With Luther Arkwright still recovering from his near-fatal injuries, the political landscape across key parallel Earths hardens into open authoritarianism. Power consolidates not through spectacle or overt violence, but through fear, compliance, and the quiet surrender of the populace. The Disruptors’ ideology takes firmer hold as entire societies begin to accept oppression as stability, illustrating how tyranny often succeeds not through conquest, but through apathy.

As Arkwright regains consciousness, he confronts the psychological consequences of his role as a multiversal catalyst. His awareness of countless realities weighs heavily on him, raising doubts about whether intervention truly liberates worlds—or merely reshapes suffering into new forms. The issue focuses on the tension between action and inaction, questioning whether resistance is meaningful when the majority chooses silence. Rather than presenting clear victories, the narrative emphasizes moral ambiguity, systemic control, and the unsettling ease with which freedom can be relinquished.