Saint of Heaven

The instant Thor turned around, more than a dozen Deep-Sea Clan creatures with blood-red eyes were licking their fangs. The heavy scent of blood had awakened these bloodthirsty monsters, and the human squad that had been moving stealthily was now completely exposed to the predators' sight.

"Fall back! I'll cover you!"

"Don't be stupid! There are at least a thousand monsters around us!"

"Asgardians never retreat!" Thor's fighting spirit surged as he had long since cast his duty of protection to the wind.

With a thunderous crash, an entire rock wall was torn free and hurled at the crowd. There was nowhere to evade in the cramped space, and flesh and blood flew everywhere in an instant. Amid the wails, more than thirty people were injured by the scattering rubble.

"How could this..."

Thor's pupils trembled.

He had thought that, with the bearing of a god of war, he could carve a bloody path through. Instead, he had first fallen into the encirclement of more than a dozen Wolf-level Monsters, and now encountered a terrifying force capable of unleashing a Tiger-level Threat. The civilians fired frantically, ** only for their shots to bounce off the scales.

Screams rose one after another as humans were harvested in swathes like stalks of wheat. Thor watched helplessly as the little girl he had first met curled up on the ground and cried, while Mumen Rider was tightly entangled by two monsters. Just as a Deep-Sea Clan creature grinned viciously and extended its claws—

"Stop!!"

Thor sprinted forward. Only now did he understand Odin's painstaking intentions. His arrogant strength had not only failed to save everyone, but had instead pushed them into an abyss of utter ruin.

Thor's heart was filled with regret. If he had followed the orders and retreated with everyone back then, perhaps so many innocent lives would not have been lost.

The dead were gone. All he could do now was protect the living with everything he had!

Lightning flashed in his eyes as Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly.

"Boom—"

A second massive boulder crashed down upon him.

Thor was flung away by the tremendous impact, and the world spun wildly before his eyes. Ringing ears, dizziness, agonizing pain, and gnawing remorse washed over him like a tide.

"Save... save..."

His trembling arm rose with difficulty, reaching toward the little girl. His vision gradually blurred, and his voice broke apart.

Just as his consciousness was about to fade, a dazzling golden light tore through the gloom.

"Danger eliminated! As for the reason? It's simple—"

A violent fist wind swept past, and the heads of the surrounding Deep-Sea Clan monsters exploded in response.

After confirming that the little girl was unharmed, Thor's arm, still suspended in the air, finally fell. He sank completely into unconsciousness.

New York's main battlefield.

The remaining police officers, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and Avengers members relied on the cover of high-rises as they fought a grueling battle against the surging Deep-Sea Clan. Although casualties remained manageable, the enemy's numbers had barely diminished.

"Where the hell are the League of Heroes reinforcements?!"

"If we retreat any farther, we'll be in the civilian district!"

"** is running dry! I repeat, ** is running dry!"

Anxiety spread across the defensive line.

As the final line of defense, they had nowhere left to retreat. This crisis should have been easily resolved by the Hero Association's trump card, Tornado of Terror, but the politicians' slander against the League of Heroes and their expulsion order had borne bitter fruit. If not for concerns over public opinion, curses would have already echoed to the heavens.

"Look at the skyline! What is that?!"

A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent suddenly pointed toward the distant sky.

A vast, dark mass of people surged into view at the edge of their sight. They were civilian militias armed with all kinds of firearms. They moved rapidly, forming a stark contrast with the panicked crowds fleeing in every direction.

In this nation where gun ownership was free, gun stores stood on every street corner, and nearly every household possessed weapons. At this moment, nearly ten thousand spontaneously organized militiamen followed a blonde girl clad in armor and raising a banner high.

Holy radiance enveloped the entire force, and the girl at its head looked like a saint stepped out of a mural. This rabble that had been assembled at the last minute unexpectedly displayed the discipline of a regular army.

This was the special ability of the B-Class Hero [Saint of Heaven], Joan of Arc—Commander's Charisma! When she fought against Britain's great army, she had led the charge in exactly this way, raising her battle flag high. The soldiers would be inspired by her, trusting without reservation in the girl charging at the front lines.

The infectious power of courage exceeded all imagination. Facing invaders who had ravaged their homes, the militiamen whose will to fight had been ignited stepped forward one after another. Joan of Arc directed them to establish defensive lines using the city's buildings, and the dense web of firepower finally checked the Deep-Sea Clan's unstoppable advance.

The force continued to grow. Though they knew the road ahead was perilous, countless people still joined without hesitation. Most of them were filled with grief and fury because their loved ones had perished in the tragedy along New York's coast.

"First squad! Take fifteen hundred men and hold the southeast sector! If the battle turns unfavorable, retreat in order to the second defensive line!"

"Second squad! Two thousand men are responsible for defending the southwest sector! Do not force yourselves to hold out!"

"Third squad! Organize a thousand people to gather all military supplies within a five-kilometer radius!"

"Fourth squad! Assist the elderly, the weak, women, and children in evacuating the danger zone!"

"The rest of you, head south with me! Join the garrison in surrounding the Deep-Sea Clan's main force!"

The golden commander on the battlefield calmly issued her orders. Each squad swiftly established tight defensive lines and delivered a head-on blow to the invaders. Having led weak France to defeat Britain at the height of its power, Joan of Arc's command abilities were beyond doubt.

"My God! It's like the saint herself has returned!"

"I'm completely smitten. What about you guys?"

"From this moment on, she is my faith."

That valiant figure amid the smoke and flames, paired with her breathtaking beauty, was enough to make anyone fall for her. Back then, Marshal Gilles de Rais of France had become one of her most fanatical followers in precisely this way.

He had been willing to fall into darkness to revive Joan of Arc, even though she had once been condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake.

"Captain, do you believe this? My heart actually skipped a beat! If she became my girlfriend..."

"..." **Captain glanced at Falcon's lovestruck face, his eyelid twitching. "Wake up. It's not even dark yet."

"Can't I fantasize a little?"

"But there isn't anyone like her in the League of Heroes, is there?" Captain frowned in thought. With an image as holy and radiant as Joan of Arc's, anyone who had seen her would surely never forget her for the rest of their life.

"Are you **Captain?"

Joan of Arc leaped onto a platform dozens of meters high, drove her banner into the concrete, and smiled gently.

"That's me. You are—"

"Joan of Arc, a B-Class Hero of the League of Heroes."

"Joan of Arc? The one who was executed a thousand years ago..."

"Shut up! Maybe she just has the same name!"

"No." Joan of Arc shook her head gently. "I am indeed the 'witch' from a thousand years ago, now returned to the human world as a Heroic Spirit."

Heroic Spirits—beings whose achievements in life had become legends, turning them into objects of faith. Even fictional heroes could manifest in the world through the gathering of belief.

**Captain was already numb. First there had been a mysterious organization, then the Deep-Sea Clan, and now a Heroic Spirit. It was no longer surprising.

"Oh! Saint Joan! I am your loyal servant, Sam Wilson! I have admired you for years!"

"..."

Captain silently gave him a disdainful look—ten minutes ago, this guy had still been a man without faith.

New York battlefield.

The three ** regiments stationed there had been wiped out to the last man.

They had encountered a surprise attack by the Demon-level Disaster, Deep Sea King.

"Run? In your~~~ dreams."

"Not one of you will leave alive."

"For the debt of killing my subordinates, I will make you repay it ten trillion times over!"

Deep Sea King bared his shark-like teeth, his demonic muscles covered in scars. ** wreckage was scattered all around him, while the heavy weapons had long since become scrap metal.

Deep Sea King paid no attention to these pathetic toys and easily ended this warm-up exercise. He stepped over the severed limbs strewn across the ground, and the thick scent of blood only made him more excited. From the clash just now, he had already figured out the limits of human weapons—unless ordinary firearms struck vital points, they could not even injure the fodder troops; while heavy weapons could eliminate ordinary soldiers, they posed only a limited threat to Tiger-Level commanders.

"If humanity is only capable of this much, you should surrender to our Deep-Sea Clan sooner rather than later." Deep Sea King strode toward the main battlefield. The arrival of the strongest combatant of the Deep-Sea Clan would undoubtedly completely change the direction of the battle.

"Aizen, what do you think about the outcome of this war?" Li Chen asked.

Adjusting his black-rimmed glasses, the brown-haired, brown-eyed Aizen revealed a gentle smile. "Even if you do not act, victory will inevitably belong to us."

As an S-Class Hero who had perfectly fused with the Hogyoku, Sosuke Aizen was not only one of the League's top combatants, but also possessed extraordinary wisdom. He said respectfully, "My lord's decision leaves this subordinate in awe. After this battle, the reputation of the 'League of Heroes' will reach the summit in New York and shock the entire world. This will establish absolute dominance for our future operations, and recruiting the strong of this world will be as easy as turning one's hand."

Aizen clearly analyzed the postwar effects, explaining each benefit one by one. With his assistance, Li Chen had not only gained Reiatsu at the level of a vice-captain, but his telekinetic ability had surpassed the Heavenly Father level of the Marvel world. This utterly loyal strategist was proving his worth through concrete actions.

To be honest, Li Chen had not thought that deeply at first. He had done it purely because he did not like those Americans.

But after hearing Aizen's analysis, he suddenly realized that this move of his had actually been exceptionally brilliant.

"However, Boss, you must have considered another point as well." Aizen adjusted his glasses.

"Let's hear it." Li Chen looked calm on the surface.

The first three points were already impressive enough, yet this guy could somehow squeeze out a fourth. Worse still, as the boss, he had to pretend that he had known all along.

With a subordinate who was both extraordinarily intelligent and loved flattering him, Li Chen only felt a headache coming on.

Now he finally understood why the Skeleton King was always awkwardly acting.

"At present, the League of Heroes' influence is still limited to New York. Once the world witnesses the terror of the monster army, expanding globally will become imperative."

"Although the teleportation room can provide immediate support, its high cost is not something ordinary heroes can afford."

"I suggest appointing S-Class Heroes as branch ministers, establishing footholds in major nations first, then gradually expanding."

"Ultimately, the entire world will—"

"Ahem." Li Chen hurriedly cut him off.

Good lord, without making a sound, he had already figured out a plan to conquer the entire world. The key was that this plan could actually fucking work!

This slow-boiling-frog tactic was far more clever than charging ahead by force. By the time each country realized what was happening, they would already have been infiltrated like sieves.

"There aren't enough S-Class Heroes right now. We'll discuss this later."

"Understood. Then should this subordinate draft a detailed plan for ruling the world first?"

"...Approved." The corner of Li Chen's eye twitched.

To be fair, the plan really was excellent. Unfortunately, the League currently had only three S-Class Heroes: All Might, Ulquiorra, and that silly elf, Yatogami Tohka.

Even counting B-Class Garen and Joan of Arc, Child Emperor and Annie were still too young...

There was still a long road ahead before they could build a League of Heroes spanning the heavens.

The New York battlefield was still engulfed in artillery fire. With brilliant command, Joan of Arc used fifteen thousand irregular troops to forcibly withstand the assault of three hundred thousand Deep-Sea Clan soldiers.

But this was ultimately only a temporary solution. Once all the weapons were exhausted, it would be nothing strange for humanity's frail bodies to be slaughtered.

At that point, no matter how brilliant the command was, it would be useless.

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

Heavy objects were forcibly torn down and violently hurled out by the immensely powerful Deep-Sea Clan.

The shriek of tearing air was harsh and piercing as they crashed heavily into the defensive line built from high-rises.