Hero Academy

The winners ranked 4th to 10th each received 2,000 Energy Units, along with a randomly drawn Doraemon Secret Treasure or bloodline, equipment, or skill provided by Li Chen. Third-place Ikaros received an Eternal Watermelon that defied the law of entropy, a truly heaven-defying piece of technology. After King's "** Core" underwent random enhancement, the pressure it emitted grew even more intense. Still, he was somewhat disappointed that his gaming talent had not improved.

Sometimes, luck mattered more than strength—it could help someone avoid powerful opponents and reap victories with ease. Just like how King had nearly swept every match while piloting the Mark III Armor, such incredible fortune was second only to the S-Class supreme powerhouse under Lord Li's command, Sosuke Aizen, who had crushed the entire field through sheer ability.

As the top-ranked contestant, Sosuke Aizen received top-tier equipment from the world of Overlord—the World-Class Item, Hell Abyss. Li Chen handed the treasure to him and said, "This treasure is yours now, Aizen." Aizen respectfully accepted the wand-like weapon, dropped to one knee, and solemnly replied, "I will not disappoint you."

With that, all the rewards had been distributed. The grand Hero War was nearing its end, and everyone gradually left the training room. For most of them, this battle had been more of an opportunity to gain experience...

**In the end, only five people remained in the training room: President Li Chen, Vice President Doraemon, S-Class Hero Sosuke Aizen, the Original Spirit, and the innocent Yatogami Tohka. Tohka felt an inexplicable familiarity toward the people before her. Though they had never met, she felt strangely close to them.

At that moment, Aizen adjusted his glasses and reported to Li Chen, "Boss, regarding the second matter mentioned earlier, a new force has emerged in Africa and is expanding its territory at an astonishing rate." Li Chen thought for a moment. "Noxus?" "Precisely." Aizen nodded. "Their power clearly comes from the New World. Should we eliminate this threat?"

Li Chen waved a hand. "There is no need for us to act personally. Otherwise, there would be no point in establishing branches. Leave it to Yugi Mutou, the head of the African branch." Aizen accepted the order. "Understood."

With the strength of an S-Class Hero, even if Yugi Mutou could not completely wipe out the Noxian Legion, he could still suppress its advance. Unless Darius awakened the power of the God King and advanced into an Ultra-Dragon-level Threat, no one in Noxus could contend with him.

Furthermore, according to the latest reports, Wakanda's former leader had been beheaded by Darius, the Hand of Noxus. After the new Black Panther took the throne, he might be more willing to cooperate with the African branch of the League of Heroes. After all, Child Emperor's design for the "Vibranium Brave Giant" was currently only lacking thousands of tons of Vibranium.

"Have the personnel combat evaluations for each branch been completed? Is the list finalized?"

"I have completed all arrangements without failing your trust. Please review them, Boss."

"There is no need. I have great confidence in your judgment, Aizen."

Li Chen placed his trust in him without reservation.

Though he was the president, he understood the importance of delegating authority. Especially when it came to combat deployment, he knew that Sosuke Aizen's strategic ability far surpassed his own.

The list for the African branch stood out clearly on the draft: Yugi Mutou, head of the African branch; Garen; Child Emperor... The enhanced Garen would certainly gain the upper hand in a confrontation with Darius. Child Emperor's inclusion would also make it easier to obtain the Vibranium needed to build the "Vibranium Brave Giant."

"Then I shall proceed accordingly."

"Go ahead and do what you need to do."

Aizen's figure vanished from the training room in an instant. As the League's most trusted strategist, he spent every day handling countless affairs. After all, this president had always been one to leave everything to others.

"Slurp—"

Amid a disturbance in the air, a yellow octopus monster abruptly appeared. Wearing a doctoral cap and covered in writhing tentacles, it was the newly promoted S-Class Hero—Koro-sensei. His Mach 20 movement speed could grant Li Chen a Mach 200 acceleration boost.

"An... an octopus monster!" Yatogami Tohka's eyes lit up. The taste of yesterday's takoyaki seemed to still linger on her tongue.

Koro-sensei's tentacles trembled violently, and a purple " " symbol appeared on his face. "How rude~ I am a peace-loving educator, Koro-sensei."

"Hey, Li Chen, can this be made into takoyaki?"

"Don't mess around." Li Chen lightly tapped Tohka on the head. "Koro-sensei is not an ingredient. If you want takoyaki, I'll take you out for some later."

"Mm-hmm!" The little foodie nodded happily.

The terrifying thing about this octopus teacher was not just his speed—just a portion of his body ** could destroy half the moon. If he unleashed his full power, he could even reduce Earth to ashes.

If he acted with malicious intent, Koro-sensei would inevitably grow into a super disaster capable of wiping out humanity.

"Want some takoyaki? Count me in."

"Eating your own kind... is that really appropriate?"

A defense came from between the swaying yellow tentacles. "You jest, President. I used to be human. I have merely changed forms now..."

That did not stop him from enjoying takoyaki.

"However, President..."

"Hmm?"

"Actually, 8■■746, compared to fighting monsters, I yearn more to become a teacher."

"If that is the case..."

Li Chen rubbed his smooth chin and fell into thought.

Indeed, Koro-sensei's indiscriminate ■ attack pattern was not suitable for fighting monsters.

A flash of inspiration struck, and he suddenly slapped the table. "Then go teach!"

"Huh? Really?"

"Not at an ordinary school—it will be a Hero Academy."

"Hero... Academy?"

"This world has countless promising talents. With professional training, they can become reserve forces for the League of Heroes."

"But what about aptitude... No matter how much ordinary people train, they cannot reach the D-rank threshold." The yellow tentacles twisted in confusion.

Although he was a gifted teacher, he truly could not train ordinary people to D-rank standards.

If it were merely an elite ■ level, that would not be difficult.

"It does not matter. There are plenty of mutants. The largest gathering place is—"

Li Chen's gaze passed through the void and settled on the manor in New York marked with the words "X Academy."

That place nurtured countless mutant geniuses. If they were willing to accept reform, the League of Heroes would gladly take in these future saviors.

They would shed the stigma of being called "monsters" and regain their glory.

With the League's current reputation, clearing the mutants' name would be effortless.

"X Academy?"

"I'll leave the recruitment mission to you."

"Wait—!"

Ignoring Koro-sensei's flustered tentacles, Li Chen hooked Yatogami Tohka's arm with his left hand and walked straight out of the training room.

**A month passed in the blink of an eye.

As monster disasters became increasingly frequent, the construction of League of Heroes branches was in full swing everywhere. The site selection process went exceptionally smoothly.

Members of League of Heroes headquarters traveled to the various branches by private plane as leisurely as if they were on vacation. Of course, the Antarctic and Arctic branches were exceptions—those places were sparsely inhabited, and even branch heads Ulquiorra and Ikaros only conducted occasional inspections.

Inside Yatogami Tohka's room at headquarters, the purple-haired girl practiced inviting someone out before a mirror. "Li Chen... can... can you..." Her cheeks flushed, and her voice trembled, yet she still took a deep breath and continued, "Go... go on a date with me?" Though she was speaking to her reflection, it felt as though she had used all her strength.

After learning about human common sense during this time, Tohka had come to understand the meaning of "dating." Since meeting Li Chen, the first person to truly accept her, and with the help of the scheming junior Mash, her gratitude had quietly transformed into love.

"Sigh..." Tohka dejectedly lowered her shoulders. She was already this nervous just practicing before a mirror, so confessing face-to-face would be even harder. What worried her even more was that Li Chen and the mysterious girl Mio had become increasingly close, and he had even received the ring she had only dreamed of as a gift.

"This cannot continue." She shook her head and pulled herself together, assuming a more natural pose before the mirror. "Li Chen, would you like to go shopping and eat delicious food with me today?" Her tone was much more relaxed this time, but then she noticed something strange—the corners of her reflection's lips had curved into a mysterious smile that did not belong to her.

The girl's expression had become much more natural, but she still instinctively avoided the word "date." This was no different from before.

Not enough. She had to be more determined!

"Um... Li Chen, next time, could you... go on a d-date with me?"

"Still not honest enough. Be braver."

"Li Chen, would you be willing to go on a date with me?"

Facing herself in the mirror, Tohka gradually found the feeling after repeatedly practicing. Then she gathered her courage and poured out the truest feelings in her heart:

"Li Chen, go on a date with me!"

"Okay."

The sudden response left Tohka frozen in place. For a moment, she thought she had practiced so much that she was hearing things. But that voice was so real, and so familiar...

"Huh?!"

The girl spun around in panic.

At some point, a figure had appeared before the door—a black-haired, red-eyed young man stood there with his arms crossed, a faint smile on his lips.

"Li... Li Chen?!"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"When did you... get there?"

"I was there from the beginning."

"I see... Wait?! What did you say?!"

Tohka's face instantly turned crimson, and she covered her burning cheeks with both hands. That meant he had seen every bit of her embarrassing practice just now?

This was far too humiliating...

"It is good to relax once in a while."

"There is nothing urgent going on in the League lately. This is a perfect time to go out."

"So, when shall we have our date?"

Meanwhile, Vice President Aizen, far away in his office, was voicing his grievances before a mountain of documents. Tohka, whose feelings had been directly returned, felt her breath catch. Dazed, she blurted out a date at random:

"Tomorrow... would that be okay?"

"Deal. I'll go cancel tomorrow's academy business right away."

"Huh?! Is it really okay to give up such important work?"

"It's fine. Aizen and Koro-sensei can handle the aftermath anyway."

Li Chen spoke with complete confidence as he raised a thumbs-up. When X Academy had joined the League, Professor Charles had readily accepted every condition.

Brand-new

The campus welcomed new management. Li Chen became the principal, while Professor Charles served as vice principal. The faculty included outstanding educators such as Koro-sensei, ** Captain, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Falcon, War Machine, and Kakashi Hatake. Their mission was to guide young mutant students in controlling their special abilities.

When graduation season arrived, students would face a choice that could shape their lives: those who chose to join the Hero Organization could receive hero titles, while those uninterested in joining could work in support departments instead.

"You really... gave up such an important opportunity for me..." the girl murmured uneasily.

Her night-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, while her clear, crystalline eyes flickered with anxiety. Her expression resembled that of a startled little rabbit.

This innocent girl who made Li Chen's heart race was none other than Yatogami Tohka.

"What are those empty titles worth?" Li Chen said casually. If Sosuke Aizen, Koro-sensei, or Professor Charles heard those words, they would probably suffer a heavy blow.

After watching Li Chen leave, Yatogami Tohka excitedly threw herself onto the bed and buried her flushed face deep into a Kinako Bread-shaped pillow.

Humming a cheerful tune, Mash lightly moved through the library corridors at League of Heroes headquarters.

Her footsteps suddenly halted—a faint sound came from the reading area, which should have been empty. Under normal circumstances, only Child Emperor, Tony Stark, and she herself visited this library frequently. Now that Child Emperor had been transferred to the African branch and Tony was absorbed in developing new armor, Mash had assumed she was the only visitor.

"Zero, what are you doing?"

"Senior Mash."

The silver-haired girl slowly raised her head and elegantly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Though she had not officially joined the League of Heroes, this girl, who had close ties to important figures, had always been the center of everyone's discussion.