Heroes Return

As the man spoke, he actually reached his hand into Rose's burning body. Along with the flames, a black power began to invade Rose's entire body.

But the next second he was shocked to find that the parts of Rose's body that had been invaded by the black power had completely disappeared.

"Virus disinfection complete."

"It seems it's such a waste to destroy it directly. Such an interesting creation." The man had barely finished speaking calmly when his hand once again lit up with a special energy.

But in the next second, a pair of unburnt metallic wings sprouted from Rose's body. Along with the appearance of the metallic wings, the feather-like appendages on the wings extended and pierced towards the man. Adorned with beautiful blue runes, these appendages pierced directly through the man's shoulder. Unfortunately, the man vanished at that moment.

Or rather, he never left that pyramid from the very beginning.

The flames began to recede, and everyone in the city instinctively began to tremble. For the first time in history, the people of this colorful desert actually saw snowflakes falling from the sky.

The girl took flight from the ground once more. The metallic wings behind her began to collide repeatedly. In the blink of an eye, the two pairs of metallic wings were no less formidable than those with golden eyes.

At the same time, all eyes turned to Rose, and terrifying energy shot out from these glasses, heading straight for her. However, the metallic wings instantly enveloped Rose, rendering all divine attacks ineffective.

As all the God Eyes stared at Rose with terrifying pressure, metallic feathers began to grow rapidly, following the natural growth pattern of metal. Countless feathers shot out towards the surrounding golden eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of metal clashing erupted from many of the Golden Eyes.

It's important to understand that these eyes primarily possess abilities like mental pressure and illusions, but these abilities are ineffective against Rose. This is because she isn't entirely human; she can't sense or understand human thought. Rose's observation of the outside world is still done mechanically, devoid of any emotion or thought. Therefore, mental attacks are virtually useless against this almost inanimate entity.

Seeing Rose's metallic wings begin attacking the surrounding golden eyes, the man simultaneously conjured a spear. The spear was engulfed in blazing flames. With a throw, the spear shot directly towards Rose.

Rose's metallic wings reacted swiftly, but were still melted. Unfortunately, the spear ultimately missed its mark; despite the metal wings' defense, it veered off course. Even so, half of Rose's wing disappeared as a result.

However, new metal began to appear on Rose's back and gradually formed the other half of her wings.

The man's second spear finally arrived. This time, what should have been a single flaming spear split into thousands of spears in mid-air. They all shot towards Rose, and even more terrifyingly, their power showed no signs of diminishing.

This time, the metal encasing Rose suddenly shattered. Rose's figure reappeared in the sky. Countless wings surged towards the spear, and even more pierced towards the man.

Faced with the incoming spears, the man simply swung his own, melting all the metal that struck him. Yet, the number of spears didn't seem to decrease at all. Simultaneously, Rose's metallic wings were instantly riddled with holes. But Rose appeared unscathed. She had already appeared before the man, her lance spinning once more.

This time, as it spun, it unleashed an even more terrifying power. Blue energy accompanied countless rotating symbols. The sheer pressure from the spinning lance alone was enough to blow away the surrounding honor guard. Keep in mind, these were all pharaohs or heroes who had slumbered through the ages.

But these people are already struggling to withstand the wind pressure. Only the man on the pyramid remains unfazed.

As Rose stabbed at him, the man also stabbed at Rose.

The blue energy emanated an intense chill, while the man's spear radiated terrifying heat. This caused every collision between the two to release a terrifying shockwave.

Rose blocked the man's spear with her shield. Rose also thrust her lance at the man, but he skillfully deflected it.

"Martial arts analysis in progress, world combat techniques loading." With each clash, Rose was trying to become stronger, terrifyingly analyzing the power of the man before her.

Finally, as she blocked the man's spear once again, Rose's lance also pierced towards him. This time, the man pierced Rose's shield, but at the same time, Rose's hand behind the shield, seemingly burned by flames, grabbed the man's spear, and simultaneously thrust the lance down.

The man raised his hand, and the barrier once again blocked Rose's path.

However, the man clearly underestimated Rose's strength.

The pyramid collapsed under the terrifying bombardment of the blue power. Almost simultaneously, everyone was shocked to see Rose, carrying the man, flying backward through the sky. After shattering a golden eye, the two of them flew into the swirling yellow sand.

"So, what exactly are you?" The man who had been sent flying finally showed a puzzled expression.

"Rose, the Hero Association's newest E-class hero."

Chapter 49

"E-rank heroes? Hahahaha! There are hundreds of thousands of E-rank heroes in this world. If they are all like this, then the gods will never return!" The voice sounded very faint in the storm, but even so, the two people could still easily hear each other's words.

"Heroes are not ranked according to strength. No matter how strong you are, you must have corresponding achievements." Rose said calmly to the man. "I just became a hero, so I am not an SS-class hero."

"Is that so? A merit? Then you can level up this time. The prerequisite is that you can defeat me!" As the man spoke, he grabbed Rose's shoulder, and his whole body began to burn, and Rose's body also caught fire.

With a burst of flames, Rose's body melted away at an alarming rate. But in that very instant, Rose slowly retracted the knight's lance that had been aimed at the man. She then thrust the second lance directly at him.

"Inject all energy, activate Godslayer's strongest mode." The system's voice rang in Rose's mind once more. At that moment, the metal wings on Rose's back all pierced towards the enemy before her. Almost simultaneously, the spear in Rose's hand also pierced the man's body once more. This time, she actually pierced straight through the man's body.

Golden flames erupted from the man's body, but a terrifying shockwave also followed.

The terrifying force generated a shockwave that spread wildly, overwhelming the surrounding sandstorm. As the shockwave expanded, the sandstorm began to dissipate. With the continued spread of the shockwave, the storm that had enveloped this desert kingdom vanished.

Before the eyes of everyone in the desert kingdoms, the sandstorm vanished, the pyramids collapsed, and the sacred eye in the sky shattered at that moment.

Everything seemed to have returned to calm.

In the desert, Rose struggled to her feet. Molten iron dripped from her body onto the sand, igniting within it. Eventually, the intense heat beneath Rose's feet transformed the sand into a sheet of glass.

Huanhuan emerged from the scorching heat and looked at the figure lying on the ground. The figure was still burning, as if it would never stop.

When the heroes arrived, they saw a body that was almost melting and flames that were still burning fiercely, along with an army of people wearing golden armor.

This time, however, the golden-armored army had clearly lost its leader and lacked fighting spirit. They were utterly defeated by the combined efforts of the heroes and the government's mech forces.

Looking at Rose, everyone's hearts were filled with hope. Although the girl appeared battered and broken, she had undoubtedly fulfilled the long-held wish of many scientists: to challenge the so-called gods with their technology! And without a doubt, this time, Gear had succeeded.

"Is she alright?" an S-class hero asked doubtfully as he stepped forward. "Are there any heroes specializing in mechanics? You mean the kind who develop their own hero equipment?"

“Leave it to me.” A person wearing special metal gloves and armor stepped forward and looked at Rose in front of him: “Is this the greatest masterpiece of gears? It’s so fascinating! You know, the author is a scholar of mechanics, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the true face of this greatest masterpiece.”

As the man spoke, he took out professional equipment and touched Rose, but in the next instant, the man was stunned.

"This...this is impossible! How is this possible? Bioengineering? It shouldn't be like this! We clearly saw her fighting, how could those structures be products of bioengineering! She should have been created into twelve robots!!"

"What's wrong with you?" another hero asked, puzzled.

Have you heard the story of Pinocchio eventually turning himself into a human?

"Sorry, I don't like fairy tales. I have heard that Pinocchio's nose grows longer when he lies."

“So this time you’ve seen it,” the man said calmly. “Her body structure, although different from humans, and although I can detect metallic structures and internal wiring, these internal components, under my examination, are identical to the organs of a living organism! Can you imagine? A robot whose cells are all made up of metallic elements, and whose internal organs have evolved from metallic parts? She still looks like a robot, but in fact, those machines are just a disguise. She can actually be considered a completely new life form! A completely new life form whose cells are made up of unknown metallic elements! This is simply! This is simply! This is simply!”

He repeated "This is simply amazing!" three times, but still couldn't say anything. Finally, he simply held up his microscope to the person in front of him: "See that? These parts are healing! They're dividing and healing like normal cells!!! Damn! How on earth do gears do that?"

Of course, the man's感慨 (feelings of emotion) were only fleeting, because Rose had already moved slightly once again.

"Solar energy replenishment in progress, partial functional restoration, entering energy-saving mode." Accompanied by the voice within Rose's body, Rose's gaze finally returned to normal. Although her body was still unable to move, the solar and thermal energy in the desert was still insufficient for her needs. The moment most of the girl's internal parts were repaired, the blue runes within her disappeared. The metallic wings on her back began to extend further, attempting to absorb solar energy to the maximum extent possible.

"How is this possible? Did I see wrong just now?" The man's face showed shock once again. Because right beneath him, the signs of life and cellular structure had vanished. In their place were ordinary internal parts. Even under a high-powered microscope, Rose's internal parts were merely a type of metal. Although this metal looked very unusual, there was no doubt that it lacked the signs of cell formation that had appeared before.

Despite many questions, the man could no longer examine Rose, as she had requested that he and the others push themselves out of her vicinity. The next second, the massive steel wings unfolded once more. A huge, natural solar barrier was deployed.

"It's hard to imagine what kind of battle she went through, carrying the world's only antimatter reactor, that forced her to rely on solar energy to temporarily regain her mobility," the hero, wearing mechanical gloves, remarked to those around him, but ultimately said nothing more. After all, the war that awaited them was far from over.

The invasion of the gods has begun all over the world.

For the members of the Hero Association, the trouble they face this time is not just the gods. There are also many ordinary people who have always supported them.

The battle in the desert has indeed ended, but the battles around the world are still ongoing.

……

Ivan's influence was broadcast on televisions all over the world.

"Hahahaha! Zero! Perhaps you already know something, right? After all, I think in this world where the gods have descended, telling you certain things is the most correct thing to do, isn't it? Of course, if you don't know yet, then just pretend I didn't say anything, but since you do know, then you should try to kill that being, right? But I'm sorry, I can't let you kill that being right now! After all, that's my trump card. Hahahahahaha! So from now on, I will hold you back even if it means sacrificing a lot of my manpower! Since you are Zero! So what you will do is all too clear to me! After all, I am the person who knows you best in this world, aren't I? So now, choose! Will you destroy my trump card, or will you save the citizens! Do you really think the Hero Association can protect everyone? Under the descent of the gods? Fortunately, I happen to have a lot of suitable high-end combat power pieces in my hands!! Hahahaha!"

As he spoke, Ivan's image disappeared.

"What a cunning fellow! Although it's the most foolish method, I have absolutely no way to counter it! If I go and kill that guy, many people will suffer, right? What a blatant scheme that a lousy strategist could come up with! In that case, I'll just cut down all his pieces! Then I'll deal with the last guy." Hearing Evan's words, Lin Jie, who was floating in mid-air, could only sigh helplessly.

Right at Lin Jie's feet, a giant snake with eight heads lay dying on the ground.

"Human, kill me!"

"As you wish!" Without any mercy, Zero's sword slashed down, and after taking down the last snake head, the colossal serpent, as large as a city, completely disappeared from everyone's sight.

However, as the giant snake disappeared, the river in the distance suddenly swelled, and with the rise of the river, the alarm sounded again.

Fortunately, the city was almost completely destroyed due to the previous giant snake attack, and for this reason, the citizens had already gone to shelters for refuge.

When the river rushes in, there are only heroes in the city!

"Damn it! Fleet! Use freezing rays here!" a hero standing at the front line shouted into the communicator. The next wave of water had already reached his knees. But just as he was about to leave, the water beneath his feet turned into countless hands that grabbed him. After grabbing him tightly, they dragged him down into the water, seemingly intending to drown him in the river.

He lost all his strength in the water for some unknown reason.

However, he heard the sound of a baby crying in the water.

Lin Jie, in the sky, slashed down with his Immortal Slaughtering Sword, splitting the river in two with a single strike. Almost simultaneously, Lin Jie pulled the hero out of the water.

"Wait, there's a baby crying in the water! Don't worry about me! Go save that child first!!" the man shouted as Lin Jie grabbed him, but he couldn't shout anymore the next second.

Right there on the river, a face the size of a park emerged from the water—and it was an infant's face. Then came a second one…

Chapter 50

"Boy, the trend of the world cannot be defied. You should give up!" As one face after another appeared, the being in the water finally spoke to Lin Jie, saying, "You are not dealing with those beings who have descended, you are fighting against the heavens! And the will of heaven has been since ancient times and cannot be defied! The cycle of time is the natural order."

"Hehe." Lin Jie simply chuckled upon hearing the other party's words. Then, he slashed his longsword directly at the monster before him.

"The Immortal-Slaying Sword? Others may fear it, but I am not!" the monster said, its body finally emerging from the water. It was a monster with nine faces.

"I just chopped off one with eight heads, and now another one with nine?" Faced with that terrifying appearance, Lin Jie just quipped to himself, casually placed the hero he was holding on the roof of the building, and then charged straight at the monster in front of him.

The battle has begun once again.

……

Let's go back a few days.

Lin Jie and Solomon arrived at a coffee shop where soothing music was playing.

"What exactly is your relationship with Xiaoqian? Why do you two look exactly alike?" After the waiter served the two of them two cups of coffee, Lin Jie couldn't help but ask.

"Hehe, impatient men don't get a good welcome!" Solomon said to Lin Jie with a smile. "Speaking of which, we look exactly alike, and even our personalities are almost identical, right? But why is it that you don't react to me in any special way?"

“Because you are not her! Although your way of speaking, personality and appearance are almost the same, you are ultimately not her!” Lin Jie said nonchalantly, “It’s like a cultivated chili pepper and an artificially synthesized capsaicin. Although they both taste spicy, there are still big differences.”

"That's not a very good analogy, Mr. Zero. Speaking of which, I'm a devil! Do you think I'd tell you those things for free? If you want to know, you'll have to make a deal with me!" Solomon suddenly said with a wicked smile, "Otherwise, I won't tell you about Akane and the descent of the gods this time."

"Hey! At a time like this, are you still thinking about getting the best deal?"

"I'm a demon, you know! The fate of humanity means nothing to me. In fact, we might be happier if humanity were to perish, right? After all, we don't need human faith, hehe."

“That’s true. Demons are born from human malice.” Lin Jie shook his head helplessly. “Alright, so what do you want?”

“Tell me about what happened between you and Xiaoqian,” Solomon said calmly. “Because I was in a deep sleep, I lost contact with Xiaoqian, so I don’t know what happened between you two.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you if I have time. It’s about what happened between me and Xiaoqian,” Lin Jie said calmly. “After all, it’s not exactly a big secret.”

"So our deal is done! Now let me tell you all about it!" Solomon said with a smile, "Actually, Xiaoxi was created by me! If you really want to understand it, then you could say it's a copy and a clone."