26.5

Summary of Parahumans: Worm, Chapter 26.5:

Nilbog’s creations rioted, a monstrous tide pouring from Ellisburg. Heroes struggled to contain the horde, a nightmarish mix of teeth, claws, and unnatural forms. Weaver, battered but alive, watched as the creatures attacked the makeshift walls, a horrifying display of Nilbog’s twisted power.

Revel and Shuffle, fresh from a victory in Norfolk, joined the defense. Shuffle’s unpredictable teleportation both hindered and helped, creating gaps as he shored up defenses. The heroes fought bravely, but the situation was dire, a worst-case scenario in a war already stretched thin.

The Slaughterhouse Nine had launched two more attacks, stretching the heroes’ resources even thinner. Weaver, still reeling from the encounter with Nilbog, realized the grim truth: they were winning battles but losing the war. Jack was playing a game, and his game was to create problems, to force them into a reactive stance, always one step behind.

Jack’s clones were expendable, designed to fail but still effective enough to cause chaos and casualties. He was spreading fear, killing innocents, and whittling down their forces. And now, with Nilbog in his grasp, he had a new army of disposable monsters.

Weaver contacted Defiant, learning that the Undersiders were battling multiple clones in Redfield, including Hatchet Face, Murder Rat, Skinslip, and Miasma. The fight was brutal, a desperate struggle for survival.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Wards faced a chilling sight: eight Siberians, each a projection of the monstrous Manton. The heroes, helpless against such overwhelming power, were forced to retreat, leaving civilians to their fate.

Weaver, seeing an opportunity, ordered the Chicago Wards to Redfield, hoping their containment abilities could turn the tide. She then turned to Defiant, proposing a desperate gamble: use the portal in Ellisburg, Jack’s fastest route, to strike at the heart of the Nine.

Defiant, initially hesitant, agreed. They would call in the “big guns,” the heavy hitters they’d been holding in reserve. The Thanda, Cauldron’s elites, the Las Vegas Capes, the Ambassadors – all would join the fight.

In Hyde Park, a team of Dragon’s Teeth and Wards faced a different kind of horror: illusions and transformations, the work of Psychosoma, Nyx, and Night Hag. Contessa and the Number Man arrived, cutting through the deception with chilling efficiency.

The Undersiders, in a daring move, managed to trap the Siberian’s cube, using Clockblocker’s time-freezing power and Vista’s spatial warping. The Thanda then dropped a building on the cube from the stratosphere, seemingly neutralizing the Siberian threat.

Assembling a team, Weaver prepared for the final assault. Chevalier, Revel, Hoyden, Tecton, Bitch, Foil, Parian, Golem, and two Dragon’s Teeth, along with Defiant piloting the Pendragon, would enter Ellisburg.

The situation worsened as the Nine launched three more attacks, reinforced by Nilbog’s creations. But Defiant remained focused on their mission: to strike at Jack through the portal.

As the Pendragon took off, Weaver could only hope that their desperate gamble would pay off. They were entering the lion’s den, a suicide mission against a seemingly endless army of monsters, but it was their only chance to end the nightmare.