They materialized inside a cathedral of bones. Meruem's tail impaled Loki before his boots touched the marble.
Dean caught him by the collar, yanking him sideways as the stinger whistled past—close enough to taste chitin. The **STATUS SCREEN** blared:
**WARNING: [ROYAL GUARD ENGAGED]**
**HOSTILES: [MERUEM - PITOU - YUPI]**
**RECOMMENDED STRATEGY: [DIVINE RETREAT]**
"Plan?" Loki wheezed, clutching his bleeding side.
Dean's NZT-accelerated mind spat out the odds: 0.3% survival if they fought, 12% if they ran, 88% if they cheated. He grinned. "Ever played chess with god?"
The **STATUS SCREEN** updated:
**EMERGENCY PURCHASE: [NEN TIME DILATION - 1000 SP]**
**EFFECT: [00:00:10 SUBJECTIVE → 00:05:00 REAL]**
Meruem's fist passed through Dean's afterimage as time fractured.
—
Ten seconds stretched into eternity. Dean moved through frozen chaos—Pitou's En suspended mid-leap, Yupi's roar a static scream. He vaulted over the throne, fingers brushing Meruem's crown. The **STATUS SCREEN** flickered:
**ITEM DETECTED: [METEOR CITY NUCLEAR CODES]**
**SP VALUE: [5000]**
Loki's dagger shattered against Pitou's immobilized aura. "Hurry!"
Dean's fingers closed around the data chip embedded in the crown's jewels. The world stuttered back into motion.
Meruem's eyes snapped open—*golden, furious*—just as the **STATUS SCREEN** flashed:
**PURCHASE CONFIRMED: [NEN PORTAL - 0 SP (LOKI'S DEBT)]**
Reality peeled away like rotting fruit.
—
They landed knee-deep in sulfur. The **STATUS SCREEN** recalibrated:
**CURRENT WORLD: [HELLVERSE - BLEACH AUXILIARY TIMELINE]**
**NEW OBJECTIVE: [STEAL HŌGYOKU FRAGMENT - 7000 SP]**
**WARNING: [SOUL REAPERS DETECTED]**
Loki groaned. "Why is everything *on fire*?"
Dean reloaded his pistol with Hollow-killer rounds. "Better question." He nodded toward the skyline, where a gargantuan serpentine Hollow slithered between collapsing skyscrapers. "Why's *that* wearing Aizen's face?"
The **STATUS SCREEN** pulsed crimson:
**HOSTILE IDENTIFIED: [AIZEN SŌSUKE (FULL HOLLOWIFICATION)]**
**THREAT LEVEL: [SSS]**
Loki summoned a second dagger. "I *hate* contingency plans."
Dean chambered a round. "Welcome to the endgame."