Cheers to the Disappearance of the Global Guardians

Jupiter turned into a bolt of lightning and instantly appeared above London, the capital of the United Kingdom...

Jupiter had barely arrived when he saw Nolan beating a giant serpent in the air. It was nearly a thousand meters long and had a pair of wings growing from its back.

"Father, I'm here to help."

Jupiter moved to Nolan's side and punched the monster in the back.

"Roar!"

After taking Jupiter's punch, the serpent roared in pain. Its body trembled and thrashed about, as if it really was suffering.

"Father, what is this serpent...?"

Jupiter stared at the monster before him, curious. It was his first time seeing a serpent with wings.

"This serpent is called Kukulkan. I've fought it many times since I came to Blue Star. Usually, we beat it up and throw it into the ocean, and then it leaves on its own."

Nolan grabbed the serpent by the neck, swung it around, and tossed it into the ocean.

"Splash!"

The serpent hit the water, sending up an enormous wave.

"That takes care of that."

"Let's go home, Jupiter!"

After dealing with Kukulkan, Nolan beckoned to Jupiter.

"Okay~"

Jupiter watched Kukulkan swim away and licked his lips. To be honest, he felt it was a real shame to let the serpent go. On the way over, he'd learned all sorts of ways to cook snake.

"Jupiter, it's been a while since we teamed up. How about a race home?"

"The one who gets home last has to do the dishes for a month."

Nolan turned to Jupiter and raised an eyebrow.

"Then you'd better get ready to do the dishes for a month..."

Jupiter smiled faintly, then turned into a blur and shot into the sky.

"Clever little brat."

Nolan watched Jupiter take off with a faint smile, then followed close behind.

"Boom!"

Jupiter kept accelerating, flying faster and faster. The shock waves from his flight carved a deep furrow across the ocean, as if he meant to split it in two.

A minute later...

"Looks like I was faster, Dad."

Jupiter landed neatly in the Grayson family's yard.

"I let you win."

Nolan landed beside Jupiter less than a second after he did.

"I wasn't going all out either."

Jupiter insisted that he'd held back, too.

"..."

Then Jupiter and Nolan stared at each other for a second.

"Hahaha..."

The two of them burst out laughing at the same time.

"Come on! Let's take a shower, then have a good meal!"

"By the way, do you want a drink?"

Nolan asked Jupiter.

"I'm not old enough to drink, am I?"

Jupiter thought it sounded nice, but Deborah might not take it well.

"I asked if you wanted a drink, not whether you were old enough."

"Besides, by Virtumian custom, the moment you gained superpowers, you became an adult Virtumian with a tremendous responsibility to shoulder."

Nolan patted Jupiter on the shoulder as he explained.

"In that case, I'll definitely have some."

Jupiter nodded. As long as Nolan could convince Deborah, it was all good.

The father and son took turns showering, then turned on the television...

They watched the latest news while drinking red wine.

"Oh, my goodness!"

"Sorry, everyone. Please let me interrupt with some breaking news..."

The beautiful host had been telling viewers about the meteorite incident. But after receiving a message, her lovely face turned deathly pale, as if the news alone had been enough to terrify her.

"Everyone, please don't panic..."

"Please stay calm and listen..."

"I've just received word that the heroes who protected us—the members of the Global Guardians—King of the Sea, Darkwing, War Woman, Martian Man, Immortal Man, Green Ghost, and Crimson Speed—were attacked by an unknown enemy. They've all died..."

"Oh, my God! I wish today were April Fools' Day, and this were all just some April Fools' prank..."

As the beautiful host spoke, two streams of tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

"Cheers, son."

Nolan raised his glass as he watched the report on TV.

"Dad, let's drink to the disappearance of the Global Guardians~"

Jupiter swirled the wine in his glass, then gently clinked it against Nolan's.

"Hahahaha..."

The next second, father and son burst out laughing once again.

At a time when everyone in the world was mourning the Global Guardians' deaths, when people were silently paying tribute to the heroes they had admired, the strongest father and son on the planet were raising their glasses and drinking merrily, using alcohol to revel in their happiness.

There was no denying it: today was a truly sorrowful day...

When Deborah returned, she saw the glasses in the house and Jupiter, who seemed dead drunk but actually felt nothing thanks to his superhuman physique. Her brows drew tightly together.

"Nolan, I need an explanation."

Deborah folded her arms and glared at Nolan. She felt he'd set a terrible example for Jupiter. What kind of behavior was it to drink at such a young age?!

"Deborah, let's let it go today!"

Nolan gestured toward the TV behind him, where the news about the Guardians' deaths was being reported, and put on a sorrowful expression.

"Ah..."

Deborah looked at the report about the Global Guardians' deaths on the TV and sighed softly.

She pulled Nolan and Jupiter into a hug.

"May all the suffering in this world pass."

Deborah was filled with pain. She truly felt sorrowful.

"May all the suffering in this world pass."

Nolan and Jupiter exchanged a glance, then repeated Deborah's words. They looked sorrowful, too—though one was pretending, while the other was struggling to hold back laughter.

"Cissels just informed me that I'll be giving the eulogy for the Global Guardians tomorrow. People around the world are feeling too fragile right now. I have to step up and give them hope..."

"Also, after the public memorial service, there'll be a small private funeral. Only friends of the Global Guardians and a few people who know their true identities will attend. You should come, too."

Nolan patted Jupiter and Deborah on the shoulders.

"Of course."

Jupiter nodded. He couldn't pass up a show this entertaining. It would be a disgrace to his title as Ancestor Person if he didn't attend.

"Click..."

Just as Jupiter, Nolan, and Deborah were immersed in their sorrow over having to attend the Global Guardians' funeral, the front door suddenly opened. Mark walked into the house, humming a tune and looking quite happy.

"Hm?!"

Mark frowned as he saw the sorrowful looks on the three of them.

"Did I miss something?"

Mark asked the others, puzzled.

"No, you haven't missed anything, my foolish little brother."

Jupiter sighed as he looked at Mark. Seeing how radiant Mark looked, he knew he was in trouble—he'd fallen in love.

And who had made Mark fall in love? Jupiter didn't need to think twice. It was that little blonde girl named Amber...