Blood Curse

"Learn to control your own power, young man."

"Unbelievable! He blocked a laser beam with just two fingers—is he really human?"

"I can tell you for certain that the chairman is one hundred percent human."

Kakashi Hatake, who had been flipping through a fashion magazine, strolled over. The white-haired man, who had recently taken up the role of "teacher," spoke calmly.

Sure enough, this kind of leisurely life suited him best.

Teaching students and occasionally reading magazines—Kakashi Hatake thought these days were not bad at all.

As for his strength, because he could not deactivate his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his total chakra reserves had never improved.

And that was without using the Mangekyō Sharingan.

If his chakra reserves could reach the Shadow-level, he should be able to join the ranks of B-Class Heroes.

"Teacher Kakashi... why are you reading magazines again?"

"Ahem, this is academic research."

He cleared his throat awkwardly. Sensing fluctuations of energy outside, Kakashi Hatake had rushed out of the office without even having time to put down his magazine, only to be caught red-handed by his students.

Under Cyclops's contemptuous gaze, he silently put away the magazine.

"Professor X, is Koro-sensei here?"

"Professor X, is Koro-sensei here?"

"Oh my, oh my. What a rare guest. The chairman himself has come to visit."

As a breeze swept through, Koro-sensei, in his octopus form, instantly appeared at Li Chen's side.

Other than Li Chen, no one present could see this teacher's movements.

Even Quicksilver, who prided himself on his speed, could not help widening his eyes—under such absolute speed suppression, he could not catch even a trace of movement.

"Who are these two children?"

"Two poor children abused by some worthless organization. I'll leave their education to you."

"I see. How heartbreaking."

Koro-sensei nodded, and his bright yellow face began secreting copious amounts of liquid. He used a tissue to wipe the spot that was impossible to tell whether it was his eyes or nose. His cheeks gradually flushed, and a conspicuous "X" appeared on his face.

"Please leave them to me, Chairman. I'll let them experience the beauty of life."

"Wait! Let me go! I don't want to stay with this weird octopus!"

For some reason, an intense sense of dread suddenly rose within Quicksilver.

He had a feeling that if he stayed under this octopus monster any longer, even if he did not die, he would lose a layer of skin! "Hehehe, what a lively little fellow." "Help! Somebody save me!"

Quicksilver's desperate cries echoed through the corridor as the surrounding students looked on sympathetically. He and Scarlet Witch were both only sixteen—when had they ever seen anything like this?

"Anyone targeted by the octopus teacher is in for a miserable time." "Last month, he dealt with the new student class. They're as obedient as lambs now." "May the Lord have mercy on them."

Listening to the whispers around him, Quicksilver felt a chill run down his back. Scarlet Witch clutched the hem of her clothes nervously—why did this place feel like a ** den?

"Come on, Teacher will give you a makeover."

The octopus's tentacles suddenly produced scissors, a hair dryer, and hair accessories. Ordinary people could not even see his movements. "Stop! Don't touch my hair!"

"Hehehe~ Teacher's skills are professional-grade."

"I was wrong! Please don't cut it! Help!"

"Don't move around. I'll give you a cute little braid."

"No—!!"

Watching golden strands of hair flutter to the floor and a bow-tied braid sway atop his head, Quicksilver completely broke down. He would definitely be laughed to death if he went outside looking like this!

Scarlet Witch silently took two steps back. Boys could at least shave their heads bald, but if she got an ugly haircut... this tentacled monster was completely insane!

"Your turn, little miss?"

"I'll cooperate! Please don't cut it short!"

The octopus teacher wriggled his tentacles in satisfaction. "Hehehe, how sensible. But if you try to run..." His tentacles suddenly tightened around the desks and chairs with cracking sounds. "Teacher has a hundred ways to make your school life unforgettable."

"We'll absolutely behave!"

Looking at Quicksilver beside her, who was slumped in an ORZ pose with his soul seemingly leaving his body, Scarlet Witch's voice trembled. To be fair, the hairstyle was indeed delicate on a girl—if not for the violent tentacle-based styling.

However, such a girlish hairstyle on a boy's head was simply too horrifying to look at. It hurt one's eyes.

"Those two newcomers are really unlucky."

Cyclops lowered his voice and muttered to Blue Demon beside him.

He often caught Koro-sensei reading dangerous books alone, such as The Black-Bellied Cultivation Handbook, The Complete Guide to Pranks, and A Guide to Tricking Airheads...

Li Chen had complete confidence in Koro-sensei's methods of tormenting people, so he simply removed the telekinetic restraints on Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

If those two dared to run, Koro-sensei's "care package" would be arranged for them immediately.

That experience would definitely be ten thousand times more vicious than wearing a girlish hairstyle.

"I have long heard of you, Chairman of the League of Heroes."

Professor X, seated in a wheelchair, slowly rolled closer, his own bald head equally gleaming.

Following behind him was Wolverine Logan, who possessed Adamantium claws.

Wolverine's keen beastly instincts made every hair on his body stand on end the instant he saw Li Chen, as though he had encountered an ancient ferocious beast.

"You're too kind. I'm just a slightly stronger person."

"You came here suddenly. Is it because of those two children?" Professor X asked in confusion.

As a being with powerful psychic abilities, Professor X possessed high-level strength—though that did not include close-quarters combat.

With the help of the "Cerebro," he could even briefly step into the threshold of quasi-S-Class.

"That was only incidental." Li Chen waved his hand. "Since I came to Hero Academy, I might as well settle everything at once. I came this time to ask you to move somewhere else."

"Move? Where to?" Professor X did not understand.

Joining the League of Heroes was precisely because of its soaring reputation, which could change the public's perception of mutants.

That was Professor X's vision. If things continued to develop along this model, perhaps one day humans and mutants could truly coexist peacefully.

With the League of Heroes' generous conditions, the protection of powerful figures, and many mutant students eager to become heroes, Professor X willingly facilitated X Academy's merger into Hero Academy and accepted assignments so long as they did not violate his principles.

"Of course—move to the League of Heroes headquarters!"

League of Heroes Headquarters, Chairman's Office.

After ending his vacation, Li Chen returned to work.

Most matters had already been delegated to Sosuke Aizen for him to handle in full.

Only when branch heads changed or an Ultra-Dragon-level Threat appeared would a final decision need to be submitted to Li Chen.

"So many documents requiring approval have piled up in such a short time?"

"Yes. Severe chaos has erupted simultaneously in the African and European branches, and they are awaiting your final instructions."

Rubbing his temples, Li Chen felt helpless about this Marvel world, where accidents happened constantly. Though these troubles were more or less connected to him.

Aside from Tatsumaki's "special summon," the other incidents made it seem as if he had been plagued by misfortune.

He casually opened the report submitted by the European branch head, Lion King Artoria. After skimming its contents, he immediately realized the severity of the situation—an abnormally dangerous threat was emerging there.

The European branch's main combat forces included Lion King Artoria, Saint Joan of Arc, priest Grandis, ** master Hassan of the Hundred Faces, and several D-Class Heroes.

The report mentioned that a strange type of creature had been discovered in some parts of Europe. They were no different from humans in ordinary times and revealed their true forms only when attacking. Ordinary civilians could not identify them at all; only top-level fighters such as Artoria could detect them.

"Impostors..."

This was not caused by monster cells, but by some ancient curse.

Among the Twelve Apostles recorded in Genesis, the eleventh was the "Resurrector of the Dead"—Ozma of Chaos. Perhaps the demon realm had yet to locate Earth's coordinates, but the Blood Curse it spread had already endangered the European continent.

"Impostors?" Sosuke Aizen looked puzzled.

As a strategist, his schemes indeed surpassed Li Chen's, but his breadth of knowledge was far inferior.

"That's right. These infected carry an Apostle's Blood Curse. They look no different from ordinary people, but demons have occupied their hearts. We collectively call them 'Impostors.'"

"Some scholars believe that legendary dark creatures such as werewolves and vampires may all be variants of Impostors."

"Even more terrifying, those they attack will also transform into Impostors. They usually prioritize attacking those close to them—their families and closest friends are the first targets."

"Because they cannot be identified by appearance, people begin to suspect one another. Countless families are torn apart as a result, and society falls into a vicious cycle of distrust and chaos."

Li Chen explained the terror of this curse in detail.

The Crimson Plague might not display aggression during its initial stage, but after an incubation period of around sixty days, the infected would complete their transformation and begin hunting humans to spread the curse.

These mutated creatures had a pathological craving for blood, and drinking human blood could accelerate their evolution.

Although this report had just been submitted by the Lion King.

Li Chen guessed that as early as when the Twelve Apostles of Genesis had appeared—thirty days ago—signs of infection had already emerged across Europe.

Fortunately, no similar cases had appeared in the other regions yet.

If the European branch had not issued a timely warning, Artoria, Joan of Arc, and Grandis alone would likely not have noticed until the outbreak had fully erupted. By then, all of Europe would have become a nest for mutated creatures.

Even if ordinary infected possessed only Wolf-level Threat strength, considering Europe's population of one billion...

What was even more terrifying was that elite individuals could evolve into Tiger-level Threats. At a ratio of one in ten thousand, at least one hundred thousand high-level monsters would emerge.

At that point, they would either have to use strategic weapons to purge the entire continent or personally sink Europe. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop the plague from spreading. "These creatures are indeed troublesome. Ordinary soldiers have no way to identify them." After hearing the analysis, Aizen's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Although he had expected as much, only after understanding it in depth did he realize that the threat had to be strangled in the cradle.

"To identify them, one must either possess an instinctive talent, have special abilities, or be able to sense fluctuations of the soul."

"But the most direct method is... becoming a priest!"

"As long as one masters the power of holy light, one can see through the infected among a crowd."

Grandis, as a Gospel Preacher, had already reached the Awakened Realm.

As for Li Chen, the chairman, he possessed the power of a Second Awakening Seraph, making it effortless for him to identify infected individuals.

"A priest?"

"Don't misunderstand. I don't mean those charlatan religious fanatics." Li Chen explained, "I mean battle priests proficient in four branches of power: combat, healing, exorcism, and demonization."

"But regarding candidates..."

"Simple. Aren't churches everywhere in Europe?"

"Have Joan of Arc issue a divine decree, saying they are selecting agents of God."

"Grandis will handle intensive training, eliminate the unworthy believers, and retain only the truly devout."

"There is no need for them to form combat strength in the short term. As long as they can awaken holy light, they can expose the Impostors."

"Besides, infected who have not completed their transformation are no stronger than ordinary people."

Faced with the European branch's situation, Li Chen came up with a response after only a brief moment of thought.

This would indirectly strengthen the European branch. A group of new priests would be equivalent to a large supplement of D-Class Heroes.

More importantly, these people held absolute devotion toward their so-called "god," to the point where they were even willing to sacrifice their lives for it.

As for this so-called god... it was merely a fictional existence. Grandis and Joan of Arc would mainly act as stand-ins, while Li Chen himself could easily play the role of a god when necessary and gain a large number of fanatical believers.

"The plan has been recorded. It will be sent to the European branch shortly."

"..." Shan remained silent.

"Next... should we deal with the African branch's affairs?"

After concluding the discussion of the European branch, Li Chen picked up the second document—a report from Yugi Mutou, head of the African branch.

As far as he knew, the entire African region was currently in an extreme state of chaos.

The Noxian Legion's violent ** methods had provoked the united resistance of numerous rebel organizations. Both sides fought over control of the African continent amid blood and slaughter.

Meanwhile, T'Challa, the newly crowned Black Panther who had inherited the throne, decisively declared war on Noxus to avenge his father's death.

Although Wakanda possessed technology far ahead of its time, it still struggled to withstand the attacks of Noxus's elite forces.

Forced by circumstances, Wakanda and the League of Heroes' African branch formed a strategic alliance to jointly resist the increasingly rampant Noxian forces.

The balance that had barely been maintained was soon shattered by a new development.

"Strange. Why would the Monster Association join forces with Noxus?"

"As long as there are shared interests and common enemies, an alliance will naturally follow," Sosuke Aizen said calmly.