its hull with devastating force, causing it to erupt in flames.
"One down!" he shouted.
"Good job!" Cosmic replied as he sliced through another jet, cleaving it clean in half.
Explosions lit up the sky.
But more jets were approaching.
Ahead of them was one of the enclosed cylindrical transport tunnels.
"Inside!" Cosmic ordered.
They dove into the glass tunnel, landing briefly on the inner surface to catch their breath.
For a few seconds, there was silence.
Then heavy footsteps echoed from both ends.
Thousands of soldiers poured into the tunnel, blocking every exit. Spear tips gleamed under the artificial lighting as they formed tight ranks around the group.
A commanding voice rang out.
"Don't move!"