Awaken, My Companions

Awakening, Partners

Black clouds churned above the vault of the sky, where silver serpents danced wildly and purple lightning intertwined.

The oppressive air gripped everyone's heart like a giant palm, as if the end of the world had arrived.

People instinctively looked up to the heavens, their legs growing uncontrollably weak before that majestic pressure of heaven and earth.

"BOOM!"

Four bolts of purple lightning tore the firmament asunder; three struck the azure planet, and the final one went straight to the ends of the universe.

On the surface of a blazing star, a golden figure soared into the air.

The moment he spread his arms with his back to the scorching sun, billions of rays of solar essence fire poured into his body, and his golden armor burst with dazzling radiance in the morning light.

With a light tap of his scepter, the sea of sand boiled, and countless soldiers marched out in formation from beneath the ground.

Renekton's giant blade slashed the howling wind, Nasus's staff summoned the yellow sand, Rammus transformed into a rolling wheel of death, Skarner's crystal carapace refracted rainbow light, and Xerath's arcane energy exploded into deep blue sparks in the air.

"I am Shurima!"

Within the borders of the ancient eastern country where the purple lightning fell, a nine-tailed illusion blotted out the sky and earth.

As the fox claws swept down, a thousand miles of territory were branded with a blood-red mark in the demonic fire.

"Those who cross the border shall have both body and soul destroyed!"

The purple lightning in the Pacific Ocean triggered elemental anomalies.

Torrents of elements from deep within the Earth's core, energy vortices outside the atmosphere, and even magic crystals in interstellar dust all converged toward the epicenter of the explosion like a brilliant river of stars.

When the anomaly swallowed the entire sea level, all matter within a radius of three thousand kilometers—including seawater ten thousand meters deep—was reduced to nothingness.

Only a silver-haired girl hovered in the vacuum.

The pure white divine raiment entwined with bands of light fluttered violently, and her flawless bare feet shattered the void. This was an existence transcending the laws of the present world:

The First Spirit.

Hovering behind the girl's back was a ring condensed from radiance, with ten brilliant stars embedded within it like an eternal source of light.

"Awakening, partners."

The Spirit Crystals symbolizing spirit power peeled away one by one, rising into the air together with a Spirit Crystal entwined with golden lightning. The eleven crystals suddenly vibrated and regained their vitality, then cut across the sky, scattering across the earth like a meteor shower.

The figure of the spirit girl who created all this gradually faded, as if melting into the void.

In the remote suburbs of New York.

Between barren mountainous regions and wide-open plains, the final bolt of purple thunder blasted out an abyss one hundred meters in diameter. An ultra-modern fortress exuding a cold metallic luster rose abruptly from the ground, with gold-plated inscriptions emerging on its outer walls: [League of Heroes].

When the fourth flash of lightning dissipated, the sky began to sprinkle countless fluorescent lights. These specks of light carrying mutation factors drifted with the wind to all corners of the world. As the last speck of light vanished, the dark clouds blanketing the globe slowly receded.

If not for the giant fox-claw scar traversing the east, the strange island that had suddenly appeared in the Pacific Ocean, or the metal architecture that had materialized out of thin air in the suburbs of New York, people might have mistaken this global anomaly for a collective hallucination.

But the world had already changed.

At the highest point of the [League of Heroes] fortress—

A young man with a waterfall of black hair stepped onto the rooftop, a well-tailored suit enveloping his upright figure. Dangerous red radiances danced in his eyes, and the chairman's ring on his left hand, symbolizing power, emitted a cold gleam. As he overlooked the world, a mocking curve brushed past his lips.

My era of heroes begins now.

(Illustration: First Spirit 'Mio')

The top-floor restaurant of Stark Tower in New York.

Heavy metal music shook the tempered glass, and swaying champagne corks popped in succession, the liquor turning into a golden rainbow rain under the laser lights. In this venue reserved exclusively for the elite to past time, Li Chen, the chairman of the [League of Heroes], sat alone in a corner, his fingertips gently swirling a crystal glass filled with red wine.

(Note: While maintaining plot elements, regarding...)

Sitting beside Li Chen were two girls and a stern-looking youth; they were all core members of the [League of Heroes]. A total of five heroes followed Li Chen to the Marvel world this time, two of whom remained behind to guard headquarters.

"Senior, the environment here makes me a little unaccustomed." The pink-haired, purple-eyed girl holding a bottle of plain water said softly. She wore black-rimmed glasses, a black student one-piece dress, an outer gray-and-white patterned shirt, and a red tie at her collar. Her deep-black stockings and brown leather shoes set off a petite figure, yet she concealed astonishing power.

Mash Kyrielight, the second-ranked C-class hero of the [League of Heroes]. The organization divided combat power into six tiers: Vice-Chairman level, S-class, A-class, B-class, C-class, and D-class. With the spread of "Monster Factors," the Marvel world was awakening corresponding tiers of monsters:

Wolf-level Threat (D-class): Hazard existence

Tiger-Level (C-class): Large-scale casualty threat

Demon Level (B-class): Town paralysis crisis

Dragon-Level (A-class): Multi-town destruction crisis

Super-Dragon-Level (S-class): Human survival crisis

God-Level (Vice-Chairman level): Universe-level disaster

The already-descended [Emperor of the Desert] Azir, [King of Fox Demons] Tushan Honghong, and [First Spirit] Mio were all Super-Dragon-Level Calamities. If dozens more Dragon-Level or several Super-Dragon-Level monsters appeared, relying solely on the Avengers would make defense impossible.

The "Monster Factor" added insult to injury for a Marvel world that was already far from peaceful. As the chairman, Li Chen was strengthening the organization's power through cross-plane summoning of new heroes and recruitment of native powerhouses, and Iron Man Tony Stark was precisely his primary target.

"Don't be impatient; he'll be here soon." Li Chen said, swirling his red wine glass. Tony, who had just extricated himself from trouble, was originally developing a new type of armor; being able to spare time to attend the appointment was already a surprise.

"Another ten cups of the 'Water of Life'!" The blonde girl draped in a cleric's cloak shouted drunkenly, slapping the table as a flush spread from her fair cheeks to the tips of her ears.

Coming right out of the gate to knock back ten cups of 96-proof "Water of Life"—one had to know that medical alcohol was only 76-proof, and an ordinary person taking a single sip would probably meet their maker directly.

However, this blonde girl didn't need to worry about such things; her physique was simply incomparable to ordinary people.

Gleaming plate armor enveloped her body, every piece of armor baptized by holy light. Standing against the wall was a white oak crucifix as tall as a person, and spread out on the table was that copy of the Gospel of Holy Light—with the name "Michelle" autographed in a sprawling cursive on the flyleaf.

This Michelle was no simple figure; she was both the founding matriarch of the clerical organization and the archangel of the angel clan, while also holding the moniker of "One Who Discerns True and False" while acting as an apostle in the Demon World.

If calculated strictly by disaster level, she was definitely worthy of being a Super-Dragon-Level.

Fortunately, Michelle, who believed in the holy light, wouldn't lay a hand on ordinary commoners even if she bore the title of Demon World Apostle.

"Grandis, drink a little slower; there's still serious business later."

"Relax, relax, the holy light is guiding me, Lord Chairman~"

Grandis drunkenly patted Li Chen's shoulder, her newly minted paladin badge gleaming under the lights. Although she had just changed classes not long ago, she knew the ins and outs of the clerical system like the back of her hand, and teaching others was more than enough—though as for actual combat, she currently remained at the level of the top-ranked C-class hero.

The day she awakened into a "Gospel Preacher" or underwent a Second Awakening to advance to a "Seraph," surging into S-class would be a matter of mere minutes.

"Watch me! Glug, glug, glug—"

She drank the ninety-six-proof liquor straight from the bottle, causing the bartender behind the counter to twitch his eyelids in alarm, terrified that this exalted lady would drop dead on the spot right then and there.

"Ha—that hits the spot!"

Clanging the empty glass onto the table, the wine-soaked blonde girl swept the gospel book away with a single arm.

"You..."

Li Chen helplessly hooked a finger, and the fallen book flipped back into his palm without any wind. The Raduki characters on the title page twisted like earthworms, ranging from Introduction to Divine Power to Bokret Pronunciation Techniques, and even Practical Guide to Physical Last Rites were all arranged crystal-clear—unfortunately, without faith in the holy light, these secret manuals were more obscure than heavenly books.

This feeling... why does it feel a bit wrong?

Li Chen's expression turned peculiar; the Gospel of Holy Light in his hand seemed to record some unspeakable content. When his fingertips pinched the pages, he could clearly feel the resistance transmitted from the paper.

If one's strength was insufficient or one's faith was not firm, one could not uncover the secrets of the second page—but to Li Chen, the chairman of the [League of Heroes], this was mere child's play.

The second page unexpectedly read: Complete Collection of Cleric Weapons...

(Appendix: The illustration for this chapter is Li Chen)

Complete Collection of Cleric Weapons:

Introduction to Battleaxes Practical Cross Techniques Rosary Dispersion Manual Encyclopedia of War Scythes General Godhead Fist Techniques <How to Incinerate Heretics... Especially Those Flaunting Their Affection>!

What kind of unholy mess was this? The aloof image of Michelle, the founding cleric, instantly shattered to pieces.

The bottom of the page also noted a small line of text: Support classes are inherently fragile, and enemies will always prioritize ambushing you. Therefore—don't daze off, don't soften your heart, grip your faith tightly... and swing a blazing battleaxe to chop down every bastard blocking your way!

Just listen to that; was that human speech?

Shouldn't clerics heal the wounded, rescue the dying, and protect the weak? This gospel book, on the other hand, spent the entire time teaching people to strap on the heaviest plate armor, shoulder the heaviest blunt weapons, and charge into enemy lines to slaughter everything in sight.

Be a support? Impossible! In this life, only by smashing enemies' dog heads could one manage to maintain a lifestyle like this.

Li Chen closed the book with a twitching mouth, hypnotizing himself inwardly: Calm down, it must be the way I opened it that was wrong...

"Look! Who's coming!"

"It's the genius Tony Stark!"

"Ah! Tony is so handsome!"

"Iron Man is invincible!"

As the mustache-sporting middle-aged man carrying a red case walked into the restaurant, the entire crowd instantly boiled over. This super-hero, currently basking in the spotlight, safely occupied the top spot for gossip headlines with his billions in net worth and playboy lifestyle.

Of course, Li Chen had zero interest in other people's private lives.

"Milord, shall your subordinate capture Iron Man?"

The youth standing respectfully at the side asked in a cold voice. His cropped hair was pitch-black, his skin deathly pale, and tear-stain-like patterns extended from beneath his emerald pupils. The number "4" was branded on his left chest, he wore a single-horn bone helmet, and his figure was as slender as a blade.

He wore a knee-length, high-collared, long-sleeved outer garment with a white background and black patterns, the lapels trimmed with black silk edging. His white hakuma skirt was securely fastened by a pitch-black, wide-banded belt, with a Zanpakuto tucked diagonally at his waist, and he stepped into black-and-white split-toe footwear.

Oppressive Reiatsu curled within his body like a dormant ferocious beast, as if it would tear through the tranquil facade at the next instant.

Ulquiorra Cifer, the second-ranked combat power of the [League of Heroes], an existence who had mastered the Dual Resurrección Forbidden Art. If all restrictions were lifted, his edge might just touch the threshold of S-class.

"No need."

"Your subordinate is dull-witted; what on earth is worthy of your attention in this frail human?"

"Never underestimate ants, Ulquior. Li Chen tapped his crystal glass lightly against the sandalwood table, the red wine at the bottom of the glass looking like congealed blood. "He may be weak now, but technology will eventually grant him the power to rival a quasi-S-class."

"...Your subordinate was shallow."

As a representative of Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra had always been known for ice-like rationality. He loathed meaningless slaughter, yet dealt the most ruthless, precise blows to his enemies. This near-cruel loyalty made him the sharpest black blade in Li Chen's hand.

"Hey, sweetheart!"

Tony's gaze suddenly locked burning-hot onto Li Chen's side—accurately speaking, staring at Grandis. The holy light ripples flowing around her body, combined with her golden-ratio figure, formed a dazzling halo.

"Aargh—power is boiling!"

The crowd suddenly erupted in commotion. Thick veins like earthworms suddenly bulged beneath the skin of a brawny man wearing boxing gloves, and his muscles swelled as if being pumped with air. Amidst the sound of bursting fabric, a three-meter-tall physique rose straight from the ground, its gleaming bald head reflecting a cold sheen.

"Remember this daddy's moniker!" The transformed Light Pull-Cord Monster waved his giant arms wrapped in golden championship belts. "This daddy is a monster born from the lingering resentment of a boxing punching bag!"

Humanity was no longer visible in his completely beastified pupils. He simply twisted his waist and thrust his shoulder, his fist unleashing a cone-shaped blast wave. A straight punch condensing a hundred tons of violent force roared out like a cannonball, plowing a deep trench into the ground along the way with the rampaging airflow.