Children's Downfall

Qin's child looks exactly like Vireta, but is a bit mischievous. Kino held him for a while, then used his telekinesis to throw the furniture away.

However, Qin caught the child and put it back in its original position, which troubled her somewhat. If she hadn't seen the child jump off her with her own eyes, she would have suspected that the two children had been switched at birth.

"So lively!"

Kino looked at the energetic little one in her arms, and Jean said with a gentle yet helpless smile, "Yes, that's why I named her Sofira. I hope her light can shine on others like the sun, although right now... this light is a bit mischievous."

Kino then looked at the other children.

Kino then looked at the other children.

A baby girl with crimson hair, her little fists slightly clenched, had extremely faint Chaos Magic particles flickering and jumping unconsciously around her.

"Master, I miss you so much."

Wanda handed the child to Kino, then took Kino's other hand and gently rubbed it against her face.

"Thanks a lot."

"It's not hard work. Can you go shopping with me tomorrow?"

Wanda felt the warmth of Kino's hand, her eyes filled with longing.

"Good."

Kino agreed, looking down at the little life in her arms.

"Her name is Leia,"

Wanda spoke softly, her eyes gleaming with maternal warmth.

Next was Xi's child, also a girl, but her appearance kept changing, eventually turning into Kino's face.

"Young Master, this child is a bit playful."

As Xi spoke, she touched the baby's face with her finger, and the baby's appearance finally transformed into a cute little face. The baby discovered that its abilities were sealed, but Xi's stern gaze made it dare not cry.

"Compared to Duyao, she's already considered well-behaved."

Kino smiled and looked at the pitiful little face, pointing her finger to release Xi's seal.

"I haven't named her yet, Young Master, you can think of one."

"Let's name you Danqing, hoping that in the future you can, like a paintbrush, depict your own unique and wonderful life."

Kino looked at the little face in her arms, which had become lively again, with a hint of cunning and a wronged expression, and gently brushed her hair with her fingertips.

The little one seemed to understand, or perhaps he was simply soothed by his father's touch; he babbled, his little mouth opened, and a few blurry images flashed across his face in an instant.

Finally, it settled on the outline of Xi, and then transformed back into its own adorable form, bearing Xi's shadow, only this time it didn't change randomly.

"Danqing..."

Xi murmured the name softly, her stern gaze softening into gentle waves. "It's a good name, Young Master."

"Playing is a child's nature."

Kino smiled and carefully handed the Danqing back to Xi.

"As long as she doesn't hurt herself or others, let her be. Look at Sofira, she really messed up the violin."

His gaze shifted to Qin, who once again "pressed" the blanket that Sofira had telekinetically lifted back into the crib, her movements as practiced as if she were playing whack-a-mole.

After calming Danqing and Xi down, Kino's gaze turned to the next swaddled baby, the one crawling all over Gwen, who seemed a little different from the others.

The agile Gwen roamed over his body, but in no time he was caught by Gwen and held tightly in her arms.

"Kino, this little guy has a lot of energy."

Gwen looked down at the child in her arms, her eyes filled with doting affection, yet also tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"It wants to move around after being quiet for less than five minutes; it feels like taking care of a husky."

Kino reached out and gently touched the little hand that was resting outside.

Suddenly, blue-white sparks burst from the little hand, flashing by like static electricity, accompanied by a faint crackling sound.

The child seemed to sense Kino's unique aura and power. His eyes, which inherited Gwen's clear qualities, widened slightly as he stared at Kino curiously. His body also stopped twisting and turned so much that it became much calmer.

"It seems he inherited his mother's talent."

Kino's voice carried a hint of laughter.

"Yes, and I added some ingredients."

Gwen shrugged.

"The reaction was so fast it was like a prediction, and that static electricity made Dark Phoenix and Hela's babies scream when they were born."

"So I call her Aria, hoping she will always be full of energy and as agile as light."

She expressed her concern, but the smile in her eyes was unmistakable.

Although Kino's children have different abilities, they all have one thing in common: an iron body. This little lightning bolt will only hurt them a little.

"Aria, I hope you'll make things easier for your mother in the future."

After saying that, Kino looked at the other children.

Harley's child seemed quiet, clinging to Harley's leg and hiding behind her. When he saw Kino's gaze, he cautiously walked over with his hands behind his back.

"Hello, Dad, I have a gift for you. Can you close your eyes?"

"Can."

As soon as Kino closed his eyes, a sly look appeared in the little guy's eyes, and a paintbrush appeared in his hand behind his back, which began to scribble on Kino's face.

No one around stopped her, and Harley quietly took out a paintbrush and started drawing too.

When it was over, Kino opened his eyes and looked at the mother and daughter who were secretly laughing in front of him, his eyes full of smiles.

After all, it's impossible for him not to feel resentful after not showing up for so long.

Kino, with his brightly colored face, swept his tolerant smile over Harley, who was snickering, and finally landed on the timid yet mischievous little guy behind Harley.

"This 'gift' is very creative,"

Kino's voice was gentle, and the comical paint on his face created a wonderful harmony with his composed demeanor.

"It seems you've inherited your mother's talent for abstract art. But next time, could you try drawing on paper?"

Seeing that Kino wasn't angry, the little one grew bolder and peeked out completely from behind Harley's legs, whispering, "Daddy, my name is Delilah! Mommy says I'm as cute and surprising as a little sweetheart!"

Harley nodded vigorously, adding proudly, "That's right! My little Delilah! A sweet and surprising little rascal!"

Kino chuckled, "Delilah... What a fitting and lovely name."

Kino looked at the Polaris, and next to her was a cocky little girl, dressed like a delinquent, with all sorts of rare metal ornaments hanging from her body.

Her chin was slightly raised, and her emerald green eyes glanced sideways at Kino with an air of haughty arrogance, as if she were "judging you," completely lacking the awkwardness or curiosity that other children have when they first meet their father.

"Nice to meet you, my little queen."

Kino gave a chivalrous salute.

A hint of shyness flashed in the little queen's eyes, but she feigned nonchalance. "Knight, I am Regra! My mother said I was born to be the master of magnetic fields."

Polaris crossed her arms, a proud smile playing on her lips, "Of course, my little queen, Regra."

Kino chuckled softly, "Regra... a name that perfectly suits your temperament, little queen."

Kino stood up and finally cast her gaze to the corner of the room, an area where the light seemed to automatically turn cooler.

Hela leaned against the wall, cradling a baby girl in her arms. The child had the same dark green hair as her mother, and her skin was so white it was almost translucent. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be sleeping soundly.

However, as Kino approached, the baby girl's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Those were a pair of breathtakingly pure emerald green eyes, so clear they seemed to reflect the very essence of the soul, yet they carried Hela's unique chill.

Hela looked down at her daughter, her eyes unusually gentle, but her tone still carried the arrogance unique to the Goddess of Death, and a hint of... disdain?

"Look at her, my daughter, as quiet as the deepest snowflakes in Niflheim."

She stretched out her finger, painted with black nail polish, and gently touched her daughter's chubby little face.

"There was no aura of death, no fluctuation of destruction, not even the withering of a single flower."

"Heross (meaning vitality in death/grace), the name I have given you seems too 'gentle'?"

As if in response to her mother's words, little Heross yawned, and green plants began to grow from the cloth wrapped around her body, stretching out at a visible speed and blooming into pure white flowers.

Hela's expression froze instantly.

She looked down at her still quiet daughter in her arms, then at the vibrant flowers on her body that clashed so drastically with her deathly aura, and her disgust deepened.

"My daughter, the Goddess of Death, has awakened life energy; this is blasphemy against my divine duty!"

Kino smiled, and reached out to gently touch the girl's soft hair.

The baby girl looked at him with green eyes, showing no fear, only pure peace.

"Death and life are two sides of the same coin, Hela." Kino's voice was calm yet powerful.

"Withering is the end, but also the prologue to rebirth, Heross. This is your name, and her power is not blasphemy, but rather the other side of your divinity that has never been truly observed—the peace of all things in silence and the possibility of new life."

Before he finished speaking, a black light shone from Kino's hand, and the flowers on Heross's body withered again. A few seeds fell from the withered flowers and were casually tossed into the garden outside, where white flowers bloomed once more.

Hela frowned, her arms tightening unconsciously around Heross, and she didn't argue further. Instead, she stared into her daughter's pure green eyes, lost in thought.

Next up are Duyao and Qiji. These two are the first children. Kino patted their heads.

He was indifferent to his father's and mother's disappearance and return; all he desired was to defeat them.

Xingyu is different; she's very happy that her dad is back.

Kino's gaze finally settled on the unusually quiet little boy in the corner of the room.

He had Kara's signature dark curly hair, but his facial features were more rugged and sharp than those of children his age. His blue eyes held complex emotions far beyond his ten-year-old appearance—scrutiny, detachment, and indifference.

Kara gently nudged his shoulder, her voice encouraging, "Arthur, go to Daddy."

The little boy, Arthur, tensed slightly. Unlike the other children, he didn't show curiosity or affection. Instead, he lifted his gaze from his fingers and met Kino's eyes without hesitation.

Those eyes were clear yet cold, like a frozen lake on Krypton in winter.

"I don't want this man to be my father."

The air seemed to freeze instantly, drawing everyone's attention.

The Dark Phoenix's fingers, which had been teasing Vireta, froze in mid-air. Jean instinctively tightened her grip on Sofira's waving hand. Aria in Gwen's arms stopped her electric wriggling. Even Regra, who was holding the small metal chain, forgot her "queen" posture and tilted her head to look over.

Hela held Heross in her arms, a hint of amusement flashing in her green eyes.

Wanda, Pamela, Xi... everyone's eyes were filled with astonishment.

If we're talking about the most worry-free child in the family, it's Kara's child. She could take care of herself when she was just a few months old, and she would even take care of her younger siblings if anyone was away from home.

Even Venom came out, curiously eyeing the kid who wanted a beating.

Kara's face paled slightly, and she knelt down, placing her hands on Arthur's shoulders.

"Arthur! Don't talk nonsense, he is your father!"

"Yeah?"

Arthur's voice remained calm, yet it was as sharp as an ice pick.

"In my memory, he never existed. The word 'father,' before I learned to speak, was just a symbol, an image, a symbol that you tell me is important, but I never felt its meaning."

His gaze swept over his younger siblings, some still in swaddling clothes, others looking on with puzzled expressions.

"They were luckier than me; at least their 'symbols' appeared before they even remembered anything."

And I..."

He paused, and a hint of childlike grievance and anger finally crept into his mature demeanor beyond his years.

"I've seen my mother looking out the window at night and shedding tears; I've seen other children being lifted high by their fathers."

I've seen Aunt Pamela and the others leave for other things, and I have to stay behind to take care of my younger siblings because 'Arthur is the most sensible'...

He suddenly looked up and stared directly at Kino again, his blue eyes burning with what seemed like icy blue flames.

"I don't want to be sensible at all! But that 'symbol' is gone! Where did it go?"

To do those great, universe-saving things? So great that you don't even have time to come back and see the children you were born into, or the children you grew up?!

Kara's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She hugged Arthur tightly, her voice choked with emotion, "Arthur, it's not like that, Daddy..."

"Mother."

Arthur's voice softened a little, but he remained stubborn.

"You don't need to explain for him. I know he's very strong, stronger than I can imagine."

He broke free from Kara's embrace and stood up straight with his small body.

"But he missed my first breath, my first crawl, the first time I burned a toy with my Heat Vision (although I quickly regained control), the first time I flew up and almost crashed through the ceiling... He missed all the moments that a 'father' should have witnessed."

Now he's back, bathed in a dazzling halo, surrounded by everyone celebrating his return and welcoming him to fulfill his duties as 'father'...

Arthur took a deep breath, as if to release emotions that had been building up for three years, or even longer. His small chest heaved, and finally he said resolutely:

"But to me, he was just a powerful stranger who suddenly barged in."

It's just a 'symbol'. I don't need his belated 'fatherly love,' much less a 'father' who only remembers to come home when he wins!