📖 Arc 2 – Chapter 16: The Fractured Avengers
[Scene 1 – The Boss Reveals Itself]
The night sky split.
From the center of Manhattan's anomaly scar, a churning rift expanded, vomiting out blackened light that distorted space like broken glass. The ground shook as skyscrapers flickered between timelines—one moment pristine, the next scarred ruins.
Then it emerged.
A colossal humanoid form, forged of jagged energy and fractured memory—its "face" shifting between distorted masks: Captain America's shield emblazoned one second, Thor's hammer silhouette the next, Natasha's shadow flickering after. It was no mere monster. It was anomaly corruption feeding off Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Seraphina (warning):
"Core anomaly manifesting. Power level—exceeds predicted task parameters. Estimated… reality fracture threat: planetary."
Neo grit his teeth, watching skyscraper glass ripple under the monster's aura.
Neo:
"…This is way above the mission briefing. Chat group, I'm telling you now—if we survive this, the rewards better be boosted."
Group Chat Feed:
Klein: +100% agree 😭 this looks like a raid boss from hell!
Zhongli: Indeed. The heavens themselves tremble.
Tony (dry): Yeah, add 'my city bill' into the compensation while you're at it.
[Scene 2 – Fractured Avengers]
The anomaly raised a hand—and from its aura, echoes stepped forth.
• A fractured Captain America, shield glowing black-red.
• A warped Thor, Mjolnir chained with anomaly runes.
• A shadow Black Widow, moving unnervingly in sync with Velgrynd's flames.
They were not real, but their presence carried weight.
Tony (staring in disbelief):
"…You've gotta be kidding me. My old friends, as corrupted NPCs? Yeah, this group chat owes me alcohol and therapy after this."
Neo summoned Cocoon pulses, Seraphina syncing them with Void currents. Velgrynd flared up beside him, firestorm wings unfurling.
Velgrynd (smirking at Neo):
"Show me again why I chose you, husband."
Neo:
"…Fine. Let's delete some legends."
[Scene 3 – Battle Across Manhattan]
• Neo + Velgrynd charged against the fractured Thor echo, his lightning colliding with Velgrynd's flames as Neo's Turn Null consumed stray bolts midair.
• Tony unleashed the full brunt of his Celestial Armor, clashing with the corrupted Captain echo—repulsors meeting anomaly shield with shockwaves that bent the streets.
• Kirito + Asuna tag-teamed against the Black Widow shade, their Aincrad-forged rhythm cutting through deceptive strikes.
• Zhongli summoned stone pillars to stabilize the collapsing streets, shielding civilians from dimensional collapse.
Every clash distorted reality, the rift overhead widening with each strike.
[Scene 4 – Aftermath & Avengers' Discovery]
Finally, Neo unleashed Nihility Collapse—a wave of void energy tuned with Seraphina's guidance, consuming the fractured echoes like ink dissolving in water. Velgrynd sealed the rift's tendrils with dragonfire, while Tony hammered the anomaly's core until it cracked and dispersed.
Silence fell. For now, it was over.
From the rubble, surviving Avengers—Bruce Banner, Clint, and a shaken Steve Rogers—stumbled forward, freed from their corrupted echoes' influence. Their faces shifted between relief and confusion as they looked at Neo's team.
Steve (to Tony):
"Tony… who are they? And what just happened?"
Tony sighed, pulling off his helmet, looking far more tired than usual.
Tony:
"Yeah, about that. Remember when I said I had… outside contacts? Well, it's time I explained the group chat. Multiversal, annoying, full of people who casually bend physics for fun. And apparently, my emergency hotline now."
The Avengers exchanged glances, Steve frowning.
Steve:
"…Multiversal? You kept this from us?"
Tony (shrugging):
"Would you have believed me if I said 'some gamer kid with a dragon wife and a space-AI in his head are my backup squad'? No? That's what I thought."
Velgrynd smirked, flames crackling along her shoulders.
Velgrynd:
"He talks too much. I like him."
Neo just sighed again, the group chat exploding in laughter emojis.
✨ End of Chapter 16 – The Fractured Avengers ✨
📖 Arc 2 – Chapter 17: The Avengers' Doubt
[Scene 1 – The Tense Quiet]
The fractured echoes had been erased.
The rift had closed.
But the silence left behind was thick with unease.
The survivors—Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and Clint Barton—stood opposite Neo's group, still wary despite the obvious teamwork they had just witnessed. The devastation of New York lay around them, its skyline scarred by battle.
Neo remained calm, Velgrynd at his side radiating fiery authority, while Zhongli's composed presence anchored the team.
Steve finally broke the silence.
Steve (serious):
"Tony… we need answers. Who are they? What kind of threat drags half of New York into a nightmare, and why are you fighting it with strangers?"
[Scene 2 – The Debate Begins]
Bruce (measured, curious):
"I saw the readings. The energy wasn't… gamma, not cosmic. It was something else entirely. Dimensional instability on a scale we've never cataloged."
Clint (blunt):
"And your new friends swing powers like gods. That dragon lady alone—what even is she?"
Velgrynd gave him a small, fiery smirk.
Velgrynd:
"A dragon. The kind your myths would call divine."
Clint muttered something about needing stronger arrows.
Steve's eyes narrowed, turning back to Tony.
Steve:
"Tony, we've fought together through impossible odds. Ultron. Thanos. Loki. But this—this is something else. We deserve to know the truth. Who are they, and what are you hiding from us?"
[Scene 3 – Tony Takes the Floor]
Tony exhaled, removing his helmet and rubbing his temples. His tone was tired, but sharp.
Tony:
"Alright, fine. No more sugarcoating. You want the truth? Here it is."
He gestured toward Neo and the others.
Tony:
"They're not just strangers. They're part of something bigger—something that makes the Avengers look like a neighborhood watch. A multiversal network. A chat group, if you can believe that."
The Avengers exchanged confused looks.
Bruce:
"…A chat group? You're serious?"
Tony (nodding, dry):
"Dead serious. Think of it as a cosmic emergency hotline crossed with a game lobby. Different worlds. Different timelines. Different universes. And all of us—connected."
Steve:
"And you… joined this without telling us?"
Tony's expression hardened.
Tony:
"Because I saw what you didn't. You think Thanos was the peak? No. That was just one bad day in one small corner of the multiverse. Out there, people are tearing apart timelines like paper. Neo's team? They're not invaders. They're the only reason this planet hasn't been erased three times already."
[Scene 4 – The Avengers Process It]
Steve's jaw tightened. He wanted to argue, but the conviction in Tony's voice made him hesitate.
Bruce rubbed the back of his neck.
Bruce:
"So these anomalies… they're not just random. They're targeting?"
Neo (cutting in):
"They're invasive fragments. Someone—or something—is weaponizing instability across worlds. This wasn't just your fight. It's part of a chain."
Velgrynd (calm, authoritative):
"And if not for us, your Earth would already be ash."
Clint whistled low.
Clint:
"…Okay, so we're in the multiversal crisis club now. Great. Do we at least get membership cards?"
The group chat pinged in Neo's mind—half the members laughing at Clint's remark.
[Scene 5 – Tony's Final Word]
Tony looked at his old teammates, his voice steady but uncharacteristically serious.
Tony:
"Look, I get it. You don't trust them yet. But I do. I've seen more through this chat group than I ever did through SHIELD, through Stark satellites, through everything we built. They don't owe us anything—but they're here anyway. That should tell you enough."
Steve studied Neo, then Velgrynd, then Seraphina's faint projection at Neo's side. Finally, he nodded slowly.
Steve:
"…Then we fight together. At least until this anomaly threat is done."
Neo gave a small smile.
Neo:
"That's all we ask."
✨ End of Chapter 17 – The Avengers' Doubt ✨
📖 Arc 2 – Chapter 18: The Spreading Fracture
[Scene 1 – The World Cracking]
The night sky over Manhattan shattered again.
From the scars above New York, new fissures spread like veins of light across the horizon. The anomaly was no longer confined to one city—it was branching, reaching.
News feeds around the world screamed in panic. London. Tokyo. Wakanda. Even the space-based monitoring systems pinged dozens of fresh ruptures.
The group stood on a half-ruined rooftop, watching the impossible unfold.
Clint (grim):
"…It's spreading. Fast."
Bruce (staring at readings):
"The instability isn't linear. It's compounding. If we don't stop it now, the fractures will overlap into a full-scale collapse."
The air turned heavy. Neo felt the Cocoon of the End pulse within him, echoing with Seraphina's calm analysis.
[Scene 2 – The Temptation of Nihility]
Neo raised his hand, summoning a fraction of the black radiance of Nihility Collapse / Turn Null. The void energy warped the space around it, swallowing sound, devouring light. Even Velgrynd's flames dimmed near its presence.
The Avengers froze at the sight.
Steve (uneasy):
"…What is that?"
Neo (calm, but heavy):
"My trump card. Nihility energy—Turn Null. It can erase the anomaly. Wipe it clean from existence."
Bruce (alarmed):
"Erase? As in… the anomaly?"
Neo (shaking his head):
"No. Everything. The fracture, the ground around it, the air, the oceans… maybe half your planet if I let it flow unchecked."
Velgrynd stepped forward, her fiery aura flaring just enough to show solidarity.
Velgrynd:
"Even I'm holding back here. If I unleashed my full might, Earth's mantle would crack in hours. We're balancing on the edge, humans. Understand this: power alone isn't the answer."
[Scene 3 – The Hard Truth]
Neo closed his fist, the void light dissipating.
Neo:
"That's why I won't use Turn Null's true form. Not here. Not unless there's no other choice. I'd rather risk my life than erase your world by mistake."
Silence fell, the weight of his words sinking in. The Avengers exchanged troubled looks.
Finally, Neo turned toward them, his tone sharp and direct.
Neo:
"Then tell me—where are your people? The rest of your Avengers. Strange. Thor. Wanda. Anyone who might help stabilize this mess. If we're going to win without burning Earth down, we need every card you've got."
[Scene 4 – The Missing Pieces]
Tony's expression darkened as his HUD pinged a list of missing allies.
Tony:
"Thor's off-world. Strange… hasn't answered. Wanda? Vanished after Westview. Banner, you're here. Rogers, Barton too. But the others…"
Steve (grim):
"They could already be inside the anomaly."
Seraphina's voice echoed in Neo's mind, calm yet urgent.
Seraphina:
«The anomaly is feeding. The more fractured beings it consumes, the more stable its expansion becomes. If Avengers are trapped within, they are not allies—they are fuel.»
Neo's eyes narrowed.
Neo (to the Avengers):
"Then we find them. Before they're consumed. Before they become part of what we're fighting."
Velgrynd's flames coiled around her arms, eyes blazing with dragonfire determination.
Velgrynd:
"And if they are already consumed… then you'll have to accept the truth of what must be done."
The rooftop quaked as another anomaly tear split the sky, reaching further across the globe.
The fight had only just begun.
✨ End of Chapter 18 – The Spreading Fracture ✨
📖 Arc 2 – Chapter 19: The War Table (Final Revision)
[Scene 1 – Containment]
The Cocoon of the End pulsed like a living star above the city, holding the spreading anomaly inside a simulated reality layer. For now, the corruption was caged. But everyone knew it was only temporary.
Neo exhaled, his eyes narrowed.
Neo:
"…The Cocoon keeps things stable. But to erase the anomaly completely… the only thing that could do it is Nihility. Turn Null."
The Avengers glanced at each other, confused.
Bruce:
"You mean that void energy you were talking about? What exactly is it?"
Neo's gaze hardened.
Neo:
"…It isn't void. It's creation. Nihility was the prime energy wielded by a Creator God—not of this world, but of another cosmos entirely. With it, He forged countless multiverses, timelines, universes stacked upon one another like endless mirrors. It's the breath that births, and the silence that erases."
Bruce blinked.
Bruce: "…And you can actually use that?"
Neo laughed bitterly.
Neo:
"Use? Don't make me laugh. What I can muster is a pitiful fragment. Because I haven't adapted yet. My dragon factor, my existence itself—they're not fused with it. Right now, if I try to wield more than scraps, it destabilizes me."
[Scene 2 – Limitations]
Velgrynd crossed her arms, cutting in before anyone else could speak.
Velgrynd:
"Translation: He's trying to wield the same fire that once created infinity itself. Right now, he can only cup a spark in his hands. Anything more, and it'll burn him alive."
Neo's lips twisted.
Neo:
"…Pathetic, isn't it? To hold the power that once spun countless realities into being, yet only be able to flicker it like a candle."
[Scene 3 – Avengers' Reaction]
Steve:
"Then why bring it up? If it's going to kill you—don't use it."
Neo's voice sharpened, steel over fatigue.
Neo:
"Because if the Cocoon fails, Nihility is the only thing that can erase the anomaly. I can't pretend otherwise. Even if using it costs me."
The Avengers fell silent at that, tension heavy in the air.
[Scene 4 – Group Chat Interlude]
Chat Group Broadcast:
• Asuna:"Neo, are you even listening to yourself? Calling yourself pathetic when you're holding creation energy??"
• Kirito:"Bro, if that's pathetic then we're literal insects."
• Zhongli:"Nihility is not a tool to be forced. It is an eternal principle. Only through resonance with your existence can you wield it freely. Until then—restraint is survival."
• Tony:"Translation: Don't play with multiverse fire, candle-boy."
• Velgrynd (typing while smirking beside Neo):"If he even tries, I'll make sure to burn him first before the energy does. Husband or not, he doesn't get to be reckless."
The chat immediately exploded.
• "HUSBAND AGAIN??" (Asuna)
• "Yep, Neo's cooked. Death by embarrassment." (Kirito)
• "Truly, a punishment more terrifying than Nihility." (Zhongli, dry as stone)
Neo groaned audibly.
Neo:
"…Why do I never mute this thing?"
[Scene 5 – The War Table]
The hologram map lit up, red nodes pulsing like a plague across Earth.
Neo:
"These zones are contained inside the Cocoon's simulated layer. But the corruption still feeds inside, using fractured Avengers as anchors. We'll need to extract them one by one."
Bruce (grim):
"And if we fail?"
Neo's voice dropped to a quiet weight.
Neo:
"Then the Cocoon breaks. And I'll have no choice but to unleash Nihility's fragment. Even limited, it'll tear me apart in this state."
[Scene 6 – Seraphina's Guidance]
Inside his mind, Seraphina's voice chimed like crystal.
Seraphina:
«Adaptation is the path, Neo. The Cocoon shields; Nihility creates and destroys. To wield them both, you must weave the energy into your dragon core and existence. Until then, restraint is survival.»
Neo steadied his breath, eyes opening with calm resolve.
[Closing Scene – Resolve]
Neo:
"Tomorrow, we move. Each rescue weakens the anomaly's anchor. Every Avenger we recover slows its spread. We strike smart, fast, and precise.
Because the truth is—I can't wield Nihility freely yet. Not until I adapt. Not until it becomes mine."
Velgrynd's flames curled warmly around him, her voice softer than fire had any right to be.
Velgrynd:
"Then I'll make sure you live long enough to claim it."
Above them, the corrupted sky pulsed, as if mocking their fragile peace. The real war hadn't started yet. But the ground beneath them was already shaking.
✨ End of Chapter 19 – The War Table (Final Revision) ✨
📖 Arc 2 – Chapter 20: The First Raid
[Scene 1 – Entry into the Zone]
The Cocoon of the End rippled like a living scar, its walls shimmering as Neo and his group passed through the barrier into the first corrupted zone.
The world inside was warped—buildings bent at impossible angles, New York's streets split into floating shards suspended in crimson haze. Lightning crackled in veins across the sky.
Velgrynd (narrowing her eyes):
"This place… it reeks of unstable power. Almost like a false reality."
Neo's hand hovered over his blade, Cocoon energy humming in sync with his dragon factor.
Neo:
"It's a simulation layer, but the corruption inside believes it's real. Which means it's dangerous enough to kill us for real."
[Scene 2 – The Boss Emerges]
A ripple surged through the crimson mist, and from it stepped a twisted figure—armor cracked, shield blackened, his iconic star fractured and dripping shadow.
Velgrynd (snarling):
"…Another anchor. This one's strong."
Neo (grim):
"Captain America. Or what's left of him."
The corrupted Steve Rogers raised his shield, its edge wreathed in anomaly energy, and charged without hesitation.
[Scene 3 – Group Chat Announcement]
Before Neo could move, the chat group suddenly blazed to life in his vision.
Group Chat Broadcast:
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT:
Due to escalation in mission complexity and world-threat scaling, reward multiplier has been adjusted.
Current reward rate: ×25.
Neo froze mid-step.
Neo: "…Wait. What?!"
[Scene 4 – Group Chat Reactions]
• Kirito:"×25?!? Did we just read that right?!"
• Asuna:"Neo, what did you DO?! We're going to be drowning in loot at this rate!"
• Tony (still fighting in the outside zone):"…Well, that explains why this feels like Endgame on steroids."
• Zhongli:"Hm. The heavens rarely give such rewards without equal risk. If the multiplier is ×25, then the threat here must be far beyond what mortals should face."
• Velgrynd (deadpan):"Good. If my husband survives this, he'll owe me twenty-five times the dowry."
• Kirito:"…She said HUSBAND again!!"
• Asuna:"Oh my god she's serious about it too."
• Neo:"Can you all focus?! We're literally about to fight corrupted Captain America!"
[Scene 5 – The Clash Begins]
The anomaly's Captain hurled his shield, the blackened vibranium whistling through the air like a guillotine. Neo caught it with a Cocoon-forged barrier—only for the shield to fracture the construct with raw anomaly force.
Neo (gritting his teeth):
"…Yeah. This isn't going to be easy."
Velgrynd's flames roared beside him, forming a blazing wall.
Velgrynd:
"Then don't hold back. Show me the fire that dares call itself my equal."
Neo's hand glowed with the unstable flicker of Nihility, restrained but still terrifying. He steadied himself, Seraphina's voice whispering inside.
Seraphina:
«Synchronize the Cocoon with your dragon factor. Match its pulse, or you'll collapse mid-battle.»
Neo nodded, eyes narrowing as corrupted Steve prepared another charge.
Neo:
"…Alright then. Round one—let's see how this pitiful spark stacks up against creation's ashes."
✨ End of Chapter 20 – The First Raid ✨