Destiny, Nina, and Maggie scrambled to their feet in the collapsing Temple.
The floor cracked.
The pillars groaned.
Holy fountains shattered into dust.
Destiny cried:
"We have to go after her!"
But Nina didn't move.
Her eyes locked on the far end of the hall—
at the two largest Stone Angels.
The Queen and King Guardians.
For eons, they stood together—
supporting the highest weight of Heaven.
Holding up entire realms.
Older than seraphim.
Older than written prophecy.
And now—
CRRRRACK—BOOOM!!
Their stone bodies split open like eggshells.
Divine fire spilled out of the fractures.
A roar echoed through Heaven as their stone shells exploded outward—
shards flying, pillars collapsing.
Two colossal figures stepped out:
THE QUEEN GUARDIAN
Hair white as galaxies.
Eyes blazing pure, blinding white.
Wings wider than cathedrals.
Cracks glowing white-gold across her skin like molten stars.
THE KING GUARDIAN
Horns like curved halos.
Skin like carved moonstone.
Aura shaking every realm at once.
The Queen took one step forward—
and the Temple floor split open under her heel.
Destiny stumbled, terrified.
"Maggie… Nina… what are they doing?!"
Maggie's face went pale with horror.
"Their daughter—Sanctuary—was awakened without ritual.
They're not calm.
They're not rational."
Nina exhaled shakily.
"They're furious."
The Queen Guardian walked straight through the three angels—
the temperature dropping so fast their wings frosted over.
She didn't even see them.
She only saw the sky where Sanctuary fell.
With a scream of rage older than Earth itself, the Queen dove through the clouds—
she didn't fly—
she descended like a falling star.
The King followed her instantly.
Destiny clutched her chest.
"Nina… Maggie… what does this mean?!"
Maggie's voice trembled.
"The Temple was supposed to stand for thousands of years…
Even without a God."
She looked up as another beam cracked.
"But with those two awake…"
Her eyes glassed with tears.
"Heaven's collapse won't take decades.
It will take days."
Destiny staggered.
"We're losing everything…"
Nina, usually fearless, whispered:
"We need Blood Reaper.
Now."
Sanctuary plummeted through the atmosphere, wrapped in blazing celestial light.
Clouds tore open around her.
Winds screamed.
The air cracked from her uncontrolled power.
And clinging to her waist like a gleeful parasite—
the Jester Demon.
Its painted grin didn't move,
but its voice whispered in Sanctuary's mind:
"Run, little angel… RUN…
Don't ever let them cage you again…"
Sanctuary didn't question.
Her eyes were wild with freedom and fear.
She smashed into the Earth—
not hard enough to destroy it,
but enough to blast a crater of scorched dirt and twisted trees.
The moment she hit the ground—
Sanctuary bolted.
She sprinted out of the crater, wings tucked tight, hair wild, bare feet slapping the earth.
She darted between abandoned cars, crashed through fences, vanished into alleys.
The Jester Demon rode her shoulder like a pet, humming softly:
"Hide, hide, hide…"
She didn't know where she was going.
Only that she must not be caught.
High above the Earth, between Heaven and the clouds,
Ghost appeared in a streak of black flame.
He arrived just in time—
The King and Queen Guardians tore through the sky like two living swords of light.
Ghost thrust out his hand.
"STOP! YOU CAN'T LEAVE HEAVEN—IT'S ALREADY COLLAPSING!"
The Queen didn't slow.
Her eyes were blinding white, overflowing with ancient fury.
Ghost swallowed hard.
He stepped in front of them.
"You must return. If the Temple falls—"
The King's voice shook the atmosphere.
"OUR DAUGHTER WAS TAKEN."
The Queen raised a hand.
Power like a star imploded.
Ghost barely dodged as a beam of divine energy cleaved through the sky, lighting up every cloud below.
He hissed through his teeth.
"They're not listening…"
He summoned his Scythe of Death, spinning it in a wide arc to block the next blast—
CLANG—BOOM—!!
The Queen's strike hit the scythe with such force that Ghost was thrown downward, ripping through clouds like shattering glass.
He stabilized midair, breathing hard.
"Your daughter is confused—she's frightened! But if you leave Heaven—"
The King lunged.
Massive.
Relentless.
Like a meteor of living stone and divine fire.
Ghost crossed his scythe to block—
KRA-KOOOM!!
The impact blasted him through the upper cloud layer.
Lightning flashed around them.
Storm winds howled.
The Queen appeared behind Ghost in a blink, grabbing his throat.
Ghost choked, clawing at her hand.
"Hng—! You are tearing the realms apart—!"
The Queen's voice echoed like broken bells.
"We will tear EVERYTHING apart until Sanctuary is safe."
Ghost managed to teleport, slipping from her grasp—
He reappeared behind them, panting.
"You don't understand—Sanctuary is on Earth.
If she panics, she could LEVEL cities."
The King and Queen turned to him at the same time.
Their eyes glowed so bright the sun dimmed.
"We KNOW."
Ghost's entire skeletal frame trembled.
"This is… bad. Really bad."
He tightened his grip on his scythe.
He didn't want to fight them.
He knew he couldn't win.
But he had to try.
"I'm sorry," he whispered—
and charged.