Mars, still and red, echoed faintly with the earlier clash. The crater remained quiet now, save for the low hum of Allen's ship parked nearby.
Nolan floated down to perch on a jagged outcrop of Martian stone, arms folded as he looked out across the dusty plain. Mark hovered beside him. Allen stood nearby, still processing what he had walked into.
Allen broke the silence. "So… what's the real story here, Nolan? Not the propaganda. Not the peaceful expansion talk you gave Earth before you… y'know… murdered Earth's most powerful heroes."
Mark tensed but stayed quiet.
Nolan exhaled, not looking at either of them. "The truth… is that the Viltrum Empire is dying."
Allen raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"
Nolan finally turned to face him. "We were once trillions strong, spanning systems. Then came the Purges—a bloodbath. We executed every single Viltrumite who wasn't considered strong enough. Those deemed weak were… erased."
Mark's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't heard this part before.
"There was no trial. No mercy. Just blood and pride," Nolan continued. "That purge wiped out most of our population. Now, we're barely pushing one hundred… maybe fifty active agents scattered across the stars, give or take. That's all that's left of the empire."
Allen's antenna twitched. "You're saying there are less than a hundred Viltrumites alive?"
"Maybe eighty," Nolan corrected. "That's why I was sent to Earth. Not just to conquer it. To find a species compatible enough to reproduce with. Mark was… the first test."
Mark blinked. "Wait. What?"
Nolan looked to him. "I didn't want to tell you before. But yes. You were born to prove a hybrid could survive Viltrumite DNA and Earth's biology. Strong, fast, and still able to blend in."
Allen looked absolutely stunned. "So Earth wasn't just a target—it was a cradle."
Nolan nodded. "If Earth worked… other Viltrumites would come to seed new lines. Expand again. Quietly. Patiently. Not just conquest—continuation."
Mark clenched his fists. "Was that all I was to you? An experiment?"
"No," Nolan said firmly, finally locking eyes with his son. "You were the reason I changed. I was loyal to Viltrum—until I realized that what we were doing… was extinction dressed as strength."
Allen stepped forward. "So why not go public? Why not warn other planets?"
"Because if the Empire catches wind that I've defected, they'll send someone," Nolan said. "Someone worse than me. Stronger. Smarter. Less… conflicted."
Allen looked grim. "Like Conquest?"
"Or Thagg," Nolan added. "You think I'm bad? You haven't met the monsters who enjoy their assignments."
Mark shuddered slightly. "So… what do we do?"
"We build," Nolan said quietly. "We train. We prepare Earth to stand on its own. And if the Empire comes, we fight back. With everything we've got."
Allen nodded slowly. "Then maybe… just maybe… we've got a chance."
The three stood in silence for a moment.
Then Battle Beast, who had been sitting nearby sharpening his weapon, grunted. "Next time you want to cry about your doomed species, do it after the duel."
Nolan smirked slightly. "Tomorrow."