Sean coldly observed the two remaining combatants... Jessica Jones, the superhumanly strong private investigator, and Danny Rand, the young guardian who had inherited the legacy of K'un-Lun...
In the original timeline, they had been celebrated street-level heroes of Hell's Kitchen, revered by the people and feared by criminals and gangs alike.
"I remember you," Sean said, his voice eerily calm.
He glanced at Danny Rand, the Iron Fist who had once been a target of the Hand. The young man stood in a guarded stance, his fists shimmering with an almost imperceptible golden glow.
Truth be told, the idea of channeling energy as a weapon had come from Danny himself. After numerous attempts, Sean had learned to manipulate the vast energy within him, shaping it into tangible beams... a rudimentary form of energy projection.
Sean turned his gaze to Jessica, who stood poised for battle, "Jessica Jones... Hell's Kitchen's sharp-tongued, ill-tempered private eye..."
With her black leather jacket, jeans, and wild dark hair, she exuded a rough, almost classical charm.
"I'd like to talk." The masked man paced leisurely, his tone disarmingly casual, as if the one who had just effortlessly crushed Punisher, Daredevil, and Luke Cage was someone else entirely.
Sean smirked as he looked down at Daredevil, his arm broken, lying defeated on the floor, "The reason Matt Murdock became my enemy is simple... he believes I'm the villain who dragged Elektra into the darkness. For love, the brave Matt Murdock, Hell's Kitchen's Devil, must defeat a scoundrel like me and win back his first love..."
The blind lawyer, with his devout faith and unshakable convictions, had once believed in the justice of the law before turning to vigilantism. He walked the line between light and darkness, torn between the desire for a normal life and the burden of his alter ego.
"Punisher opposes me because he refuses to let Hell's Kitchen fall under the rule of someone like me. As for Luke Cage..." Sean glanced at the bleeding man struggling to rise.
"...Sorry, but you're better off staying down." He planted his foot heavily on Luke's chest, pressing down like a mountain.
The sheer force made the Harlem hero grunt in pain before collapsing again.
"This 'hero' still clings to the naive notion that good and evil are irreconcilable. To find meaning in his existence, he teams up with a heartbroken blind lawyer and a violent vigilante, trying to defend justice in this godforsaken place."
Seeing Luke on the verge of suffocation, Sean finally lifted his foot, only to deliver a brutal kick to the man's head. The force, enough to crush a normal man's skull like a melon, merely knocked the indestructible brawler unconscious.
"They all have their own misguided reasons. But why are you here?" Sean spread his hands, "Mr. Rand, I solved your Hand problem... heck, I even played the hero saving New York. And you, Ms. Jones... have we ever had any unpleasant history?"
Faced with the question, Jessica hesitated. She hadn't wanted any part of this mess, but Daredevil and Punisher had sought her out. As former allies who'd fought the Hand together, she couldn't refuse.
The hot-tempered detective actually despised this kind of trouble. All she wanted was to run her agency in peace, occasionally helping those in need.
Being a street-level hero was never really her thing.
"You rule Hell's Kitchen with an iron fist, yet now you play innocent?" Danny sneered.
"Did you know," Sean countered, "that this month, Hell's Kitchen's crime rate hit a record low? The streets are cleaner... no more prostitutes or drug peddlers. No muggers dare roam at night. Shop owners no longer pay exorbitant protection fees. Gang wars have dwindled, and violent incidents have nearly vanished. Tell me, Guardian of K'un-Lun... why do you think that is?"
Sean stood tall, the city's neon glow and the deep night framing him. A cold wind rushed through the shattered window, sending an inexplicable chill down Danny's spine.
"Are you seriously claiming you're responsible for these changes?!" Danny asked, doubt creeping into his voice.
"Of course." Sean admitted without hesitation.
He turned to gaze at the city's skyline, speaking softly:
"I brought order to this lawless land. The drug dealers who once lurked in alleys like rats now follow 'rules'... They don't peddle poison to kids anymore, high-end venues are their new market, because legitimate business means higher profits. Prostitutes no longer work street corners; they're in clubs and bars now. No underage girls forced into the trade, no scumbags skipping out without paying... and they even get regular health checks..."
"...You see, the old Hell's Kitchen was a breeding ground for crime. People lived in fear. I changed that. Street thugs traded knives and bats for jobs at docks and factories. Gangs no longer fight over territory, because I decide who gets what. Drugs, smuggling, crime… it still exists. But now, everything runs by my rules..."
Danny looked unconvinced, but Jessica gave a slight nod. Even she had noticed the drastic shift in Hell's Kitchen lately.
"You can't turn wolves into sheep. Sooner or later, they'll rebel, and everything will go back to how it was, or worse!" Danny snapped.
"Those who worship violence will bow to greater force." Sean replied indifferently, "If the wolves refuse to behave, they become the lion's meal. Unlike the hypocritical morals of civilized society, things here are simpler: obey my will, or feed the fishes in the Hudson..."
"...Fortunately, not many are as eager to die as you lot." A faint smile played on his lips, his dark eyes glinting, "Now, time to choose. Do you want to live peacefully in Hell's Kitchen, enjoying the order I've brought? Or… die?"
Sean clapped his hands together, as if concluding a speech. His gaze hardened as he studied the two wary figures before him.
At this moment, the suffocating darkness enveloping the city seemed to merge with him completely...