The crimson-stained stones of Crimvale crunched underfoot as Gojo Satoru walked into the heart of what was once a sanctuary. The sun had long dipped beneath the horizon, and the sky burned with twilight, casting long shadows over the ruins. Where once stood proud towers of unity, now only scorched walls and broken columns remained. Time had not been kind to the battlefield of peace.
"You feel that?" Zoro asked, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Something's watching."
"Several things are," Gojo replied, his Six Eyes glowing faintly beneath his blindfold. "And none of them friendly."
Behind them, Naruto and Luffy trudged forward, tense but determined. Goku floated down beside them, scanning the area with calm curiosity. Saitama, his expression unreadable, walked with his hands in his pockets, already bored.
A low growl echoed from the ruins.
"He's here," Gojo murmured. "And not alone."
From beneath a broken archway, three figures emerged: one cloaked in fire, one draped in a flowing, spectral cloak, and the last carrying a long spear etched with runes. They were emissaries of the Forbidden Triumvirate, a secret coalition of rogue warriors cast out from their worlds for crimes too great to pardon.
The leader stepped forward. Her crimson eyes matched the dried blood on the stones. "You came. Good. Then the pact begins."
Luffy stepped up beside Naruto, whispering, "You sure about this? These guys don't feel like the team-up kind."
Naruto frowned, but nodded. "We don't have a choice. The Shadow Warlord's forces are growing faster than we can stop them. If we don't unite now, there won't be a world left to protect."
The emissary raised her hand. A scroll appeared in the air, unfurling with an eerie whisper. Ancient language, neither of this world nor any other, glowed red against the parchment.
"State your intent," she said.
Goku stepped forward. "To form a temporary alliance. One purpose: stop the Shadow Warlord. After that, we go our separate ways."
The emissaries looked at one another. The one cloaked in flame hissed, "Temporary only. You betray us, we burn your worlds."
"Deal," Saitama said flatly, stepping forward and pressing his fingerprint onto the scroll. His mark left a smoking crater in the parchment.
Each hero followed. Naruto, Goku, Luffy, Zoro, Gojo—their marks glowing as the scroll folded in on itself and vanished.
"The Crimson Pact is sealed," the leader declared. "But know this: should one of you break the bond, your own soul will be claimed."
Thunder cracked across the sky. A warning.
Suddenly, the ground trembled. Gojo tensed. "It's not supposed to happen yet…"
Black mist bled from the ground, and a fissure tore through the earth. From it rose a creature clad in shadow armour, its form constantly shifting.
"A shadow fragment," whispered the emissary of fire. "He's testing us."
The heroes leapt into action.
Goku transformed instantly into Super Saiyan Blue, his aura lighting the ruins. Naruto summoned his Nine-Tails chakra cloak. Zoro unleashed a flurry of slashes, carving through the monster's tendrils. Luffy entered Gear Fifth, his form warping with cartoonish elasticity and terrifying speed.
But it wasn't enough.
The creature absorbed their attacks and reformed with each strike. Laughing. Mocking.
Gojo removed his blindfold. "Enough."
Infinite Void expanded in an instant. The creature froze, locked in Gojo's domain of absolute knowledge. But even that wasn't enough to destroy it. Only delay it.
Saitama stepped forward, rolling his neck.
"Alright, I'll take care of it."
He punched once.
The crater it left swallowed the fragment whole. Silence followed. Even the emissaries seemed shaken.
"I forget sometimes," muttered Gojo, "that he doesn't play by our rules."
The emissary leader nodded. "The Warlord will feel that. He will know we are united. And he will come."
"Then we'll be ready," said Naruto. "Because this time, we fight not as enemies, or even allies. We fight as one."
Overhead, storm clouds began to churn.
The Crimson Pact had been sealed.
And war was inevitable.