Harry's ears rang. The light snapped away, and suddenly they were falling again, smashing onto another hard surface. He coughed, rolling onto his stomach. The dagger was still burning in his hand, silver glow crawling up his arm like veins of fire.
When he pushed up, the world around him was different again. Not a city. Not white stone. It looked like ruins. Broken pillars, shattered statues, red sky overhead with cracks of silver cutting through it. The air smelled of dust and old blood.
Monsters were already there. Dozens. Crawling from shadows, from holes in the ground, eyes glowing wrong colors. Some walked like men, some skittered like beasts. All moved toward the group at once.
Naruto groaned. "Do we EVER land somewhere nice? Just once? Like a ramen shop?"
Spider-Man muttered, "Multiverse travel: not recommended."
Flash zipped, already blurring between them, knocking monsters aside, but more kept crawling up.
Kakashi landed soft, eye narrowing. Jinwoo's shadows rose around them like a wall. Dokja stayed calm, watching the horizon, already calculating.
And Aizen?
He stepped forward, slow, composed, drawing his blade with one smooth motion. The sound of it cutting the air was sharp, final.
Harry's chest locked. "You—"
Aizen didn't look back. His voice was calm. "Don't mistake me. I don't serve you. But these… things aren't worth my time. And they threaten me as much as you."
Naruto frowned. "So you're… helping?"
Aizen's smile was faint. "For now."
The monsters lunged.
Aizen moved faster than Harry's eyes could follow. His sword flashed once, twice, ten times. Creatures collapsed in sprays of dark smoke. Each strike looked effortless, like he was cutting through paper.
Naruto whistled. "Okay… he's strong."
Spider-Man swung in, kicking another beast in the face. "Yeah, strong and creepy. Don't forget creepy."
Jinwoo's shadows slammed into the mob, wolves and soldiers rising, clashing with claws and steel. Flash blurred through the gaps, striking pressure points in a blur of lightning. Naruto's clones swarmed in, fists flying.
Harry tried to focus. He raised his wand. "Stupefy!" Red light blasted a creature off its feet. He swung his wand again, "Expulso!" The ground shook with the explosion, dust filling the air.
But the dagger kept pulsing, distracting him. The whispers pressed hard. "Open." He clenched his teeth. Not now.
Aizen cut down another wave like it was nothing. He didn't look strained, not even breathing heavy. His eyes slid toward Harry, just for a moment. Calm. Knowing.
Harry flinched. "Why are you really here?"
Aizen parried a beast's claws with one hand. His voice stayed smooth. "Because the dagger interests me. And because you're too weak to survive without me."
Harry's stomach twisted. He hated that part of him agreed.
Naruto shouted over the chaos. "We don't need him! We've got each other!"
Aizen glanced at Naruto, amusement flickering. "So much spirit. But spirit doesn't stop inevitability."
Still, he cut another monster down before it reached Naruto's back.
Spider-Man landed beside Harry, panting. "Okay, kid, listen. Creepy glasses man may be evil, but right now? He's swinging that sword on our side. Don't question it too much."
Harry gritted his teeth, wand shaking. "But I don't trust him."
"Good instinct," Spider-Man muttered, webbing another creature. "Keep it."
The fight raged. The monsters didn't stop coming. Harry fired spell after spell, his arm aching, his scar searing. Jinwoo's shadows tore through wave after wave, Naruto's clones exploding in smoke and reappearing again, Flash darting so fast he was lightning itself. Kakashi's knife never missed.
And through it all, Aizen's blade gleamed, cutting with precision. He fought just close enough to keep them alive. Just far enough to never be touched.
Dokja finally spoke, calm in the storm. "He's studying us."
Harry turned. "What?"
"He's not fighting for us. He's watching. Measuring. Learning how the dagger reacts when you push yourself."
Harry's grip tightened. The dagger pulsed harder, silver veins crawling to his neck now.
Another monster lunged. Aizen's blade intercepted before Harry even raised his wand. The creature split in two, dissolving.
Aizen's eyes lingered on him. "You see? You can't even protect yourself without me."
Harry's breath shook. "Shut up."
Naruto's fist slammed a monster into the ground. "Harry, don't listen to him! He's twisting it!"
Spider-Man swung by, kicking another down. "Yeah, kid, rule number one of multiverse adventures: don't trust the guy who smiles too much."
Flash zipped in, striking three at once. "Especially not this one."
But Harry couldn't ignore the look in Aizen's eyes. Like he already knew how this would end.
The monsters finally broke, collapsing one by one, Jinwoo's shadows finishing the last of them. The ruins fell quiet again, dust settling.
Harry staggered, knees weak. His arm burned with silver light. The dagger hummed like a second heartbeat.
Aizen sheathed his sword, calm as if he hadn't lifted it at all. He looked at Harry, smiling faint. "See? You survived. Because of me."
Harry glared. "Because of all of us."
Aizen's eyes glinted. "Believe what you like."
The dagger pulsed again. Cracks spread across the red sky.
Dokja's voice was steady. "It's not over. Not yet."
Harry groaned. "Of course it isn't."
And the world began to break again.