The Foremost Slacking Expert

Even an S-rank ninjutsu capable of severing lightning met obvious resistance as it pierced Apocalypse's body.

As the strongest mutant, Apocalypse's advantage lay in his control over hundreds of superpowers.

Among them were quite a few special abilities that enhanced his physique and increased his lightning resistance.

"Explode!"

Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan abruptly contracted as the Lightning Cutter rapidly changed form.

Violent lightning-attribute chakra exploded with tremendous destructive force.

The silver-haired ninja used the momentum to leap backward, swiftly escaping the ** range...

"Smack—"

A hand suddenly grabbed Apocalypse's arm, forcibly stopping the attack.

The strike at such close range froze in place, sharp nails just one centimeter away from Kakashi Hatake's eye.

Sosuke Aizen, who had been lurking for quite some time, had coldly observed the entire battle.

Only when the silver-haired ninja had exhausted his strength did he leisurely appear and block the fatal blow.

The robes of Night Void Palace fluttered gently in the wind, while his removed glasses reflected a cold gleam.

Beneath his swept-back brown hair, those eyes that looked down upon all living things no longer held their usual warmth.

"So you're the one troubling that lord?"

"Your strength is passable. Why not submit..."

"Crack—"

The crisp sound of breaking bones suddenly rang out.

The body said to be indestructible was as fragile as paper in his grasp.

"Bang—"

Apocalypse crashed into the wall like a rag doll.

As the mutant used his healing ability to reconstruct his bones, Beast Instinct was frantically warning him.

Storm and Angel rescued Magneto, who had been buried deep underground.

The Four Imperial Knights formed a defensive formation, protecting the unconscious Professor X in the **.

Every wary gaze focused on the brown-haired man.

"Who gave you permission to ** the dignity of the League of Heroes?"

"Arrogance has spread throughout this world for countless millennia, yet insignificant humans continue to emerge one after another."

"Heh. Anyone who dares obstruct our leader shall atone with death."

Sosuke Aizen gently stroked the hilt of his sword, his icy words accompanied by the cold flash of his Zanpakuto leaving its sheath. The blade's chilling gleam seized their hearts, and before anyone noticed, they had already fallen into the illusion of Illusion.

"It seems I need to get serious."

Scarlet beams burst from Apocalypse's eyes, instantly piercing Sosuke Aizen's body. His left arm transformed into a blade, and amid the restructuring of matter, he severed Aizen's head. The whole movement flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, so effortlessly that even he began to doubt himself—could that imposing display earlier have been nothing more than a bluff?

"I don't have time to waste on you."

Shaking off the strange feeling in his mind, Apocalypse walked straight toward Kakashi Hatake. His fingertips turned into hooked claws, gouging out the Mangekyō Sharingan and embedding it into his own left eye. The pain of torn flesh meant nothing to him. Vast ocular power surged within the newly transplanted eye, while illusion energy capable of warping space raced through his veins.

Ignoring Wolverine Logan and the others standing there in shock, Apocalypse summoned the Four Imperial Knights to seize the unconscious Professor X and prepare for spatial transfer.

After a crisp snap of his fingers, the expected teleportation did not occur.

"Shk—"

The Zanpakuto had somehow already pierced Apocalypse's abdomen, and with a slight twist of the blade, it cut him in half at the waist.

"How is this possible?!"

Apocalypse stared in shock and fury at the rapidly healing wound, then counterattacked, piercing Sosuke Aizen's heart behind him.

But three identical Sosuke Aizens had silently appeared behind him. "Is this all you're capable of?"

His eyes were filled with contempt for this ignorant fool who called himself a "god."

Under the control of Sosuke Aizen's Illusion, Apocalypse was toyed with as freely as a puppet on strings.

It should be known that after completely merging with the Hogyoku, Aizen had long since stopped needing to rely on the Zanpakuto Illusion—by himself, he already stood above the pinnacle of Soul Reapers and Hollows.

"Interesting, but before a true god, it is all futile!"

Apocalypse swung his arm and hurled three cold flashes, instantly piercing the chests of the three "Aizens."

The "Aizens" clutched their wounds and fell one after another with stunned expressions...

"Don't make a fool of yourself with such a clumsy illusion."

"Is that so?"

The sound of a mirror shattering suddenly rang out.

When the illusion lifted, Apocalypse's smile froze on his face—the real Aizen stood where he had been, completely unharmed.

Painful muffled groans came from behind him. The four knights had the blades he had just fired embedded in their chests. Professor X, Kakashi Hatake, and the others had long since vanished.

"Clap, clap, clap—"

Aizen applauded and chuckled, amusement glimmering in his eyes.

"Wonderful! The 'god' personally executed his own apostles."

"Bastard!"

Apocalypse glared at Aizen with his eyes nearly splitting apart, finally realizing that he had been toyed with from start to finish. The lives of the Four Imperial Knights mattered little, but he still needed their help for his later plans.

With a swish, he severed four fingers and flung them toward the knights. The blood containing hyper-regeneration factors immediately sealed their fatal wounds.

"The game should end now." Aizen's smile faded. "Please die in peace."

"Insignificant insect, this god has no time to entertain you."

Apocalypse was secretly alarmed. Had such a powerful being emerged during his slumber?

Before Aizen noticed, he quietly constructed a spatial barrier, grabbed the unconscious knights, and leaped inside—only for a sword flash wrapped in Reiatsu to chase after him at the instant the barrier closed.

A shrill scream tore through the sky...

Apocalypse let out a heart-rending scream, and a severed arm suddenly lay on the ground.

The Zanpakuto's edge struck directly at the soul. Such an injury was far beyond anything ** could compare to.

A new arm quickly grew from the wound, but the limb that had lost its connection to the soul had ultimately become nothing more than a useless shell...

"This subordinate failed in his duty and let that eyesore of an insect escape."

"Was it a mistake, or intentional?"

"As expected, nothing escapes your eyes."

Sosuke Aizen dropped to one knee, his gaze behind the lenses humble yet profound. Under Illusion, which he used to manipulate the five senses, Apocalypse was merely a trapped beast being toyed with. Even if he possessed regenerative powers, strikes at the soul would still turn him into a walking corpse with only an empty shell.

He had spared that clown only because he valued his talent for stirring up trouble—upon awakening, he had launched every nuclear weapon in the world. Yet that catastrophe that ** the world instead benefited the League of Heroes. When mushroom clouds rose across every continent, the organization's prestige soared into the heavens, spreading from New York to every corner of the globe.

With a few more such "performances," the League of Heroes could rightfully be crowned ruler of the world. Not through iron-fisted **, but by making all living beings submit through real deeds of salvation.

"Only this once."

"Understood."

Aizen adjusted his glasses. Of course, he would continue doing as he pleased; the curses of mortals were no more than buzzing mosquitoes to him. Li Chen watched his subordinate's slightly swaying hair tips and ultimately said nothing more. After this battle, the Hero Academy relocation plan had to be accelerated. Once everyone was settled beside headquarters, he wanted to see who else dared come looking for trouble.

If Apocalypse dared show himself again...

He would show him what ** per second really meant.

"Senior."

A white uniform outlined the girl's slender figure as Mash entered carrying a clipboard.

"How are your injuries?"

"Thanks to Senior's telekinetic barrier, it protected me the instant ** happened."

Mash's ultimate defensive skill—"Eternal City of Ideals" (LordCamelot)—indeed possessed nearly perfect defensive capabilities.

However, this ability had a fatal weakness: it could protect every companion within its range, but it could not protect its caster.

If Li Chen had stood by and done nothing, Mash would very likely have perished beneath the ** bombardment of over a hundred **.

Therefore, at the instant Mash activated her Noble Phantasm, Li Chen used telekinesis to construct a dense protective layer over her body, strong enough to withstand the shockwaves of several hundred ** exploding simultaneously.

"Have King Billy, Flashy Flash, and King all returned?"

"Mm. The first two are at the hero training ground. King said he was going to grab the limited edition of the strategy game Total War: Three Kingdoms."

"The training ground? What are they doing there?"

"I heard the newly promoted S-Class Hero—Sword Saint Reinhard—is there too."

As Mash added quietly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of her shield.

To her, every one of those people was a monster capable of moving mountains and overturning seas at will. Their ** power far exceeded anything Mash, who specialized in defense, could comprehend.

"So many dangerous people gathered together... They aren't planning to ** as a group, are they?"

"Probably... not?"

"Don't answer in such an uncertain tone." Li Chen pressed a hand to his temple and sighed. "Aizen, I'll leave the aftermath to you."

"Understood."

The perfect butler Sosuke Aizen silently handled all kinds of cleanup work as always, never voicing a single complaint.

Li Chen pushed away from his swivel chair and headed straight for the training ground with Mash. From far away, he could already hear the collisions coming from inside.

"Justice Tackle!"

Mumen Rider's roar pierced through the metal doors. Grappling with him was none other than the ** Hero—[Martial Arts Philosopher] Billy. Training against the real person was far more effective than any virtual projection.

This young man, who had once consumed a "Life Fruit," was now tempering himself by surpassing his limits every day. His stat value had soared from its original "1" to "4." Though still at insect level, he could already strangle a Wolf-level Threat barehanded—this was the dawn of transformation brought by the Devil Fruit.

"Your force is still far too weak, Mumen."

King Billy stood completely unmoved as he endured Mumen Rider's charge. With the slightest flex of his muscles, he sent him flying. Mumen Rider crashed heavily beside his Doran's Shield, sweat beading across his forehead as his chest heaved violently.

Facing a powerhouse like King Billy, even with his opponent deliberately holding back, Mumen Rider still needed a long time to steady his breathing after every blow.

In the stands, Li Chen and Mash sat down beside Reinhard. This Sword Saint, with flame-red hair and ice-blue eyes, stood tall as a pine, his face like a finely carved jade statue. He embodied all the virtues of the world—uprightness, courage, and humility—and was praised as the living model of chivalry. Not only was he the Kingdom's guardian deity, but he was also the flawless national hero in the hearts of its people.

"He's testing the results of his training." Reinhard watched the training ground, his voice like a clear spring striking stone. "King Billy, who just returned, accepted his request for sparring. What is most admirable about this hero is that no matter how many hundreds or thousands of times he falls, he will always rise again."

Although Mumen Rider was currently only average among D-Class Heroes, his unyielding will was enough to move every onlooker.

"Tsk, that stubbornness is really frightening~" Kizaru sprawled in his seat like a sloth basking in the sun. The Marine Admiral, who had just finished clearing the battlefield with light-speed kicks, now looked too lazy to even move a finger. Li Chen glanced at this seasoned workplace loafer and could not help thinking of the model worker Aizen—the man who handled documents from all seven continents while remaining active on the front lines of subjugation. Compared to him, Kizaru's seat was practically about to grow mushrooms.

"Still..." Kizaru suddenly lifted one eyelid, a faint glimmer flashing across his golden lenses. "This kid has what it takes to be a Marine."

"With some training, he could indeed become an outstanding knight."

Reinhard and Kizaru spoke in unison.

Although his current strength was **, after swallowing the legendary Devil Fruit Source of Life, Mumen Rider's transformation had already begun—he only needed time.

That pure heroic heart and will of steel were destined to make him a treasure sought after by the Marines, the knight orders, and the Hero Association alike.

"Also, there's something I need to tell you."

"Oh dear! I threw out my back, Chairman. I'll be leaving first!"

"Get back here, foremost slacking expert!"

Li Chen grabbed Kizaru by the back of his collar and dragged the slippery old fish back into his seat. This guy had practically become a spirit; the moment Li Chen opened his mouth, he immediately put on the act of a sick patient.