In “The Theatre of Cruelty,” the political situation in Britain escalates after the Lord Protector of Westminster Abbey seizes power and begins consolidating control of the British Empire. This consolidation isn’t just a local coup—it’s a critical step in the Disruptors’ broader plan to dominate the multiverse by shaping outcomes across parallel realities. Meanwhile, Luther Arkwright is out of action: he remains in a coma, still suffering from the near-fatal wound he took while defending Britain’s rightful king, leaving the resistance without its most uniquely capable operative at a moment when events are accelerating toward a wider dimensional catastrophe.