Chapter 341: This is my complete form, so tremble!
That was a humanoid existence of a height similar to Loren.
He had a physique indistinguishable from a human, with Dark Magic that was almost solidified lingering around his entire body.
His face was no longer the distorted image composed of painful faces from before, but a face so handsome it was almost eerie.
His complexion was as pale as paper, his eyes were as pitch-black as an abyss, and a trace of a cold arc filled with absolute confidence hung at the corners of his mouth.
He was wearing a robe condensed from pure darkness, and the hem of the robe fluttered without wind.
Every time it fluttered, it would leave a briefly existing tear-like black trajectory in space.
He just hovered quietly in the sky like this, facing Loren and the terrified women below.
He raised his hand, looked at his own palm, and gently clenched his five fingers into a fist, as if adapting to this new, even more powerful body.
Then, he raised his head, looked at Loren, and the arc at the corner of his mouth deepened a bit.
"I have kept you waiting, mortal."
Chthon spoke, and his voice was no longer that grand roar like the wailing of ten thousand souls.
Instead, it was a truly godly voice that was deep, magnetic, yet filled with endless antiquity and arrogance.
"This is... my complete form, so, tremble!"
Complete form!
That previously heaven-covering, overwhelmingly despair-inducing dark outline was actually not his complete form!
That was merely his initial state upon descent, and now, after recalling all the power of Dark Magic scattered across every corner of the Universe.
He had truly restored his proper complete posture, enough to confront any single Universe-level existence head-on!
Loren's expression was solemn as never before.
He could feel that Chthon at this moment was completely not an existence on the same tier as the previous huge dark outline!
If the previous dark outline was merely a projection or outpost of Chthon's power.
Then the one standing before him right now was Chthon in person, having reached the peak of his power!
"Cut the crap!" Loren did not back down.
He took a deep breath, and the aura of the Super Saiyansurged to its absolute limit once again.
Suddenly, his golden hair stood on end, and blazing fighting intent burned within his black eyes!
His hands clasped together again, and this time, what condensed was not just the Kamehameha.
Rather, it was an ultimate strike that compressed all his power to the limit, enough to destroy a star!
"Super Kamehameha!!!"
The golden torrent of energy was more than ten times thicker than before, carrying a heaven-destroying and earth-shattering might as it blasted toward Chthon!
Chthon did not dodge, nor did he even make any defensive posture.
He merely raised one hand, fingers splayed, blocking in front of him.
"Rumble!!!"
The golden torrent impacted Chthon's palm, and the stirred-up energy storm caused the entire sky to tremble!
The building ruins below were ground into even finer powder by the aftermath, seawater surged backward, and the earth cracked!
However——
Chthon's hand did not budge an inch.
He just single-handedly held that torrent of energy capable of destroying stars in such a manner.
The expression on his face even carried a trace of appreciative playfulness, as if inspecting an interesting toy.
"Is this your full strength? Nothing much after all!"
Chthon's voice rang out, piercing through the roar of the energy torrent and clearly entering Loren's ears.
As soon as his voice fell, his five fingers abruptly clenched!
That Kamehameha energy capable of destroying a star shattered explosively in his palm like fragile glass!
The golden energy fragments flew scattering in all directions, and were then completely devoured by the Dark Magic lingering around Chthon's body!
Loren's pupils shrank abruptly!
Blocked it... No, he crushed it!
His own all-out attack was crushed by the opponent with a single hand!
"So strong!" he muttered, his face carrying an incomparably intense fighting intent besides astonishment.
Chthon slowly lowered his hand, looking at Loren with the banter in his eyes growing even thicker.
"What? Surprised?"
He took a step forward, and space automatically folded beneath his feet.
The next instant, he had already appeared less than three meters in front of Loren.
"You think those little tricks of yours before could really defeat me? I was just... not serious yet."
As his voice fell, his fist had already blasted in front of Loren!
Loren's combat instinct made him instantly cross his arms to block.
"Bang!!!"
With a muffled loud bang, Loren's body was blasted flying like a cannonball!
He crashed through several buildings behind him that had long since become ruins.
Plowing a ravine hundreds of meters long on the ground before barely stabilizing his figure!
"Cough cough..." He coughed up a mouthful of blood and stood up with difficulty.
Just a single punch, just a single punch, and it caused him not light injuries!
That power, that speed, and the power of dark erosion contained within the fist force far exceeded the previous dark outline!
Chthon did not give him a chance to breathe; his figure teleported again, appearing above Loren and stepping down with one foot!
Loren gritted his teeth, rolling sideways to narrowly dodge.
"Rumble!!!"
That single foot stepped onto the ground, and the entire Hong Kong Island trembled violently!
With the landing point as the center, the ground within a radius of several kilometers.
As if struck by a meteorite, caved in into a giant pit dozens of meters deep!
Everything inside the pit was corroded, decomposed, and turned into nothingness by the Dark Magic!
Loren flipped himself up, flicking his hands repeatedly, and dozens of energy blasts shot toward Chthon like shooting stars!
Chthon merely waved his hand casually!
Those energy blasts were blocked by an invisible dark barrier a few meters away from his body and annihilated one after another.
He raised his hand again, his five fingers grasping in the air.
Loren's body was instantly bound by an invisible force!
He felt as if countless invisible hands were squeezing and tearing his body from all directions!
That was a force field composed of pure Dark Magic, with an intensity so great that even the power of a Super Saiyancould not instantly break free from it!
"Ugh ah!!!" Loren roared angrily, the aura of the Super Saiyan burning frantically, attempting to shatter that force field!
But Chthon merely increased the strength.
The pressure of the force field suddenly increased several times!
Loren's bones began to emit an unbearable groan, and fine beads of blood seeped out from the surface of his skin!
"Give up! Mortal, your struggle is completely useless!"
Chthon walked closer slowly, looking at Loren bound mid-air, his eyes filled with condescending pity.
"Your power indeed transcends most ants, but compared to me, compared to true gods, it is still far from enough."
He reached out his hand, an invisible force binding Lorenand lifting him right in front of him.
"Know why?" Chthon's voice was like a whisper from the abyss.
"Because your power is ultimately just the power of an individual, whereas my power is the rules!
As long as darkness still exists in the Universe, as long as pain still exists, as long as greed and desire for power still exist, I will never perish.
What you defeated was merely a projection of mine, a clone, a wisp of consciousness fragments.
And my true existence is fundamentally different from what you are facing right now!"
Chapter 342: Super Saiyan Second Form
Loren stared fixedly at Chthon's pitch-black eyes and sneered, "Completely different? Chthon, do you really think there's nothing I can do to you?"
"Stubborn ant, your life and death are within a single thought of mine. Do you still think you can keep jumping around?"
Chthon smiled, his smile full of the cruelty of a cat playing with a mouse.
"But rest assured, I won't kill you directly."
"Back then, you destroyed my consciousness avatar and forced me to take back the Dark Magic of the entire Universe, I will settle this score with you bit by bit."
"I want to make you wish you were dead, I want to keep you here and let you watch with your own eyes how I destroy everything you cherish."
"That Witch, and those pathetic women who follow you, will all become my nourishment, becoming trivial footnotes in my chapter of darkness."
"And you will become the witness of Eternity, living forever in pain and regret."
"How dare you!" Loren roared, the aura of the Super Saiyanerupting once again, actually tearing a small crack in that dark force field!
A trace of surprise flashed in Chthon's eyes, and then he increased his force. The crack healed instantly, the pressure of the force field increased once more, and Loren's struggle grew increasingly powerless.
Below, those critically injured women witnessed all this, their eyes filled with despair and anger.
Wanda struggled to crawl up, her Chaos Magic almost depleted, but she still staggered forward a few steps.
Hoarsely shouting toward the imprisoned figure in the sky, "Master!"
Tsunade propped up her battered body, the Strength of a Hundred Seal almost completely dim, but she still gritted her teeth and stood up, "Bastard... Let him go..."
Hancock fully unleashed her Conquerors Haki, but that Haki was already so weak it was almost imperceptible.
Mai Shiranui lay prone on the ground, her fingers digging bloody marks into the earth as she crawled forward with all her might.
Android 18 struggled to rise from the ruins, gritting her teeth as she tried to gather the last sliver of energy.
2B, A2, Ikaros, Nymph, Tifa, Marie Rose, Hinata, Commander White, everyone.
Were trying with all their might to stand up, trying to save their Master.
But they were all too weak.
Chthon's backlash from that strike had nearly exhausted all their power.
To still remain conscious at this moment was already a miracle of willpower.
Chthon lowered his head, looking at those struggling figures below, the mockery in his eyes growing even denser.
"Look at them... How loyal, how pathetic. They gave everything for you, and you can only watch them with your own eyes, unable to do a damn thing."
Loren watched as his group of women fell into grief, anger, and despair, a look of resolute determination inevitably appearing on his face.
At that instant, an unprecedented emotion surged out from the deepest depths of his heart like a volcanic eruption—that was extreme anger and fighting spirit.
"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" Loren spoke hoarsely, his voice carrying an unprecedented power.
Chthon raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh? What else can you do?"
Loren raised his head, his black eyes burning with an unprecedented radiance!
"You will know soon enough. My harem warriors, come over here!"
He said word by word, then hooked his finger toward the women below.
And just as his voice fell.
A sudden drastic change occurred!
Below, Wanda's body suddenly burst into a dazzling crimson light!
That light was not Chaos Magic, but her entire person transforming into a pure energy form!
"This is?!" Wanda lowered her head to look at her gradually transparent body.
There was no fear in her eyes, only relief, along with an indescribable firmness and joy.
Her body turned into countless crimson light motes, rising like a galaxy and flying toward Loren in the sky!
"Wanda!" Tsunade exclaimed in shock.
But the next second, her own body also burst into a dazzling purple light!
Purple light motes likewise rose up!
"This... This is..." Tsunade was startled at first, and then she smiled, smiling exceptionally brightly.
"Haha... Although I don't know what tricks this little fellow played inside our bodies?"
"However, this old lady really likes this feeling. Usually, it's you entering our bodies; today, let's reverse it and let us enter you for once!"
She did not resist, letting her body transform into light motes to pursue that crimson light!
Following closely—
Mei Terumi's body burst into a molten gold light, and Hancock's body burst into a pink light.
Mai Shiranui's body burst into a dark red molten gold light.
That was the newborn power after the fusion of Hellfireand the Mai Shiranui style flames, her fiery soul's absolute worship and dedication to her Master!
Android 18's body burst into a deep blue light, which was the core power of her infinite energy engine!
2B's body burst into a pale white light, which was the power after the fusion of the Eternal Flame and her combat core!
A2, Ikaros, Nymph, Tifa, Marie Rose, Hinata, Commander White.
One after another, all those women who followed Loren, lived and died with him, and completely surrendered their bodies and minds to him.
At this moment, their bodies were all blooming with light uniquely belonging to them!
That light was their power, their willpower, their soul, and even more so their emotion toward Loren that transcended Master and servant!
Countless lights of various colors, like a brilliant galaxy, rose from all over the ruins and converged toward that imprisoned figure in the sky!
Chthon's expression changed for the first time.
"This... This is..." He looked at this scene in disbelief, feeling the incomprehensible power contained within those lights, and couldn't help but feel fear.
"No... This is impossible!" Chthon roared, increasing the intensity of the dark force field in an attempt to isolate the approach of those lights!
But those lights seemed unaffected by any obstruction!
Ignoring the dark force field, ignoring spatial barriers, ignoring all physical laws, they directly pierced through all barriers and poured into Loren's body!
With every single mote of light that merged in, Loren's body would violently tremble once!
His aura was climbing crazily!
What was contained within those lights was not only each person's power, but also their emotions toward Loren.
These emotions transformed into the purest willpower energy, fusing, resonating, and sublimating with Loren's own life energy!
"Aaaaaah——!!!"
Loren let out a long howl to the sky, and the dark force field that imprisoned him shattered with a bang, like paper, in the face of this suddenly erupted power!
He broke free of Chthon's grip, floating mid-air, his body surrounded by countless light motes, his entire person like a deity bathed in the flowing light of a galaxy!
Chthon took a few steps back, a grave expression appearing on his face for the first time.
Loren's aura was still climbing, still transforming!
His blonde hair began to change, no longer the spiked golden hair of the previous Super Saiyan.
Instead, it became sharper and more flamboyant, every single strand of hair seeming to contain the power of thunder, trembling slightly and causing the surrounding air to resonate!
Around his body, the golden aura was no longer in that steadily burning state from before, but had transformed into a much more violent and blazing form!
Within the golden light, faint trails of tiny, lightning-like electric arcs could be seen flickering!
Between his brows, a faint, flickering mark was emerging.
That was his uniquely belonging mark formed after the fusion of the respective powers and wills of all the women who had merged into his body!
His eyes, that pitch-black color, became even more profound, as if they could see through all illusions and gaze directly at the source. This was precisely the Super SaiyanSecond Form!
Chapter 343: You Can Go Die, Spirit Bomb!
"Th... What kind of power is this...?"
Chthon muttered. With his ancient age and extensive knowledge, he was actually unable to analyze everything happening right before his eyes!
Loren slowly lowered his head and looked at Chthon.
That gaze was calm and deep, yet it contained an edge sharp enough to tear apart stars.
"Scared?" he spoke, his voice carrying a resonance that seemed to echo in unison with the Universe.
He raised his hand and clenched his five fingers into a fist.
With just this single movement, the golden aura surrounding his body surged exponentially.
Countless golden electric arcs spread outwards like thunder snakes, and wherever they passed, the space even showed subtle distortions!
Chthon's expression finally turned truly solemn.
He could feel that the human standing before him at this moment was no longer an entity on the same level as before at all!
"Interesting... Really very interesting..." Chthon said in a deep voice.
The Dark Magic around his body likewise surged, transforming into countless black tentacles that swept toward Loren!
"Do you think you can defeat me just like this? You are too naive!"
Loren did not speak; he simply threw a punch!
That punch was simple and straightforward, shooting straight ahead.
However, wherever the force of the punch passed, those black tentacles melted and scattered like snow under a scorching Sun!
The force of the punch continued unabated, slamming directly into Chthon's chest!
Chthon crossed his arms to block——
"Boom—!!"
With an Earth-shaking loud bang, Chthon's body was blasted sliding backwards for hundreds of meters by this punch before he barely managed to steady himself!
His hands were faintly trembling, and two subtle cracks had actually appeared at the spot where he crossed his arms to block!
"You...!" Chthon looked at Loren in shock and disbelief.
Loren did not give him a chance to breathe.
His figure instantly vanished, and the next moment, he had already appeared in front of Chthon, driving his knee fiercely towards his abdomen!
Chthon barely sidestepped to avoid it, but Loren's elbow strike had already followed closely behind, smashing onto his shoulder!
"Bang—!"
Chthon's body was sent flying once more, crashing through several spatial barriers before steadying himself several kilometers away!
He lowered his head and looked at his shoulder; a clear depression was slowly recovering, but the speed of recovery was far slower than before!
He raised his head and looked at the figure suspended in mid-air in the distance, with golden electric arcs dancing around his body and eyes as deep as a sea of stars.
For the first time, he truly felt threatened.
"Good... Good!" Chthon roared, the Dark Magic around his body surging once again.
Countless black energy tentacles gushed out from within his body, like tens of thousands of venomous snakes pouncing overwhelmingly toward Loren!
"Then let me see if this power of yours can block my full-force strike!"
Loren expressionlessly cradled the air in front of him with both hands, and golden energy rapidly condensed in his palms.
This time it was not a Kamehameha, but a much purer and more refined energy form!
The surrounding cosmic energy was gathering toward him at a terrifying speed!
Not just Earth, not just the Solar System, but within the scope of the entire Universe.
Those stray, scattered, and ownerless energies were all answering his summons, crossing endless space to converge in his palms!
That energy was growing increasingly massive and more refined!
The color gradually transitioned from golden to a much deeper, brilliant White that seemed to contain the light of the entire Universe!
Spirit Bomb!
Yes, it was precisely one of Goku's signature moves from the dragon ball World.
But that was not an ordinary Spirit Bomb; it was one fused with the full power of the Super Saiyan Second Grade form.
After fusing with the will and emotions bestowed upon him by all his wives, and fusing with the faint responses of countless galaxies across the entire Universe.
The ultimate strike condensed to destroy all darkness!
The moment Chthon's black tentacles approached Loren, they were evaporated and purified by the energy fluctuations emitted by the Spirit Bomb!
"Th... This is...!" Chthon's pupils abruptly constricted, and from that energy sphere, he felt the threat of death.
That was a truly suppressive power capable of harming his origin and even completely obliterating his consciousness!
"No—!!!" Chthon roared, holding nothing back as he condensed all his Dark Magic in front of himself.
It ultimately transformed into a gigantic dark barrier, attempting to block the forming Spirit Bomb!
At the same time, countless thicker dark tentacles swept toward Loren simultaneously from all directions.
Trying to interrupt his attack before he finished condensing it!
Loren did not move.
He simply floated quietly there, cradling the air with both hands, letting the Spirit Bomb grow larger and brighter in his palms.
Those dark tentacles were shattered and evaporated by the golden electric arcs a few meters away from his body, unable to approach him at all!
Chthon's dark barrier had condensed to the extent that it could cover the sky above an entire city.
Thick, sturdy, and containing his hundreds of millions of years of accumulated darkness!
Meanwhile, Loren's Spirit Bomb had also expanded to over a hundred meters in diameter!
That light was too dazzling, too brilliant, resembling a newborn star that completely illuminated the entire dark sky!
The women who had transformed into energy bodies and fused within Loren's body could clearly feel Loren's power at this moment.
Instantly, their adoration for their Master, Loren, reached an incomparable peak in their hearts.
Their Master, their man, was waging the final decisive battle using their fused power!
"Go! Kill him!" Wanda's consciousness murmured.
"Brat, take him down for me, and I'll reward you heavily tonight!" Tsunade's consciousness grinned.
"Master... keep it up..." Mai Shiranui's phantom softly whispered.
Everyone's will, everyone's emotions, and everyone's expectations were all condensed within that forming Spirit Bomb!
Loren opened his eyes.
Those pitch-black eyes were as deep as the Universe and as brilliant as a river of stars at this moment.
He looked at Chthon, looked at the huge dark barrier, looked at the countless madly surging dark tentacles, and looked at the ancient and evil existence itself.
"Chthon, you can go die!"
He softly said, pushing his hands forward.
The Spirit Bomb slowly flew out.
Its flight speed was not fast, and could even be called slow.
But for every inch it advanced, the light it emitted would become a fraction more intense!
The energy it contained would become a fraction purer!
The moment the Spirit Bomb approached, Chthon's dark tentacles melted, evaporated, and turned into nothingness like moths flying into a flame!
The instant the Spirit Bomb touched the huge dark barrier, it began to vibrate and crack violently!
"No— impossible—!!!" Chthon shrieked, exhausting all his strength to maintain the barrier.
But what the Spirit Bomb contained was the response from all things in the Universe, the blessing from his many wives.
As well as the full power of his own Super Saiyan Second Grade form; it was simply not something he could resist!
The cracks on the barrier grew more and more numerous and larger!
Finally—
"Snap—crack—!"
With a crisp shattering sound, the huge dark barrier smashed apart like fragile glass!
With no further obstruction, the Spirit Bomb flew straight toward Chthon's true body!
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in Chthon's eyes—fear of passing away, fear of complete obliteration!
He turned around, attempting to tear space open and escape.
But it was already too late.
The speed of the Spirit Bomb suddenly increased, like a beam of light instantly catching up to him, and then—
"Rumble—!!!"
A light hundreds of millions of times more dazzling than the Sun exploded in the sky!
That light illuminated the entire Earth, illuminated the entire Solar System, and even illuminated the surrounding galaxies!
Within that light, Chthon's body struggled, twisted, and decomposed violently!
His ancient existence condensed from endless darkness was being completely purified and disintegrated by that pure light!
"No—!!!" Chthon's final roar resounded through the entire Universe.
Immediately after, it was completely submerged within that light.
The light lasted for I don't know how long.
When it finally slowly dissipated, there was no longer any trace of Chthon in the sky.
Only a fist-sized, pitch-black sphere that exuded a soft rather than evil light floated quietly there.
That was the final remnant left behind after Chthon was destroyed: the Dark Magic origin.
Chapter 344: The Source Power of Dark Magic
The purest power of magic, stripped of all evil wills, leaving only the concept of "darkness" itself, the most primordial power of magic.
Loren flew closer slowly, looking at that cluster of origin power.
He could feel the terrifying power contained within it, enough to make anyone instantly fall into corruption.
But he could also feel that this power, at this moment, was ownerless, pure, and could be controlled by him.
He did not hesitate.
He reached out and grasped that cluster of origin power.
The source of Dark Magic instantly merged into his body!
At that instant, countless knowledge about Dark Magic, countless truths about the dark side of the Universe, and countless mysteries about the application of power surged into his consciousness like a torrent!
But this time, there was no interference from the will of Chthon, and no erosion from the whispers of corruption.
There was only the purest, most primordial, most objective darkness itself!
Loren closed his eyes, feeling the integration of that power.
He had no talent for magic.
This was a fact personally stated by the Ancient One.
But at this moment, when the purest source of Dark Magicactively merged into his body, talent was no longer a restriction.
He himself was the carrier, the vessel, and the owner of this power!
When he opened his eyes again, the depths of his pupils gained a trace of profound darkness, like the night sky.
God of Dark Magic.
From this moment on, he, Loren, officially became the Master of the concept of Dark Magic.
He lowered his head and looked at the wives below who were slowly recovering.
With a thought, a crimson light that was equally pure and contained the dual characteristics of Chaos Magic and darkness condensed in his hand.
That was the part belonging to Wanda that he had stripped from the source of Dark Magic.
Those powers fused with the darkhold that had been forcibly stripped away by Chthon.
With a gentle wave of his hand, that crimson light flew toward the body of Wanda below like a swallow returning to its nest.
The instant the light merged into Wanda, her body trembled violently, and then she recovered her strength at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The crimson Chaos Magic circulated around her body once more, even purer and stronger than before!
Wanda opened her eyes, looked at that figure in the sky, and tears streamed from her eyes.
"Master..."
Loren slowly landed and walked in front of her.
"Your power, returned to you," he said softly.
Wanda could no longer hold back, threw herself into his arms, and wept bitterly.
The residual image of Tsunade also began to condense, transforming back into a physical entity.
She stretched her muscles and grinned, saying, "Ha! This old lady has come back to life!"
Mei Terumi, Hancock, Mai Shiranui, No. 18, 2B, A2, Ikaros, Nymph, Tifa, Marie Rose, Hinata, Commander White...
One by one, all those women who had turned into points of light and merged into Loren now re-condensed into physical entities under the feedback of the source of Dark Magic.
Their powers not only fully recovered, but were even superior to before!
Because the fusion they experienced, that experience of soul resonance with Loren, allowed each of them to gain a trace of feedback from the source of Dark Magic, giving them a deeper understanding of the essence of power!
When the last one, Hinata, finished re-condensing, everyone surrounded Loren, their eyes filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe and endless adoration for him.
Above the ruins, sunlight sprinkled down once more.
The sky recovered its clear blue, as if that world-destroying battle just now had only been a nightmare.
In the distance, the corpse of Kaecilius lay quietly in the ruins.
His power was completely stripped away by Chthon, and his life also came to an end in that dark return.
The traitor, after all, failed to wait for the "new dark era" of his dreams.
Loren looked at Wanda in his arms, looking at the wives around him covered in wounds yet smiling like blooming flowers, and a meaningful smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"Let us go home!" he said.
"Mhm!" everyone responded in unison, their voices filled with happiness and satisfaction.
The threat from Chthon had completely come to an end here.
And Loren not only integrated the source power of Dark Magic, but also harvested an incomparably precious bond.
The gazes his wives cast at him were more fervent, firmer, and more unreserved than at any time before.
Because he proved that their choice was not wrong.
Their man was worth everything they gave.
Chapter 345: A Wonderful Post-War Life!
After the battle of Chthon, life in the manor finally returned completely to peace.
To say it was peaceful, not entirely so.
This vast manor, which integrated ultra-futuristic technology and magic, had never truly been quiet since there were more than a dozen wives.
However, compared to those previous grand scenes of dimensional invasions, gods descending, and world-destroying events, today's liveliness was so heartwarming that it made people want to laugh.
The sunlight was just right, and the light at three o'clock in the afternoon passed through the huge French windows of the manor's main building, spilling into the living room that was spacious to the point of extravagance.
The air floated with the fragrance of black tea and desserts, mixed with occasionally sounding laughter, exclamations, and a certain... not-so-good gambling atmosphere.
"Sister Tsunade! How did you lose again!"
Marie Rose's voice came from beside the huge gambling table in the center of the living room, carrying a hint of helplessness and heartache.
She pressed both hands against the edge of the table, her large eyes under her short pink hair wide open, looking at Tsunade opposite who was heroically pushing out yet another stack of chips.
"Haha, small matter! The next hand will definitely win it back!"
Tsunade crossed her arms, the Strength of a Hundred Sealnot activated, but the expression on her face of "This old lady will definitely not lose" was more righteous than any ninjutsu.
The chips originally piled high in front of her were now left with only a thin layer, while in front of Mei Terumi opposite her, the chips had been piled into a small mountain.
"Tsunade, you have already lost seventeen hands in a row."
Mei Terumi gracefully picked up her teacup, took a sip, with an ambiguous arc hanging at the corner of her mouth.
"Do you want me to lend you some? Interest calculated according to... casino rules?"
"Cut the crap! Come again!" Tsunade slapped the table, startling the chips on the table to jump up.
Tifa, sitting aside watching the battle, sighed softly and whispered to Hinata beside her: "Sister Tsunade's gambling luck... really seems to be not very good."
Hinata blushed and responded in a low voice: "Y-Yes... But Sister Tsunade seems very happy."
Indeed, although Tsunade was losing almost to her underpants, the brilliant smile on her face and the burning fighting spirit in her eyes were even more intense than on the battlefield.
For this legendary one of the Sannin, gambling was never about winning money.
But for that heartbeat-accelerating thrill, and... the mysterious confidence of "I will definitely win next time" after losing everything.
"I'll come too, I'll come too!" Mai Shiranui skipped over, squeezing to the side of the gambling table, holding a handful of colorful chips in her hand.
"Sister Tsunade, let me help you win it back!"
"You?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "Do you know how to play this?"
"Don't know!" Mai Shiranui said righteously, "But I have good luck!"
As a result, Mai Shiranui lost everything on the very first hand after sitting down.
"..." Mai looked at the empty tabletop in front of her, froze for three seconds, and then hugged Tifa beside her, "Tifa! Lend me some!"
Tifa smiled helplessly and was about to pull out chips, but was stopped by Hancock beside her.
"Gambling is a vulgar amusement, this concubine does not suggest you..." Hancock hadn't finished speaking when Tsunade pulled her to the side of the gambling table.
"Come come come, My Lord Empress, come take a hand and try your luck!"
Hancock frowned, originally wanting to refuse, but seeing the colorful chips on the gambling table and everyone's expectant gazes, she inexplicably nodded.
Then, this emperor of Nine Snakes Island, the owner of Conquerors Haki, the Empress who petrified countless men, lost so badly in the first game that her face turned livid.
"Th-This is impossible!" Hancock suddenly stood up, knocking the chair over, "How could this concubine lose! Come again!"
Thus, there was one more person at the gambling table who refused to accept it.
Mei Terumi smiled more and more brilliantly, collecting chips while thinking today was truly a good day.
Just as the battle at the gambling table became increasingly fierce, in the greenhouse in the backyard of the manor, Ikaros was crouching in front of the third row of watermelon vines, extremely earnestly staring at the watermelon in front of her that had grown to the size of a fist.
She had been staring for a full forty-seven minutes.
This watermelon was the best-grown one among this batch of melon vines.
Round and plump, with clear patterns, the skin radiating a healthy dark green luster.
Ikaros came every day to water it, fertilize it, measure growth data, and even play soft music for it at dusk.
"Master said that plants will grow better when they hear music." She explained to Nymph like that at the time.
Nymph's response at the time was a big roll of the eyes.
But Ikaros didn't care.
This watermelon, from the moment the seed was buried in the soil, was endowed with a special meaning by her.
This was the first watermelon she successfully grew.
Previous attempts all ended in failure: the first batch of seeds were buried too deep and didn't sprout; the second batch was watered too much and the roots rotted;
The third batch finally sprouted, but was roasted into hay by the aftermath of Mai Shiranui's flame training.
This batch was the result of Ikaros carefully cultivating it after consulting several gardening papers.
And this best-grown watermelon, she planned to present it to her Master Loren with her own hands after it matured.
"It is estimated that in another thirty days and four hours, this watermelon will reach its optimal edible state."
She muttered to herself, her tone calm, but in those pale pink eyes, a rare light of expectation flickered.
She reached out, gently touched the smooth surface of the watermelon, then stood up, ready to go get her record book to jot down today's data.
However, she had been gone for less than three minutes.
When Ikaros returned to the greenhouse with the record book, what she saw was an empty watermelon vine.
That fist-sized, round, plump watermelon that embodied her infinite efforts was gone.
There was only a fresh melon stem cut on the vine still oozing juice, neat and tidy, obviously deliberately plucked by someone.
Ikaros stood in place, the record book slipping from her hand and dropping to the ground with a patter.
Her expression didn't change, but those eyes instantly lost all light, becoming as hollow as an abyss.
Her gaze slowly moved, sweeping across the floor of the greenhouse.
On the earthen ground, there was a string of shallow footprints, very small and light, but with Ikaros's analytical ability, trajectory tracking was completed in less than 0.3 seconds.
The footprints extended from the watermelon vine to the back door of the greenhouse, and then disappeared onto the path leading to the main building.
Ikaros followed the trajectory of the footprints, step by step, silently walking towards the main building.
No murderous aura emanated from around her, but that oppressive feeling like absolute tranquility before a storm made the flowers in the garden along the way subconsciously lower their heads.
In the kitchen of the main building, Nymph was sitting by the dining table, holding a round watermelon with both hands, her face beaming with a happy smile.
"Hehe, that fellow Ikaros stares at that watermelon all day long like she's looking at a baby." She muttered softly, her eyes full of pride.
"Anyway, it's not fully ripe yet, what's wrong with picking one to taste? When she finds out, I'll just say it was pecked away by a bird, perfect!"
She raised a fruit knife, preparing to cut open the watermelon and enjoy this stolen fruit.
The kitchen door opened silently.
Chapter 346: After eating the watermelon, it is time to eat pomelos!
Ikaros stood at the doorway, her light pink eyes staring straight at the watermelon in Nymph's hands for a full three seconds.
Then, her gaze shifted upward, landing on Nymph's face.
At that moment, Nymph felt as if her soul was being gripped by something.
"Nymph," Ikaros spoke, her voice terrifyingly calm, "that watermelon is mine."
Nymph's smile froze on her face, and the watermelon in her hand almost slipped.
Her brain raced, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.
The excuse of "it was carried away by a bird" obviously wouldn't work anymore, because the watermelon was right in her hands at this moment.
"Um… well…" Nymph gave a dry chuckle, "Ikaros, listen to my explanation… I was just helping you taste-test whether it was ripe…"
"My watermelon," Ikaros repeated, taking a step forward.
Nymph instinctively took a step back, her back hitting the dining table.
"Is it ripe or not?" Ikaros tilted her head, her tone still calm.
But Nymph clearly saw that her wings were slowly spreading open—a precursor to entering combat mode.
"I'll calculate it for you." Ikaros raised her hand, aiming her palm at the watermelon in Nymph's hands.
A faint fluctuation of energy flashed past, and a string of photon-composed numbers appeared on the surface of the watermelon: Ripeness, 63%. Has not reached the optimal consumption standard.
"It's not ripe yet." Ikaros lowered her hand, looking at Nymph, "You picked an unripe watermelon."
Nymph felt extremely guilty, but stubbornly argued, "S-So what! It would ripen sooner or later anyway! I picked it for you to save you the trouble!"
Ikaros fell silent.
Then, Nymph witnessed the most terrifying scene of her life.
Ikaros, this Strategic-class Angel who was usually expressionless and took everything in stride, actually had a water luster welling up in her eyes.
"That was for Master," Ikaros's voice carried a hint of imperceptible trembling.
"I grew it for a long time, it's the best one, and I want to give it to Master."
Nymph was stunned.
Looking at Ikaros's slightly reddened eyes, and the grievance currently filling those eyes that were usually calm to the point of icy coldness, Nymph's heart clenched fiercely.
She suddenly realized that to Ikaros, this watermelon was not just a watermelon.
It was a creation into which she had poured her heart, time, and expectations; a gift she wanted to offer to Master; a way for her to express her feelings, even though she was never good at expressing them.
And she had just plucked it like that, intending to secretly eat it.
"Ikaros…" Nymph's voice softened, carrying deep guilt.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know… I thought you were just planting it casually for fun…"
"Not casually." Ikaros lowered her head, her voice growing smaller and smaller.
"Every single one was grown seriously, and this one is the best, so it was meant for Master, but now it's gone."
Her wings drooped down, and her whole body seemed to have lost all strength, standing there quietly like a sorrowful statue.
Nymph looked at her, feeling terribly distressed inside.
She gritted her teeth, placed the watermelon on the table, walked in front of Ikaros, and took her hand.
"Stop crying, I'll figure something out," Nymph said, her voice unusually serious.
Ikaros looked up at her, a water luster still lingering in her eyes.
Nymph took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and the four translucent wings of light behind her slowly spread open, emitting a soft pale-golden glow.
As an electronic warfare model among the Strategic-class Angels, Nymph's abilities were not limited to intrusion and interference.
She also possessed the ability to manipulate the microscopic particle level, allowing her to accelerate or inhibit the growth process of matter.
"Come with me to the greenhouse," she said.
Ikaros blinked, then nodded.
The two arrived at the greenhouse and stood in front of that empty watermelon vine.
Nymph squatted down, gently pressed both hands against the soil, and her wings of light fully expanded.
The golden light, like fine threads, seeped into the soil, the root system, and every inch of the vine's cells.
"Accelerate growth… accelerate metabolism… energy injection…" Nymph murmured softly.
This level of microscopic manipulation was not difficult for her, so the watermelon vine began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.
New vines sprouted from the nodes, tender green leaves unfolded, and small yellow flowers blossomed under the sunlight.
Then they withered, and at the spot where the flowers withered, a tiny fruit the size of a mung bean began to expand.
Growing larger, growing larger, and growing larger still.
From a mung bean to a table tennis ball, from a table tennis ball to a softball, from a softball to a soccer ball.
The color of the rind changed from tender green to dark green, the patterns went from blurry to clear, and the entire greenhouse was filled with the unique fresh fragrance of watermelon.
Nymph retracted her hand and looked at the new watermelon on the vine—which was even rounder, fuller, and brighter in color than the previous one—wearing a satisfied smile on her face.
"Alright, this one… is even better than the original one. Ripeness… I controlled it at ninety-five percent, which is precisely the sweetest time. And I modified the sugar distribution a bit, so it should… be even sweeter."
Ikaros squatted down and looked at the newborn watermelon.
She reached out, gently stroked the rind, then stroked it again, and stroked it once more.
"Nymph," she suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
Nymph was stunned.
Looking at Ikaros's profile, which was still expressionless but whose eyes clearly held something more, she suddenly felt that it was worth it.
"Hmph!" She turned her head away, pretending not to care, "It was my fault to begin with… Compensating you is only right."
Ikaros did not reply, only continuing to stroke the watermelon. The corners of her mouth seemed to curve upward—very, very slightly—which wouldn't have been noticed at all if Nymph hadn't had sharp eyes.
That evening, on the terrace of the manor, Loren was reading a theoretical book on cross-dimensional energy fields.
Holding the watermelon in both hands, Ikaros walked up to him solemnly, and then carefully placed it on the table in front of him.
"Master," she said, her voice as calm as ever, but Lorennoticed that her wings were trembling slightly.
"This is the watermelon grown by Ikaros, the best one, for Master."
Loren looked at the watermelon; it was indeed round and full, with clear patterns and a bright color, making it the best-looking watermelon he had ever seen.
He looked at Ikaros again, seeing that her fingertips were still stained with soil, and seeing two patches of dirt on the knees of her White combat uniform—proof of crouching in the greenhouse for a long time.
"You grew this?" he asked.
"Mm." Ikaros nodded, "I grew it for a long time, failed many times, but this time it succeeded, and this one is the best."
Loren looked into her eyes; in those light pink eyes, there was anticipation, tension, and a trace of unperceived unease.
He picked up the watermelon, tapped it against his ear, then picked up a knife and cut it open.
With a crisp snap, the watermelon split into two halves, revealing crimson, mouth-watering flesh, rich in water content and overflowing with sweet fragrance.
He picked up a slice and took a bite.
Sweet!
Extremely sweet!
The sweetness distribution was extremely even, the texture crisp and tender, and it was full of water content—the best watermelon he had ever eaten.
"It's delicious," Loren said very sincerely.
Ikaros's wings instantly expanded fully, like a blooming flower.
Her eyes lit up, though her face still didn't have much expression.
But that joy emanating from her very bones left Nymph, standing beside her, dumbfounded.
"Master likes it," Ikaros said softly, as if confirming the most important fact.
"Master likes Ikaros's watermelon."
"Of course I like it. You can grow more in the future," Lorentook another bite.
"Mm!" Ikaros nodded vigorously; this action was already a manifestation of extreme excitement for her.
She turned around, preparing to go to the greenhouse to continue tending to the other watermelon vines, but before she could leave, Loren pulled her straight into his arms.
"After eating the watermelon, now I want to eat pomelos—two big pomelos!"
Hearing Loren's words, Ikaros's face immediately flushed red, and then she nodded: "Mm!"
Chapter 347: Tsunade, Who Lost Everything, As Long As You're Happy!
Over at the gaming table, Tsunade had lost down to her last chip.
"One last round!" she gritted her teeth, pushing all her chips onto the table, "All in!"
Mei Terumi raised an eyebrow: "Tsunade, are you sure?"
"Sure!"
"Then I'll match it." Mei Terumi pushed out an equal number of chips.
2B, who had volunteered to act as the dealer, expressionlessly flipped over the cards.
Tsunade held her breath, looking at her cards...
Then, her expression changed from anticipation to shock, from shock to despair, and from despair to... a strange state of inner tranquility.
"I lost again." She slumped back in her chair, staring at the ceiling, her tone frighteningly calm, "The eighteenth round."
Mei Terumi smiled as she gathered the chips: "Thanks for letting me win."
"Sister Tsunade..." Marie Rose cautiously handed over a cup of tea, "Would you like to take a break?"
"A break?" Tsunade abruptly sat up, flames reigniting in her eyes, "No! I want to win it back! Mary, lend me some money!"
Marie Rose clutched her small wallet tightly: "Sister Tsunade... you already owe me a lot..."
"Tifa!" Tsunade turned to the martial artist.
Tifa smiled and shook her head: "Sister Tsunade, gambling is bad."
"Hinata!"
"T-Tsunade My Lord... M-My money has a purpose..." Hinata blushed and softly refused.
"Mai!"
Mai Shiranui had already hidden behind Tifa, poking out half her head: "Sister Tsunade, I lost everything too..."
Tsunade looked around, finding that everyone was avoiding her gaze, leaving only Hancock.
But Hancock had also lost, and at this moment she was iron-faced, staring at the empty chip box in front of her, as if considering whether to use Conquerors Haki to threaten Mei Terumi into paying her back.
"Sigh..." Tsunade let out a long sigh, flattening her whole body on the table, "My life..."
"Gambling again?"
A calm voice came from behind, and Tsunade knew who it was without turning her head, her whole body instantly stiffening.
"Master." She slowly turned her head, a guilty smile piling up on her face, "Why are you here?"
Loren stood behind her, holding a plate of freshly cut watermelon. It was cut by Ikaros, with each piece evenly sized and exquisitely plated, a veritable work of art.
He glanced at the empty chip box on the table, then glanced at the mountain of chips piled in front of Mei Terumi, and understood everything.
"How much did you lose?" he asked.
"It-It wasn't much..." Tsunade guiltily averted her gaze.
"Eighteen rounds, all lost." Mei Terumi smiled and reported the exact number, "Totaling... probably enough to buy an entire commercial street in the Hidden Leaf Village."
Loren raised an eyebrow.
Tsunade wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into: "I'll win it back!"
"With what?" Loren placed the plate of watermelon on the table, his tone flat, "You don't have any chips left."
Tsunade was at a loss for words.
Loren looked at her for a few silent seconds, then pulled a card out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Mine." He said, "Take it and play."
Tsunade froze.
She looked at the card, then looked at Loren, her lips moving, but she didn't know what to say.
"Don't lose too much." Loren added, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Tsunade abruptly stood up, grabbing his sleeve, her eyes somewhat red, "You... aren't you going to scold me?"
"Why would I scold you?" Loren looked back at her, "Gambling is your only hobby, it's fine if you lose, we're all family anyway, as long as you're happy."
Tsunade stared blankly at him, and then, like a child, her eyes reddened.
"You..." She lowered her head, her voice slightly choked, "Why do you always say things that make people want to cry..."
Loren reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Eat watermelon." He said, "Ikaros cut it, it's very sweet."
Tsunade sniffled, picked up a piece of watermelon, and took a bite.
Sweet.
Really very sweet.
The gambling session ultimately ended with Tsunademaking a comeback and turning the tables.
Of course, under Loren's "off-site guidance."
Although Loren himself didn't gamble much, using a Super Saiyan's reaction speed and the God of Dark magic's perception to memorize cards and calculate probabilities was truly using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Although Mei Terumi lost, she lost fair and square, convinced and willing.
At dusk, on the manor's terrace, the setting sun dyed the sky a golden red.
Loren leaned back in a lounge chair, watching the scene before him.
Tsunade was enthusiastically counting the chips she had won back, muttering "I'll bet bigger next time."
Mei Terumi elegantly sipped her black tea, occasionally glancing at Tsunade with a meaningful smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Hancock sat beside Loren, arrogantly refusing to eat watermelon, yet accepted a piece without hesitation when Loren handed it over.
Mai Shiranui and Marie Rose chased and romped on the lawn, their laughter crisp and clear.
Tifa and Hinata were preparing dinner in the kitchen, occasionally punctuated by the sound of Hinata being teased into shyness by Tifa.
Number 18 leaned against the railing, holding a magazine, occasionally looking up at the setting sun.
And Ikaros was sitting at Loren's feet, holding a watermelon in her arms.
She carefully stroked the melon rind, occasionally looking up at Loren, and then continued lowering her head to stroke the melon.
"Ikaros." Loren suddenly spoke up.
"Present, Master." Ikaros immediately looked up.
"Watermelon isn't a pet, you don't need to hold it all the time."
"..." Ikaros looked down at the watermelon in her arms, then looked up at Loren, "However, it is very well-behaved."
Loren was silent for two seconds: "Watermelons can't misbehave."
"Therefore, it is very well-behaved." Ikaros said matter-of-factly.
Loren was speechless.
Nymph poked her head over from the side with an expression that clearly said "I knew this would happen."
"Master, give up; Ikaros's love for the watermelon is deeper than her love for you."
As soon as those words fell, Ikaros's gaze swept over like a laser: "Incorrect, my love for Master is deeper."
Nymph was frightened by that gaze and shrank back: "Got it, your love for Master is the deepest! Are you happy now!"
Ikaros nodded with satisfaction and continued lowering her head to stroke the watermelon.
Loren watched this scene, the corners of his mouth curling up.
The setting sun gradually sank below the horizon, and the lights on the terrace lit up, the warm yellow glow drawing everyone's shadows long.
"Master." Tsunade suddenly called out to him.
"Hmm?"
"I'm hungry, I want to eat something!" she said with a grin.
Loren glanced at her: "Tifa and Hinata are making it in the kitchen, if you're hungry, you can go take a look!"
"No, you misunderstood my meaning, it's not the mouth above that is hungry, but rather..."
"..."
Hearing this, Loren wore a helpless expression, and then silently untied his belt!
Chapter 348: The Super Hero Registration Act Is Coming
Loren's estate had been peaceful for a full two months.
In these two months, there were no dimensional invasions, no descent of deities, and no world-shattering battles.
There was only sunshine, laughter, the clinking of chips on the gambling table, and the increasingly lush watermelon vines in Ikaros's greenhouse.
Everyone thought that such days would continue forever.
Until that Wednesday afternoon.
New York, Manhattan, Midtown.
A three-story community elementary school was razed to the ground by a sudden explosion at 2:17 in the afternoon.
When the explosion occurred, the children were in class.
In the first-grade classroom, the teacher was teaching the children how to draw a rainbow.
In the third-grade classroom, a small math quiz was underway.
In the kindergarten classroom, the youngest children had just woken up from their nap, rubbing their eyes while waiting for snacks.
Then, everything was gone.
The explosion was immensely powerful, and the Impactshattered all the glass of the surrounding buildings.
Flames rose dozens of meters high, and thick black smoke obscured half of Manhattan's sky.
When the fire department and emergency personnel arrived, what they faced was a ruin.
Concrete fragments, twisted steel bars, charred schoolbags, and those bodies far too small, unable to ever open their eyes again.
Three hundred and seventeen children.
The oldest was eleven years old, and the youngest was only four.
No wreckage of explosives was left at the scene, but investigators detected high concentrations of residual energy fluctuations in the ruins.
That was not something any conventional explosives could produce; that was the residual power of a superpowered individual.
The moment the news spread, the entire United Statesexploded into chaos.
On the television news, the anchor's voice was trembling: "... Three hundred and seventeen children lost their lives. This is one of the worst campus tragedies in the history of the United States.
Energy residues unique to superpowered individuals were detected at the scene. Preliminary judgment indicates this is a malicious attack carried out by a superpowered individual..."
On social media, waves of anger swept over everything like a tsunami.
The topic #BanSuperheroes (Ban Super Heroes) topped the global trending searches within half an hour, with readership exceeding one billion.
Countless people flooded the comment section, venting their fear and anger with the most intense words.
"This is what superpowered individuals are! They think they are gods and kill whoever they want!"
"Three hundred and seventeen children! How could they bring themselves to do it!"
"Either they all register and file records, or they all get the hell off Earth!"
"We don't need heroes! We need safety!"
The next day, large-scale protests broke out in over fifty cities across the United States.
Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston...
Countless citizens took to the streets, holding high banners and shouting slogans, demanding that the government take the strictest regulatory measures against superpowered individuals.
"NO MORE HEROES!" ("No more heroes!")
"REGISTER OR LEAVE!" ("Register or leave!")
"OUR CHILDREN, OUR RIGHTS!" ("Our children, our rights!")
Among the protest crowds were parents who had lost their children, panicked ordinary citizens, politicians seizing the opportunity to incite hatred, and an HYDRA Agent hiding in the crowd with a satisfied smile hanging on his lips.
The White House's response was shockingly fast.
On the third day after the explosion, the Presidentdelivered a nationwide televised address in the Oval Office, looking grief-stricken and speaking in a resolute tone.
"... We cannot let such a tragedy happen again. The existence of superpowered individuals has already posed an unacceptable threat to the safety of ordinary citizens' lives.
We must take action. Today, I am officially signing the Super Hero Registration Act, effective immediately.
All superpowered individuals within the territory of the United States must register and file records with the federal government within thirty days, including but not limited to true identity, scope of abilities, and residential address.
Those who refuse to register will be regarded as illegal superpowered individuals and arrested or forcibly expelled according to the law."
The full text of the act was up to three hundred pages long, but the core content consisted of only a few rules.
All superpowered individuals must register with their real names and wear tracking bracelets issued by the government.
Superpowers must not be used without authorization, and any unauthorized use of superpowers will be regarded as a crime.
As soon as the news came out, the superpowered community exploded.
Stark Tower, top-floor conference room.
Tony Stark stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the New York skyline outside, holding a cup of coffee that had already gone cold in his hand.
Behind him, a dozen super heroes sat around the long conference table, some wearing uniforms, some in casual clothes, with varying expressions.
"I support registration." Tony turned around, placing the coffee cup on the table, his voice hoarse but firm.
"We need accountability. Three hundred and seventeen children are dead; we cannot pretend this matter has nothing to do with us. If we do not actively accept regulation, the public will completely abandon us."
"Regulation?" Natasha Romanoff leaned back in her chair, a hint of a mocking smile on her lips.
"Tony, you know what the government is up to.
Registration is just the first step, next comes control, and then weaponization.
Do you think they will treat superpowered individuals as citizens?
No, they will treat you as assets."
"It's still better than being treated like a monster by people," Tony retorted.
"Captain, what do you think?" Falcon turned his head to look at Steve Rogers, who had been silent all along.
Captain America crossed his hands and placed them on the table, his blue eyes sweeping over everyone present, and then he slowly spoke: "I do not agree with registration."
The conference room fell silent for a second.
"This is not the government's true intention." Steve's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried weight.
"The real threat is not superpowered individuals, but those who create fear.
If we hand over our identities and wear trackers, we are essentially admitting that we are criminals.
And once we lose our secret identities, how will those heroes who care about their families and the lives of ordinary people choose?
They will quit, and then what? Who is left?"
The answer he left unsaid was understood by everyone.
What remained were weapons willing to be co-opted by the government, weapons that could be utilized.
"So you mean we oppose the law?" Tony frowned.
"Captain, this is not World War II; we cannot solve problems with fists."
"I'm not saying we should oppose it." Steve stood up.
"I am saying we need to think. Tony, before you signed this act, did you ever consider that the person who caused the explosion might be precisely the one who wanted us to sign this act?"
Tony was stunned.
The door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open, and a young voice rang out with anger: "I don't care if you sign it or not, I'm not signing it anyway!"
Everyone turned their heads and saw Peter Parkerstanding at the doorway, his face full of anger and fear.
"If our identities are made public, what will happen to our friends and family? Those... those people who hate superpowered individuals, how will they treat them?"
Tony fell silent.
Peter continued, his voice growing softer and softer: "I made a mistake before. It was Loren who gave me a second chance at life and gave me the opportunity to become a super hero.
But I don't want my only family member to be dragged into this, so please understand, I will not register."
Finishing speaking, he used the Symbiote's ability to simulate Silk's shooting, swinging out of the window like Spider-Man.
Inside the conference room, the silence lasted for a very long time.
Chapter 349: Unregistered Means an Illegal Superpowered Individual!
Finally, Tony spoke: "I understand your concerns, Captain."
"But the law has already passed. Either we actively participate to fight for our voice, or we passively accept being treated as criminals."
"That's not a law; that's fear of us, and I will never agree to it." Steve's voice was cold.
That night, Captain America gathered the first batch of heroes who refused to register in the Base.
Falcon, Ant-Man, Hawkeye... They stood under the dim lights, without uniforms or slogans, only with silent and firm gazes.
"We won't surrender our identities, not because we don't respect the law, but because we respect those who need protection," Steve said with a serious expression.
The Civil War had begun.
The streets of New York had turned into a battlefield.
The pro-registration faction was led by Iron Man, with members including War Machine, Black Widow, and others.
The anti-registration faction was led by Captain America, with members including Falcon, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, and others.
The two sides engaged in fierce confrontations in the streets and alleys. Capture and anti-capture, combat and escape—every day brought new conflicts, and every day brought new casualties.
But the scariest part wasn't the battles between heroes.
It was those who used violence unscrupulously under the guise of the act.
HYDRA hid in the shadows, under the guise of assisting law enforcement, wildly recruiting those superpowered individuals who favored registration, craved power, and harbored malicious intents.
They issued government-recognized law enforcement badges to these people, sending them to hunt down the illegal superpowered individuals who refused to register.
These people had no bottom line like heroes, and no principle of not harming the innocents; they only cared about power.
Public security in New York deteriorated rapidly.
Battles could break out at any corner in the streets and alleys.
Innocent passersby could be dragged into it at any moment.
People began to not dare to go out, shops closed one after another, and the entire city was shrouded in a cloud of fear.
And the mastermind behind all this—HYDRA—was hiding in the shadows, admiring its own masterpiece with satisfaction.
Their plan was simple and vicious.
Create chaos, make heroes kill each other, and make the public completely despair of superpowered individuals.
And when all heroes were discredited and all superpowered individuals were expelled or controlled, HYDRA could rightfully take over this World.
But they still had one major obstacle that hadn't been eliminated.
Loren.
That unspeakable existence who defeated Dormammu, subdued Mephisto, and even annihilated Chthon.
As long as he was still on Earth, HYDRA could never truly hold power.
Therefore, they needed to make him leave.
Not kill him; they knew that was impossible.
But to make him completely disappointed in humanity and choose to leave by himself.
For this, they needed a bigger, more perfect, and more undeniable accident.
That Saturday afternoon, the sunlight was great.
On Fifth Avenue in New York, Mai Shiranui locked arms with Tifa, walking at the very front, her eyes scanning back and forth between various display windows, chattering endlessly.
"Tifa, Tifa! Look at that bag! Limited edition! And those shoes! Oh god, they look so good!"
Tifa smiled as she was pulled along, occasionally nodding and occasionally offering quiet comments.
She was wearing a White knitted dress, with her long hair scattered loosely over her shoulders, looking gentle and elegant, completely different from how she looked in the ring.
Marie Rose followed behind them, already carrying several shopping bags in her hands. Her pink short hair was dampened by sweat and pasted against her forehead, and her small face was filled with helplessness.
"Sister Mai... We've been shopping for three hours... My arms are going to break..."
"Hang in there a little longer! I'll treat you to ice cream later!" Mai turned her head and winked at her.
Mei Terumi walked in the middle of the group in a water-blue long dress, her gait elegant and composed. She held a freshly bought cup of coffee in her hand, taking occasional sips with a faint smile at the corners of her mouth.
She wasn't very interested in this shopping, but seeing her companions looking so jubilant, she also found it amusing.
Hancock walked at the very back, holding her head high arrogantly, casting disdainful glances at everything around her.
But Hinata, who followed closely by her side, was occasionally attracted by the cute little trinkets in the windows, stopping with a blushing face to take a few extra glances.
"If you like it, go in and take a look," Hancock glanced at her.
"No, no need... I just think... that little bear is very cute..." Hinata hurriedly shook her head.
Hancock didn't answer and walked straight into the shop.
Thirty seconds later, she came out with a brown bear plushie in hand, stuffing it expressionlessly into Hinata's arms.
"Take it."
Hinata hugged the bear, her face turning even redder: "Th-Thank you, Miss Hancock..."
"Hmph."
Tsunade walked at the very rear, with her hands in her pockets, yawning out of sheer boredom.
She wasn't very interested in shopping, but today the manor was too quiet.
Loren was researching some new technology, Ikaros was staring at watermelons in the greenhouse, and the others had their own things to do, so she was dragged out by Mai.
"The young people nowadays..." She muttered, her gaze drifting across the street.
Then, she saw it.
Across the street, three people were running wildly.
Running at the very front was a young girl wearing a shabby hoodie, her face full of terror, glancing back from time to time.
Chasing behind her were two men wearing black combat uniforms with the words "Law Enforcement" printed on their chests.
On their arms, both wore those government-issued tracking bracelets flashing with red light.
"Stop! Illegal superpowered individual! Cease resistance immediately!" roared one of the men, raising his hand to fire an energy beam.
The beam grazed the girl's shoulder, and she let out a miserable scream as she fell to the ground. The surrounding passersby shrieked and fled in all directions.
"Stop!" Mai Shiranui was the first to react, letting go of Tifa's hand and preparing to rush over.
But it was already too late.
The man rushed forward, grabbing the girl by her hair and dragging her up from the ground.
"Not registering? Not signing up? Where do you think you can hide?"
Tears streamed down the girl's face: "I... I haven't hurt anyone... I just want to live quietly..."
"The law is the law. Unregistered means a criminal!" The man sneered, energy gathering in his fist.
His fist swung down.
"Bang!"
The fist didn't land on the girl.
Mai Shiranui stood before them, one hand steadily catching that punch.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, the smile at the corners of her mouth vanished, replaced by an icy, dangerous aura.
"Let her go."
The man froze for a moment, then saw the clean skin on Mai's wrist devoid of a tracking bracelet.
"You're not registered either? Another illegal superpowered individual! Brothers, catch her, the government has a bounty!" He grinned, a flash of greed in his eyes.
The other two law enforcement officers immediately swarmed over.
Tifa, Marie Rose, Mei Terumi, Hinata, Hancock, and Tsunade had all walked up behind Mai Shiranui by this point.
Seven people, seven women without tracking bracelets, stood in the center of Fifth Avenue, facing an increasing number of law enforcement officers.
"Are you sure?" Tsunade stretched her neck, her joints making crisp cracking sounds.
Answering her were over a dozen energy beams fired simultaneously.
The battle erupted in an instant.
Chapter 350: Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!
Mai Shiranui was the first to make a move, her figure weaving through the crowd like a red lightning bolt.
Her punches and kicks carried just the right amount of force—not enough to kill, but enough to put those people in bed for several months.
Every strike precisely hit joints and vital points, and the sound of shattering bones rose and fell in succession.
Tifa, on the other hand, was even more graceful; her fighting techniques were clean and crisp, every move resembling a meticulously choreographed dance.
She neutralized her opponents' attacks invisibly, then knocked them down with a precise elbow strike or knee blow.
Although Marie Rose was the smallest in stature, her monstrous strength caused everyone to suffer a huge loss.
An enforcer trying to sneak up on her from behind was grabbed by the wrist and given a gentle twist, sending him screaming as he flew out and crashed into three people behind him.
Mei Terumi didn't even make a serious move.
She merely stood in place, occasionally raising her hand to condense a Water wall to block stray bullets, or spitting out a ball of acid mist to block the enemies' retreat.
To her, these people weren't even qualified to be a warmup.
Hancock was even simpler.
She just stood there, releasing a hint of Conquerors Haki, and those who tried to approach her rolled their eyes and collapsed one by one.
The Empress didn't even spare them a proper glance.
Hinata's Byakugan was fully activated, insightfully observing the movements of every enemy around her, occasionally striking with the Gentle Fist to hit the pressure points of someone attempting a sneak attack, temporarily disabling their mobility.
Tsunade had her hands deep in her pockets, not even taking them out.
She just stood there, occasionally sidestepping an energy beam, or kicking away someone rushing at her.
To her, this level of battle didn't even count as a warmup.
In less than three minutes, all thirty-plus enforcers collapsed to the ground, their wails echoing incessantly.
Mai Shiranui clapped her hands and turned around to look at the chased girl: "Are you alright?"
The girl curled up in the corner, trembling all over, and looked at her gratefully: "Th... Thank you..."
"You're welcome." Mai squatted down, helped her up, "What's your name? Where is your home? We'll send you back."
"My name is Leah..." The girl's voice was still trembling.
"I live in Brooklyn..."
Mai's heart softened for a moment, and she was about to speak.
"Careful!"
Right at that moment, Tsunade's roar came from behind, and simultaneously, a strong premonition of danger pierced everyone's nerves.
Mai Shiranui abruptly turned her head and saw in the distance, about two hundred meters away.
A man wearing a black combat uniform was carrying a shoulder-mounted energy launcher, aiming at their location.
On his face was a fanatical, almost morbid smile.
He pulled the trigger.
What the energy launcher fired was not a beam, but a high-speed rotating sphere emitting a dazzling white light.
That was a highly concentrated energy bomb, and its explosion radius was enough to cover the entire block.
Mai Shiranui's reaction was extreme to the limit.
She snatched Leah up in her arms and retreated violently.
Tifa, Marie Rose, Mei Terumi, Hinata, Hancock, and Tsunade simultaneously darted off in different directions.
But no matter how fast their reactions were, they couldn't outpace an already fired bomb.
The energy sphere exploded in the middle of the street.
"Boom—!!!"
The white light swallowed everything.
The Impact shattered all the shop windows on both sides of the street, overturned cars, snapped street lamps, and blew a deep crater over a dozen meters in diameter into the ground.
When the light dissipated, Mai Shiranui stood up from the ruins, covered in dust, her ears ringing.
She looked down at Leah in her arms; the girl had passed out, but she was still alive.
She let out a sigh of relief, then looked up at her surroundings.
Immediately, she couldn't help but be startled.
She saw that the buildings on both sides of the street were still burning, with debris scattered all over the ground.
But most shocking of all were the corpses lying haphazardly in the ruins.
These were innocent passersby who didn't manage to escape when the battle broke out.
A young mother still holding an infant in her arms.
Neither of them was breathing.
An elderly, white-haired old man, still gripping a cane, fell next to a flipped-over car.
A teenager in his teens, carrying a schoolbag filled with textbooks, lay flat in a pool of blood.
Looking out as far as the eye could see, whether elderly, children, or women, they were treated indiscriminately, with countless casualties and deaths.
Seeing such a scene, not just Mai Shiranui, but everyone's expressions turned infinitely gloomy.
Tsunade wore an icy face, her eyes filled with anger.
Mei Terumi stood beside her, her expression equally iron-blue.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
Hancock stood the furthest away, looking down at a dead little girl near her feet.
Probably seven or eight years old, still clutching a dirty rag doll in her hand.
Thus, her eye sockets turned red.
"No matter who planned all this, this concubine will definitely kill him!"
Beside her, Hinata squatted on the ground, covering her face with both hands, weeping silently.
Her Byakugan could see the passing of life, could see those hearts that were just beating moments ago now completely still.
Nothing could be more sad and distressing than the passing of life.
Tifa stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by scattered broken glass and burning flames.
There was no expression on her face, but those hands, the fists that had knocked down powerful enemies countless times, were trembling slightly.
"These damn enforcers have gone too far, I'm going to make them pay the price they deserve!"
Just at this moment, Mai Shiranui gently placed the unconscious Leah on the ground and stood up.
Her eyes were burning with a dark red Hellfire at this moment.
That was not just Hellfire, but anger, an anger sufficient to burn everything to ashes.
"I'm going to find the forces behind that guy, then drag them out one by one, and burn their souls to absolute nothingness!"
She said in a hoarse voice, looking incomparably furious.
But right at this moment, a group of reporters carrying long lenses and short cannons suddenly appeared in this neighborhood, and then went on a frenzy photographing them.
Not only that, several reporters shouted at them while filming: "Illegal superpowered beings, they are illegal superpowered beings!"
Hearing the reporters' words, everyone couldn't help frowning, and the meticulous Tifa immediately sensed the anomaly.
"Oh no, these guys seem to have come specifically for us, we've fallen into a trap!"
"Go home, go home immediately!"
"But..." Mai Shiranui still wanted to say something, but Tsunade directly interrupted her.
"Go home." Tsunade repeated, this time with a hint of unquestionable majesty in her voice, so no one spoke anymore.