Chapter 48 protocol : Resonance

The chamber trembled as the last flare of the summoning faded. Nine figures stood where moments ago only light had been — dust swirling around their feet, their shadows cast long across the marble floor.

“Wh-what are those clothes…?” one knight whispered.

“They… they don’t even carry sigils or crests,” another muttered, spear trembling.

Lucy tightened her arms around Eli, her eyes sharp as she scanned the hall. Beside her, Riven stood tall, his eyes narrowing at the armored guards forming a ring around them.

“Another world,” Julius muttered under his breath, clicking his tongue. “Tch… dragged into another damn mess.”

The silence broke when red Binary light flickered to life in Riven’s palm.

Gasps filled the throne room.

“Witchfire!”

“No — it’s some cursed flame!”

“Stay back!”

The knights raised their spears in panic, some ready to strike — but before they could move, something else happened.

Each of the heroes’ Execution Codes pulsed at once.

Kira’s eyes widened as digital glyphs spread across her arm, her sword reshaping itself into a sleeker, sharper form, humming faintly with mana.

Taylor flinched as storm clouds flickered into being above his hand, lightning snapping unnaturally quick.

Isabel gasped as one of her summoned beasts appeared without her calling — but this time, glowing with faint Eldorian runes etched across its metallic hide.

Even Julius staggered, arcs of alien energy sparking off his frame as if his Code were copying something from the mages around him.

“What—what’s happening to us?!” Lucy shouted, holding Eli tighter.

And then, Eli screamed.

Light poured from her hand, dazzling white, flooding the chamber. The wild surge from the others calmed, their new powers stabilizing.

Riven turned, stunned. “Eli… what did you just do?”

The girl’s eyes were wide, confused, almost frightened. “I… I don’t know… it just… happened.”

The glow vanished, leaving only silence.

From the throne, King Arcturus leaned forward, his voice hushed.

“Not just heroes… something else entirely.”

By the time the heroes were escorted through the capital, word had already spread.

Crowds lined the streets, whispering, pointing, staring.

“The Summoned Heroes…”

“Look at them — they’re nothing like us.”

“Are they angels? Or demons?”

Some children waved, their innocent smiles breaking the tension. Others crossed themselves, muttering prayers for protection. Every step the heroes took was met with awe and unease.

Lucy clutched Eli’s hand. Kira’s digital sword shimmered faintly at her side. And Riven… Riven walked with his head high, jaw clenched, trying to understand what had just happened to them.

Back on Earth, alarms blared at Death Protocol headquarters.

Nine Execution Codes — offline.

“Impossible. They all vanished at once,” one operator stammered.

“They weren’t killed,” another whispered. “Their signals… they were pulled.”

Cigar’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

“They were summoned.”

The Shadow Council appeared on the screens.

“ one murmured, “they may never return.”

Meanwhile, new rifts split the skies over New York, Tokyo, and London. With no Executioners strong enough to respond, Earth bled.

Far away, in a throne of black stone, the Demon King sat in silence. Silas knelt at his feet, head bowed.

The King’s lips curled into a grin.

“So… the other world has finally sent its hunters.”

His eyes glowed like burning coals.

“Let them come. I will break them all the same.”