Don't Feel Lonely

Yuri was well aware of the individual combat prowess of the Eternals.

Aside from Gilgamesh, who was like Saitama, the weakened Marvel "Superman" Igris, and the melee-focused Valkyrie Tina, the remaining seven didn't even have the ability to defeat a single Mutant on their own. The reason the Eternals were able to complete the extermination and sealing of the Mutants wasn't their strong individual combat capabilities, but the triangular spaceship, Tamo, they arrived on Earth in.

Yuri had never entered Tamo before because he knew it housed a statue of Arishem, the supreme observer of the universe. While he didn't know how much connection it had to the real entity, it was better to err on the side of caution. If it attracted His attention, not only he and the frozen Mutants, but even Earth itself would be in danger of complete destruction.

When he killed Ajax and absorbed his abilities, Yuri had also maintained a respectful distance from the "Celestial Sphere" within him that communicated with Arishem, fearing that a single mistake on his part could bring about the annihilation of his entire race.

Time always passed quickly.

After watching Ethan leave work with a book in hand and head home, Yuri immediately closed the shop and returned to the third floor. With a wave of his hand, a pile of equipment covered in intricate patterns appeared on the simple workbench. He casually picked up a bracer and tapped it lightly against his wrist. Golden patterns flowed, and the bracer fit perfectly onto Yuri's wrist. He twisted his fist a few times, feeling no obstruction.

With a gentle shake, a massive energy shield, large enough to completely cover Shark, materialized out of thin air. Vanax curiously poked it with her finger, causing small ripples to spread across the surface where she touched. Yuri glared at her before introducing the equipment to everyone. "After my three modifications, you should be able to clearly feel a special energy within you. It can heal your injuries, speed up your movements, strengthen your soul, and can also be applied to these pieces of equipment to activate their special functions."

"This is the bracer, which I've inscribed with shield magic. When activated, it can summon a large energy shield like this one. We all know Jinger's energy blasts are powerful, and this can block attacks for you. This is the knee guard. Unfortunately, time was limited, and I wanted to make you a set of leg guards. When activated, it can increase your movement speed for a short period, allowing you to dodge in time if you can't raise your shield. These are the force-nullifying shoes. I know your strength is immense, and human building materials are like paper to you, but to act discreetly, we must not leave too many traces at the scene. These can nullify the force applied to the ground. Activate them once before moving, and the nullifying effect lasts for ten minutes. These are the arm guards..."

By the time everyone had adjusted to the equipment, it was already half-past eleven. This was mainly because Vanax and Kate, those two silly girls, kept asking endless questions, which in turn made even the usually calm Shark and the other two start exhibiting pre-battle jitters. Yuri had to spend time giving them a pre-battle pep talk to boost their morale again.

Sigh~

It's just a small fry like Jinger... After you finish this fight, you'll realize how easily you can defeat the nightmare you once faced.

"Operation commence!"

With a unified "Yes!", the six Mutants, including Yuri, nodded lightly. The forehead protectors they wore, previously positioned just above their eyebrows, covered their entire heads within a few breaths. Then, a golden light flashed beneath everyone's feet, and they moved without making a sound.

Yuri waved his hand, and the ceiling of the third floor suddenly opened. The six individuals bent their legs and exerted force, leaping lightly onto the roof of old man Rogers' bookstore next door. In a few leaps, the six figures vanished into the thick night. The old man, who couldn't sleep and was lying in bed looking at the dark clouds, caught a glimpse of figures flashing past his window. He pouted, not understanding, and rolled over, mumbling, "What's that saying? A dark and stormy night, perfect for murder and arson..."

The presidential suite on the top floor of the Shalina Hotel.

After seeing off his assistant Karen, who had arranged his publicity schedule for the next day, Jinger turned off the lights and stood alone by the large glass window, lost in thought. He had lived for so, so long. In seven thousand years, apart from the days he fought alongside his companions, he had spent two to three thousand years wandering alone. Immortality wasn't always a gift; it could also become a cruel curse.

He had made many human friends, but without exception, they had all slowly aged before his eyes. Karen was like that too. From the handsome young man he once was, he had now become an overweight middle-aged man with dark circles under his eyes that he couldn't get rid of. Perhaps in another decade or so, he too would leave him...

He let out a sigh and rubbed his face fiercely. He didn't know what was wrong with him today; he had a persistent feeling of unease. Was it because he had been separated from his comrades for too long, a longing born from that separation?

He didn't notice that six uninvited guests, clad in scattered armor and with their entire heads covered by helmets, had appeared out of thin air in the previously empty living room of the suite.

Yuri took a gentle breath to alleviate the strain from overusing his space power. Transferring six people at once was a bit strenuous, but thankfully, it was successful. Moreover, this high-energy fluctuation hadn't alerted the target.

With a wave of his hand, the six dispersed evenly and slowly approached Jinger, who was covering his face and exuding an aura of decadence. In their thousands of years of hunting, every Mutant who had survived to the present had learned to restrain or even hide their killing intent towards their prey. This was why Jinger only sensed something was amiss when the six were within ten steps of him.

He lowered his hand. The sharpshooter's keen eyesight had not diminished despite his long absence from combat. He almost instantly saw the six figures slowly approaching him in the glass reflection. Without time to think, a brilliant golden point of light gathered at his fingertips. At the same moment, the five members of Shark, knowing they had been exposed, activated all their equipment and lunged forward simultaneously.

The acceleration from the knee guards, the amplification from the arm guards, the piercing power of the gauntlets, the force nullification of the battle boots...

Jinger's energy ball had only just formed to the size of a peanut, but five fists, imbued with immense power, were already less than a punch away from him. After throwing his punch, Yuri, who had no further actions, lightly flicked his wrist, activating the energy shield and placing it in front of him, blocking the scalding blood that splattered the next second.

The five members of Shark, having struck true, froze in place, stunned. They looked up to see Jinger writhing in pain, the golden energy ball in his hand gradually extinguishing.

Yuri retracted his energy shield and leisurely walked over to his disbelieving comrades. Dozens of dark blue transmission tubes were withdrawn from his back and deeply inserted into Jinger, who had his mouth open, still trying to say something.

"We are Mutants."

Yuri leaned close to his ear, a dangerous smile on his handsome face beneath the helmet. "Don't feel lonely, because... you're the fifth one..."