Summoning an S-Class Hero

After dozens of minutes of fierce fighting, Garou noticed the Deep-Sea Clan closing in from all sides and immediately decided to stop attacking this super punching bag—this thing was absurdly tough!

Although he had pushed his potential to the mid-Demon Level, every attack he landed on Hulk vanished without effect. Conversely, the slow-moving Hulk could never touch the Garou focused on dodging. The exquisite footwork of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist was on full display.

"I won't keep you company. I'll come back next time to teach you a lesson, you lump of iron."

Flexing his swollen knuckles, Garou's figure flickered and vanished from the battlefield. If he did not get away now, once the hundreds of thousands of Deep-Sea Clan members completed their encirclement, even the finest movement techniques would not save him.

Hulk, who tried to pursue him, was instead trapped by the thick stench of blood. The Deep-Sea Clan he had slaughtered earlier now swarmed toward him in a frenzy, forming an airtight encirclement in the blink of an eye.

The battle took a sharp turn for the worse. Before the Avengers could organize an effective defense, more than half their forces had been lost: Captain America's arms had been severely injured, leaving him temporarily unable to fight; Hawkeye and Black Widow had fallen unconscious, their lives uncertain; and Garou, one of their key combatants, had actually fled the battlefield.

When S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Fury recruited Garou, he had done so purely because of Garou's extraordinary martial arts prowess. As for his identity? Before absolute strength, it was not worth mentioning—just as simple as arranging for Thor back then. However, such "special consultants" had always only been permitted to handle peripheral missions. This deployment had originally been intended to demonstrate military strength before the League of Heroes.

Although Hulk was still slaughtering enemies across the battlefield, the entire coastal defense line had already collapsed. As hundreds of thousands of Deep-Sea Clan members came ashore, civilian casualties were rising at a terrifying rate.

"Retreat immediately!" Captain America gritted his teeth and gave the order. Continuing to fight would not only fail to turn the tide, but might also bury their severely injured comrades here.

"Hulk will crush them!"

"Bring Natasha back safely—you want to watch her die here?"

"Hulk... obeys."

The ever-proud Hulk finally lowered his head, carefully picked up the unconscious Black Widow, and retreated toward the rear.

Hulk gently held Black Widow, afraid that even the slightest carelessness would worsen her injuries.

He was not nearly as gentle with Hawkeye Barton—so long as he still had a breath left, it was enough. A few bumps during transport were inevitable, and Hulk did not care about such details.

Only the panting Falcon, the nearly depleted War Machine, and Captain America, whose arms were trembling, remained on the battlefield. Tide-like Deep-Sea Clan monsters surrounded them, and the sound of dripping slime made their skin crawl.

"Damn it! Where the hell are the reinforcements?" Three claw marks had torn across War Machine's shoulder armor.

"My pulse cannons only have enough power for three more shots." Sparks crackled from Falcon's mechanical wings.

Captain America suddenly pressed his earpiece. "This is Steve Rogers! Garou has betrayed the League, two comrades have lost combat capability. I repeat—we need emergency support!"

A piercing burst of static suddenly erupted from the communicator, mixed with the sharp crunch of tank treads crushing something. Amid the screams, one soldier's desperate cry came through especially clearly: "Deep Sea King tore apart the armored vehicle! We can't do anything against it...!!"

Crack.

The transmission cut off abruptly.

Captain America's shield crashed into the ground with a clang. The nearest reinforcements were at least twenty minutes away, while Deep-Sea Clan slime had already reached their feet. War Machine suddenly fired off his last round, the metal shell reflecting countless drooling fish faces.

"Looks like I'm retiring early." Falcon spread his last weapon with a bitter smile.

When four hundred thousand claws flashed with cold light at once, Captain America suddenly remembered the warning in the S.H.I.E.L.D. files: when Deep Sea King appeared, immediately evacuate all civilians within a fifty-kilometer radius.

Or prepare funerals.

"Captain, we have to retreat. If we keep holding out, we'll be finished too."

"No!"

"But we have nowhere left to retreat!"

"Huff—" Captain America clenched his fists, his gaze resolute. "Contact Iron Man. Ask the League of Heroes for help."

"What?! Captain, do you understand the consequences? It is strictly forbidden to seek aid from the League of Heroes! Violators will face a military tribunal!"

"Compared to obeying orders, I'd rather save people! I'll bear the responsibility!"

"But... sigh, understood."

Right now, this was their only option.

The streets were littered with corpses. Even young children lay among them, yet they could do nothing.

Only by borrowing the League of Heroes' strength could they reverse this desperate situation.

The U.S. army had been utterly defeated by Deep Sea King. Reinforcements were no longer possible.

The irony was that saving the people would violate military regulations. Even hardened soldiers could not help cursing—had those U.S. congressmen been kicked in the head by a donkey? Their stubborn refusal to let the League of Heroes intervene had led to so much suffering.

(Newcomer asking for support, meow~ QAQ)

League of Heroes Headquarters, Chairman's Office.

Seated in a revolving chair, Li Chen sipped black coffee, his eyes fixed on the battlefield displayed in the holographic projection.

In the footage of the Deep-Sea Clan's rampage, Garou had betrayed them mid-battle and joined forces with Deep Sea King to severely wound the Avengers. Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye had fallen one after another, while the U.S. army units that rushed over to assist had been utterly helpless before Deep Sea King. Three fully organized regiments had been wiped out.

In New York now, only scattered patrol officers still ran futilely through the ruins.

"Heh, childish."

Li Chen scoffed and turned off the screen.

Without Thor and Iron Man, the Avengers could not possibly stop the tide-like Deep-Sea Clan with Hulk alone. Even if they risked their lives, they would only eliminate the outermost fringe of the Deep-Sea Clan army.

The screams and deaths beyond the screen could not stir him in the slightest—after all, they were not citizens of Huaxia.

What was more, when the Avengers had first been established, the U.S. had impatiently smeared the League of Heroes, ordering all unregistered heroes to leave New York and handing the city over to the Avengers for "protection."

Since they were so eager to monopolize power...

Li Chen smiled and pressed the recall button, withdrawing the final squad left behind.

Li Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. He wanted to see how these people would resist the Deep-Sea Clan army's invasion without the League of Heroes' assistance.

"Let's wait and see how long you can hold out."

He closed his eyes and calculated inwardly. Unless the U.S. lowered its head and asked for help, he would not spare them another glance even if New York turned to scorched earth.

Rather than worry about the situation on the verge of collapse, he might as well use his accumulated points for a satisfying draw. On Earth now, the League of Heroes' reputation was gradually spreading.

However... that was far from enough.

Not to mention Garou, who possessed Super-Dragon-Level potential, there were also monsters lurking among the populace that were about to awaken. Over the next few years, this blue planet was destined to know no peace—the Chitauri Legion, the Dark Lord Dormammu, the King of Shadow Elves, all seemed to be taking turns visiting by appointment.

Even more troublesome was that cosmic population control director, Thanos, known as the Purple Potato. If he gathered all the Infinity Stones, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Begin the summoning."

He had only accumulated a little over two thousand energy points recently. Ever since the League of Heroes headquarters had suffered its first wave of attacks, the monsters within the U.S. had nearly been wiped out. The new ones that emerged afterward were all small fry, so energy points naturally accumulated slowly.

The summoning array on the Chairman's Ring began to rotate.

[Ding! Obtained C-Class Hero: Kazuto Kirigaya]

[Ding! Obtained C-Class Hero: Mine]

[Ding! Obtained C-Class Hero: Ken Kaneki (SS-Class Kakuja Form)]

[...]

It was not an outrageously lucky haul, but the rewards were decent. At least three C-Class Heroes had been added to his ranks. If Ken Kaneki evolved into his "Dragon" form, his combat strength could reach B-Class.

Just as Li Chen thought the draw was about to end, the final slot suddenly burst with dazzling light.

[Ding! Obtained B-Class Hero: Joan of Arc]

"Heh, hit the jackpot."

Looking at the holy young woman with golden hair in the light screen, a smile appeared on Li Chen's lips. Her silver armor reflected the cross-emblazoned black cloak, while her azure eyes complemented her braided hair. She held the French battle flag and wore a sword at her waist—Joan of Arc, the [Apocalyptic Saint], had descended into the world as a Heroic Spirit!

If the French Empire knew that the Saint of Heaven had reappeared in the world, it would surely gain unprecedented popular support and prestige.

As for why Joan of Arc was rated only as a B-Class Hero, it was because she excelled more at defense than offense.

"While my luck is hot, let's draw again."

Glancing at the thousand-plus energy points remaining, Li Chen decided to seize the moment while fortune was on his side.

Another ten-pull might just bring him another powerful Heroic Spirit.

[Ding! Successfully summoned C-Class Hero—Armored Titan]

[Ding! Successfully summoned C-Class Hero—Kakashi Hatake (Youth)]

[Ding! Successfully summoned C-Class Hero—Hassan of the Hundred Faces]

[...]

Whether it was the reckless Armored Titan, the youthful Kakashi Hatake, or the elusive Hassan of the Hundred Faces,

they were all timely reinforcements for the current League of Heroes.

Unfortunately, he had not summoned Kakashi Hatake at his peak. Otherwise, he might have possessed B- to A-Class combat strength.

Nor was the Hassan of the Hundred Faces who had manifested in this world King Hassan, who was a genuine S-Class powerhouse.

[Ding! Successfully summoned S-Class Hero—...]

"It's actually him? I thought he'd be classified as Calamity Level..."

Tony Stark's seaside mansion.

Though this was not the main battlefield, danger was everywhere here as well.

Thousands of Deep-Sea Clan members came ashore here, and the first thing in their path was that conspicuous glass villa.

Tony, who had been developing a new suit of armor, felt rather helpless. "Just sitting at home, and disaster falls from the sky."

"Fine. The chairman told me not to intervene, but since they've come knocking—"

Tony stood and walked toward the brand-new suit of armor gleaming with a cold metallic sheen—Mark VI.

After inheriting his father's legacy, he had broken through the technological bottleneck and developed a new generation of Arc Reactor.

Its energy supply was more abundant, it had completely eliminated the risk of palladium poisoning, and its defensive capabilities had improved dramatically. He would never again suffer the embarrassment of having his armor scrapped by a single punch from an electric-wire monster.

The newly added wrist-mounted laser weapon could easily cut through hard objects. Unfortunately, its energy consumption was too high, and it could currently only be used once.

Having completed this technological overhaul, Tony possessed quasi-B-Class strength. If he could solve the laser weapon's energy consumption problem, he could officially enter the ranks of B-Class Heroes.

"Click—"

Seventy-seven

The red-and-white metal armor rapidly covered Tony's entire body, instantly transforming him into a steel warrior.

Naturally, he was not arrogant enough to face thousands of undersea aliens alone. Leaving aside whether his energy reserves could sustain a prolonged battle, the gaps in the defense line alone would be enough to let stragglers rush into the villa. Although the billionaire owned countless properties around the world, who would want to watch their main residence get wrecked beyond recognition?

"Activate the automated armor legion. Execute the cleanup and support-defense directive."

"Directive received. Assault formation activation complete."

At the intelligent butler's command, the dome over the underground hangar opened, revealing thirty Mark II armors lined up in orderly formation. As their engines roared, the mechanical legion streaked into the sky, their arm-mounted weapons locking onto the fish-men charging forward with howls.

[Ding! Wolf-level Threat target eliminated. Energy +0.47]

[Ding! Wolf-level Threat target eliminated. Energy +0.63]

Notifications continuously flashed across his watch. The energy gauge, once depleted, was now rapidly refilling at an astonishing speed. Tony stared at the dense mass of enemies covering the sea and calculated silently: even if they were all low-level fish-men, clearing them out would earn nearly a thousand energy points. That was far faster than making money through arms dealing.