Into the Unknown — Chapter 35
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Frontline of Ukraine
The command room buzzed with urgency as operators navigated the battlefield. Screens flickered — heroes clashed with monsters across the front.
K20 stood among them, watching the chaos unfold. His mind drifted.
> "We're holding them nicely… but it could've been easier if Celestial was here."
Black Ranger, holding a monster's severed head, glanced at him with a smirk.
> "I know what you're thinking — your girlfriend, right? But you know she's already back at her home planet. And besides, the monsters are done for, and the rift leading to the abyss is closing slowly."
K20 scoffed,
> "What? No, I'm not thinking about Celestial."
Black Ranger chuckled,
> "I never called her name."
K20 sighed in defeat, rubbing his temple.
> "Yh, yh… but it would've been easier if she was around."
Black Ranger nodded.
Suddenly, a voice shouted from across the command deck,
> "HEY — a big one! TAKE COVER!"
Everyone turned sharply toward the rift as a massive Kaiju-like monster burst out of it, roaring with fury.
Before it could move—
Swoosh!
A blade of light sliced through, cutting the monster clean in half.
The heroes froze, eyes widening as seven entities stepped out from the rift.
Seer's heartbeat raced. Thump… thump… thump.
He muttered under his breath,
> "No way… it can't be. I thought they died… the former elite students of Ascenders?"
Suddenly, Combat Queen ran forward, tears flooding her eyes.
She threw her arms around one of them.
> "Mia! Oh God — it is you! I can't believe it!"
The girl with soft pink hair hugged her back, whispering,
> "Ma'am… you're really here."
The other students exhaled in relief, some falling to their knees — exhausted but alive.
Black Ranger grinned, slapping K20's shoulder.
> "Well, in the end — it all ends well."
K20 nodded, smiling faintly.
> "Yh… seems so."
---
Hero Association HQ —1 day later Florida Branch
The meeting hall was silent.
Lexy sat quietly, her expression unreadable.
Around her, several heroes sat in tense silence — the air thick with unease.
Then—
Bang.
The door swung open.
Seer stepped in, his voice cutting the quiet like a blade.
> "What's this I'm hearing about Verek?"
Valley stood, hands raised.
> "Seer, calm down. President Verek is fine — it's just a bullet to his arm."
Black Ranger entered next, his tone sharp.
> "A bullet? Has the person responsible been identified?"
At that moment, the top heroes from Ukraine walked in, accompanied by K20.
The seated heroes immediately stood in respect — their names echoing through the room: Jaguar, Bliss, MK3, Moon Knight, Black Ranger, Beatriz, Jet, Seer, K20… and Celestial, notably absent.
They all sat down.
Valley cleared her throat, answering Black Ranger's question.
> "According to Sniper Boy, the sniper he fought was a teenager."
Seer frowned.
> "How convenient. Haven't we been hearing that same story?"
Valley continued,
> "Yh, but this one might shock you, Seer. According to Sniper Boy — the teenager's eyes glowed like yours. And he moved fast, predicting every movement — just like you."
Seer's eyes widened.
> "You're… you're telling me he's a Watcher too?"
> "That's the only conclusion we came to," Valley replied grimly.
Lexy slammed her hands on the table.
> "What are you guys talking about? President Verek was with us in Bangalore!"
Valley turned to her calmly.
> "Yes, we know that's what you've been saying since today… but Verek was with me in Brickell."
Lexy's voice rose,
> "Then who the fuck was giving us orders, huh?! I lost a lot of men and women on that field — all because of Verek's stupid commands!"
Beatriz cut in sharply,
> "That's enough."
Lexy went quiet, trembling.
Valley continued,
> "We discovered the Verek who was with you… was a double. That's why the real Verek and I were ambushed in Brickell — to keep us from making contact with you."
The room fell silent.
MK3 broke it with a laugh,
> "Damn, we really got played this time."
Jet frowned,
> "It isn't funny, MK3. We lost lives."
Valley nodded, voice steady.
> "After everything, we found that even the rift openings were planned."
K20 exhaled, rubbing his chin.
> "Let me guess… everything that happened yesterday was coordinated — by the Unknown."
Valley's eyes lowered.
> "Yes. We thought the Unknown was just a group of teenagers who could be reasoned with or easily taken down. But we were wrong."
Jaguar flipped through the report in front of him.
> "It says here that in Bangalore, it was just one teenager you all went against — and you still failed. With casualties… including Delta's death. How is that possible?"
All eyes turned to Lexy.
She swallowed hard.
> "That teenager wasn't a teenager. He was a devil. He manipulated the field like it was his game. Delta's death—none of us saw it coming."
Her voice cracked.
> "I'm a disgrace to be in the top 15… I couldn't even handle a small mission. I deserve to be removed from my position."
Bliss reached out,
> "Hey, it's okay. We've all made mistakes before, it's not—"
Beatriz's voice cut through sharply.
> "Mistake? That mistake cost so many lives. You should know better than to speak so casually about this."
The tension in the room rose — hearts beating faster, eyes narrowing.
Then—
Creak.
The door opened again.
President Verek walked in, his left arm bandaged from the bullet wound.
Wild, rushed after him.
> "Sir, you're still injured, you should—"
Verek raised a hand, silencing her.
> "You're all here…" He glanced at Celestial's empty seat.
"Well, not all of you."
He straightened his coat before continuing.
> "I'm here to inform you all that we will not be handling the Unknown personally. The world government has decided otherwise. Different world rulers have come together and concluded that their military forces will take charge."
Gasps echoed around the hall.
K20 stood.
> "President Verek, we had a plan! We can't take orders from government puppets built on codes and politics!"
Verek frowned.
> "I'm sorry, but after what happened yesterday, they think we're incapable of handling it. So from now on, we'll be taking orders from—"
A feminine voice cut in, confident and cold:
> "Me. The Commander of the X-Forces Division."
Verek turned sharply.
> "Bayo… I told you to wait outside until I called you."
The heroes' eyes widened.
> "Bayo? Like the Bayo?" one hero whispered.
"I heard she can control and create fire," another said.
"Forget that — she burned down an entire terrorist base with one attack."
"Yh, and she commands the X-Force — one of the most powerful divisions, rivaling even the Hero Association."
Bayo walked in slowly, smirking as she listened to the whispers.
> "Yh, I know," she said casually. "But I was getting bored. And I couldn't stop thinking about how interesting things have gotten."
Her smile turned sharp.
> "A terrorist group made up of teenagers, huh? I can't wait to burn those brats into ash."
K20 clenched his fists under the table, whispering under his breath,
> "Damn… not this hell hole again."
---
Ascenders High — 3 hours later Training Wing
The sound of fists pounding echoed through the gym.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Butcher swung at the robotic dummy relentlessly. Sweat dripped down his face as he muttered,
> "I can't believe I failed… he was just one guy."
His punches grew heavier, faster.
His mind flashed with Demon's face.
> "Demon!"
His shout startled the others training nearby.
They glanced at him, understanding his frustration.
Butcher didn't care. He kept punching — memories flooding back.
He thought of his older brother, Kai.
> Damn… what would Kai think of me if he saw me this weak?
He'd probably laugh… and tell me to get stronger.
But I can't. I feel weak. I felt weak.
His breathing trembled.
> "Why did you have to go, Kai…? Why did the rift have to close — locking you inside the abyss… why?"
Tears fell. His fists slowed.
Then—
A familiar voice.
Soft. Teasing.
> "Damn, little bro… you crying? Hehe."
Butcher froze.
His eyes widened.
He turned toward the entrance — heartbeat hammering.
Thump… thump… thump…
> "Kai…" he whispered.