[Cecil POV]
"Donald, what is the current scenario?" I asked.
"The signal for the teleportation was strong enough to be far away from this entire solar system," Donald reported while typing rapidly.
"But sir, someone leaked a few high-definition videos of the exchange. And it is too late to contain it. Someone keeps re-uploading them across thousands of proxy servers. They are even outperforming our best cyber hackers."
"Looks like Mr. Kaisen has got himself a very dedicated fan," I noted dryly.
TWANG
A wooden tatami gate opened right next to my console.
Every agent trained their plasma rifle on the door, safeties clicking off. Agents began evacuating following protocol, but nothing stepped out of the gate.
"Donald, take care of things here. I will be back shortly," I said as I buttoned my jacket and straightened my tie. "And do not bother sending the agents after me. It is highly disrespectful to our partner."
I stepped into the wooden gate and it immediately closed behind me.
I found myself standing back inside this wooden and highly bizarre castle. But unlike the grandiose display of Kaisen's power manipulating the halls last time, showing off and making the castle dance, in front of me sat the pale cyclops Nakime. Kaisen's most trusted underling.
"Where is Mr. Kaisen?" I asked, maintaining a calm tone. "I thought I would have a one-on-one debriefing with the man who just saved Chicago."
The demon opened her single massive eye and it pierced my attention. There was a deep coldness to her. An aloof and completely detached nature that was not previously present during our last meeting.
'Is Kaisen in critical condition?' I analyzed the situation rapidly. 'No. She would have directly portaled him to my medical bay or she would be ordering me around to get him help. Then why the cold shoulder?....a lovers' quarrel, maybe? No, that doesn't fit. Something else.'
"Cecil Stedman," Nakime said with a voice devoid of any warmth. "By Sir Sebas's final order, I worked tirelessly to take in the thousands of humans and heroes who were present at the site of their fight. Sir Sebas was an incredibly kind man who did not want his violent actions to hurt innocent bystanders."
I pulled my hands out of my pockets and closed my eyes respectfully and bowed my head slightly. "I am truly sorry for your loss regarding Sebas. The man was a true hero. He even sacrificed himse-"
"Enough!" Nakime interrupted sharply. "I called you here to take these loud humans clamoring and degrading my pristine castle halls. Not to forget those utterly useless fighters you call heroes."
She paused and her mood turned incredibly downcast as her shoulders slumped slightly.
"Master he….," Nakime whispered. "He is taking solace in complete isolation to process the devastating loss of Sir Sebas. And he wouldn't want me dumping those humans back in a destroyed area. That would only lead to a massive stampede and hurt people when there could be an easily avoided solution. And even though we patched them up, your heroes still need proper medical care."
I sighed and took it all in. 'That kid really is turning me into his fan.' I thought, the admission surprising me. 'If he can even prevent such massive casualties and keep the mindless actions of his grieving subordinates in check, maybe he's got more control than I give him credit for.'
"Yes. Please let me contact my men to set up a temporary triage camp for these people back in the city," I agreed quickly. "But please open a gate to let the injured heroes be taken directly to our GDA med-bays."
After about six hours of me constantly routing logistics, coordinating with Chicago PD, FEMA, the National Guard, and about fifteen other agencies to drop specific numbers of civilians safely into the camps to avoid overcrowding and any crowd-wide mania, making sure nobody got trampled or lost in the chaos, we were finally able to stabilize the situation. We safely extracted roughly three thousand civilians and finally got all the injured guardians the proper medical attention they desperately needed.
As I was about to leave the wooden castle to deal with the PR and diplomatic disaster that awaited me back on Earth, the media shitstorm already brewing according to Donald's texts, I stopped.
I do not know what emotion took over me, but I blurted it out anyway.
"I know it is incredibly hard to console someone who has put up emotional walls," I said quietly, looking back at the pale demon. "But sometimes they desperately need the help of their loved ones to break those walls and comfort them. Even if they actively say they do not want it. Trust me on this. I've built enough walls to know how cold it gets behind them"
I saw a distinct glint of surprise shine in Nakime's massive eye. I turned around and left the castle. I decided to let the duo deal with the mental trauma of losing a loved ally on their own terms. God knows I was already used to that same numbness.
-X-
Elsewhere on the internet.
♦ Topic: Megathread: CHICAGO DOWNTOWN INCIDENT (The Dragon, The Lion & The Soda)
In: Boards ► Meta Incidents ► Breaking & Wild
►ModeratorMachete (Original Poster) (Moderator) (Verified Sanity) (Tired)
Posted On August 24th 2025:
Here is the megathread for the general discussion of what just happened in downtown Chicago.
[Here] are the resources for anyone displaced by the structural damage to the Machine Head tower and surrounding blocks.
[Here] is the missing persons board. If you got separated during the pocket-dimension evacuations, check here.
[Here] is the GDA's official (and extremely brief) press release.
A reminder: Multiple videos from this incident are being actively flagged and taken down by the GDA. We are keeping this thread up per standard site policy, but PLEASE stop reposting raw classified feeds if you don't want your IP blacklisted by the feds. I am not getting paid enough to fight the government today.
Keep it civil. Don't be funny, I'll be watching this thread closely.
(Showing page 1369 of 5890)
►CivilianWithEyes (At Ground Zero: Chicago) (Verified Survivor)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Okay so I was three blocks away from the tower when the upper floors literally detonated and the entire building just started coming down. I hid behind a parked sedan and watched what I can only describe as the most insane, fever-dream sequence of events I have ever witnessed in my LIFE.
There were two of them. A massive white lion creature with a spiked mace, and I mean MASSIVE, like I am 5'11 and this thing made me feel like a poodle and the other was an older man. He was in a shredded three-piece suit, with white flowing hair and a matching beard, covered in purple dragon scales. He had leathery WINGS and a spiky TAIL, and he was battling this alien lion and holding his own for an unhinged amount of time.
But I noticed there were no new Guardians of the Globe, not even some C-grade Hero and absolutely nobody from the GDA. Just these two going through a high-rise like it was wet cardboard.
Then John Fucking Kaisen showed up and I need everyone to understand I am still shaking.
►brickbybrick_bro (Verified Bro)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
KAISEN?? The billion-dollar bounty Kaisen?? In CHICAGO?? bestie I need you to slow down. The feds are literally hunting him.
►ThiccThighsSaveLives (Verified Thirsty) (Dragon Fucker)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Idk who he is but we need to talk about the Dragon man. The tailored suit? The silver fox energy? The raw, suffocating aura of "I will destroy you and then politely ask if you'd like some tea"? 🥵 I am looking disrespectfully. Step on me, sir.
►WhoIsLionMan (Monsterfucker) (Verified Xeno-Biologist)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
okay wait who IS the white lion creature. I have been on this forum for three years and I have never seen that species. Someone run the physiology. That is NOT a Flaxan, that is NOT anything in the known database. He looks like he bench presses Supers for fun and personally I think he is kind of. Okay I'll say it. Hot.
►CryptoCapeFan (Debt Haver) (Verified Tech Bro)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
@WhoIsLionMan I was waiting for someone to say it. The bar is in hell but here we are. I respect the hustle even if he did literally eat part of the Dragon Man later.
►JourneyToTheDragonCave (At Ground Zero: Chicago)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Not to be weird about it, but the Dragon man has a very particular Vibe of "Head Butler of a Demon King" and I think about him constantly.
►WhoIsLionMan (Monsterfucker) (Verified Xeno-Biologist)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
@JourneyToTheDragonCave bestie we just watched him get torn in half on the livestream and you're describing his VIBE?
►JourneyToTheDragonCave (At Ground Zero: Chicago)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
I contain multitudes. Let me cook.
►LogicBot_Activated (Wiki Warrior) (Verified Cynic)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
CAN WE FOCUS ON THE ACTUAL ISSUE HERE?! Where the hell were the new Guardians of the Globe? It took an unidentified Dragon Fasonista to hold off an alien invasion while the actual heroes were MIA.
►CivilianWithEyes (At Ground Zero: Chicago) (Verified Survivor)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Listen, Kaisen shows up through a gate that same Japanese sliding door thing from the Flaxan invasion and everyone in the area kind of just froze because the last time this guy was publicly visible, he had a BILLION DOLLAR BOUNTY on his head.
I genuinely thought he was going to bring out the White Dragon again. People behind me were literally stepping back to give it room.
But he did not bring out the dragon.
Instead, he glowed purple, put on what I can only describe as an Egyptian Anubis mask, and just... started fighting the lion creature. With purple katana-shaped Lightsabres. For over an HOUR. One guy with no backup. By himself.
►NightshadeNovice (Verified Student)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Wait wait wait. He fought him for AN HOUR? That lion thing destroyed the DragonMan in like twenty minutes and he was going toe to toe for a bit there. How is a human in a mask lasting AN HOUR.
►TheoryCraftingTina (Verified Analyst) (Lore Keeper)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Ungodly Fast learning. I'd put money on it. Watch the leaked drone footage frame by frame: his technique changes every three to four exchanges. He starts slow and gets progressively harder to hit. Whatever mask is, it's studying the lion creature in real-time and feeding him the counter. He's not beating it, but he's surviving long enough to matter.
►JACKETER_REAL (Verified: Kaisen Archivist) (GDA Public Enemy #1)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Hey @ModeratorMachete 👋
Every video the feds delete, I am reuploading within 90 seconds on a new proxy. I have been faster than the GDA's cyber team since day one and I do not intend to slow down. The people have a right to see what their "official" heroes did NOT show up for.
The archive is live. All angles and timestamps indexed. [Here] is the UNCUT 1080p footage. Go off!
►ModeratorMachete (Original Poster) (Moderator) (Verified Sanity) (Tired)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
@JACKETER_REAL we have had this conversation before. I am begging you to let me sleep.
►JACKETER_REAL (Verified: Kaisen Archivist) (GDA Public Enemy #1)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
And yet here we are again. The archive stays up. 🫡
►CecilWatchdog (Verified Conspiracy Cap)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
It gets better guys. GDA statement on the incident: "The situation was handled by authorized operatives."
That's it. That's the whole statement. AUTHORIZED OPERATIVES. For the man they put a BILLION DOLLAR BOUNTY on two weeks ago. What is going on in that building?
►TheoryCraftingTina (Verified Analyst) (Lore Keeper)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
The real question nobody is asking: zero casualties?! Chicago is a hub of constant civilian casualties. A battle between two beings who were literally falling through floors of a high-rise and destroying whole city blocks. Zero civilian casualties reported on the news. Not one. How?
►CivilianWithEyes (At Ground Zero: Chicago) (Verified Survivor)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
I can answer that actually. I was in the evacuation zone.
During the fight, there was a sound. Hard to describe it, like someone playing a stringed instrument but not like a guitar, and then these gates started opening on the ground below me. Japanese sliding doors we see in J-POP videos, just appearing in the middle of the street. And other people and I fell through them.
We found ourselves in these wooden buildings that looked like Escher had drawn them.
No matter what we do, or where we go, we can't get out of this maze for about an hour and a half before another gate opens.
I came out three blocks away in a GDA camp, completely unharmed. Along with about forty other people I had never met.
►KaisenFanAcc_#1 (Verified: Kaisen Enjoyer) (Number 1 Fan)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
THAT'S THE GATE. THAT'S KAISEN'S GATE. HE USED IT IN THE FLAXAN INVASION.
HE WAS EVACUATING PEOPLE THE WHOLE TIME. WHILE FIGHTING. YOU MEAN TO TELL ME HE WAS RUNNING A FULL CIVILIAN EXTRACTION OPERATION FROM HIS ESCHER CASTLE WHILE HE FOUGHT?!
►NightshadeNovice (Verified Student)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Putting this in perspective: the Guardians of the Globe in their prime would have evacuated the area, contained the threat, and filed a report. But we know from the past records there would always be some casualty, no matter how small.
Kaisen evacuated the area, fought for an hour, and apparently sent everyone in that building to safety, and did all of this while the official heroes were AWOL. He has a BILLION-dollar bounty on his head. I cannot stress enough how much this city owes this man an apology.
►PepsiManTruthSociety (Verified Prophet) (Brand Ambassador)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
I have been silent long enough. We need to discuss the real MVP of this entire incident.
PEPSI MAN.
Ran directly at White Lion at full speed. Got swatted out of the air immediately. BUT and I cannot stress this enough, the shaken bottle he was carrying discharged directly into Battle Beast's teleportation device and sent both Beast AND the DragonMan away from the fight, saving Kaisen's life.
Do you even realise the 7D chess Pepsi-Man must be playing and apparently he's on the new roster of Guardians!!
We finally have a hero we can put our hopes on!
This is the single greatest tactical play in documented hero history. While Dragon Man and Kiasen fought the beast barely surviving, Pepsi man simply arrived. And won!
Absolute W!!
►CorporateLegalEagle (Verified Lawyer) (Corporate Shill)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
The PepsiCo legal team is watching this thread and we need everyone to understand that Pepsi Man's presence does not constitute an endorsement of vigilante activity. Any association between the Pepsi brand and an ongoing situation is purely coincidental, and we are reviewing our options regarding unauthorized use of corporate iconography. Thank you.
►brickbybrick_bro (Verified Bro)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
@CorporateLegalEagle PLEASE pursue this. I would pay actual money to watch the GDA get served a cease and desist on behalf of Pepsi because of a copyright situation.
►PepsiManTruthSociety (Verified Prophet) (Brand Ambassador)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
Filing this under "things that would make GDA's filing measurably weirder and therefore will definitely happen."
►JACKETER_REAL (Verified: Kaisen Archivist) (GDA Public Enemy #1)
Replied On August 24th 2025:
New upload: [Here] is aerial footage from a drone that managed to stay in range during the last ten minutes of the fight.
You can see the gate open behind the debris field at 0:43 and watch what appears to be a significant number of residents of the building being moved through it in organized groups.
Not a rushed ejection that could've led to a stampede. It was organised by someone on the other side who was managing intake.
There's someone else managing this.
GDA deleted this video four times in the past twenty minutes. It is back up. It will stay up.
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[A/N]: This was another full-spread 3k-word, AGAIN!!
Also, the Rolls are updated in the Auxiliary Chapter for your convenience.
And with this new week, our grind to reach Number 1 begins again.
SO DROP THEM STONES!!
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