On the other end of the line, Raiden closed the communication. He turned to walk down his hallway to one of the many rooms. Each of them were massive metallic rooms, filled with shifting mechanisms and humanoid training drones. He walked into the room marked number 5, where three individuals were practicing stealth takedowns on the drones.

One was Naruto Uzumaki, a young Japanese boy with whiskers painted on his face, blue eyes and spiked blond hair. He wore a black and orange jumpsuit and dark blue sandals, along with a blue and silver headband. He wielded a kunai, quickly piercing the necks of each machine with brutal efficiency.

The other was Killua Zoldyck, a pale skinned boy with white hair and grey eyes. He wore a white shirt with a dark blue turtleneck underneath and grey shorts with dark blue and pale white shoes. He dashed around the room with near imperceptible speed, slicing at the robot's midsections.

The other was Toru Hagakure. She was invisible. That is all.

Raiden called out, "Danger room 5. Off."

The robots slowly shut down as everyone's attention was drawn to Raiden. The approached, sheathing their weapons. Hagakure put on a pair of gloves to mark her position to everyone else.

Raiden said, "We got a job and it's a big one. We're infiltrating Crota's ship. Oryx and co. just arrived at this planet, and we're going in to find out why. Word is also that Crota has a couple of prisoners on board he plans on handing over to Oryx, but they're secondary only if we can reach them without crossing Oryx."

Killua said, "So what's the plan?"

Raiden said, "Using one of the Pelicans, with a cloaking device attached, we're gonna land on the starboard side of the ship towards the bow. That's likely where Crota and by extension Oryx will be. We'll find a point on that section with minimal security and break in. From there, we secure an exit route before listening in on what they're is planning. The device has a limited charge, so we have until it's 2 minutes from shutdown to be back on the Pelican, so there's time to clear the ship before we're visible. Any questions?"

Hagakure raised her hand which Raiden pointed to. She then said, "You said 'prisoners'?"

Raiden said, "The planet we're orbiting? Oryx's son got here before we did and captured them. We have reason to believe he never left the planet and was waiting for his father. They're likely set to be Taken. There's a high chance we're not gonna be able to get them out without crossing Oryx, but if we get the chance we'll try and take it."

Naruto said, "Why don't I just send some of my shadow clones in. Anything they learn before I recall them will be relayed back to me."

Raiden said, "Those clones are made out of pure chakra. That energy could be sensed and spotted before we learn anything. Keep it tactile."

When there were no more questions, Raiden said, "Alright. Grab what you need, but pack light! Meet in 5 minutes in bay 12."

5 minutes later...

Killua and Naruto were wearing skintight black armor. It was lightweight with minimal resistance to prevent sounds from fabric rubbing together, with soft soles to reduce sound from dropping. Hagakure wore nothing, for she was invisible. Raiden simply had his cybernetic body. They loaded onto the green Pelican ship, the door sealing behind them. The pilot said, "Alright, we're launching. Strap in."

All four strapped into their seats and the ship took off. Amity, bandages around her stomach, was watching alongside Marcy, Freya and Atreus.

Amity said, "Please...bring her back safely."

Crota's ship

The Pelican soared across the planet, as a massive rectangular prism shaped ship began to loom over the horizon.

The pilot said "Ship in sight. Engaging cloak."

An electrical field whipped and whirred over the ship, slowly causing it to seemingly vanish in thin air. The invisible ship slowly approached the Dreadnought flying close to a smaller ship of similar shape, landing on the upper part of it towards the corner. Hagakure, Killua and Naruto strapped masks and backpacks to themselves, clasping the masks to allow themselves to breathe. Their enhanced physiology meant they only needed something to assist with breathing. Raiden's cybernetic body required no external oxygen. He pressed a button in his ear, causing two armor plates to slide and click together in front of his eyes. This generated an AR display into his eyes, allowing him to see into the walls. He noticed hive soldiers all making their way to the bow of the ship.

When they seemingly passed by, he unsheathed his sword, cutting a hole into the ship at rapid-fire speed. The group jumped in, landing in the gargantuan halls of the ship. The calcified protrusions and crust covered the walls, which disappeared into shadow above just from their sheer size. They four ran through the halls, their footsteps making practically no sound.

They began hearing snarls and cheers, which they followed towards the bow of the ship. Raiden gestured towards Naruto and Killua, then pointed up, signaling a position change. Naruto ran up the wall, running chakra through the soles of his shoes. Raiden and Killua used their clawed fingers to dig into the walls, crawling above. Hagakure remained on the ground and followed as they closed in on the source of the sound.

At the bow of the ship was a massive amphitheater. Thousands of thralls and acolytes snarled and roared. The four entered the room, Raiden, Killua, and Naruto climbing the walls while Hagakure entered from the central main entrance. At the center of the amphitheater, knelt Crota and Omnigul. Then...he appeared. A swirling vortex of darkness appeared before Crota and Omnigul. Then it exploded outward, a pair of draconic wings unfurling from around the body of the mighty Taken King.

Oryx had arrived. He gracefully landed before them. He stood much taller than Crota, with Crota barely reaching his chest when standing tall. Crota seemingly stammered as he said, "Father...it's...good to see you again. I am pleased that we are going to be..."

Oryx bluntly stated, in a cold dry voice, "The prisoners.", cutting off Crota's stammering.

Crota sighed and said, "Of course...father."

He tilted his head to Omnigul, signaling her. Omnigul snapped her fingers, and with a burst of a black orb, Luz and Anne appeared.

"Luz!", Amity yelled from the bridge of the Infinty.

Onboard the ship, some of the crew was watching a screen, showcasing Raiden's point of view as he showcased everything he could see. Amity saw Luz appear, and Marcy saw Anne.

Luz and Anne coughed as they slowly awoke.

Luz said, "Where...are we?". Her voice was dry, and her mind was groggy. She slowly gained her bearings but had little time before she was ripped away in the air. Oryx's power pulled Anne and Luz into the air, bringing them face to face with him.

Anne yelled, "What is this?! Who are you?!"

Oryx said, "I...am the Taken King. Oryx."

Anne turned back to see Crota kneeling before Oryx, realizing the power and respect this demon commanded.

Luz said, "What...do you want with us?"

Oryx said, "Are you the ones who killed my granddaughter?"

Anne was silent. She grimaced as Oryx smiled. "I thought so. Truly...excellent."

Anne said, "Why do they call you the Taken King? Telling every eligible bachelorette in the multiverse that you're strapped by the old ball and chain?"

Oryx chuckled and replied, "You are not owed explanation. You are simply owed my will."

With one wave of his hand, a rift of dark energy opened up behind both Luz and Anne.

They slowly turned to the rift, seeing the flashing white at the core of black mist surrounding it.

"Gaze...into infinity..."

The rift began to pull, sucking Luz and Anne towards it.

Marcy shouted, "Raiden, stop him! What is he doing?!"

Raiden said, "I'm sorry, kid..."

Amity's expression dropped when she realized there was nothing that could be done.

Luz and Anne vanished as the rift was closed around them.

"Through this pact...be reborn..."

A black orb appeared and expanded before Oryx, and burst revealing a changed Luz and Anne. Their skin, hair, and clothes had become black, morphing together into a single silhouette, with bright white hands and feet, and a white glowing circle on their face obscured their facial features. Luz's palisman was also purely black with two glowing white eyes. Anne had an imperceptible aura that gave off a palpable pressure, shaking the ship.

They bowed before Oryx, speaking in a flat monotone. "We serve the Taken King. Your will be done."

Oryx raised his hands, drawing cheers from the crowd. He said "With the power to slay a god, cloaked in darkness, you will be more than just soldiers. More than just mindless tools. You are the architects of my triumph. You will be the Hands of Oryx."

Crota stood up and raised his hand, shouting out, "Hail. The Hands of Oryx!"

Amity and Marcy watched in horror as Luz and Amity rose, assuming command of the legions of Hive.

Raiden glanced at his wrist and said, "Time to go."

Marcy said, "No not yet! We don't even know where they're going!"

Connie said, "This is all we're gonna learn right now. I'm sorry."

Thel simply said, "Were it so easy..."

Raiden, Naruto, and Killua began slowly making their way back to the ship. Hagakure stayed. "I'm going with them."

Connie said, "What?"

Hagakure replied, "They won't notice me and I can get a lot of valuable intel."

Thel said, "We cannot simply remain within range of the Dreadnought indefinitely."

Hagakure said, "You don't have to. Anything I learn I can relay whenever we meet again. It's better than never knowing anything at all."

After a beat, Connie sighed and said, "Ok. You stay as far out of sight and out of their way as possible."

Hagakure said, "Copy that."

Oryx said, "Crota. This world...I want you to claim it for me."

Crota said, "It will be done. What will you do?"

Oryx said, "I think I have found Xivu Arath. These children will be instrumental in seeing her resurrected. I will return here soon. Have this world ready for the Taking."

Hagakure waded through the crowd of soldiers, careful not to bump into any and alert them of her presence. She jumped right next to Luz and Anne as Oryx enveloped himself and them in a black orb that soon vanished.

Connie saidm, "Good luck...Invisible Girl."

"Who is Xivu Arath?", asked Freya.

Connie said, "No idea..."

Amity said nothing, a single teardrop falling down her cheek as she ran out of the room. Freya gave chase.

Marcy was about to give chase too until Crota's voice sounded on the monitor, picked up by the slowly retreating trio.

"Why did you not bring out the other girl, Omnigul?"

Omnigul said, "I have my own plans for her, my love. She is merely human. Not worth wasting your father's magic on. But there's an undeniable skill to her, to be able to wound me like she did."

Crota said, "That experimentation will have to wait. Gather our forces. In two rotations, we will lay claim to this planet."

Atreus said, "We can't let that happen! You have to send us back."

Thel said, "Not to reopen fresh wounds, but your mighty father couldn't even defeat Crota. What can you do?"

Atreus said, "I don't know...but anything is better than standing by."

Marcy said, "How long is two rotations?"

Thel said, "Two days. Gather the council, Connie. We must discuss how to proceed."

Amity was running through the halls, wanting to be anywhere than where she was. Freya said, "Amity! Amity, wait!"

Amity turned a corner collapsing in the hallway to her knees, her breath shortened as tears hit the floor beneath her.

Freya rushed to her side, placing her arms over her back, leaning over her to comfort her.

Amity cried out, "I failed her! I couldn't protect her!"

Freya said, "Amity...listen to me."

Amity looked up at Freya.

Freya said, "No curse is unbreakable. We'll find a way to break this one all the same. I promise you that."

Amity pulled Freya in and hugged her.

1 hour later...

As the Pelican arrived back the Infinity, the council met in the room, the table and chairs returned.

The council consisted of Connie, Thel, Garnet, and John-117 in addition to:

Pearl, a woman of the same species as Garnet, with ivory skin and blue eyes. She had a notably pointed nose, and peach hair styled into a pixie cut. She wore a teal jacket with dark blue pants and pink ballet shoes. Her gemstone, a pearl, was visible on her forehead.

Tenya Iida, a young man with cream skin and blackish-blue hair. He wore glasses and a suit and tie.

Momo Yaoyorozu, a young woman who also wore a suit and tie, with long spiked hair styled into a ponytail.

Monkey D. Luffy, a boy with a red shirt, unbuttoned and showing a massive X-shaped scar on his body. He wore jean shorts and sandals, as well as a worn-out straw hat with a red ribbon at the base.

Roronoa Zoro, a man with green hair and tan skin, a scar over his left eye, a green kimono and three swords on his side.

Aang, the youngest among them, a child with light skin and a bald head with a prominent blue arrow tattoo going along his head. He wore a red and orange monk robe as well.

Katara, Aang's girlfriend who had tan skin and wore a blue robe. Her hair was long and brown and she had blue eyes.

And Goku, a man with light pale skin, spiked black hair and a blue and orange two layer gi.

They were joined by Atreus and Marcy. Thel said, "Let's get started. Through Raiden's team we have learned that Crota has been ordered by Oryx to lay claim to this planet."

Luffy said, "So we take him out and the rest of them will be easy, right?"

Yaoyorozu said, "Until we know the strength of his forces, it's dangerous to go in without a plan. If he's anything like his father, the task of beating him alone will be difficult."

Aang said, "Not to mention, Oryx doesn't seem like the forgiving type. We kill Crota, he'll show up and wipe us out. Or worse..."

Zoro said, "No need to play coy. We know why you don't want to kill him."

Katara said, "He can have two reasons."

Zoro said, "Not saying there's anything wrong with the pacifist thing. Besides, you're right. Even if we successfully killed him, that just puts a bigger target on our back."

Atreus' eyes widened as an idea came to him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue crystal which he placed on the table.

Pearl asked, "What's that?"

Atreus said, "A key of Yggdrasil. It allows travel between the Nine Realms on my world. Without it, you're stuck in that realm."

Marcy said, "I know the Nine Realms! There's Asgard, Midgard, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Jötunheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim, and Helheim."

Atreus said, "Exactly. I can use this to open one of the gates on Midgard and we can send Crota to one of the realms, trapping him there. I know he can teleport, but that could only across distances. Realms here are entirely separate planes. At worst, we could delay him and at best we take him off the board. I'm thinking Helheim."

Iida said, "I'm not sure how I feel about dropping Crota into an innocent realm."

Atreus explained, "Helheim isn't like the others. It's the land of the dead. Nothing Crota can do will make things worse. Shit, he might make things better. The dead have been spilling out of there so maybe Crota can help thin their ranks."

He chuckled at the irony of it.

Zoro said, "Alright. I'll come down there, take on Crota."

Marcy asked, "Why don't we just all go?"

John said, "A couple of reasons. One, if things go wrong, it's best if we're not all killed or captured. Two, as far as Oryx knows, we don't exist altogether. We play our hand too soon and show off how powerful we are, he either comes right for us or goes all in on building a bigger army. Best to play it safe for now. Speaking of which, it was snowing when we were down there, so best to pack warm."

Katara smiled and said, "Snow? I can work with that. I'll take Lapis too."

Atreus said, "I'll go too. But I need to bring Freya. She might be able to charm the door to help push Crota in or keep him trapped."

Garnet said, "Alright. The five of you are in charge of taking Crota off the board."

Goku finally spoke up and said, "Why don't I go down there too? I've been itching for a fight!"

Garnet said, "If the time comes we'll send you. Best not to chance losing you right out the gate."

Zoro smiled and said, "When do we leave?"