From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

The green webbed barrier acted as a dimensional gate, a checkpoint between universes. As their energy forms made contact with the barrier, a ripple effect was created, distorting the surrounding space. A small tear opened up in the web, a portal to the other side. They passed through the tear, feeling a slight tug as they crossed the threshold into a new universe.

The tear closed behind them, sealing off the passage.

Dimitri and Masabi materialized again, hovering in the outer layer of Earth's atmosphere. The air around them crackled with residual energy from their interdimensional travel. Below them, multiple large red portals dotted the planet, ominous and foreboding. From these portals, small objects—invading forces—descended toward the Earth.

"Shit, it really is a full-on invasion," Masabi muttered, his voice laced with urgency.

"This is going to get ugly. Let's get down there and back up Kieran and the advanced team, alright?" He glanced at Dimitri, noticing his pale complexion and the way he covered his mouth.

"A-are you okay, Dimitri?" Masabi asked, concern evident in his voice.

"No, I'm just not used to all of that," Dimitri replied, his face contorted with nausea.

Masabi shook his head with a chuckle and gripped Dimitri's shoulder reassuringly. "We'll follow Kieran's energy level and go from there," he said as they began their rapid descent toward the planet.

The atmosphere around them grew hotter, the friction of re-entry roaring in their ears. The ground below came into sharper focus,

Suddenly, Masabi's vision began to distort as he felt himself and Dimitri being pulled away.

"Shit," Masabi muttered, shoving Dimitri away from him. Dimitri went flying 20 feet in the other direction, screaming out, "What is going on?!"

He looked at Vice Captain Masabi, who was now enveloped in a vortex of blue energy.

"I will be fine. I could cancel this, but I need to gather some info. You find Kieran and assist her and the advanced team as needed!"

"But sir, we don't—"

He cut himself off as the VC was fully wrapped up, and in the next moment, he was gone.

Gravity didn't yield as Dimitri continued to be pulled down to Earth. His forearm blazed red until he came crashing down, tumbling through the broken concrete streets of a random New York street.

Dimitri stood up and dusted himself off, feeling his back aching. "I really have to work on my landings, I suppose. Thankfully, my body is sturdy, I guess."

He looked around, a bit disoriented. "Rather rude of VC to just leave me alone in this weird world."

Dimitri looked up toward the sky as the sun shone down on him. He saw a massive portal hovering over the area, sitting ominously in the sky with nothing coming out of it.

Rubbing the top of his head, he muttered, "Weird, why have a portal open and nothing coming through?"

Gripping the hilt of his blade, Dimitri began to look around the street. He noticed hundreds of dead bodies scattered across the ground. Walking over to one of them, he bent down and examined the corpse. Cuts lined the neck, and bite marks marred the arms. The face was green and aged, molding with a putrid smell.

"Guess that's why this place stinks, or maybe it's something under the streets?" he speculated.

His train of thought broke as he heard a scream down the road.

"Shit, I guess it was too much to hope that—" He cut himself off and began to run down the street. Taking a right turn, he glanced at a damaged signpost that read "Apple Street."

As Dimitri fully turned the corner, he saw a boy with baggy pants standing at the corner of the street, a building behind him that stated "Theatre." The boy was playing a flute, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around him. Dimitri's eyes widened as he noticed a large cyclops creature with putrid, rotting skin holding one of his division crewmates by the arm.

The crewmate screamed out in pain, banging his fist against the cyclops's arm before the creature slammed him into the ground.

"What the hell is going on?!" Dimitri exclaimed, worry and sweat dripping down his face. "I can't let anyone die; otherwise, Vice Captain will be insanely mad with me."

Rushing forward toward the creature, Dimitri remembered the VC's words: "If you aren't strong, be smart."

As the thought flashed through his mind, he noticed the boy playing the flute begin to turn around. In that split second, the boy shifted and reshaped into a rumble of rocks, transforming before Dimitri's eyes.

The boy stopped playing the flute for a short second as he tilted his head in confusion.

The boy shrugged his shoulder and stated "Okay you disgusting brute, time to take out this trash, go ahead and eat them.

The creature did not respond as the boy began to play the flute. It lifted the injured man from the rubble, his black uniform laid in tatters, and his body and bones showing from his body. Stay tuned with empire

The creature opened its mouth, attempting to drop him in before a sharp rock lodged into the cyclops's leg.

The creature, not showing a display of pain, dropped the man in its mouth. The man plunged his sword into the side of its jaw, bouncing off as he collapsed to the ground.

As the flute continued to play, the cyclops towered over the man, its rotting foot poised to stomp down. Moments later, a slice of steel rang out, slicing the foot off. Another slice followed, slitting the creature's neck. The cyclops fell over, dying.

"Di-Dimitri?" the man stated, looking up in disbelief. The rumble of rocks fully transformed back into Dimitri as he stood in front of him, his legs shook slightly with his blade out in front of him as he faced the boy with the flute.

The man stated "Are you really our back up though?! Id think they would send the Vice Captain or at least someone in that power range.