Somewhere in the Outskirts of Osaka, Japan—
The sky cracked like glass.
A low rumble echoed across the barrier dome that shimmered faintly above the broken city streets. Inside, chaos reigned.
A multi-headed beast roared—eight serpentine necks flailing, one already reforming where a head had just been blown off.
Acid hissed as it melted pavement.
"Newt!" a masked girl shouted, balancing on floating shards of crystal light, her violet cape flaring. "I can't hold the isolation zone much longer!"
A boy in a green mask—mud-splattered and bleeding—grunted as he swung a jagged metal pole at one snapping jaw.
"I'm trying, Illumina!" he snapped. "But this damn thing's playing whack-a-mole with its heads! What kind of lunatic builds a monster that regenerates like a boss-level cheat code?! , i mean thats an unfair superpower"
A voice crackled through his earpiece. Calm. Sharp.
"That's not a superpower, Newt. It's just basic hydra biology."
The voice belonged to a girl in a lilac mask, watching the fight from a high-tech wheelchair stationed at a mobile command van nearby. Her gloved fingers moved across a digital control board.
Down below, a red-masked figure rolled sideways across the rubble just in time to dodge a blast of green acid.
"Yeah, and don't forget the acid breath, genius," panted the boy as he rose. "I got a nice burn mark on my soul."
"Where the hell is our backup?" Illumina barked.
More screeching. Two heads aimed for her at once. She whispered a few sharp syllables—
"Loki Protocol — Rune: Illusion Rift."
A shimmer of iridescent air bent reality, twisting space just long enough to send both snapping jaws into a false corridor.
"Draining... fast," she hissed, sweat dripping down her brow.
"Backup en route," came the robotic voice of Command. "Yokai emergence reported at Stadium District. Remaining units engaged."
Just then—
"Need a hand?" came a cheerful voice.
From the air descended a boy with a golden, double-faced mask. On one side: a face smiling toward the future. On the other: grim, watching the past.
Janus.
And beside him, a young woman landed in a roll—blades humming at her side.
"Sorry I'm late," she said, brushing ash off her shoulders. "Had to drop off my cousin at college."
"Sorry I'm late," Janus added. "Pesky Nagas collapsing bridges again. Priorities."
"More like giving interviews," Illumina muttered through gritted teeth.
Janus spread his hands innocently. "Saving lives, thank you very much. Unlike Miss Spidey here sneaking out on personal errands."
The girl in the command chair rolled her eyes. "Miss Arachne's a consultant, Janus. You're active task force. And she's technically on leave."
"See? Validation." Janus winked under his mask.
Then he inhaled deeply, stepped forward, and muttered:
> "Janus Protocol — Gate Invocation: Divide the Past and Present."
Golden energy flared from his feet, forming an enormous spectral gate that split open the sky behind the hydra. Wind rushed into the void, drawing the beast back inch by inch.
"Newt! Now!" shouted the girl in lilac.
Newt slammed both hands to the ground.
> "Taotie Protocol — Glutton Fang: Devourer's Lock."
From beneath the rubble, chains forged in ancient green light shot upward, tangling the hydra's limbs.
Red costume boy —aka Vcorvex—stepped forward with flame flaring around him.
> "Prometheus Protocol — Fire of Insight: Burn False Flesh."
White-blue fire consumed the creature's healing necks, halting regeneration.
The beast shrieked—then roared as the gate swallowed its form whole.
Boom.
Silence.
The zone cracked. Illumina collapsed to her knees, panting. The isolation field flickered once… then popped like a bubble.
The city was safe.
For now.
---
In the echo of battle, as debris settled, the lilac-masked girl's fingers tapped a key. "Captain says he's on his way. You all did well."
Janus brushed soot off his shoulder. "Well enough to earn lunch?"
"...Not from the budget," she replied. "You burned through your meal quota last week. Especially you newt"
Vcorvex snorted. "Damn. Back to vending machine rations."
Newt groaned .
Illumina sighed, rising slowly. "Let's just hope this isn't another omen."
Because across the world, other creatures were rising.
---