Harvest Time

"Harvest time!"

The Mark VI's thrusters spewed flames as Tony Stark dove and unleashed a barrage of micro-missiles. The beach instantly exploded into crimson mist, and the fish-men, lacking any anti-air capability, were like mechanical ducks at a shooting range, harvested at the mercy of the metal storm. Once his ammunition ran out, he landed to resupply. The entire process flowed seamlessly.

"Please send a few dozen more of these free experience packs!"

"Sir, Colonel Rhodey is requesting a communication link."

"The military's tin can? Put him through."

Tony Stark raised an eyebrow. Though he had nothing but disdain for certain official organizations, his personal friendship with this old friend had never changed—after all, he had personally modified and gifted him that flamboyantly painted armor.

The moment the comm screen lit up, Rhodey's signature white teeth appeared first. "Brother, miss me?"

"Only if you get a sex change and become a cover girl." Tony Stark rolled his eyes.

"To put it simply, the coastal defense line has collapsed, and the enemy forces were completely wiped out in an ambush by a mysterious enemy. Now we need someone to step up and save New York—our great hero, Iron Man!"

"Not interested!" Tony Stark raised a hand and fired a laser cannon, blasting a Deep-Sea Clan monster to pieces. He answered casually, "The authorities issued a ban on hero activities just last week, and now they want to call me back with a single sentence? When did the world become so accommodating?"

As Iron Man, Tony Stark had his own pride.

Since they had chosen to drive him away in the first place, what right did they have to expect him to come running whenever called?

In all of New York, the only person Tony Stark cared about was his personal assistant, Pepper Potts. He had already sent an autopiloted suit of armor to escort her to the seaside villa and ensure her safety.

"Let me speak." Captain America's voice came through the communicator. "We request support from the League of Heroes. S.H.I.E.L.D. is willing to offer any item from its vault as payment."

"Oh? I remember S.H.I.E.L.D. does have quite a few good things stored away, but can you make that decision, Captain?"

"I've already spoken with Director Fury."

"Fine. I'll pass the message to the president, but I can't guarantee whether he'll agree."

(Recommended Quality Novel—Age of Heroes: DNF Legacy Store)

Meanwhile, after hearing Iron Man's report, Li Chen closed his eyes in thought and slowly spun his office chair.

He was weighing whether to let the League of Heroes intervene in the battle. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s offer was indeed tempting—he could choose any treasure from its inventory.

Li Chen knew very well that it contained a cosmic treasure—the Space Stone!

This gem, condensed from the essence of the cosmic explosion, was one of the Marvel universe's six Infinity Stones. They respectively controlled the six primordial powers of space, power, mind, reality, time, and soul.

At present, S.H.I.E.L.D. had yet to realize its true value. They merely called it the "Cosmic Cube" and were still researching its secrets.

"They've really paid a heavy price." Li Chen's lips curved slightly as he clasped his hands over his knees. "But that price is still far from enough to invite us to act."

If he did not lack knowledge of the Space Stone's exact location within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collection, Li Chen would not have wasted words. He would have simply used spatial teleportation to seize the treasure.

A treasure of this level could be used to wield authority, exchanged for an enormous number of energy points, or even suffice to "designate summon" a powerhouse at vice-president level.

"Understood. I'll relay that truthfully."

After receiving the president's instructions, Tony Stark conveyed his exact words to Captain America. He personally did not mind helping out of friendship and earning some energy points, but mobilizing the entire League of Heroes was not something he could decide alone.

What kind of reward would the leader of the League of Heroes require before he was willing to act?

"Heh, this leader's demands are quite harsh."

"At a time like this, stop beating around the bush." Captain America knocked back a Deep-Sea Clan enemy with his Vibranium Shield and said between breaths.

The three of them were already showing signs of fatigue. They had even begun considering using their flight abilities to evacuate the battlefield.

"First, S.H.I.E.L.D. must fulfill any resource request made by the leader."

"Second, the Avengers will disband on the spot, and all members will be absorbed into the League of Heroes."

"Third, the authorities must stop suppressing the League of Heroes' reputation and instead fully promote and support it. They must also provide an additional one trillion dollars in operational funding every year."

Tony Stark relayed Li Chen's conditions word for word. To be honest, even he felt these demands were too harsh—one trillion dollars was equivalent to fifteen percent of the entire country's annual budget.

But the authorities had no other choice.

At that moment, dealing with the Demon-level Disaster, Deep Sea King, alone had left them overwhelmed. More than a million civilians had already died in this catastrophe. What if Dragon-Level or even Ultra-Dragon-level Threats appeared in the future? Among the Avengers, only Hulk possessed actual combat strength, and even he often fought halfheartedly.

Without borrowing the power of the League of Heroes, humanity simply had no ability to resist the endless monster attacks.

When Director Fury submitted the treaty to Congress, the legislators' faces turned livid with anger. But when they thought of fallen New York and the boiling public outrage, they ultimately gritted their teeth and accepted the unequal treaty.

"Deal! Congress accepts all conditions."

"Very good. Immediately establish a second line of defense in New York. The president will personally lead elite forces there to provide support." After ending the call, Iron Man returned to the seaside villa—his personal assistant, Pepper Potts, had already been settled there.

"Tony, what exactly happened?"

"Just some little things from the ocean coming ashore to cause trouble. Don't worry."

"But there are so many..." Pepper looked at the monster corpses floating on the sea outside the window, her voice trembling. The entire stretch of sea and beach had been dyed dark red.

"There are only a few thousand here." Tony Stark looked into the distance. "The real main force... is said to number in the hundreds of thousands."

"Don't worry. Those little things can't hurt airborne targets." Tony Stark gently stroked Pepper's cheek and planted a burning kiss on her lips. "I'll leave two automated suits of armor here to guard the place. Be good, don't go outside, and wait for me to come back after I clean up this bunch of fodder."

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"It's a small matter. Just a Demon-level Disaster. The League is already preparing to deploy everyone."

"Okay."

After bidding farewell to his lover, Iron Man led twenty-eight intelligent suits of armor through the sky, heading straight for the Deep-Sea Clan's main force.

This time, he had to calculate every expense carefully—the supply lines had been cut, and energy reserves were visibly running low.

The entire League of Heroes entered wartime status. Spatial teleportation devices continuously sent heroes to every corner of New York. Amid the fierce fighting, New York had already become hell.

Police officers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents wielded light weapons against the tide-like Deep-Sea Clan in a bloody tug-of-war. Even with Hulk joining the battle, the defense line continued to collapse, and civilian casualties kept climbing.

"Buzz—"

An azure glow flashed at a street corner.

Thor, Uchiha Sasuke, and Mumen Rider, who had mastered Godhead Fist, stepped out of a spatial rift. Under League regulations, fighters below B-rank had to operate in teams.

"Crack!"

The sound of a porcelain bowl shattering came from behind them.

The three turned around and saw a little girl in a grayish-white dress trembling as she covered her mouth. Her pupils reflected the unfamiliar figures who had suddenly appeared.

"Don't be afraid." Thor pressed his index finger to his lips and tried his best to force out the gentlest smile he could. They decided to take this lone little survivor with them.

A heart-wrenching scream suddenly rang out from the street corner.

A monster with the appearance of an orca gripped a fleeing person by the neck and growled, "The land will become Deep-Sea Clan territory! Those who surrender may be treated as livestock, while those who resist—die!"

Tiger-level Threat: Orca Monster!

For Thor, who had lost his divine power, and Mumen Rider, this was practically a dead end. Only Uchiha Sasuke could still contend with it.

"You evacuate the civilians." The black-clad youth drew a kunai. "Leave this one to me."

"You piece of trash over there! Do you dare accept a one-on-one challenge from Thor, God of Thunder?"

The instant he spotted Orca Monster, Thor's fighting spirit surged.

Ignoring the gap in strength completely, the reckless man roared and charged forward to provoke it.

After several days of bitter training, he had barely grasped the basics of Godhead Fist.

Unfortunately, he had ultimately failed to meet the agreement of reaching beginner level within three days...

Thus, Grandis mercilessly fulfilled her promise and shaved off every strand of hair the God of Thunder had grown for a thousand years.

Though filled with indignation, Thor, having lost his divine power, had no ability to resist before the priestess.

He could only watch helplessly as silver hair drifted to the ground, turning his grief and rage into motivation and redirecting his anger toward the monster.

"Boom—"

Orca Monster could not be bothered to waste words. With a casual wave, it sent Thor flying dozens of meters as though swatting a mosquito, smashing him heavily into a clump of bushes.

Even with the basics of Godhead Fist, the vast difference in physical strength left him utterly unable to fight back.

"Ant."

The monster spat disdainfully. A pathetic weakling like that dared challenge it?

"Idiot." Uchiha Sasuke rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "He actually dared provoke a Tiger-level Threat."

"I'll handle the evacuation." Mumen Rider rushed toward the bushes and found the blond, muscular man with blood seeping from his forehead still muttering, "How dare a lowly monster offend a god?"

Thanks to the reputation he had built through his everyday efforts, he quickly organized the surviving civilians.

"It's Mumen Rider!"

"The League of Heroes is here!"

Amid the excited cheers were occasional cries of "Take pictures!"

This hero, who always rode a bicycle, had long won the affection of the entire neighborhood with his sincere heart—enthusiastic middle-aged women even often tried to set him up on dates.

"Maintain order and evacuate immediately!"

The civilians quickly calmed down. Under Mumen Rider's command, more than a hundred armed people escorted the women and children away in an orderly retreat. Meanwhile, Sasuke, ready to strike, faced off against Orca Monster.

Scarlet light flowed through his pupils as three black tomoe slowly spun, locking firmly onto every movement of the Tiger-level Threat.

"Hmph. The merciful Deep Sea King has already granted forgiveness, yet you still dream of escaping! In that case, remain here forever—"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Uchiha Sasuke's fingers flashed through hand seals. Chakra gathered in his throat and transformed into a blazing fireball that howled forward. Against the water-aligned Deep-Sea Clan, this C-rank ninjutsu was like pouring boiling oil over snow.

Heat waves rolled outward, warping even the air!

"This way! Hurry!"

The winding stream of people avoided scattered Deep-Sea Clan members and struggled toward central New York. Car engines and gunfire were forbidden—if they attracted a large wave of monsters, more than a hundred lives would be lost in an instant.

"Human trash spotted!"

A monster with the head of a crucian carp suddenly poked out from behind a wall, its bulging eyes sweeping over the crowd as if appraising a fine meal.

"Damn... Thor! Don't act rashly, retreat immediately!"

The hairs on the back of Mumen Rider's neck stood on end as the hand behind his back frantically signaled for everyone to retreat. Fighting now would be no different from seeking death.

"Thor of Asgard has no word for retreat in his dictionary!"

The drunken Thor assumed the opening stance of Godhead Fist and charged straight at the monster. The lesson from his previous crushing defeat and his companion's warnings were both thrown beyond the clouds.

"How dare a lowly human take the initiative to atta—"

"Instant Punch!"

Using Godhead Fist in a life-or-death battle for the first time, Thor relied on his war god instincts to accurately punch through Crucian Carp Monster's eyeball. His fist pierced straight into its skull, brain matter and blood dripping down his armguard.

The God of Thunder, who could only be slaughtered before a Tiger-level Threat, had now killed a Wolf-level Threat in a single blow. Rather than nauseating him, the sticky sensation ignited his dormant fighting spirit.

"Did you see that?! I killed him!"

Thor turned and raised his bloodstained fist high, laughing wildly. He wanted to prove to everyone that a true warrior should crush his enemies head-on!

"Something's wrong..." Mumen Rider's expression abruptly changed. "We're surrounded!"

Mumen Rider's cheek twitched as he swiftly assumed the opening stance of Godhead Fist. The armed civilians around them turned their gun barrels in unison, all aiming at Thor.

"Have you all gone crazy? Your guns should be pointed at the enemy!" Thor roared.

"Look behind you," Mumen Rider warned in a low voice.