Rain fell like judgment.
Not the kind that cleansed—but the kind that remembered every sin it touched.
A lone figure stood at the edge of a ruined city sector, his back turned to the world. A black cloak, torn and heavy, clung to his body as if it feared leaving him. In his right hand rested a bloody scythe, its blade still dripping—mixing with the rain, turning the ground beneath into a dark crimson mirror.
This was not a monster.
This was not a god.
This was Sam Hughes.
Once, Sam Hughes was a name spoken with respect inside the Sky Voltz global defense archives. A tactical operative. A silent protector. A man trusted to walk into hell and come back alone. He wasn't born powerful—he was made powerful by loss.
Years ago, before Thunder God fell… before the world learned fear again… Sam worked in the shadows while heroes stood in the light.
He trained alongside Valoury-linked operatives, crossed paths with scientists who would later be connected to Deadmaster's origin experiments, and served on covert missions approved by people who no longer exist. Sam knew secrets the Sky Voltz core never wanted written down.
Then came The Night of Silence.
A classified operation.A betrayal from within.And a massacre that erased an entire unit—including the woman Sam loved.
The Sky Voltz council called it collateral damage.
Sam called it the moment he died.
They thought he vanished.
But Sam Hughes didn't disappear.
He returned—reborn in darkness.
The mask came later. Not to hide his face… but to bury the man he once was. The scythe was forged from experimental alloy stolen from a forgotten Sky Voltz weapons vault—designed to counter beings stronger than gods.
Sam didn't seek revenge on criminals alone.
He hunted corruption, lies, and heroes who forgot why they were created.
In this episode, whispers spread across the Sky Voltz network:
Old Thunder God surveillance files are accessed.
Deadmaster's symbol is found carved into a crime scene—burned, not painted.
A surviving Sky Voltz member recognizes the fighting pattern.
One sentence echoes through secure channels:
"The Dark Knight is real."
Sam stands in the rain, turning his masked face slightly—as if he can feel the world watching again.
The rain grows heavier.The scythe tightens in his grip.
Because this time…he isn't here to save the universe.
He is here to judge it.