As the collision's shockwave dissipated, the Dark Emperor lay broken, his once formidable exoskeleton cracking and disintegrating under the weight of the yellow flames that licked at his decaying form. His body bled from where limbs had fallen, his regeneration failing him as his flesh slowly withered away. The air still crackled with plasma, the chamber now bathed in a heavy orange glow, spreading through every corner of the transformed basement, casting long, ominous shadows.

Amidst the chaos, a mysterious figure stood—clad in a black suit and dark shades, their pale skin and sharply defined features standing out starkly. Without a word, the figure dematerialized into a blurple streak of light, vanishing from sight as if they had never been there.

TANT stirred, struggling to rise, still reeling from the force of Ryan's explosive strike. A contrast against Ryan who was unbroken as he rammed into the Emperor again.

In a final act of desperation, the Dark Emperor unleashed a searing crimson beam toward Ryan, its dark energy crackling with hatred. Ryan, his body still glowing with plasma, absorbed the deadly blast effortlessly. The beam flickered and twisted as he deflected it back, the scarlet energy crashing into the Emperor with a deafening roar.

"My turn," Ryan growled, his voice barely audible beneath the hum of his plasma armor. In a blink, he was on the Emperor, moving with terrifying speed. His right hand plunged into the Emperor's chest with brutal force, shattering the remnants of his exoskeleton. The Dark Emperor let out a choked gasp of agony before Ryan, with a savage pull, ripped out his heart, crimson and pulsing, in one final, violent motion.

Yosef, sensing the growing instability, quickly gathered his remaining strength and summoned an orb of pure psychic energy. With a focused burst of will, he hurled it toward the swirling vortex forming in Ryan's palm. The orb collided with the singularity, and for a brief moment, the vortex collapsed into itself, shrinking into a pinpoint of darkness before decaying away, dissolving into nothingness.

Finally, Ryan crushed the Dark Emperor's heart in his hand, expecting the final blow to signal their victory. But instead, reality itself twisted unnervingly. The chamber fell into an eerie silence, the oppressive quiet almost suffocating.

Everything around TANT slowed to a crawl, colors drained away, leaving the world in shades of black and white. Their movements became sluggish, the air thick with unnatural stillness. Only Ryan remained unaffected, his plasma armor glowing faintly in the oppressive monochrome.

From the spot where the Emperor's heart once beat, a flat, glowing disk began to materialize in Ryan's palm. Its edge shimmered a blinding white, contrasting violently against the void-like black that surrounded it. The singularity pulsed with raw, incomprehensible energy, warping the very fabric of reality around it.

The once-solid chamber now felt fragile, as if the singularity threatened to unravel everything around them.

"Now it's mine," came the voice of the Dark Emperor, though strangled and desperate, as he scrambled to clutch the singularity forming in Ryan's palm. His voice, distorted and broken, carried a chilling promise. "Witness the fleeting moments before eternal nocturne."

Panic surged through the chamber as the others could only watch what might spill the end of the universe.

"Quick!" Yosef's voice sliced through the tension, laced with urgency. "Give it to me!"

Without hesitation, Ryan hurled the singularity like a baseball. It shot through the air with a dangerous hum, and Yosef, eyes wide with focus, fumbled for it. His gaze darted around nervously as his fingers barely caught hold of the unstable power, his heart racing as the singularity pulsated violently in his grasp.

Yosef, his hands trembling, gripped the singularity with raw determination. The vortex of energy swirled violently in his grasp, threatening to tear apart everything around them. The Dark Emperor's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, his twisted visage etched with fury and desperation as he watched.

"No!" the Emperor rasped, his voice filled with dread. He lunged toward Yosef, but it was too late.

With a final push of psychokinetic force, Yosef crushed the singularity, collapsing it in on itself. A wave of raw energy rippled through the chamber as the singularity imploded with a blinding flash, consuming the last vestiges of the Dark Emperor's grasp on reality.

Time snapped back to normal. The washed-out colors rushed back into focus, and the eerie silence gave way to the familiar hum of the basement. The Emperor's monstrous form decayed rapidly, his limbs disintegrating into ash, his exoskeleton crumbling. The once-unstoppable being was reduced to little more than fragments.

But the Dark Emperor wasn't truly dead.

Even as his body decayed, a flicker of malevolent light remained in his hollow eyes. His voice, now faint and distant, echoed through the chamber. "You may have won... but I am far from defeated..."

The air grew still as the Emperor's essence was pulled into a distant void, sucked back to his home planet—a prison from which he could not escape. Trapped. For now.

Ryan, still breathing heavily from the ordeal, glanced at the others. "He's gone... for now."

Yosef, still recovering from the strain of controlling the singularity, nodded, his face pale but resolute. "We'll need to be ready for when he tries again."

Yosef, his hands trembling, gripped the singularity with raw determination. The vortex of energy swirled violently in his grasp, threatening to tear apart everything around them. The Dark Emperor's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, his twisted visage etched with fury and desperation as he watched.

"No!" the Emperor rasped, his voice filled with dread. He lunged toward Yosef, but it was too late.

With a final push of psychokinetic force, Yosef crushed the singularity, collapsing it in on itself. A wave of raw energy rippled through the chamber as the singularity imploded with a blinding flash, consuming the last vestiges of the Dark Emperor's grasp on reality.

Time snapped back to normal. The washed-out colors rushed back into focus, and the eerie silence gave way to the familiar hum of the basement. The Emperor's monstrous form decayed rapidly, his limbs disintegrating into ash, his exoskeleton crumbling. The once-unstoppable being was reduced to little more than fragments.

But the Dark Emperor wasn't truly dead.

Even as his body decayed, a flicker of malevolent light remained in his hollow eyes. His voice, now faint and distant, echoed through the chamber. "You may have won... but I am far from defeated..."

The air grew still as the Emperor's essence was pulled into a distant void, sucked back to his home planet—a prison from which he could not escape. Trapped. For now.

Yosef stood there, his chest rising and falling with exhaustion, the weight of what just happened hanging in the air. He glanced at the others, each of them bruised, bloodied, and silent. "He's gone... for now."

Before anyone could process his words, the school began to rumble, debris crashing around them. The world they fought so hard in was literally collapsing.

Isaac, his voice a tired attempt at humor, said, "Yeah, let's leave this—" only to find himself standing outside in a blink. "Wait... huh?"

Ryan spun around, confused. "Am I hallucinating? What just happened?"

Yosef gave a small, knowing smile, his eyes dark with secrets.

Ryan, already irritated, frowned. "Cut it out with the mysterious smirk, man. Seriously."

Joshua, though battered and scarred, couldn't shake his disbelief. His voice, shaky with exhaustion, broke the momentary silence. "Yosef... what did you mean by 'for now'? Is he really gone?"

Yosef's smirk faded. His eyes softened as the seriousness returned to his tone. "Yeah. He's gone for the moment, but..." He paused, struggling with the weight of what came next. "This was just a taste. He's still trapped, but not for much longer."

Joshua, eyes wide, pressed further. "What do you mean? I thought we... ended it."

Yosef glanced at each of them, his expression almost pained. "We didn't. Not really. That was his best shot at breaking free. And even with all of that? It wasn't close to what he's capable of."

Ryan ran a hand through his hair, his voice a mix of disbelief and weariness. "Didn't he destroy entire planets? How the hell did we survive this?"

Yosef nodded, the gravity of it all clear on his face. "Yeah... he did. But he was beaten and had his soul imprisoned. The thing is, his chains... they're weakening."

There was a heavy silence. The weight of it all, the fight, the sacrifice, the close brush with death, settled over them like a cold fog. Thomas, always the one to think ahead, broke it first. "So what's next? Do we just wait for him to come back? Or... do we go after him?"

Yosef looked down, considering the enormity of their situation. He clenched his fists before looking up, his voice steadier, but tinged with quiet determination. "Both. We can't just wait for him to find another way out. We take down his remaining forces here, make sure he doesn't have the strength to break free. And then..." He hesitated, letting the idea settle. "Maybe we find a way to him."

Ryan sighed, exhaustion giving way to reluctant resolve. "A cosmic space expedition, huh? Sounds like a long road."

Yosef met Ryan's eyes, a flicker of something vulnerable crossing his hardened expression. "Yeah, it's going to be long. And hard. But we don't really have a choice, do we?"

The group stood there, quiet and battered, each of them realizing the gravity of what lay ahead. They had survived—barely. But the war was far from over.

And in that moment, it wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about stopping the inevitable, or at least containing it. Before it's too late.

Thomas broke the silence with a smirk, "0/10 superhero experience. We need a secret lair and some cool sci-fi weapons that actually work."

"Ugh," Emily groaned, rolling her eyes, "can you drop the cheesy jokes? Just once?"

Ryan cracked a rare smile. "Thomas without jokes? Not possible." The group burst into laughter, even Ryan's usual stoicism giving way to the moment, though Emily remained unimpressed, sighing loudly.

Joshua, finally confident after everything they'd been through, grinned and said, "I've never had this much fun. Nothing could go wro—"

His words were sliced short. A dense black cloud materialized behind him, and before anyone could react, a shadowy figure streaked through the air. In an instant, the figure plunged a dark blade through Joshua's chest, hurling his lifeless body across the ground.

The laughter died instantly as the group froze in shock, eyes wide in disbelief at the horror unfolding in front of them.

It was the Vengeful One.

Maniacal laughter echoed through the air as the shadowy figure reappeared behind Emily, poised to strike. Her eyes widened in terror. But just in time, Thomas lunged, his fists crackling with electricity, delivering a thunderous punch that sent the figure reeling. Before the villain could recover, Isaac unleashed a barrage of plasma beams, their bright energy converging on him, forcing him back. The air sizzled with raw power as they scrambled to protect their friend.

Ryan's blades flashed into existence, poised to strike the Vengeful One, but before he could make his move, Yosef's psychokinetic power seized him, suspending him mid-air.

"Enough," Yosef commanded, his voice steady yet unyielding. "We need him alive—for answers."

The Vengeful One, bruised and exhausted, glared through gritted teeth. "I'll never talk!" he rasped, though the weakness in his voice betrayed him.

Unbothered, Yosef smirked. "You know the routine, Thomas."

With a reluctant sigh, the Vengeful One finally relented. "Fine... What do you want to know?"

Yosef's gaze hardened. "The restricted library. Take us there."