The underground capital remained silent.
Too silent.
After Null's vision, nobody felt comfortable anymore.
The Fifth Fragment knew where they were.
That alone changed everything.
Hyung stood beside Null.
"Can you see him?"
Null shook his head.
"No."
His spiral eye slowly rotated.
"But he can see us."
Nobody liked that answer.
Especially D U.
"Great."
He crossed his arms.
"We've upgraded from world-ending entities to stalkers."
Eris sighed.
"You joke when you're nervous."
"Correct."
The station suddenly trembled.
Once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
Everyone froze.
Caelum immediately looked upward.
"No..."
One's smile disappeared.
Zero cursed.
The Royal Guardian stepped forward.
Its spear materialized instantly.
"FOREIGN PRESENCE DETECTED."
The atmosphere changed.
Cold.
Sharp.
Predatory.
Like being targeted by something that had already decided how you would die.
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Approaching from the darkness beyond the station.
One step.
Another.
Another.
Nobody moved.
The figure finally emerged.
Black armor.
White cloak.
Silver mask.
A massive executioner's blade resting across one shoulder.
Tall.
Broad.
Silent.
The stranger stopped.
Then looked directly at Null.
Not Hyung.
Not D U.
Not One.
Null.
The mask slowly tilted.
Studying him.
Evaluating him.
Judging him.
The Royal Guardian immediately stepped forward.
Its voice echoed.
"IDENTITY."
The masked warrior answered.
The first words he had spoken.
"I have many names."
His voice was deep.
Emotionless.
Ancient.
Then he pointed the massive blade toward Null.
"But my master calls me..."
The air trembled.
"Executioner."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then D U sighed.
"Of course he does."
Far away.
Inside the Fifth Fragment's throne world.
The dark duplicate watched through countless floating mirrors.
Each mirror showed the underground capital.
Each mirror showed Null.
The Fifth Fragment smiled.
"There he is."
Aizeno stood nearby.
Watching.
Waiting.
The Fifth Fragment leaned forward.
"Do you think he'll survive?"
Aizeno answered calmly.
"If he doesn't, everything was pointless."
The Fifth Fragment laughed.
"You still believe in him."
Aizeno didn't answer.
That silence was answer enough.
Back at the station—
Executioner slowly approached.
Each step cracked the ground.
Each step increased the pressure.
Hyung moved first.
His sword appeared instantly.
"You stop right there."
Executioner didn't even look at him.
His eyes remained locked on Null.
"I wasn't sent for you."
Hyung's expression darkened.
"Too bad."
Gravity exploded around him.
Mid-Prime energy erupted outward.
The station shook.
Hyung vanished.
Appearing directly before Executioner.
SLASH.
The sword struck.
CLANG.
The impact echoed throughout the underground city.
Hyung's eyes widened.
Executioner blocked with one hand.
One hand.
Nothing more.
The massive sword still rested on his shoulder.
Executioner looked at Hyung for the first time.
"Protector Fragment."
His voice remained calm.
"Move."
BOOOOM.
Hyung was launched backward.
Through two pillars.
Across the station.
The battle had started.
The Royal Guardian moved.
Golden light erupted from its armor.
Ancient symbols activated.
The spear expanded.
Energy flooded the battlefield.
One immediately stepped backward.
"Oh."
Zero nodded.
"This is going to be ugly."
The Guardian lowered its stance.
"HOSTILE TARGET CONFIRMED."
Executioner finally removed the giant blade from his shoulder.
The moment it touched the ground—
The entire station cracked.
Reality distorted.
D U stopped smiling.
"...That sword isn't normal."
One answered quietly.
"Nothing about him is."
Executioner pointed the blade toward the Guardian.
"King's Guardian."
The Guardian raised its spear.
"Execution Protocol."
Both ancient warriors recognized each other.
And neither liked what they saw.
Then—
They moved.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
The collision shook the entire underground capital.
Golden energy exploded outward.
Black force surged back.
The shockwave erased everything between them.
Walls.
Rails.
Stone.
Gone.
The Guardian pushed forward.
Executioner pushed back.
Neither gave an inch.
The station began collapsing around them.
Null watched carefully.
Then his spiral eye activated.
Again.
A vision appeared.
A battlefield.
The Guardian destroyed.
Executioner kneeling.
The Fifth Fragment smiling.
And behind him—
A giant black door.
Larger than the Door.
Older than the Door.
Locked.
Waiting.
The vision vanished.
Null immediately understood.
Executioner wasn't here to kill them.
He was here to test them.
Or measure them.
Or prepare them.
Because something worse was coming.
Much worse.
The Guardian's spear shattered part of Executioner's mask.
For the first time—
Everyone saw one of his eyes.
Golden-black.
Exactly like Null's.
Exactly like the Fifth Fragment's.
Executioner stopped moving.
Slowly touched the broken mask.
Then smiled.
A small smile.
A dangerous smile.
And the pressure across the battlefield doubled.
One's face immediately changed.
"That's bad."
D U looked at him.
"You keep saying that."
One stared at Executioner.
"No."
For the first time—
One looked genuinely alarmed.
Then he whispered:
"He's not the messenger."
Everyone froze.
Executioner's smile widened.
One slowly finished his sentence.
"He's the First Executioner."
The underground capital trembled.
And far away—
The Fifth Fragment stood from his throne.
Finally.
TO BE CONTINUED...