Kanzakai Outer City Alley
In a shadowy alley of Kanzakai, there was an eerie sense of foreboding as a violent purple crack suddenly split the sky. The rift ripped through space-time and sent an enormous wave of distortion, tearing through the atmosphere. Akatsuki, recently thawed from the iceberg, stood motionless in the alley, eyes scanning the distortions flooding the city.
“What the hell is this…?”
Confused but on alert, he sensed the ripples in reality as the atmosphere bent unnaturally around him. He stared at the crack in the sky, still unsure about how he had arrived in this place.
“So… this is Kanzakai. How long have I been out?”
The rift expanded wider, and more cracks appeared in the surrounding area. From one, a shadow-like presence emerged, flickering in and out of reality—an eerie distortion formed from the Night. At the same moment, a woman in purple emerged from a nearby intersection, her expression unreadable. She didn’t seem shocked by the chaotic event unfolding around her.
“This... is not supposed to happen. At least, not here. It seems we are not the only ones to be affected by this disturbance.”
Akatsuki, now noticing her, moved closer, a feeling of dread settling in his stomach. “Who… are you?”
The woman hesitated for a moment, then gave a faint nod, sensing the question was not one of interest but of necessity. “I am Eltnam. But that is not the issue at hand right now. We’re facing something far larger than we’re prepared for.”
A loud cracking sound, like thunder tearing through the world, filled the air. The rift in the sky grew larger, distorting the cityscape around them. Akatsuki and Eltnam exchanged a glance as they felt the distortion pull at them, as though the world itself were being ripped apart.
Akatsuki gritted his teeth. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”
Without warning, another dimensional fracture opened directly above them. Shadows flooded the area, viciously attacking the first life forms they found: a massive creature formed of nightmarish, writhing limbs and black mist, charging down the alley toward Akatsuki and Eltnam.
“Get ready, Akatsuki.”
“Wait—how did you—Never mind.”
Akatsuki activated his powers, electricity materializing around him as he prepared for the fight. Eltnam, too, drew on her arcane knowledge, summoning barriers and creating glowing runes in the air.
“So, that’s how it’s going to be, huh?”
Abandoned Shrine Hideout
Dark energy pulsed from the sky. Hyde gripped the Insulator as Voids lurched through the rift, followed by Shadows and a Nox unit, thrumming with corrupted programming.
“This isn’t the Hollow Night anymore... What the hell are these things?”
“Stay sharp. They're not Void-born, but they are just as deadly,” Linne instructed.
A surge of steel sliced the air—Yuzuriha appeared, smirking with casual confidence.
“Man, I take one detour from my noodle run and stumble on an apocalypse. You two always throw the best parties.”
They engaged the intruders as the rift destabilized the shrine, already a forgotten relic of older Night Blade wars.
Mountain Dojo Ruins
Snowfall halted. Time seemed to tremble as a rift opened. Waldstein, arms folded, watched as Nox automatons and Void-choked Shadows crawled across the frozen earth.
“Another war? Then let the young rest... and the old rise.”
He lunged into the wave, primal strength shaking the mountain, holding back the tide through sheer might.
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Autonomous Observation Site
Deep beneath the surface, in a sterile facility powered by artificial energy, Vatista monitored the Hollow Night.
[Cross-dimensional contamination. Logic error: simultaneous threat types detected. Initiating suppression protocol.]
Energy barriers activated around her. Nox missiles tore through steel corridors while Voids phased into walls. She floated forward, gem-like eyes flickering as radiant blasts sliced through them.
Makeshift Bar Outskirts
In the back of a smoky, neon-lit bar on the outskirts of town, Gordeau enjoyed a quiet drink as he leaned on his scythe, having just fended off a small Void swarm.
“Heh. You Void freaks just don’t know when to quit.”
*BOOM!*
His glass shattered as a gash in space ruptured above him—this one not Void-made. A mix of Shadows and Nox bots descended in a coordinated strike.
“That’s new.”
Gordeau spun his scythe, ready for battle.
City Slums
Voids and Noxes crashed into abandoned buildings. Carmine cracked his knuckles, blood swirling freely.
“I don’t know what the hell you things are… but I’m gonna paint this whole street with what’s inside ya.”
He rushed headlong into chaos, grinning maniacally.
Inner-City Alley
Hollow howling filled the alley. Merkava emerged, body writhing unnaturally, as a Shadow attempted to possess him, only to get shredded in the process.
“Darkness... devouring darkness... I won’t go quietly.”
He plunged into the growing swarm, instincts sharpening into savagery.
Splinter Cell Safehouse
Below ground, a former Night Blade dojo turned rogue hideout flickered under backup lights. Seth, leaning against the wall, watched the feed of multiple rifts opening at once.
“Tch. So this is how the old world ends.”
He vanished, daggers drawn, phasing through the invasion with deadly precision—silent, merciless, and alone.
Amnesia Central Hall
A vast room with shifting chains and ethereal runes. Hilda lounged on her throne as Shadow and Nox figures breached reality. She smiled darkly.
“What elegant guests we have. And here I thought the Void was dramatic…”
With a flick of her wrist, spectral chains bound dozens of enemies midair. The room twisted with her EXS, like a spiderweb laced with venom.
Licht Kreis Tower
A pristine cathedral-fortress pierced the sky. Voids, Shadows, and machines converged on it from all sides. Alarm bells echoed.
Orie summoned Thanatos.. “These monsters... This is not the Hollow Night we protect. Mika, to arms!”
Mika slammed her gauntlets together.. “Time for Operation Purge-the-Scary-Stuff! LET’S GO, ORIE!”
Their synergy turned the cathedral steps into a battlefield of radiant light and explosions. But the pressure grew—the rift expanded above them. Every faction fought in isolation, defending what little order remained. As the sky continued to tear, a massive central rift formed above the Hollow Night, visible to all.
[Keystone fragments—error: not found. Initiate purge protocol. Commence assimilation.]
Ruins of the First Night Blade Temple
Surrounded by enchanted relics and ritual seals, Kuon stood calmly amid a storm of static and black flame. As the fabric of space tore, a jagged portal opened in front of him.
“So the void dares challenge the true origin…?”
Chains forged from pure logic and entropy lurched out, binding him midair. He resisted—but it was futile. The entire temple folded into the rift with him, swallowed like an afterthought.
Kanzakai Outer City Alley
The creature lunged at them with a guttural roar, but Akatsuki sidestepped and landed a quick blow with a punch. Eltnam followed up by shooting at the creature’s dark limbs with her gun. The battle was intense, but as they fought, it became clear that there was more happening in the background than just their immediate skirmish.
“This is too much. What’s going on here? Why are these things here?!” Akatsuki shouted.
“These… aren’t the same as the typical entities we deal with. Something is pulling them through. There’s a larger force at work,” Eltnam answered.
Before they could react, the sky ripped open once more. A voice rang out across dimensions, carrying an unnatural echo. [Keystone fragments—error: not found. Initiate purge protocol. Commence assimilation.]
Akatsuki felt the air shift again—he knew he wasn’t supposed to hear that voice, but there it was, powerful and ominous.
“What the hell…?”
“That voice... It’s not from our world,” Eltnam whispered.
An orange vortex formed behind them. Chains of entropy erupted, snaring Eltnam and dragging her backward despite her resistance.
“Hmph... Cowards.”
Akatsuki launched toward her, but the portal warped around him too. Their surroundings inverted, and both vanished in a flash of orange.
Suddenly, purple portals opened at every major battlefield. Characters were yanked mid-motion, mid-battle, mid-breath. Hyde, Linne, and Yuzuriha defended the shrine before it split beneath them. Linne vanished, and Yuzuriha was being pulled in.
“LINNE! YUZU!” Hyde tried to rescue them, but failed as he was pulled into the rift.
Waldstein swatted enemies with a boulder-sized fist before a portal opened at his feet. “RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” he roared as he fell.
Vatista calmly computed probabilities before being swallowed by the rift.
Gordeau landed a few hits, but a black-tethered claw grabbed his weapon, holding it mid-spin. The portal yawned wide beneath him—he didn’t fight it. He was grinning. “Guess the party’s movin’. Lead the way.” He fell in.
Carmine’s reaction was the polar opposite. “I just started having fun!” Gone.
Merkava struggled against the Shadows until a black chain yanked him by the neck.
Seth eyed a portal while skewering a Nox bot. “Tch... looks like my turn.” He stepped in without hesitation.
Hilda let the portal consume her throne. “Curious. Let’s see who dares summon the queen.”
And finally, Mika was pulled mid-air during a charge, yelling, “NOT AGAINNNNN—!”
“MIKA!” Orie called her name before a rift engulfed her, too, as the last rift swallowed the Hollow Night.
[Keystone fragments… converging. Universal locks: disengaged. Initiating Collapse Phase One.]
