The courtyard was no longer a courtyard.
It was a battlefield.
The once-beautiful training yard of Anipla Academy had been reduced to broken stones, deep craters, shattered walls, and enormous cracks stretching across the ground. Several training structures had been destroyed.
Dust floated through the afternoon air.
A few students watched from a considerable distance, still trying to understand what had happened.
At the centre of the destruction stood six individuals.
Five young Animans and one enormous figure.
The enormous figure was Mufasa, the King of Animans and the father of the five brothers: Lam, Asad, Draz, Krodh, and Bayu.
Standing in front of him was the academy's principal.
The principal looked at the destroyed courtyard.
Then he looked at Mufasa.
Then at the courtyard again.
Mufasa calmly examined the destruction.
Mufasa: "I will fix it. Don't worry."
Principal: "Of course, Majesty. Do whatever you wish."
Mufasa: "Good."
Mufasa turned towards his sons.
His five sons were standing together, looking relatively relaxed despite having just destroyed an enormous portion of their academy.
He observed them for a moment.
Then, without saying anything else, his body disappeared.
FWOOSH!
A small distortion appeared in the air where he had been standing.
Mufasa had teleported away.
The principal looked at the empty space.
Principal: "At least the King is reasonable."
The five brothers remained silent for a few seconds.
Then Lam broke the silence.
Lam: "Shit. We couldn't find the winner."
Asad: "Yeah. We were so close, though."
Draz: "Close? We destroyed half the courtyard and still couldn't settle it."
Krodh: "At least Father didn't say anything to us."
Bayu crossed his arms.
Bayu: "So, next time."
Lam turned towards him.
Lam: "Next time what?"
Bayu: "We finish what we started."
Asad immediately understood.
Asad: "You mean another fight?"
Bayu: "Obviously."
Krodh looked at the enormous crater nearby.
Krodh: "We should probably choose somewhere else."
Lam: "Why?"
Krodh: "Because I don't particularly want to explain to the principal why the entire academy disappeared."
Draz laughed.
Draz: "That's actually reasonable."
Asad nodded.
Asad: "Fine. From next time, we'll fight somewhere else. Not in the schoolyard."
Lam: "Agreed."
Bayu: "Somewhere without teachers."
Krodh: "And without innocent buildings."
Lam looked at him.
Lam: "You say that as if you weren't responsible for half of this destruction."
Krodh: "I was responsible for the interesting half."
Draz: "That's not helping."
The five brothers started laughing.
For a moment, everything seemed normal again.
The destroyed courtyard, the exhausted teachers, and the frightened students were simply part of another ordinary day at Anipla Academy.
Or at least, that was what the five brothers thought.
They had no idea that something had already noticed them.
Something that was watching from very far away.
Something that had no intention of introducing itself.
Not yet.
---
"YOOOOOO!"
A familiar voice echoed across the courtyard.
Lam immediately turned his head.
A boy was approaching them with a relaxed expression and a rather silly smile.
His hands were inside his pockets.
He walked as though he had absolutely no concerns about the destroyed courtyard.
Faizan: "LAM!"
Lam's expression changed.
Lam: "Faizan?"
The boy raised one hand.
Faizan: "What's up, idiot?"
Lam stared at him.
Lam: "Why are you here?"
Faizan: "Because I study here?"
Lam: "..."
Faizan: "Same academy, same section, same classroom. Remember?"
Lam: "I know that. I just wasn't expecting you."
Faizan laughed.
Narrator:
FAIZAN F. MAHMUD D DINO G.O.D SAND.
Lam's closest friend.
G.O.D of Sand.
His contract belongs to Rexas, a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Despite possessing the power to manipulate sand, Faizan is generally silly, calm, and difficult to take seriously.
He is the sort of person who might casually joke around while standing in the middle of a disaster.
Faizan approached Lam and slapped him lightly on the shoulder.
Faizan: "So, I heard something interesting."
Lam: "What?"
Faizan: "Apparently, five idiots destroyed the schoolyard."
Lam slowly looked towards his brothers.
Lam: "Who told you that?"
Faizan pointed at the destroyed courtyard.
Faizan: "The evidence."
Lam: "Shut up."
Faizan laughed again.
Behind him, another boy was walking towards the group.
Unlike Faizan, he looked physically exhausted.
His shoulders were slightly lowered, and he was breathing as though he had just completed several kilometres of running.
Saad: "Can you people walk a little slower?"
Faizan turned.
Faizan: "Bro, we're literally walking."
Saad: "And somehow you're still faster than me."
Faizan: "Skill issue."
Saad gave him an irritated look.
Narrator:
SAMIUL S. ISLAM SAAD DINO G.O.D SMOKE.
G.O.D of Smoke.
His contract belongs to Giga.
Saad is the athlete of the group. His smoke-based abilities allow him to obscure his movements and create opportunities during combat.
He is physically athletic, although his patience is considerably less impressive.
Saad finally reached the group.
Saad: "What's going on?"
Asad: "Nothing much. We were just discussing our next fight."
Saad looked at the courtyard.
Saad: "Your next fight?"
He paused.
Then looked back at the five brothers.
Saad: "You destroyed the courtyard again?"
Draz: "Again?"
Saad: "I mean... look at it."
Krodh: "Technically, this is the first time."
Saad: "Technically, I don't care."
Faizan started laughing.
Faizan: "Bro, the principal probably needs therapy."
Lam: "He'll be fine. Father said he'll repair everything."
Saad: "Wait. Your father came?"
Asad: "Yeah."
Saad: "And?"
Bayu: "He teleported away."
Saad stared at him.
Saad: "That's it?"
Krodh: "That's it."
Saad: "Your father is terrifyingly generous."
Lam: "We know."
Suddenly, another voice emerged from behind them.
Nehal: "Did somebody say terrifying?"
Lam's expression changed.
He slowly turned around.
A boy was standing behind him.
Nobody had noticed him approaching.
Lam: "Nehal."
Nehal: "Yes?"
Lam: "How long have you been standing there?"
Nehal: "Long enough."
Lam: "That's not an answer."
Nehal smiled.
Narrator:
TAHMID SARKAR G.O.D STEEL N DINO NEHAL.
G.O.D of Steel.
His contract belongs to Spinas.
Nehal is one of the most unpredictable members of the group. His personality is unusual, his humour is frequently inappropriate, and his behaviour is difficult to predict.
However, when it comes to combat, his steel-based abilities make him a dangerous opponent.
Nehal looked around.
Nehal: "Interesting."
Lam: "What?"
Nehal: "Five brothers. One destroyed courtyard. One very generous king."
Asad: "What are you trying to say?"
Nehal: "Nothing. I'm just wondering whether the academy has insurance."
Faizan burst into laughter.
Saad: "Please don't encourage him."
Nehal ignored him.
Nehal: "Anyway, what happened?"
Lam pointed towards the destroyed courtyard.
Lam: "We fought."
Nehal: "I can see that."
Lam: "We couldn't determine the winner."
Nehal: "How?"
Draz: "Because nobody was willing to lose."
Nehal looked impressed.
Nehal: "That's genuinely stupid."
Krodh: "Thank you."
Nehal: "It wasn't a compliment."
Another voice interrupted the conversation.
Shoaib: "Statistically speaking, the destruction was unnecessary."
Everyone turned.
A boy wearing glasses approached them while holding a tablet.
His eyes were fixed on the screen.
He didn't even seem particularly interested in the people around him.
Shoaib: "Based on the visible damage, approximately sixty-eight percent of the courtyard's original structure has been compromised."
Lam looked at him.
Lam: "No."
Shoaib looked up.
Shoaib: "What?"
Lam: "No, no, no."
Shoaib: "What is your problem?"
Lam: "Not you."
Shoaib: "Then who?"
Lam: "The nerd."
Shoaib adjusted his glasses.
Shoaib: "I am not a nerd. I am simply more intellectually developed than the average individual."
Faizan whispered to Saad.
Faizan: "That's nerd language."
Saad nodded.
Saad: "Definitely."
Narrator:
SHAMSUL HAQUE MOHAMMAD S G.O.D ROCK SHOAIB DINO.
G.O.D of Rock.
His contract belongs to Niger.
Shoaib is the intellectual member of the group. He specialises in analysing geological structures, density, mass, and physical properties.
His calculations help him understand the weaknesses of different materials and use rocks effectively in combat.
Shoaib looked towards the courtyard.
Shoaib: "Actually, I can calculate the approximate amount of material required to rebuild this entire area."
Lam: "Nobody asked."
Shoaib: "I wasn't talking to you."
Lam: "Good."
Shoaib: "Your fighting technique was also inefficient."
Lam: "WHAT?"
Shoaib: "You heard me."
Faizan started laughing again.
Faizan: "This is going to be a good year."
Then something changed.
The atmosphere became slightly colder.
Not dramatically.
Not enough for anyone to panic.
But there was an unusual sensation.
A boy stood a little away from the group.
He had appeared without making any noticeable sound.
His expression was quiet.
His eyes were difficult to read.
Ishan: "You're all noisy."
Everyone turned towards him.
Lam: "Ishan?"
Ishan nodded.
Narrator:
ISHAN I DIN G.O.D HAUNT MUHHAMMAD DINO.
G.O.D of Haunt.
His contract belongs to Tri.
Ishan is a mysterious individual whose abilities connect him to the boundary between the living and the dead.
His presence is often difficult to detect, even for individuals with exceptional perception.
Faizan looked at him.
Faizan: "Bro, where did you come from?"
Ishan: "Here."
Faizan: "That's not helpful."
Ishan: "I know."
Saad rubbed his forehead.
Saad: "Why is everyone in this group so weird?"
Nehal: "Because you're here."
Saad: "Shut up."
Lam looked around.
All five of his friends had gathered.
Faizan.
Saad.
Nehal.
Shoaib.
Ishan.
Together with the five brothers, there were now ten young Animans standing in the courtyard.
Ten individuals with extraordinary contracts.
Ten G.O.Ds.
Ten potential fighters.
Asad: "So, everyone's here."
Faizan: "Looks like it."
Bayu: "Same section?"
Saad: "Apparently."
Draz: "That's convenient."
Krodh: "Or dangerous."
Nehal: "Both."
Shoaib looked at his tablet.
Shoaib: "Our section is going to be academically interesting."
Lam stared at him.
Lam: "Please don't start."
Shoaib: "I haven't even started."
Lam: "Exactly."
Everyone laughed.
For a few moments, the group simply stood together, discussing the events of the day.
But eventually, Faizan brought up the subject everyone had been avoiding.
Faizan: "Seriously, though. What exactly happened here?"
Lam looked towards the enormous crater.
Lam: "We were fighting."
Faizan: "We established that."
Lam: "We wanted to determine who was the strongest among us."
Saad: "And?"
Asad: "Nobody won."
Nehal: "How?"
Draz: "Because everyone kept increasing their power."
Krodh: "And nobody was willing to back down."
Bayu: "Eventually, the entire courtyard became part of the fight."
Faizan looked at the ground.
Faizan: "You five are unbelievable."
Saad: "Wait. You were actually fighting seriously?"
Lam: "Yes."
Saad: "All five of you?"
Asad: "Yes."
Saad: "And nobody was holding back?"
There was a brief silence.
Lam: "Not exactly."
Saad: "What does that mean?"
Draz: "Some of us were holding back."
Krodh: "Some weren't."
Nehal: "And the courtyard paid the price."
Shoaib: "The courtyard was structurally incapable of surviving the accumulated destructive output."
Lam looked at him.
Lam: "You really need to stop talking."
Shoaib: "I am providing useful information."
Faizan: "So, basically, you five had a fight, destroyed the schoolyard, and your father arrived to clean up the mess?"
Bayu: "Pretty much."
Faizan: "Wonderful."
Nehal: "A perfect example of responsible students."
Ishan: "The courtyard will remember."
Everyone looked at him.
Saad: "What?"
Ishan: "Nothing."
Faizan started laughing.
The conversation continued.
They discussed the fight, the damage, the principal's reaction, and their upcoming classes.
Nobody suspected that something far more dangerous had already begun moving.
Something was observing them.
And it was about to remind them how small their world really was.
---
Far away from Anipla Academy, beyond the ordinary territories of the Animan civilization, stood a gigantic mountain.
Its peak pierced through the clouds.
The surrounding landscape was completely silent.
No birds.
No animals.
No wind strong enough to disturb the atmosphere.
At the very top stood a man.
A mysterious man with five arms.
His face was completely hidden.
His physical appearance was unusual.
His body was perfectly built, possessing the muscular proportions of an exceptionally trained athlete.
His upper body was uncovered, revealing a powerful torso and defined muscles.
He wore slim red trousers.
There was no armour.
No cape.
No visible protection.
Yet something about his presence made the entire mountain feel insignificant.
His five arms were arranged in an extraordinary formation.
His two lower hands held enormous spiked plungers.
Their handles were dark, and their circular heads were surrounded by vicious metallic spikes.
His upper-left hand held a gigantic red five-headed trident.
Its five sharp heads pointed towards the sky.
His upper-right hand held a red drum.
Five bells were connected to it, creating an unusual arrangement of five separate bell structures.
The fifth arm rested calmly beside his body.
Around him floated five mysterious orbs.
One was red.
One was black.
One was purple.
One was green.
One was blue.
Each orb moved independently, occasionally rotating around him.
He stood completely still.
His attention was directed towards the distant Anipla Planet.
After watching for several moments, he spoke.
Five-Armed Man: "So... these kids are also G.O.Ds."
His voice was calm.
There was no excitement.
No surprise.
Just an observation.
He continued watching.
Five-Armed Man: "Interesting."
Suddenly...
The atmosphere changed.
A red distortion appeared behind him.
Something emerged from it.
A gigantic, elongated humanoid creature.
Its body was red.
Its appearance was demonic.
Its limbs were unusually long, and its overall structure resembled a monstrous human whose anatomy had been distorted beyond recognition.
Its face was terrifying.
Its presence radiated an enormous amount of blood-based energy.
It was not an ordinary Blood creature.
It was an Upper Blood.
Its name was Blood.
The creature opened its mouth.
A horrifying sound escaped its throat.
The mountain trembled.
Several distant rocks broke apart and fell from the cliffs.
The Five-Armed Man didn't even turn around.
Five-Armed Man: "So... a Blood is attacking me."
Blood immediately launched itself towards him.
Its speed was tremendous.
The distance between them disappeared almost instantly.
Its enormous claw extended towards the mysterious man's head.
But the man simply moved one of his lower arms.
He swung his plunger.
SWISH!
A single movement.
A single attack.
Blood's entire body was destroyed.
Its red form disintegrated into countless microscopic fragments.
There was no struggle.
No prolonged battle.
No exchange of attacks.
The creature simply ceased to exist as a functioning body.
The mountain became silent again.
The Five-Armed Man lowered his plunger.
Five-Armed Man: "This brat is so weak."
One of the five orbs slowly rotated.
The man glanced towards the distant planet again.
Five-Armed Man: "Anyway..."
He disappeared.
There was no explosion.
No visible teleportation circle.
No dramatic flash.
He was simply no longer there.
The mountain remained empty.
And the remains of Blood slowly scattered into the atmosphere.
---
The ten boys were still talking.
Faizan was explaining something to Lam.
Saad was arguing with Nehal.
Shoaib was looking at his tablet.
Ishan was standing slightly away from everyone else.
Everything appeared normal.
Until...
Faizan stopped speaking.
His expression changed.
His eyes slowly moved towards the mountain range visible in the distance.
Something had caught his attention.
Faizan: "Wait."
Lam: "What?"
Faizan didn't answer immediately.
He continued staring.
Lam: "Faizan?"
Faizan: "Something was there."
Asad: "Where?"
Faizan pointed towards the distant mountains.
Faizan: "That direction."
Draz: "What did you sense?"
Faizan: "I don't know."
He paused.
Faizan: "Something powerful."
Saad looked towards the same direction.
Saad: "How powerful?"
Faizan: "I couldn't determine it."
Nehal smiled.
Nehal: "Now that's interesting."
Shoaib: "Did you detect a fluctuation in the surrounding energy?"
Faizan: "Something like that."
Ishan suddenly spoke.
Ishan: "It disappeared."
Everyone looked at him.
Lam: "What disappeared?"
Ishan: "Whatever was there."
Krodh: "You sensed it too?"
Ishan nodded.
Ishan: "For a moment."
There was a short silence.
Then Lam shrugged.
Lam: "Maybe it was some powerful creature."
Asad: "Could be."
Bayu: "Should we investigate?"
Before anyone could answer...
A sound erupted across the entire planet.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
Every communication device stopped.
Every public display changed.
Every academy announcement system activated simultaneously.
A massive transmission spread across Anipla Planet.
The sound was so loud that even individuals standing in remote locations could hear it.
A voice followed.
It was an official planetary announcement.
PLANETARY ANNOUNCEMENT:
"ATTENTION, ALL ANIMANS!"
"AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS OBJECT HAS BEEN DETECTED APPROACHING OUR MULTIVERSE!"
"IT IS A UNIVERSE-SIZED METEORITE!"
"ITS DESTRUCTIVE CAPACITY IS SUFFICIENT TO DESTROY AN ENTIRE MULTIVERSE!"
"ALL CIVILIZATIONS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ALERT!"
"THIS MAY BE THE END OF OUR EXISTENCE!"
"OUR KING IS CURRENTLY NOT PRESENT IN OUR MULTIVERSE TO PROTECT US!"
"REPEAT!"
"OUR KING IS NOT PRESENT!"
"PREPARE FOR THE WORST!"
The announcement ended.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Across the planet, people stared at the sky.
Some began shouting.
Others ran towards shelters.
Several powerful Animans attempted to determine the meteorite's location.
But the information was terrifying.
A meteorite.
Larger than a universe.
Powerful enough to destroy an entire multiverse.
And their king was absent.
For the first time in a long time, the entire Anipla civilization faced a threat that it could not simply fight.
---
The ten boys stood in the courtyard.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
They were all looking upwards.
The sky had begun to change.
A strange darkness was spreading across the atmosphere.
The distant stars seemed to disappear.
Even the surrounding clouds were being pulled towards a particular direction.
The meteorite was approaching.
And its gravitational influence was already affecting their world.
Lam swallowed.
Lam: "What...?"
He looked at the others.
Lam: "I don't want to die this early."
Krodh crossed his arms.
Krodh: "I also don't."
Draz: "A universe-sized meteorite?"
Bayu: "They said it can destroy an entire multiverse."
Asad: "Where is Father?"
Faizan: "The announcement said he's not here."
Saad looked towards the sky.
Saad: "Then what are we supposed to do?"
Shoaib examined his tablet.
His expression was becoming increasingly serious.
Shoaib: "The gravitational disturbance is abnormal."
Nehal: "Can you stop it?"
Shoaib looked at him.
Shoaib: "Are you joking?"
Nehal: "Just asking."
Ishan remained silent.
His attention was fixed on the sky.
Ishan: "Something is coming."
Lam: "We know that."
Ishan: "No."
He slowly raised his head.
Ishan: "Something else."
Lam turned towards him.
Lam: "What do you mean?"
Ishan didn't answer.
Then...
A shadow appeared among the crowd.
Someone was walking towards the ten boys.
Nobody had noticed him approaching.
He was tall.
His upper body was uncovered.
He wore slim red trousers.
His face was hidden.
And he possessed five arms.
The two lower arms held enormous spiked plungers.
The upper-left hand held a red five-headed trident.
The upper-right hand carried a red drum connected to five bells.
The fifth arm rested beside his body.
Five coloured orbs floated around him.
Red.
Black.
Purple.
Green.
Blue.
The same mysterious man from the mountain.
He had appeared among the people.
Nobody knew where he had come from.
The ten boys looked at him.
Lam: "Who is that?"
The man didn't respond.
He simply looked towards the sky.
The meteorite was now becoming visible.
Its enormous silhouette covered a considerable portion of the heavens.
It was difficult to understand its actual size.
It looked less like a falling object and more like an entire cosmic structure descending towards existence itself.
The Five-Armed Man slowly raised his lower-left arm.
His plunger was directed towards the meteorite.
He didn't shout.
He didn't prepare himself.
He didn't summon any visible energy.
He simply moved.
SWOOOOOOSH!
A single horizontal slash.
A line of red-white light appeared across the sky.
For a fraction of a second, the entire atmosphere seemed to freeze.
Then...
The universe-sized meteorite was cut into two enormous halves.
KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
The sound echoed through the surrounding dimensions.
The two halves separated.
Everyone stared.
Nobody understood what they had just witnessed.
The Five-Armed Man moved his plunger again.
SWISH!
A second slash.
The two enormous pieces were immediately divided into countless smaller fragments.
But he wasn't finished.
The fragments continued breaking apart.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until the remaining pieces became so extraordinarily small that they could no longer be seen from the sky.
The meteorite was gone.
The gravitational disturbance disappeared.
The atmosphere began returning to normal.
The stars became visible again.
The darkness slowly faded.
And the entire multiverse had been saved.
In the time it took most people to blink twice.
The Five-Armed Man lowered his weapon.
He didn't celebrate.
He didn't look particularly satisfied.
He simply stood there.
As though destroying something capable of annihilating an entire multiverse was an ordinary task.
Across Anipla Planet, people began shouting.
Some cried.
Some laughed.
Some fell to their knees.
Others simply stared upwards, unable to believe what had happened.
The meteorite had vanished.
Someone had saved them.
Someone had performed an impossible feat.
Someone who wasn't their king.
And nobody knew who he was.
---
Far beyond the boundaries of Anipla Planet...
Far beyond the multiverse...
Far beyond the ordinary structures of existence...
A gigantic castle stood in the darkness.
It was enormous.
Its structure was built using a combination of deep red and black materials.
The exterior walls were covered with strange symbols.
Massive towers extended upwards.
Some appeared to stretch beyond the visible horizon.
The castle had a total of twenty-five layers.
Twenty-five enormous structural levels.
Each layer was so gigantic that an ordinary universe would have appeared insignificant beside it.
The castle did not float.
It did not rest upon a planet.
It existed within an unknown cosmic territory.
Its surroundings were completely dark.
No stars.
No visible galaxies.
No ordinary celestial objects.
Only the castle.
At the highest visible section, an enormous throne room remained silent.
Then...
A voice erupted.
It was deep.
Powerful.
And extremely displeased.
UNKNOWN VOICE: "So..."
A pause.
UNKNOWN VOICE: "Someone stopped that meteorite."
The entire castle seemed to vibrate.
Something had noticed.
The meteorite had not been an ordinary natural disaster.
Its movement had been significant enough to attract attention from this place.
And now it had been destroyed.
Someone had interfered.
Someone had acted against something that was apparently not supposed to be stopped.
The voice remained silent for several moments.
Then it spoke again.
UNKNOWN VOICE: "Interesting."
The darkness inside the castle became even deeper.
---
The entire academy was in chaos.
Students were talking simultaneously.
Teachers were attempting to restore order.
Several powerful Animans had already started investigating the disappearance of the meteorite.
But the most important event was happening in the middle of the courtyard.
The ten boys were standing directly in front of the Five-Armed Man.
He remained silent.
His five arms were relaxed.
His two lower hands still held their spiked plungers.
His upper-left hand held the five-headed trident.
His upper-right hand held the red drum and its five connected bells.
His five coloured orbs floated around him.
Red.
Black.
Purple.
Green.
Blue.
Lam stared at him.
He had witnessed the entire event.
The meteorite had been enormous.
It had threatened an entire multiverse.
And this man had destroyed it using two simple movements.
Lam finally spoke.
Lam: "Hey."
No response.
Lam: "You."
The Five-Armed Man remained still.
Lam: "Who are you?"
Still nothing.
Asad stepped forward.
Asad: "You saved everyone."
The man didn't answer.
Bayu looked at his five arms.
Then at the weapons.
Then at the floating orbs.
Bayu: "What exactly are you?"
No response.
Krodh narrowed his eyes.
Krodh: "Are you even listening?"
Nehal leaned slightly towards Faizan.
Nehal: "Maybe he's mute."
Faizan: "I don't think so."
Saad: "Then why isn't he answering?"
Shoaib adjusted his glasses.
Shoaib: "His physical structure is unusual."
Lam: "Not now, Shoaib."
Ishan stared at the man.
Unlike the others, he wasn't particularly interested in his appearance.
He was trying to understand something else.
His presence.
There was something strange about it.
It was as if the man was physically standing in front of them while simultaneously existing somewhere else.
Ishan finally spoke.
Ishan: "You don't belong here."
The Five-Armed Man slowly turned his head towards him.
For the first time, he acknowledged one of them.
Ishan remained motionless.
Ishan: "Do you?"
No answer.
Then Bayu stepped forward.
Bayu: "Who are you?"
The Five-Armed Man remained silent.
He slowly turned away from the group.
Lam became irritated.
Lam: "Hey! We're talking to you!"
The man took a step.
Then another.
He began walking away.
Lam: "Seriously?"
Asad: "Let him go."
Lam: "Why?"
Asad: "He just saved an entire multiverse."
Lam: "And?"
Asad: "And maybe he doesn't want to talk."
Lam clicked his tongue.
Lam: "Whatever."
But Bayu was still watching the mysterious figure.
Something about him was bothering Bayu.
The man had appeared out of nowhere.
He had destroyed the meteorite.
He had refused to answer a single question.
And now he was leaving.
Bayu: "Wait."
The Five-Armed Man stopped.
The entire group became silent.
Bayu looked directly at him.
Bayu: "At least show us your face."
The man didn't move.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then...
He slowly turned around.
His hood shifted.
The darkness covering his face began to disappear.
For the first time...
His face became visible.
---
The ten boys stared.
The Five-Armed Man had five eyes.
Five separate eyes arranged across his face.
Three of them were covered with blindfolds.
The remaining two were visible.
One eye possessed an extraordinarily terrifying appearance.
Its iris glowed with an intense red-black colour.
Several dark patterns extended outward from its centre.
Its design looked almost like a destructive cosmic symbol.
The eye itself seemed to contain an enormous amount of power.
It was not an ordinary eye.
It was an eye that appeared capable of observing destruction itself.
The second visible eye was completely different.
Its appearance consisted of concentric circular patterns.
Several rings surrounded its pupil, creating a hypnotic, almost divine structure.
Its iris possessed a pale violet-grey appearance.
The eye seemed to be observing far more than the physical world.
Space.
Energy.
Movement.
Perhaps even things that ordinary beings could never perceive.
The remaining three eyes were completely covered.
Nobody knew what was beneath those blindfolds.
Nobody knew why they were covered.
Nobody knew what powers they contained.
The five coloured orbs continued floating around him.
Red.
Black.
Purple.
Green.
Blue.
The man looked directly at the ten boys.
Nobody spoke.
Then...
A voice entered their minds.
It did not come from his mouth.
It did not travel through the air.
It simply appeared inside their consciousness.
Five-Armed Man:
"I won't let you extinct them."
The ten boys froze.
Lam's expression changed.
Lam: "What?"
But the man was already disappearing.
A red distortion opened behind him.
The edges of the distortion resembled broken static.
Fragments of red light moved across its surface.
The Five-Armed Man stepped backwards.
And vanished.
The distortion closed.
Nothing remained.
No sound.
No trace.
No explanation.
Only ten boys standing in the courtyard.
---
Location: The Twenty-Five-Layer Red-Black Castle.
The enormous castle remained silent.
Inside one of its highest chambers, a gigantic figure sat upon a throne.
Its appearance was unusual.
It resembled a beetle.
Its body possessed an enormous, imposing structure.
Its exterior was covered with a dark, armoured shell.
Several sharp structures extended from its head and shoulders.
Its posture was unmistakably royal.
It looked like a king.
Not an ordinary king.
A ruler who had commanded something enormous for an extraordinarily long time.
The Beetle King slowly raised his head.
His attention was directed towards the darkness surrounding the throne room.
He had sensed the destruction of the meteorite.
He had also heard the voice.
Someone had interfered.
Someone had destroyed something that was not supposed to be destroyed.
The Beetle King finally spoke.
Beetle King: "So..."
He paused.
Beetle King: "Who is this?"
Silence.
The enormous chamber remained motionless.
Then...
A voice answered.
It did not appear to come from any visible individual.
It echoed through the chamber.
Deep.
Cold.
Absolute.
UNKNOWN VOICE:
"SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T BELONG HERE."
The Beetle King stopped moving.
His expression changed slightly.
For the first time, the king appeared genuinely interested.
He slowly leaned back against his throne.
Beetle King: "Someone who doesn't belong here..."
A short silence followed.
Then he smiled.
Beetle King: "How interesting."
The camera slowly moved away from the throne.
Beyond the throne room were countless enormous chambers.
Beyond those chambers were twenty-five gigantic layers.
And beyond the castle...
There was darkness.
An incomprehensible amount of darkness.
Somewhere inside that darkness, something was waiting.
Something that had just discovered the existence of an outsider.
And that outsider had already interfered with its plans.
---
END OF ARC 1: INTRODUCTION
Ten G.O.Ds.
Five Arms.
Five Eyes.
Five Orbs.
One meteorite erased.
And a mysterious outsider who doesn't belong.
TO BE CONTINUED...