Heavy bags rested under Nier''s eyes. The man''s shoulders were slumped, and his clothes were soaked down to the bone. He stared past the glass of a store selling various different TVs. They were all on and played the same thing.


    "-the newest sidekick of the number one Hero has made her appearance! The one and only Ruby Admiral!" The image on the TV showed Full Monarch saving a city that was burning to the ground. Joining him in the air was a young child who flew alongside him and helped save the day with a smile on her face. Dressed in her red costume. This, however, was something that never actually happened. Ruby Admiral sadly never got to fight alongside her father, nor could she fly, and eventually ads like these would stop showing, and soon the world would mainly forget about the ''hero'' Ruby Admiral.


    Nier''s eyes were hollow and sunken as he stared at the screen in complete silence. "So instead of trying to permanently stop the Beast, this is what you''ve decided to do, Jackson. I see where your priorities lie."


    ''I told you to forget about him.'' A voice hissed in his ear. One he had heard many times now. It was the voice of the entity that called herself the Prettiest Flower. Something which had taken root in his head and had begun to speak to him shortly after the death of his family. ''Focus on our mission. You need to let me in more. I can make a new body for her. One that can house the perfect child you seek, once you figure out how to actually make a soul. Are you listening to me, boy!''


    Nier took a sip from a flask he held, doing his best to drown out the voice that was inside of his head. It was getting harder and harder for him to figure out who was actually talking and what thoughts were his own. “I give up. I tried to bring Sky back, but it didn’t work. Jackson… The look he gave me.” Nier reached up and rubbed his face.


    He had tried to bring his wife and daughter back, but even though their bodies came back to life, the thing that was in control of them weren’t the people he loved. They were monstrous and feral. Even if they looked mostly the same. They kept coming after him.


    He had been arrested a while ago for his crimes but managed to escape after the Beast came back down for a second time. That had truly broken his will and spirit. After all, it was now clear that thing was going to keep coming and would target humans over and over again. If he even dared to try and create his monsters to fight it off, the Branch would throw Jackson at him.


    Not like it mattered though. He had failed to save his daughter after all. He couldn’t bring back that soul that once existed. Not yet, at least. His life basically had no meaning.


    ''Listen to me! Obey me!''


    “Just shut up.” Nier sharpened his fingers into claws with his power and brought it up to his neck, ready to slit his throat. “It’s time this story comes to an end.”


    ‘No! If you die, I’ll go back to the Pod! At least find a willing body for me to go into, please, Nier!’


    Then it happened...


    From a nearby alleyway, Nier heard the sound of a can being kicked. He turned his head and raised an eyebrow when he saw someone standing in front of him. The boy was dressed in baggy clothes and had shaggy red hair. He was shivering from the cold, but there was a look in his eyes. The same look Nier had seen in dozens of soldiers during the war with Lucifer so many years ago. People died so someone like this kid could live. It was a fifteen-year-old boy, one that seemed determined.


    One of the teen’s arms was wrapped under the body of a small brown puppy. The animal was barking and growling as it glared at Nier. In the child''s other hand, he clutched an old, rusted switchblade. "E—Everything in your pockets," the young boy announced, and his stomach growled loudly. "Your wallet and everything. Now!"


    Nier let out a quiet sigh and got ready to use his power to fly away. He wanted to die in peace after all. He was just about to summon Lucky and leave when the Prettiest Flower spoke up once more. ''Wait! This child! Don''t you see who this is! Look closer!'' For the first time in his life, Nier found himself actually listening to her as he turned to look back at the shivering teenager in front of him.


    At first, he didn''t see anything impressive. Slowly though, he felt his eyes shift and change as they pierced past the mortal flesh before him and allowed him to truly gaze at the being he was looking at. He saw every detail. The very cells that made up this boy were made clear in his mind. The DNA that caused this human to exist. The boy was a Super. A strong one at that. One thing did stand out though. The child''s father. He was able to figure that out in an instant. After all he had seen that woven strand of DNA many times. This teenager was…


    A large snort escaped Nier before the man totally lost it. He threw his head back and laughed, causing the child to step away.


    "I- I''m serious-" The teen growled. “I- I’ll do it! I’ll kill you.”


    Nier crouched down and allowed the blade to stab into his chest. He ignored the gasps of the teen or the puppy, which began to bite at his hand as he got too close. He grabbed the boy by his chin and stared into his emotionless, dead eyes. "That''s a good look in your eyes. What''s your name?"


    "I—I don''t know." The boy grunted out and tried to thrash around, but Nier''s strength easily overpowered the child.


    "Well, Mr. No name. I''m really delighted I ran into you. Maybe this is fate. Nah. Nothing so cheap. Still..." Nier smiled as he stared at his reflection in the child''s eyes. He really did look so tired. "How would you like to help me save the world?"


    “What?”


    “You heard me. You’d be about my daughter''s age now that I think about it.” He tilted the boy’s head, looking him over. “She’d have been fifteen this year, the same age as you. Yeah. You’ll do. It’s a bit ironic though. After all… You are ‘his’ son. Then again, it is his fault I lost my child in the first place.”


    ***


    The city shook. Sini calmly removed his glasses and gently placed them on his desk next to the computer. He had seen more than enough.


    He adjusted the tie to his business suit and steeled his nerves. It had been years since he last took up arms against a threat. His hair now sported dozens of specks of gray, and his face was full of wrinkles. He was still a Lord, though. Even pushing a hundred, he stood above most Supers that were in their prime.


    He would do what he was born to do. Protect the Earth and its people. This was the job of a Lord. A hero. Of any decent man.


    All around him was destruction. The bomb had nearly torn down the stone tower that served as their base and destroyed most of Sini Corp., the company he created to bring mankind one step further into the future.


    Before the Calamities, they say humans stood at the top, that they were far more advanced. It had taken nearly fifty years and the work of every Super he knew, but slowly, Sini had brought the world back to its true self. Now, though, it was all in ruins once more.


    The buildings were falling apart. Black flames ate away at the streets. Most of Rose City was already gone. “If you wanted my attention, rest assured. You’ve gotten it,” he called out.


    Outside the building was dirt. The road, the street, the buildings, the cars, and even the city had been wiped clean off the map in a one-mile radius, leaving just a flat stretch of land directly outside his front door. At the very edge of this bizarre, strange new battlefield that had been created, Sini saw him—his once-long-time friend.


    The thing might have been Nier once, but he wasn’t that soldier any longer. A twisted, jagged throne created from living flesh had been forged directly at the edge of the arena. The Emperor’s proper form was blacker than even darkness itself, melding in with the wisps of night. What he could see, though, was a pair of glowing blue eyes that stabbed out of the black void that rested on the throne. He couldn’t make out arms or legs or anything like that, but he could feel the thing''s tremendous power. A power that was rivaled only by the other Calamity threats.


    Directly in front of the shadowy throne, the Emperor''s bodyguard stood. Hell Hound wore blood-red armor, something she had been gifted from her dark master. Sini traced her form as she walked forward slowly. In her hand, she gripped a jagged mace, one stained in blood—her weapon, the very same that had shattered dozens of heroes'' skulls. Able to negate and cancel out powers.


    Sini strolled forward, walking out of his building. He stopped fifteen meters away from Hell Hound as he and the villain glared at one another. “You could have just knocked if you really wanted to speak with me. This destruction was uncalled for, Nier. I know that you’re hurting, but this isn’t the way. This isn’t what she would have wanted-“


    Hell Hound’s fingers grew tighter on her weapon, and he could see her eyes narrow. “You have no right to speak as if you know who the master is or what he’s gone through.”


    “I’m the one who raised him. I have every right.” Sini spat out.


    “I’m going to teach you a lesson.” The monster hissed, crouching low. “One you should have been taught long ago.”


    “Oh? And how do you plan to do that?”


    “I planned on hitting you so hard your head pops, and I’d get to see the inside of your skull.”


    “I see.” A ring of water began to slowly twirl into existence around Mr. Sini. “It’s been fifty years since this old man bothered to fight. That said, I hope you don’t think I’ve gone soft-”


    Hell Hound was on him in an instant. Moving faster than most pro heroes, she swung her mace down so hard that the world had trouble keeping up, space twisting and bending to her will. Sini’s water barrier barely had time to rise up and block the strike, and even then, the force of the attack was enough to send him flying back. His water struck out like a whip, but Hell Hound twirled herself around and slammed her weapon down onto the wave, sending a powerful shock wave through it that was so hot and fast it caused the water to instantly boil and steam.


    Sini held both his hands out and let out a loud battle cry. From the sky, the clouds were torn in two as a long trident slammed down into the ground, and he ripped it out with one hand. “Do me a favor and help this old man get back in the swing of things, will you?”


    He didn''t need to win this fight. He just needed to hold this monster off long enough for Full Monarch to save Max and Ruby.


    Hell Hound threw her mace at Sini as hard as she could, and he swung his trident out, smacking it out of the way. The villain dropped to all fours and darted forward like a wild beast, her armor’s helmet ripping in two and allowing the wolf-shaped maws on it to lash out. Sini vanished and reappeared behind the woman, bringing a sword made of water down in an attempt to rip her head clean off.


    Blood splashed down onto the floor, and Sini’s sword slipped from his grip as he stared down at his stomach. A beam of blue energy had stabbed through him. His glare turned toward the Emperor, who still rested on the throne. The man’s finger was raised ever so slightly, poking out of the black he had covered himself in. “Have you no shame! I was fighting her, and you- Wait! How did you do that energy-"


    Hell Hound’s mace smashed into the side of Sini’s head so hard his neck nearly snapped, and he was sent flying with dozens of his teeth flying out of his mouth. He rolled across the ground, spitting up blood, and groaned. Hell Hound stalked forward, raising her weapon, but stopped when she saw her master''s hand raised. As soon as she turned her back on him, Sini struck.


    Water formed together into a large snake made of liquid, which struck out and rammed into Hell Hound so hard it nearly snapped the woman’s neck. The villain stumbled back, and her helmet broke off of her armor and tumbled down.


    Sini went to push himself back up but instantly froze when he saw the face of his opponent. “Y- You.” He whispered out. He was seeing a ghost.


    The woman had pale skin and long brown hair that flowed down her back in a tangled mess. Her eyes were canine-like, as were her teeth, and her ears jutted out like that of a dog. Despite her new additions, he knew who this was.


    “Sky?”


    “That’s not my name anymore.” Hell Hound hissed through gritted teeth. “This might be Sky’s body, but I’m me! I’m Hell Hound!”


    He knew Nier had tried to bring his daughter back. Seven years ago, when they arrested Nier, the man’s monsters were taken in to be studied since it was the first time something like that happened. The Beast, however, had attacked the planet for a second time, and in the commotion, Nier as well as dozens of monsters managed to escape and get away. Now here one stood before him.


    The dead daughter, Sky, was back. The reason Nier was doing everything that he did. It was all to bring this girl back fully.


    Hell Hound stalked over to her master''s side, who began to slowly stand up. The woman put her helmet back on, covering her face once more, while the Emperor’s blue eyes stared down at Sini.


    “Let me guess...” Sini shakily pulled himself back up and nearly collapsed to his knees. “Now that I’m like this, you want to fight me, huh?” He stalked forward, moving past Hell Hound and back to the sword he left stabbed into the ground. “You really aren’t Nier anymore. You’re just as bad as Lucifer.” Sini screamed and ripped his weapons out of the ground. He gripped the sword tightly as ice armor began to form around his body. “I won’t give up, monster! This old man has some fight left in him!”


    The Emperor made no move to defend himself, staring at Sini quietly. As the hero limped forward with his sword raised high, the Emperor remained still. Sini swung down and…


    The Emperor struck out faster than the wounded hero could react. His armored fist jabbed forward, slamming into Sini’s chest with an echoing crack. The hero fell back, barely standing, as he tried to breathe, a monumental task in that moment. Each breath was painful, a strange wheezing sound accompanying every rise of his chest. He clutched at his gut in shock. That blow had a tremendous amount of force behind it. It was well past super strength. It was as if he had been struck by a giant.


    Sini fell to his knees and looked up at the throne. The Emperor stood, holding a bright white sword. He slowly walked forward and raised his blade. As it lifted fully, the blade began to glow. When it faded, the blade was no longer held in the Emperor’s hands. Instead, Avalon stood in front of Sini, dressed in a bright white lab coat that held a glow for a few seconds before the light faded out.


    “Hey Mr. Sini..." Avalon said, his saddened eyes staring into the hero’s.


    “What… are you doing with them?” Sini wheezed as he held a hand to his chest, trying to use his powers to force things to work inside his body. But one of the boons of being a Lord was his curse in that moment; the Lords were difficult to alter or affect with powers.


    Avalon smiled at his old friend, his mentor, the man who inspired him to work harder than anyone else. “I wish it didn’t have to go like this.” He stated, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder.


    Sini sucked in a breath as he felt bones shifting and grinding. “Then don’t… You don’t have to… join them. Please.” He gasped, pleading.


    “I’m sorry. I… He turned me into a monster. Nier did. He twisted me.” Avalon explained, looking down at his hands. “You know, he called me his Sword. I’m not a fighter, you remember that. Hell, I don’t like hurting people. But, hey… Can’t really say no. Not anymore. Now I have a job I have to do."


    Bloody hands grabbed onto Avalon’s white lab coat, leaving bloody streaks. Sini looked up at the man. “At least… Tell me what this is all for.” He asked.Stolen novel; please report.


    “That’s only fair,” Avalon replied with a smile. “It’s to save everyone, obviously. We need your power and the energy that the Lords naturally give off. More specifically, the power that is held within your Pod. They’re a tricky thing, you know. I’ve been studying them all. You basically gave me access to every Lord’s Pod, and I’ve been able to find out some interesting things, such as what they really are and where they came from.”


    “S- So you’re just going to kill me?” Sini spat out. “After everything we’ve done. All the hard work you did. This is the path you follow, Avalon?”


    Avalon just let out a soft sigh and ran his hand through his hair. He looked stressed, but he kept a smile on his face. “Don’t worry. You''re not going to die. You''re my dear friend after all. Wano wasn’t supposed to die either. We never wanted any of you to die. But you have to go away for a while. When you''re done, you can be let out. Both you and that other boy."


    Sini looked up. “Max? You''re talking about Max? What is it that you''re planning? What do you mean I have to go away?"


    “Are you asking about the method or the reasoning? Don’t answer, I know you want to know the method,” Avalon chuckled, kneeling down. “Well, you know my power used to be that I could pull memories out of people and transfer them into objects or other people. A little like a memory teleportation of sorts. Useful for helping people remember where they left their keys or figuring out what song they heard on the radio. He found me after the Beast. After his family died. He asked me to use my power on the Ego of his power. I never thought to go for the core of someone’s power, but when I did… The things I saw… They’re alive, you know? Our powers. Most of them aren’t sentient enough to accomplish much, but others? Well, some very bad stuff is just waiting on certain Egos to get their chance.”


    Avalon sat down, cross legged, not seeming to care as a trickle of Sini’s blood dripped across the lab coat.


    “I… know about… the Egos.” Sini muttered, his eyes beginning to lose focus due to the damage he took. “What are you implying?”


    “Yeah, I figured,” Avalon chuckled. “You Lords are a special case. That’s actually a really interesting thing. You see, when he twisted me, broke me into pieces, and let my power’s Ego consume what was left… Well, I learned something. A little secret. You want to hear it?”


    Sini didn’t answer, or perhaps he couldn’t, as Avalon leaned forward to whisper into his ears. Sini’s eyes widened, and he shakily raised his head. Avalon nodded and stood.


    “I suppose this is goodbye. I hope that, when this is all over and the world is truly safe, I can pull you out of what we have planned and you can rest in the first true age of complete peace,” Avalon stated, glowing brightly and disappearing as the sword reappeared in the Emperor’s hands.


    Sini closed his eyes as the Emperor brought his sword down.


    "Goodbye, Mr. Sini. Goodbye, my father." Were Avalon''s final words to the man who raised him.


    The sword touched down on Sini, and the Emperor gave two simple commands. "Put him back in his Pod. Bring the Pod here.”


    It happened all at once. In a bright flash, Sini was gone, and in its place, the Pod that belonged to Sini reappeared. It began to beep and let out several panicked noises as a full-grown man’s body was shoved into it instantly.


    Avalon could teleport to only places he had been or people he personally knew and had a connection with. All four Pods were something the man was very familiar with. After all, he had worked on a lot of them and used that metal to create his drones. The sword form he was now in was also made out of the same metal as the Pods.


    Before, his power had been to create gadgets made for spying and transferring memories. Now, after becoming a monster and having a new Ego implanted into him, that power had evolved to something further. The ability to transport matter itself across the universe, so long as it followed his established rules of being a place he had gone to, either as a sword or as a person. This rule could also be bypassed by instead focusing on the person who touched it and going to places they had been.


    For example, if someone went somewhere he hadn’t gone, as long as they were wielding him, he could still send that person to that location since they had gone there before. All Lords held a connection to the Pods, and it was their starting point for many of them. In a way, it was the perfect location to send them. Sini had started his life in the Pod so the sword could send him back to the heart of it all.


    Sini was literally undone and broken down as he was forced back into the very beginning of his starting state within the Pod, undoing it all. It was almost like a baby returning to the womb. The Pod expanded a bit before shrinking back down to its normal size, now holding the energy and soul of Sini and the Tallest Wave. Energy that began to softly spill out.


    The Pod began to whirl and hiss, the lights growing brighter as it tried to take off and fly away on its own. It didn’t get far though.


    In an instant, the Emperor changed and began to grow. Thick blue energy poured out of him, and his size rapidly expanded, getting far bigger. Hell Hound was forced to jump back, and she watched as her master grew to one hundred meters tall. Forged from crackling blue energy, the Emperor grabbed the fleeing pod and held it in his hand. Slowly his helmet began to crack and break as he forced part of his mask open and opened his mouth.


    He tilted his head back and then casually dropped the pod into his mouth, swallowing it.


    A Giant had just eaten a God.


    ***


    Far away, in the Domain of the Lord of Sky, thunder began to rumble.


    In the flipped realm, where the clouds solidified above and the endless blue sky lay below them, Max, Ruby, and Legend fought against Golden God, Fairy Queen, and The Princess of Life. Though saying it was a fight would be an overstatement.


    One of Golden God’s hands shot forward at Max, aiming to end this realm before it could do anything, but the man disappeared in a burst of lightning. Before anyone could react, Golden God let out a distorted scream as a column of lightning as wide as a skyscraper descended onto him. Max reappeared on top of Golden God as the lightning dissipated.


    “Tin can in a storm. You were the wrong person to send for me,” He stated in a blunt tone. "This is the power I discovered after my fight with Water Prince. This is my realm. My world. This is the power Nier brought out of me!"


    Both Fairy Queen and The Princess of Life sprung into action, leaping at the Lord of Sky. As they did, Fairy Queen felt a tug on her leg, turning to find Ruby grinning at her.


    “Remember me? Because I sure haven''t forgotten about you!" The red-haired girl announced.


    Fairy Queen swung at the self-proclaimed villain, but Ruby took the altered reality punch head-on and punched at the leg held in her hand. There was a sharp crack sound as Fairy Queen screamed and held her hand out at Ruby, who braced but was still blown back as reality around her rejected her presence.


    In Max’s realm, space twisted and changed constantly to the boy''s whim. Fairy Queen tried to make her infinite barrier, but it didn’t work in here. That meant Ruby’s attacks could actually reach her. Something Ruby was all too happy to prove by blasting forward, dodging the larger blasts of distorted reality. Fairy Queen growled, and Ruby just grinned even as small slashes left faint cuts across her flesh.


    All of them were flying through the air. Max''s wind caused them all to stay above the blue sky that was below them all the while the clouds above spat out lightning that constantly struck out as the enemies.


    This allowed Ruby to move in ways she normally didn''t. As she reached Fairy Queen, she grabbed the woman by the head and gripped down.


    “I’m not stupid, I can tell you’ve got some regeneration. Never had to fight someone like that. You mind if I test some attacks out?” She asked with a laugh as she rammed a knee into the villain’s stomach and sent them into one of the pillars of storm cloud.


    Meanwhile, when The Princess of Life leapt for Max, she felt a hand grip her foot. She turned to find a twisted, ugly face with scraggly black hair and a thick beard. Legend held her in a meaty, thick hand and punched at her with the other. The Princess of Life blocked the hit, but even she was surprised at the impact those fists left. Even for super strength, this was too much. Those hands held the heat of volcanoes and hit hard enough to form even the toughest metals—the hands of a powerful smith.


    The Princess of Life was sent falling into the endless blue sky below but stopped and floated back up to Legend. She flipped some of her long brown hair and gave a gentle smile.


    She didn''t look like a monster, unlike her two teammates. She looked human, beautiful, and peaceful. She wore a long white gown, and her eyes almost seemed to glow and spark.


    "How are you here?" Legend questioned. "You died. I was sure of it. I was there when Nier found your body."


    "The real Princess is long gone." The woman hummed. "I guess I''m nothing more than a body holding onto what little memories were able to be transferred into me with that white sword... Still, I have a job to fulfill. I will be the one to carry my Lord''s new child within me."


    "Nier really is the Emperor, huh?" Legend sighed tiredly. "Sounds like he really went off the deep end."


    “Please, surrender,” The Princess of Life asked, looking at the man as he shifted back to his normal form. “You are an Enforcer. You fight to save this world, so, please, allow us to save it despite our evils.”


    The hero grunted and shook his head. “No can do. If there’s anything I’ve taught my children, it’s that evil cannot be allowed to win, no matter what. If I’m going to leave anything when I’m gone, I want it to be that lesson.”


    The Princess of Life frowned. “You don’t know what you’re accomplishing with this resistance. But alas, you believe it is right.”


    "It doesn''t matter if it''s right or wrong. I''m going to do what needs to be done and let you finally rest, Ghost of Nier''s past."


    “That’s what you call me, huh.” The Princess of Life’s frown grew. “I was a corpse. One who was brought back seven years ago. The same happened to Hell Hound. The souls you once knew are long gone. We are brand new creations. I know the Emperor holds no love for me. I can never truly be the wife he wanted. He found me recently again and tamed me along with Hell Hound. Forced us to submit to him. He gave me a job to do. Hell Hound was too imperfect in his eyes. He needs to create a new body. One that can house the soul of the real Sky. To do that, he needs power, though. Lots of power. It is my duty to carry the body of what will one day belong to Sky. So in the meantime, I can’t let people like you who will get in our way live.”


    Legend closed his eyes and shook his head. "You got it all wrong. It’s you who can’t live. You’re nothing more than bad memories rolled up into human flesh. You might look human, but you’re almost worse than the other two that are here. You’re the closest thing to an actual monster I’ve seen.”


    Max watched his allies fighting from on top of Golden God. The giant villain seemed to object at being used as a viewing platform as several hands zoomed toward the newly awakened Lord. Right before they hit, Max disappeared with a burst of lightning, reappearing away from the robot.


    He kicked toward the villain, air and lightning twisting together as the blast hit, denting metal and leaving the air smelling like static.


    Breathing heavily, Max looked down at himself, feeling the adrenaline running through him like electricity. He knew this place deeply. Even without looking up, one of Golden God’s hands was blasted out of the air by lightning as it shot toward him.


    As Fairy Queen readied for another clash with Ruby, the air around her compressed and the pressure rapidly increased, steadily crushing the villain with pure oxygen even as the villain warped the area.


    The Princess of Life dove down into the endless blue, but it wasn’t enough. Cloud tendrils wrapped around her instantly and dragged her up, slamming her into the cloud roof.


    The pillars of storm clouds gathered behind Max, collecting and forming together, growing cloudy wings and talons. Behind him, a colossal bird made of clouds let out a shriek. Max held his hand out at Golden God and opened his mouth.


    “Loudest Thunder-” His words were cut off as the clouds above them cracked and shattered, as did the endless blue, all of it detonating on the villains in a massive storm cloud explosion.


    The realm collapsed, and Max fell for a moment, caught by Legend as the man shot forward with winged feet.


    “Whoa, that took more out of me than I expected. You got an energy bar in those robes?” He asked the Enforcer, sweat beading on his face.


    Mermaid rose to greet them, riding a platform of floating water. “What was that?” She asked, looking at the three heroes as the wind carried them softly to the ground now that they were in the real world.


    "I don''t know, but flying was a lot of fun." Ruby announced, rubbing her fist. "I''m going to need to figure out how to do something like that myself one day."


    "I don''t see that happening." Legend said flatly.


    "I''ll show you! I''ll say screw gravity and just fly!" Ruby announced.


    "So, uh. What do we do about those guys?" Mermaid asked, gesturing to the villains. "Are they still alive?" Left in a large smoldering crater directly over most of the rampaging monster, Golden God was flat on his back along with a beat-up Princess of Life and Fairy Queen. Both villains were still up and glared down at them.


    Before they could move though, Golden God let out a loud, hellish creak. They all turned to see the robot leaning backwards, exposing his stomach. The metal unfolded, revealing a doorway built into his gut. His job was to be a vehicle. If Fairy Queen and Hell Hound were both the bodyguards of the Emperor, and the Princess of Life was to be the mother of his child, then Golden God''s job was to simply carry the man...


    An armored figure stepped out of the doorway, walking onto one of Golden God’s hands, eyes blazing with red energy. Max growled as he recognized the figure. The Emperor stood before them.


    Fairy Queen and The Princess of Life both bowed, paying respect to their master. As they did, Legend and Mermaid shot forward. Legend grew a flowing white beard as his muscles expanded, jabbing forward with a lightning bolt. Mermaid gathered as much water as she could to send a giant water tentacle at the villain.


    The Emperor smacked out at the attacks, blasting Legend back with a punch and slapping the air to send a shockwave that sent Mermaid flying.


    “Feeble attacks. I have fought with Giants every day, and their strength eclipses yours. Do not waste your efforts.” A voice echoed out from under the armor, almost seeming to mock them.


    Max roared and flew at the Emperor, Ruby following behind, still carried by the flowing winds. The Emperor swung his fist out lazily, and Max dodged under it, thrusting a crackling palm out at the villain, but the energy faded before the hit landed as the Lord of Sky breathed heavily.


    Ruby kicked him away from the Emperor as she kicked between his legs, only managing to hurt her foot as the villain shook his head. He backhanded the hero, and she was sent flying back.


    “This guy’s tough,” She stated.


    Max seethed. “He killed my father. I’m going to beat him, no matter what.”


    Ruby smirked. “Then you’re going to need to bring your a-game. Match my pace, okay?”


    The Lord of Sky nodded as the duo rocketed forward, ignoring the calls to retreat from Legend and Mermaid.


    Ruby struck first, punching at the Emperor’s chest, and when she dodged his swipe, Max dove in with a charged fist, ramming it into the armored back. As the villain turned around, Ruby slammed an elbow into his head, but even that didn’t shift him.


    Before they could retreat, the Emperor’s fists lashed out, and they were both sent crashing to the ground. Max held out his hand, and the air twisted to cushion their impact.


    Legend and Mermaid landed nearby.


    The Emperor and his Generals landed. Before anyone could object, Ruby shot forward, yelling. “I’m taking your place, damn it!”


    The Emperor dodged her reckless swing and grabbed her by the throat. As she struggled and choked, he leaned toward her.


    “Poor little failed experiment. I’m going to do the right thing and put you down, now.” He whispered, his hand jabbing at Ruby’s stomach.


    As it neared her, Ruby was suddenly dropped to the ground as a burning mass slammed into the Emperor. As everyone turned to look, they watched as the Emperor was pushed back and leapt away.


    “Full Monarch, a shame. I thought Lucifer would hold you for at least a little. That cretin is useless,” The Emperor cursed, looking into the eyes of the number one hero, Full Monarch.


    Full Monarch stood, smoking and steaming, and crossed his arms. “He let me pass. Wanted me to let you know that he doesn’t work for you.”


    The Emperor swore and dashed forward, sending an elbow at Full Monarch’s face. The hero ducked under the attack and rose with a beam of fire directly into the villain’s armored mask.


    As it hit, there was a cracking noise as the Emperor jumped back.


    Everyone watched as the mask cracked and fell to the ground, revealing the white hair and red eyes of Nier, who was already in their battle mode.


    Max let out a choked noise as he stumbled and dropped to a knee, staring in shock and horror. “Nier, it’s you? Why? And… how? I saw you there!” He yelled, disbelief clear in his voice.


    “I’m sorry you had to see that,” Nier replied. “I had hoped he would go quietly; allow me to teleport him. I told him that it would be sparing you. Instead, he chose to kill himself and pass on the Lord’s power to you. That damn idiot. I never planned for Wano to die. None of you were going to die. I was just going to get rid of you for a bit. Now I have to take you. Of course, I had to strengthen you first. Had to make sure the Lord Ego assimilated with a strong enough host. Now that you’ve reached that point, I can continue with my plan!”


    Max glared at Nier with utter hate. “What is it! What on Earth could justify the death of my father! What do you need me for!”


    “It isn’t just you that I need, boy.” Nier pointed at Full Monarch smirking. “I need you as well, Jackson. All of us are required for this. I’m going to take the power of all four Lords and combine them into one! With power like that, I’ll be a godlike being that can truly save this planet!"


    Full Monarch frowned. “You cannot absorb a Lord’s power.”


    Nier’s smirk only grew. “I don’t need the power to be within me! I just need it in its raw, unstable form. The Pods hold power beyond anything on this planet! They created us after all! By putting a Lord back into one while that Lord is still alive, it causes the machines to have a melt down! They begin to give off a tremendous amount of power and try to rebuild their Lords! While that energy is going off, I plan to use it!! I don’t need you guys to help me! I’ll put you back into the machine and harness that explosive power of all four Lords to force my goal to happen!”


    Ruby Admiral frowned. “I respect the evil monologue, but what the hell is your goal exactly? It’s gotta be important for you to go through all of this, right?”


    Nier nodded his head and threw his arms out. “Of course it is! Once I have gathered all of the Lord Egos, I will finally be strong enough to truly save this world. You see, the only way for this planet to truly be safe is to make everyone a Super. Ensure there is no weakness in my perfect world. But humanity’s weakness is an even greater hurdle than I expected it to be. I can twist them all I want and grant them powers to make them into a Super, but they all fail going crazy. Even I don’t want a world full of mindless Monsters. I will not- No! I cannot bring my daughter back into a world of insanity or weakness. This planet must be perfect! It must be a world where she will never again be harmed by forces outside of my control!”


    "Let''s say your plan of putting us back in the Pods and using the Pods to access our powers works. Why do you think this will make your goal magically work? Everytime you try to make a human into a Super, it goes wrong!" Full Monarch yelled. “You’re just wasting life at this point!”


    Nier let out a hiss and pointed to the heavens. "Don''t you know the legends! The first Supers to ever set foot on this cursed rock we call our planet were the four Lords! The four of them then came together to slay the entity that called itself the Shadow! After that point, not only did they find themselves stuck in an endless cycle of reincarnation, they also brought forth an age of Supers! That''s the key! It must be! During that moment, all four Lords existed inside of their Pods and were all born together at the same time. I believe that combined force caused the birth of Supers to happen! If I can get the power of all four Lords to be together once more just as they did in that fateful battle all those years ago, then I''ll have the power to bring about a brand-new dawn of Supers! There will be no humans! No weakness! It will be a perfect planet! And with that power, I’ll be more than Godlike! I’d be above even you! So strong that I could rip into the afterlife and grab every soul that is there and force them back into their bodies! I’ll be able to bring her back! My daughter Sky will live once again!”


    “You’re insane,” Full Monarch muttered sadly. “You know they wouldn’t want this.”


    “What they want!” Nier yelled, “They don’t want anything now. They’re dead! Their dreams and their wants died with them! As did any hope I had to save a planet full of weak trash.”


    The number one hero shook his head. “There’s no getting through to you, is there?”


    Nier’s glare was enough to answer.


    Full Monarch bowed his head and readied himself. He wasn’t smiling. Not anymore. “Then, I make this vow; I will defeat you, old friend. I’ll end your pain and finally bring you peace. I’m going to right these wrongs.”