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 stench 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, and he had long since cast his duty as a guard from his mind.

With a thunderous crash, an entire rock wall was torn loose and hurled at the crowd. There was nowhere to run 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 be..."

Thor's pupils trembled.

He had thought that, with the bearing of a god of war, he could carve a bloody path through them. Instead, he had first fallen into the encirclement of more than a dozen Wolf-level Monsters, and now encountered a terrifying force capable of triggering a Tiger-level Threat. The civilians fired wildly, **but the bullets merely bounced off the scales.

Screams rose and fell one after another as humans were harvested in swathes like wheat. Thor watched helplessly as the little girl he had met earlier curled up on the ground and sobbed, while Mumen Rider was tightly entangled by two monsters. Just as the Deep-Sea Clan creatures grinned savagely and extended their claws—

"Stop!!"

Thor sprinted toward them. At that moment, he finally understood Odin's painstaking intentions. His overconfident strength had not saved anyone; instead, it had pushed everyone into an abyss of no return.

Thor's heart was filled with regret. If he had obeyed the order 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 suddenly flashed in his eyes as Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir.

"Boom—"

A second massive boulder came crashing down on him.

Thor was hurled away by the enormous impact, and the world spun madly before his eyes. Ringing in his ears, dizziness, searing pain, and gnawing remorse washed over him like a tide.

"Save... save me..."

A trembling arm slowly lifted and reached 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 gust from a fist swept past, and the heads of the surrounding Deep-Sea Clan monsters exploded at once.

After confirming that the little girl was safe, Thor's arm, still suspended in the air, finally fell. He slipped 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 towering buildings as they fought a bitter tug-of-war against the surging Deep-Sea Clan. Though 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 reach the civilian district!"

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

Anxious emotions spread through the defensive line.

As the last line of defense, they had nowhere left to retreat. A crisis that should have been easily resolved by the Hero Association's ace, Tornado of Terror, had instead become bitter fruit due to the politicians' slander and expulsion order against the League of Heroes. If not for concern over public opinion, curses would already have reached the skies.

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

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

A dark mass of people surged in from the edge of sight. They were civilians armed with all sorts of firearms. They moved with astonishing speed, a stark contrast to the panicked crowds fleeing in every direction.

In this country where gun ownership was free, gun stores dotted every street corner, and almost every household kept weapons. At this moment, nearly ten thousand self-organized militiamen were following a blonde girl clad in armor and holding a banner high.

Holy radiance enveloped the entire force, and the girl at its head looked like a saint who had stepped out of a mural. This ragtag group, gathered only temporarily, somehow displayed the discipline of a regular army.

This was precisely the special ability of the B-rank hero [Saint of Heaven], Joan of Arc—Commander's Charisma! When she fought the British army years ago, she had charged forward in just this way, banner raised high. Soldiers would be filled with fighting spirit because of her and trust without reservation in the girl who led from the front.

The infectious power of courage was beyond imagination. Facing invaders who had destroyed their homes, the militiamen whose fighting spirit had been ignited stepped forward one after another. Joan of Arc directed them to establish defenses using the city's buildings, and the dense web of firepower finally curbed the Deep-Sea Clan's unstoppable offensive.

The force continued to grow. Though they knew the road ahead was dangerous, countless people still joined without hesitation. Most of them were filled with grief and fury because their loved ones had died 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 an orderly fashion 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 one thousand people to collect all military supplies within a five-kilometer radius!"

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

"Everyone else, head south with me! Join the garrison in encircling the main Deep-Sea Clan force!"

The golden commander on the battlefield issued orders with calm composure. Each squad swiftly established tight defensive lines and dealt the invaders a crushing blow head-on. Joan of Arc's talent for command was beyond doubt—after all, she had led weak France to victory over Britain at the height of its power.

"God! She's practically a saint reborn!"

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

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

That valiant figure amid the smoke of war, coupled with beauty stunning enough to shake the world, was enough to make anyone fall for her. Back then, France's marshal Gilles de Rais had become one of her most fanatical followers in exactly this way.

He had willingly fallen into darkness to resurrect 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 America glanced at Falcon's lovestruck face, his eyelids 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 America frowned in thought. With Joan of Arc's holy and radiant image, anyone who had seen her would surely never forget her.

"Are you Captain America?"

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

"That's me. And you are—"

"Joan of Arc, B-rank 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 gently shook her head. "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 became legends and objects of faith. Even fictional heroes could manifest in the world through the gathering of belief.

Captain America was already numb. First there had been a mysterious organization, then the Deep-Sea Clan, and now a Heroic Spirit. Nothing seemed strange anymore.

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

"..."

Captain America silently cast him a disdainful look—ten minutes ago, this guy had been a man with no faith at all.

New York battlefield.

The three ** regiments stationed there had been completely wiped out.

They had been ambushed by the Demon-level Disaster, Deep Sea King.

"Run? In your~~~ dreams."

"Not one of you is leaving 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 lay scattered all around, while heavy weapons had long been reduced to scrap metal.

Deep Sea King paid no heed to these toys that could not withstand a single blow, easily ending this warm-up. He stepped over severed limbs strewn across the ground, and the thick smell of blood only made him more excited. After the previous clash, he had already figured out the limits of human weaponry—ordinary firearms could not harm even common soldiers unless they struck vital points; heavy weapons could eliminate ordinary soldiers, but posed very limited threat to Tiger-level commanders.

"If this is all humans are capable of, you might as well submit to the Deep-Sea Clan sooner rather than later." Deep Sea King strode toward the main battlefield. The arrival of this strongest Deep-Sea Clan combatant would surely change the course of the battle completely.

"Blue, what do you think of this war's outcome?" Li Chen asked.

Pushing up his black-rimmed glasses, Sosuke Aizen, with his brown hair and brown eyes, revealed a gentle smile. "Even if you do not intervene, victory will inevitably belong to us."

As an S-rank hero who had perfectly fused with the Hogyoku, Sosuke Aizen was not only among 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 League of Heroes' prestige will reach the top of New York and even shake the entire world. This will establish absolute initiative for our future actions, and recruiting the strong of this world will become effortless."

Aizen analyzed the postwar consequences with clear logic, laying out each benefit one by one. With his assistance, Li Chen had not only obtained Reiatsu close to the vice-captain level, but his telekinetic ability had surpassed the standards of Marvel's Celestial Father level. This utterly loyal strategist was proving his worth through action.

To be honest, Li Chen had not thought things through so deeply at first. He had simply done it because he did not like Americans.

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

"However, Boss, you must have considered one more point as well." Aizen pushed up his glasses.

"Go on." Li Chen maintained a calm expression.

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

With a subordinate who was both ridiculously intelligent and loved to flatter him, Li Chen only felt a headache coming on.

Now he finally understood why the Bone 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 inevitable."

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

"I suggest appointing S-rank heroes as branch leaders, establishing strongholds in major nations first, and then expanding step by step."

"Ultimately, the entire world will—"

"Ahem." Li Chen hurriedly cut him off.

Damn, without making a sound, he had already worked out a plan to dominate the entire world—and the key was that it could actually fucking work!

This slow-boiling-the-frog strategy was slick. It was far more clever than forcing things through. By the time every country realized what was happening, they would already be riddled with infiltration.

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

"Understood. Then shall I first draft a detailed plan for ruling the world?"

"...Approved." Li Chen's eye twitched.

To be fair, the plan really was ingenious. Unfortunately, the League currently had only three S-rank heroes: All Might, Ulquiorra, and that goofy spirit, Yatogami Tohka.

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

There was still a long way to go before building a League of Heroes that spanned countless worlds.

The New York battlefield was still engulfed in artillery fire. Relying on masterful command, Joan of Arc had forcibly held back the offensive of the Deep-Sea Clan's three hundred thousand troops with fifteen thousand irregulars.

But this was only a temporary measure. Once all the weapons were exhausted, given the frailty of human bodies, being slaughtered would be nothing surprising.

By then, no amount of brilliant command would matter.

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

Heavy objects were violently torn free and hurled by the immensely powerful Deep-Sea Clan creatures.

The shriek of tearing air was harsh and piercing as they smashed heavily into the defensive line formed by the high-rises.