Heroes are in all of us.
That's my father's favorite quote.
He used to tell me that when I got older, I should use my gift to protect others. That I had the potential to be good. To do good. To be a hero.
Ha. What a joke.
Those who call themselves "heroes"… they're hypocrites. They wear the title like armor, but all it hides is greed. Wealth. Status—even political power. It disgusts me.
I wish the old man could see what these "heroes" really are. They're not as noble as he believes.
…Sigh.
Guess I should start then.
Boom.
For a split second… nothing.
Then—
the air folded.
A deep, crushing force burst outward from the building, like the world itself had taken a breath and violently exhaled. Windows trembled first, spiderweb cracks spreading across the glass in eerie silence—
then everything shattered.
Glass exploded outward in a glittering wave. Chunks of concrete, twisted metal, and debris tore through the air. Dust rose in thick, choking clouds. The street trembled beneath the impact. Car alarms screamed, overlapping into a chaotic chorus. Panic erupted.
At the center of it all, the Wardens' headquarters—the symbol of their "noble" protection—was collapsing. Their massive emblem, once a beacon of hope, now lay broken in the ruins.
People froze. Some ran. Some fell. Others… couldn't move. A man pulled his child close. A woman dropped to her knees, covering her ears as the pressure crushed against her chest.
Then the smoke split.
Something moved inside it.
Something… unnatural.
High above the city, where the smoke thinned into open air, figures clashed.
The Wardens.
And something else.
Blue.
Not clad. Not metal. Not cloth. Alive… and wrong. Its edges shimmered, flickering as if reality itself struggled to hold it together. Looking at it made your eyes ache—like your mind couldn't keep up.
Then their leader moved.
Alan James Carter shot forward, cutting through the sky—and met the blue figure head-on.
The moment their fists collided, the air screamed. Shockwaves tore outward, rattling the ground. Windows shattered. Debris spiraled upward. Thin streaks of red cut through dust and chaos.
Every clash felt… wrong.
The world distorted around them. Streetlights bent. Cars skidded. Buildings trembled as if they might collapse next.
And its speed…
It didn't just break the sound barrier.
It erased it.
The blue figure flickered—one moment here, the next somewhere else—leaving afterimages that lingered just a second too long. Watching it was disorienting. Overwhelming.
And then… it spoke.
"Alan James Carter, leader of the Wardens."
Cold. Calm. Certain. Human.
"You have committed a crime against humanity."
A pause.
Judgment.
"And I am here to sentence you… to death."
Alan froze. Confusion clawed at him.
What crime? What is this thing talking about?
Then, almost casually, it said:
"Project 21."
His eyes widened.
"How…?"
No answer.
Just force.
A punch—hard, brutal—slammed into his face. He caught it mid-air instinctively, but the impact detonated like a cannon blast. Dust, glass, metal, concrete—everything tore apart around them.
Below, the rest of the Wardens collapsed. Some screamed in agony. Others endured silently, clutching their heads under an invisible weight pressing down on them.
Alan's arms tensed. His strength faltered.
For the first time—
fear flickered across his face.
The blue figure didn't move.
It simply watched.
Waited.
"Alan James Carter. Do you pledge guilty for your crime?"
The world blurred around him.
Project 21.
The words echoed in his mind, over and over. He didn't understand. Not yet.
But he knew one thing.
This was no ordinary fight.
This was judgment.
—
Crack!
Concrete split apart as Alan crashed through the rubble below. Dust burst outward as his body slammed into what remained of the street.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Then—slowly—he pushed.
A massive slab shifted. Then another. Muscles trembling, vision blurred, he forced himself up from the wreckage. Blood ran from his nose. His teeth were broken. His once-handsome face was now swollen and bruised.
He staggered forward—then looked up.
And froze.
The blue figure hovered above him, unchanged. Untouched. Watching.
Alan clenched his fists, forcing strength back into his body—
—but before he could move—
a blur cut through the air.
Something fast. Precise. Controlled.
A figure dropped from above and caught him mid-stagger, steadying him before he could fall again.
Black hair. Sharp eyes. A presence that demanded attention. His white attire gleamed even in the dust-filled air, a golden bird crest shining proudly across his chest.
Anyone would recognize him.
"Look what we have here," the man said, laughter deep and confident.
"HAHAHAHA! You look terrible, old friend."
Alan blinked, vision clearing just enough to recognize the face.
"It's… you. How ironic… to be saved by you."
The man chuckled, shaking his head.
"So, what mess did you get yourself into this time?"
Alan spat blood to the side, breathing heavy.
"An unknown entity… attacked. Destroyed our base."
The man's gaze lifted.
And stopped.
Above them, the blue figure hovered—its form flickering like liquid light, its presence pressing down on everything below.
"What a bizarre creature…" he muttered. "Strong enough to give you a proper beating, it seems."
Alan coughed, forcing himself upright despite the pain.
"Careful… it's not normal. It's powerful."
The blue figure began to descend slowly. Calm. Deliberate.
Then it spoke again.
"Caesaro."
A pause.
"Your judgment will come soon."
Another pause.
"Please… live, for now."
Caesaro's brow furrowed slightly. Not fear—something sharper. Interest. Wariness.
Then he smiled.
"A creature that speaks without a mouth… fascinating."
He glanced sideways at Alan, a grin forming despite the tension in his eyes.
"Seems you're always lucky, my friend… always running into this kind of trouble."
Alan said nothing. His gaze remained locked on the figure above.
Above them, it shimmered—unstable, unnatural, untouchable.
The air itself seemed to hum.
Heavy.
Waiting.
Then—another figure arrived.
She shot through the air like an arrow, landing beside Caesaro and Alan with a sharp impact. The ground cracked beneath her feet.
This time—it was a woman.
Like Caesaro, she had a solid, powerful build. But there was something about her presence… something that made her stand out.
A long scar ran vertically across her face—from her right eye down to her neck. It should have ruined her beauty.
It didn't.
If anything… it only made her more striking.
Casandra.
Known as Liberty.
She glanced around at the destruction, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Look at this mess… what kind of monster showed up this time?" she asked.
Then she noticed their faces.
The tension. The silence.
Slowly, she looked up—
—and saw it.
A blue figure, floating above. Flickering. Unstable. Wrong.
For a moment, even she was still.
Then—
"What an odd thing that is…"
Not fear.
Amazement.
Caesaro let out a loud laugh.
"HAHAHAHA! It truly is."
The blue figure spoke.
"Liberty… you have no business here. Leave. At once."
Casandra froze for a split second.
It could speak.
Not just that—its voice was human. Calm. Measured. There was emotion in it… something disturbingly real.
Strange… for something with no mouth. No face.
Caesaro burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! You really are a fascinating creature."
His smile faded slightly, eyes sharpening.
"But you still need to be put down."
He glanced around at the ruined city.
"You've destroyed half of it already. That kind of damage isn't something we can ignore."
A brief silence followed.
No words—
just understanding.
Then—
they moved.
The three attacked at once.
Perfectly in sync.
The blue figure reacted instantly, its form flickering as it pulled back, creating distance in a blink.
But it wasn't enough.
They were coordinated—like a well-oiled machine.
Punches. Kicks. Blinding bursts of energy.
Relentless. Precise.
Above the city, four streaks of light clashed and danced across the sky, colliding again and again—each impact unleashing thunderous shockwaves that rippled through the air.
The sky roared.
Below, people could only watch.
A spectacle.
Beautiful…
and terrifying.
Their ears rang from the constant explosions. The wind alone was enough to throw bodies off balance, forcing some to the ground as the force of each clash tore through the streets.
And still—
Then—
a figure fell from high above.
It crashed into a nearby parking lot.
Boom.
The impact carved a small crater into the ground, metal and concrete folding inward from the force.
It was the blue figure.
Its glow had dimmed.
Its form… unstable. Flickering more violently than before.
For the first time—
it looked damaged.
Then—
a surge of energy built around it.
The air twisted.
A portal tore open.
Two figures stepped out.
One was a woman, clad in a gray mobile suit. Tall, composed. Her face hidden—except for a pair of pink lips visible beneath the visor.
The other—
a man in a lab coat.
"Told you backup would arrive," he said casually.
The woman crossed her arms slightly.
"If you followed my calculations," she replied, "this 'monster' should already be dead by now."
The blue figure spoke.
"Do not dictate how a Judge delivers his verdict."
The man scoffed.
"Arrogant as always. You know… I really want to punch you when you're in this form."
The blue figure turned toward him—
no eyes, no face—
yet the intent was clear.
A glare.
The woman stepped forward, cutting between them.
"Enough. We have two minutes to finish this quickly. If we take too long… more will come."
—
Above the battlefield, the three heroes hovered.
Caesaro smirked.
"Oh? Looks like we've got more company. This just got fun."
"There's nothing fun about this," Liberty said coldly.
Caesaro laughed.
"HAHAHAHA! The older you get, the more boring you become."
Liberty's eyes narrowed.
"Say that again, old man."
Caesaro only laughed harder—
but then—
both of them went still.
Their expressions sharpened.
Their gazes locked onto the woman in the suit.
She met their eyes—
and smiled.
Then—
a portal opened above them.
A bomb dropped through.
BOOM!
The explosion sent both Caesaro and Liberty flying.
Alan saw it happen—
too late.
A portal opened right in front of him.
A fist shot through.
Impact.
It slammed into his face with crushing force.
His vision shattered.
The swelling he had just begun to recover from—gone. Pain replaced it instantly.
Before he could fall—
another portal opened behind him.
A kick followed.
Brutal. Precise.
It struck his back—
and broke him.
Bones shattered.
His spine cracked.
Alan's body dropped like a lifeless weight.
—
Caesaro and Liberty recovered mid-air, shaking off the surprise.
Then—
like predators—
they moved.
Scanning. Hunting.
Not long after, Liberty found him.
The man in the lab coat stood atop a damaged building, hands in his pockets, smiling as if this were all a game.
He waved.
"Well, well… Lady Liberty. Finally meeting you."
Liberty didn't respond.
She dove.
Fast. Direct. Lethal.
The man didn't panic.
That same teasing smile remained.
A portal opened in front of her.
BOOM!
An explosion erupted—
but this time—
she was ready.
Liberty raised her arms, shielding herself as the blast washed over her.
"Enough with the tricks," she said coldly.
The man chuckled.
"No tricks, missy. Just skill."
He tossed something toward her.
She moved to dodge—
but it exploded mid-air.
Smoke engulfed her.
Thick. Blinding.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Three explosions rang out from within the smoke.
A figure burst through—
falling.
Crashing back toward the ground.
The man in the lab coat watched, amused.
"Oh no… did I overdo it?"
He laughed.
"HAHAHAHA!"