Special Summoning

[System Prompt: Summoning the Knight King requires Energy Points--

Saber Class: 350,000 / Alter Class: 400,000 / White Saber Class: 300,000 / Lancer Class: 500,000]

As he weighed the pros and cons, the differences between the forms flashed through Li Chen's mind:

The orthodox Saber adhered too rigidly to convention and lacked flexibility;

The corrupted Alter was violent and bloodthirsty, difficult to control;

Though the innocent White Saber was endearing, she was ultimately still immature.

Although he preferred White Saber's girlish charm, the position of European branch director required a more mature leader.

Gritting his teeth, Li Chen selected the most expensive option. "Summon the Lancer Class."

Another 500,000 Energy Points vanished. The reserves accumulated from fighting the Deep-Sea Clan were nearly depleted, leaving only enough to recruit a B-rank hero.

Lancer Artoria wielded the holy lance, "Spear of Glittering Extinction," free from the restrictions imposed by the holy sword Excalibur—

Her body had broken free of the shackles of eternal girlhood, fully blossoming into the heroic bearing of the Knight King from legend.

Once the holy lance's power was fully unleashed, she would touch the realm of gods.

(

Equipped with the three divine artifacts—Invisible Air, East Stallion, and the Spear of Extinction—this Knight King's combat power stood at the very peak.

She excelled at winning through iron-fisted methods and never cared for traditional knightly codes.

In a certain parallel timeline, this ruler of Britain had been respectfully known as the Lion King.

With her prestige in Europe and Joan of Arc serving as her deputy, establishing the League of Heroes branch there was sure to proceed smoothly.

"My points are exhausted. I can only activate... Special Summoning."

After a brief hesitation, Li Chen activated that dangerous option once more.

Though it might draw powerful enemies, this method could at least grant him a warrior above B-rank.

[Ding! Successfully summoned "Legendary Hero"—[God of Shinobi] Hashirama Senju]

[Ding! Successfully summoned "Super-Dragon-Level Calamity"—Gensokyo, Beloved by the Gods]

As a master of Wood Release and the leader of a ninja village, Hashirama Senju was certainly qualified.

He could take charge of the Oceania branch and use Wood Release for ecological development.

As for Gensokyo, that little otherworldly dimension, the yokai and gods living there were not necessarily all evil. Most of them could coexist with humanity.

This summoning result was still acceptable.

"Begin the second Special Summoning."

[Ding! Successfully summoned "Legendary Hero"—[Accelerator] Yuriko Suzuka]

[Ding! Successfully summoned "Super-Dragon-Level Calamity"—Cosmic Overlord Boros]

Boros should be exiled somewhere in the vast universe, posing no threat for the time being.

Even if he wanted to fight, he should trouble Thanos first. There was no need to pay him any attention.

Yuriko Suzuka possessed LV5 Vector Manipulation, capable of even stopping Earth's rotation for five seconds.

Once she entered Black Wings Form, she possessed near-S-rank strength.

If she reached the divine realm of LV6, she would undoubtedly step into the ranks of S-class.

Though her management skills were somewhat lacking, he would let her serve as the South American branch director for now.

"Execute the third Special Summoning."

[Ding! Successfully summoned "Legendary Hero"—[Queen of the Skies] Ikaros]

[Ding! Successfully summoned "Super-Dragon-Level Calamity"—Voidland]

Another troublesome existence had appeared.

Voidland was a nightmare dimension beyond space and time, inhabited by all manner of terrifying Void creatures.

Void Prophet, Void Reaver, Void Walker, Void Terror, Mouth of the Abyss, Void Burrower, Eye of the Void, Daughter of the Void...

If those beings appeared in the world together, their threat would be no less than that of Cosmic Overlord Boros.

Alright, I will follow the requirements.

Ikaros's dull personality was truly helpless...

But Li Chen had no other choice at the moment. As long as she could be used, that was enough.

If he insisted on using "Special Summoning" to obtain someone he wanted, he would most likely only get a guaranteed B-rank hero—or perhaps even summon something more terrifying than a Super-Dragon-Level being.

Given Ikaros's limited administrative ability, he decided to follow Ulquiorra's arrangement and appoint her as the Antarctic branch director. The job was exceptionally leisurely, after all, since almost no one lived there.

"One last Special Summoning."

[Ding, congratulations! You have successfully summoned an "S-rank Hero"—...]

(

"One last Special Summoning."

[Ding, congratulations! You have successfully summoned an "S-rank Hero"—[Pharaoh King] Yugi Mutou]

[Ding, congratulations! You have successfully summoned a "God-Level Disaster"—Apostle of Creation]

Before he could enjoy the joy of drawing a genuine S-rank hero, the second notification struck Li Chen into the depths like a heavy hammer. This was likely the first true "God-Level Disaster" brought forth through "Special Summoning."

A disaster of this level could destroy the universe, comparable to Thanos wielding all six Infinity Stones.

"Twelve Apostles of Creation..."

Li Chen's expression gradually turned solemn.

These calamities from the continent of Arad had been created by Carloso, the "Primordial Light." The combined power of the Twelve Apostles had once inflicted near-fatal wounds upon the Creator God. If that power were used to destroy the world, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Although the Twelve Apostles currently resided in the otherworldly Demon Realm, with their destructive power, arriving on Earth was only a matter of time.

Fortunately, there were quite a few pacifists among the Apostles. Unfortunately, the Second Apostle was an invasive conspirator who could not stand going a moment without stirring up trouble.

Li Chen knew of thirteen Apostles in total, including one false Apostle:

First Apostle, [Deathly Gaze] Kahn of Fate;

Second Apostle, [Two-Faced Tearstains] Hilder, the Weeping Eye;

Third Apostle, [Sovereign of the Firmament] Prey, the Sky Sovereign;

Fourth Apostle, [Bloodstained Blade] Sword Emperor Kaecilius;

Fifth Apostle, [Ever-Changing] Queen of Stealth Sirocco;

Sixth Apostle, [Foul Blood] Black Plague Dirge;

Seventh Apostle, [Endless Body] Flame-Devouring Anton;

Eighth Apostle, [Master of All Arms] Lotus the Long-Legged;

Ninth Apostle, [Silent Earth Caress] Luke;

Tenth Apostle, [One Who Returned from Death] Ozma;

Eleventh Apostle, [Enlightened Seeker of Truth] Michelle;

Twelfth Apostle, [Omniscient and Omnipotent One] Seria Clymin.

In addition, the former Ninth Apostle, Bakal, the Tyrant Dragon King, had ultimately been classified as a false Apostle.

With the League of Heroes' current strength, resisting a God-Level disaster was nearly impossible.

After all, Doraemon was not a combat-oriented vice president, but a support-type character.

"Forget it. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will always be a road."

"Perhaps by the time the Apostles of Creation arrive on Earth, I'll have already drawn new vice-president-level combat power."

"And Voidland, Gensokyo, Cosmic Overlord... There are too many problems."

Li Chen rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.

Sosuke Aizen, standing nearby, keenly noticed the change in his mood. "BOSS, is something troubling you?"

"It's a small matter. It doesn't need handling for now."

"Do you require this subordinate's service?"

"No. This matter cannot be resolved in the short term." Li Chen shook his head, then handed over a list. "These are the profiles of the branch directors for the seven continents. I'll leave the task of establishing the branches to you."

"Please rest assured, I will handle everything properly."

Aizen bowed and accepted the list, quickly scanning its contents—

The branch directors of the seven continents were:

- All Might (North America)

- Ulquiorra (Arctic)

- Li Yun (Asia)

- Lion King (Europe)

- Hashirama Senju (Oceania)

- Accelerator (South America)

- Ikaros (Antarctica)

- Yugi Mutou (Africa)

All of them possessed top-tier hero combat power. Among them, Yugi Mutou, the African branch director, had been marked as S-rank, drawing Aizen's particular attention. The information stated:

Yugi Mutou possessed the divine artifact, the Millennium Puzzle. As an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh King, he could manifest the power of cards. Under his command were powerful forces such as Slifer the Sky Dragon, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Obelisk the Tormentor.

"What astonishing abilities."

Aizen closed the list and respectfully took his leave. He would be responsible for negotiating with the various nations to establish the branches and assigning heroes to station there.

"Ding! President, Thor requests an audience."

A God Knocks at the Door

"Thor? Let him in."

"Yes, sir."

Seated in the president's office, the mechanical butler relayed the order to the outer hall with impeccable etiquette. The moment permission was granted, the figure of the God of Thunder appeared at the entrance...

"I am deeply ashamed."

The silver-armored god stood with his head bowed, the handle of his hammer trembling faintly between his tightly clenched fingers. Li Chen set aside the holographic documents he had been reviewing and watched this Asgardian prince, so unlike the one in his memories, with interest.

His ten fingers dug deeply into the folds of his red cape. Thor's voice seemed to come from the depths of a thundercloud. "That evacuation operation... could have resulted in zero casualties." The cries still echoed in his ears, and those lives lost because of his impulsive decisions had become the eternal nightmare of this divine son.

"The dead are gone." Li Chen tapped the quantum projection table lightly with his fingertips. "Unless you intend to spend the rest of your life writing a confession."

The hammer suddenly hummed. Thor raised his reddened eyes. "Please open the Bifrost and let me kneel before my father to confess my crimes." At that moment, he thought neither of the throne nor divine power. He only wanted to put an end to the recklessness that had once ignited war across the Nine Realms.

"Granted."

A calculating curve crossed Li Chen's lips. Deep within the distant halls of Asgard, the Mind Stone in the arms of a certain God of Mischief was emitting a dim glow—this had always been a chapter written into the script.

"But I will not be the one to send you."

The president abruptly rose, startling a swath of holographic star maps. "You must carve out your own path home."

The silent God of Thunder followed like an apprentice guided by runes. The sound of his armor striking the ground was restrained and heavy. The once-restless lightning now lay quietly dormant in his eyes. This mortal trial had ultimately forged the weight a god should possess.

Li Chen led Thor into the Hero Training Room and stepped onto a vast plain.

"President, why have you brought me here...?"

"Thor, have you ever truly understood the extent of your father Odin's power?"

"I don't know." Thor frowned and thought for a moment before finally shaking his head. "My father is unfathomable. Since childhood, no matter how many times I challenged him, I never even had the strength to defend myself."

For thousands of years, this god of Asgard had challenged Odin tens of thousands of times.

Yet every outcome had been without suspense, a complete crushing defeat, like a tiger toying with a sheep.

Even after recently becoming Asgard's strongest warrior, he still could not change that fact.

"Inheriting such powerful blood, a strength no weaker than your father's sleeps within you."

"As the master of thunder, you should possess the power to tear heaven and earth apart."

"This power has always belonged to you. In the past, your temperament was simply not enough to control it. But now..." Li Chen's gaze fell upon Thor. "The time has come."

After enduring countless trials, Thor had long shed the reckless arrogance of his past.

"It is time to awaken that sleeping power... No, it would be more accurate to say that it is time to reclaim the power that has always belonged to you."

"I will give it everything I have."

Thor clenched his fists and replied solemnly.

Having tasted the bitterness of losing his divine power, he desired more than anyone else to regain control over it.

"Relax. I'm merely going to let you have a brief dream."

"A dream?"

"That's right. A wonderful illusion."

Three black tomoe appeared within Li Chen's crimson eyes, then spun and intertwined at high speed, finally forming a six-pointed star.

Mangekyo Sharingan!

If Uchiha Sasuke had stopped at the Three-Tomoe stage, then Li Chen could elevate it to a higher realm.

Surging ocular power poured forth like a tide, instantly dragging the powerless God of Thunder into an endless illusion.

The fallen blond god was completely immersed in a world constructed by his own consciousness.

"It is time to awaken, embodiment of thunder."

"..."

The instant Thor met those Mangekyo Sharingan eyes, he felt heaven and earth turn upside down.

When the dizziness faded, he discovered that he was lying on cold ground, and the scene around him had completely changed.

Buildings unchanged for millennia, an aura eternal in his memories.

This was clearly his homeland—Asgard!

"By the heavens, I really came back?" Thor cried as he pinched his own cheek. Real warmth passed through his fingers. "But wasn't I just at the League of Heroes headquarters?"

Confusion and unease rose within him, but the reality around him soon washed away that subtle sense of wrongness. Thor shook his head and sprinted toward Asgard's resplendent temple. He could not wait to confess in person, to apologize to his father Odin, then obediently return to Earth—after all, he was still in exile.

The road to the temple was strangely silent. There was none of the usual bustle, nor were there patrolling soldiers. The entire city was so quiet that it made his skin crawl.

"How could this be?"