It's not a weapon. It's a warning."
Ardyn's voice was cold as he stood in the Hokage's underground chamber. Tsunade, Lyra, Ben, and Eon were gathered around him. A void-hardened stasis table glowed in the center, projecting spirals of multiversal code—each one more complex than the last.
Ben paced in the background. "I don't like this. Gwen—Dark Gwen—she let us have it. That wasn't an ambush. That was a breadcrumb."
Lyra zoomed in on a floating string of runes. "These aren't just coordinates. They're genetic patterns."
Ardyn's eyes narrowed.
He recognized one.
His own.
Konoha Archives – Hidden Vault Layer 3
After cross-referencing the shard's contents with all known celestial databanks, Lyra and Eon began the decryption. What emerged from the code wasn't a weapon schematic or battle map.
It was a birth record.
But not from any known world.
A birth that hadn't happened.
A child with no timeline.
Subject: A-000-Ω
Name: [CLASSIFIED]
Designated Title: The Hollowborn
Parentage: Ardyn [VOID] – ??? [OMITTED]
Projected Power: Temporal Absolute | Void Genesis | Paradox Immunity
Threat Level: RED INFINITY
Ben leaned in. "Wait… this kid hasn't been born yet?"
Eon's expression darkened. "No. And Obsidian Ardyn is doing everything in his power to keep it that way."
Flashback – Inside the Cradle (Vision Trigger)
The shard pulsed.
Ardyn froze as his consciousness was pulled into a vision.
He stood in a void field—stars swirling above, broken timelines beneath his feet.
And in the center: the Cradle.
A child floated inside, wrapped in celestial ribbons, eyes still shut. But power radiated from him in waves that warped reality itself.
Suddenly, a voice whispered in Ardyn's ear:
"He is not your end, Void Prince.
He is your rebirth.
And Obsidian fears him for good reason."
Then—the child opened its eyes.
And Ardyn saw… himself.
Not as he was.
But whole.
Back in Reality – Panic
He staggered backward, breaking the vision. Tsunade stepped in to stabilize him.
Ben demanded, "What did you see?"
Ardyn answered slowly.
"My future son."
Everyone went silent.
Eon finally said, "If he exists, he represents a singularity so dense with potential that the Void would fold in on itself just to contain him."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And you're surprised Obsidian wants him erased?"
Ardyn clenched his fist. "No. I'm surprised he hasn't succeeded yet."
Lyra's screen buzzed.
INCOMING TRANSMISSION.
MULTIVERSAL RUPTURE DETECTED – EARTH 11-D.
STATUS: COLLAPSING.
Ben muttered, "Another one?"
Eon shook his head. "Not just another one. This is… personal."
Cut to: Earth 11-D – The Next Target
A world bathed in emerald flame.
This was the Earth where Gwen and Ben had never separated. Where the Omnitrix was perfected. Where heroes lived too long.
And where now, Dark Gwen had descended with a fleet of spectral anomalies—shadows of broken versions of the Justice League, Titan hybrids, and fallen Lanterns.
She moved toward a temple built to house something sacred.
The Seed.
Another fragment of the Hollowborn's soul.
"Time to burn what's left of hope," she whispered.
Back in Konoha – Decision Time
Ardyn stood.
"I have to stop her."
Ben moved beside him. "Not alone."
Tsunade stepped forward. "You just came back from a suicide mission—"
"This one's worse," Lyra added.
Ben smirked. "Yeah, but now we know why we're fighting."
Ardyn looked around.
"This isn't about the multiverse anymore. It's about the future we're not allowed to have."
His eyes glowed.
And the void responded.
Elsewhere – The Obsidian Throne
Obsidian Ardyn stood before his Cradle, watching as more pieces of the Hollowborn reactivated.
He growled.
"Then it's time to call her."
From the darkness, a figure stepped forward.
White armor. Black veins of time running down her arms. A single eye that blinked sideways across realities.
Alternate Sakura.
Fused with the God Tree. Infused with the corrupted hearts of a thousand timelines.
"Ready to rewrite fate?" she asked.
Obsidian smiled.
"Wipe them all."
[CHAPTER END | NEXT: Broken Earth – The Fall of 11-D Begins]