Heroes Return

As she looked at him, Chloe's gaze suddenly fell on the bow and arrow in Cupid's hand, and her face flushed slightly: "Um, excuse me, is your bow and arrow really like the legend says... that it can make the person who is shot fall in love?"

"Of course! After all, I am Cupid!"

"really?"

“Of course it’s true?” Cupid said confidently.

“In that case…in that case maybe we can stop fighting Mr. Zero.” Kuroru blushed as she looked at Mr. Cupid. “Since it’s because of a lover, then Mr. Cupid, you know to take that arrow…and shoot…shoot…Mr. Zero. As long as Mr. Zero has a new lover, he definitely won’t do such a thing.”

“That’s one way. We can make him fall in love with someone else. If that happens, we might not need to fight anymore!” Cupid clapped his hands upon hearing Chrollo’s words. “That’s right! We might be able to give it a try! If that doesn’t work, we can use the gods’ backup plan. But the problem is, at that time, I need a girl to be by Zero’s side, otherwise we won’t be able to create love at first sight.”

“Um… to protect those kind gods and Mr. Zero, leave this to me!” Chloe said, blushing. “I’ll stand before him then, Mr. Cupid, all you have to do is shoot arrows…”

chapter Five

“Perhaps we can really give it a try, but before that, I might need to make some preparations. Although the bow and arrow in my hand are weapons of law, truly piercing Zero’s heart is probably not a particularly easy task, so I need some time to prepare.” Cupid said seriously to Kuror, “If your idea fails, then we can only prepare our last resort.”

"Huh? A last resort?"

"The gods will lend you their power and laws for a short period of time, which should allow you to temporarily reach the level of a god! If you want to cause actual damage to Zero, this is probably the only way." Faced with Kuror's doubts, Cupid finally revealed the purpose of his visit.

"You mean, if you fail? You'll have to fight me, Mr. Zero?" Hearing his words, Kuroru's face showed a surprised expression: "I'm sorry, but I really can't do it."

"For the sake of the world, you must do all this. You must understand that if the cataclysm of the end times arrives, it won't just affect mystical powers. Those newborns among humanity who are born with superpowers will also be heroes." Chibitt said earnestly to Kuror. "Do you know why some children born with superpowers have been born among humanity in recent years? It's because of the abundant energy in the world, which allows superpowered individuals to appear among humanity from time to time. But if the cataclysm of the end times arrives again, the number of superpowered individuals born among humanity will gradually decrease."

In fact, just as Cupid said, superpowered individuals among humans are actually divided into two categories: those with innate abilities and those who acquire them later. Those with innate abilities were almost all born after the cataclysmic end of time. As for those who acquired them later, many gained their superpowers due to certain special experiences.

Simply put, if naturally gifted individuals with superpowers were to cease being born, the number of superhumans among humanity could potentially decrease by more than half. After all, experimental accidents or extraordinary encounters ultimately rely too heavily on coincidence.

"But even so, I don't want to fight Mr. Lin Jie!" Despite what the other person said, Kuroru couldn't help but shake her head. In fact, the girl had no desire to fight Lin Jie at all.

"Alright, let's not talk about that now. You'll probably understand when the time comes. Anyway, just wait for my news. Let's try out your plan first. If he really falls in love with someone else, maybe we won't need to go through all this trouble." Seeing Kuror's somewhat resolute expression, Cupid ultimately said nothing more. He simply transformed into a ball of light and disappeared from Kuror's room.

……

On the other side, right in front of Lin Jie, a bunch of trucks suddenly appeared. Xiao Zhan took the lead and jumped off the trucks.

"Hey, are you the first one to challenge me, Xiao Zhan?" Looking at Xiao Zhan, Lin Jie couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Looks like you haven't been beaten badly enough by me!"

Looking at the parts being assembled in Xiao Zhan's truck, Lin Jie already knew what they were: a comical reactor. This was the very prop Xiao Zhan used when he caused trouble last time. Looking at the comical reactor before him, a smile appeared on Lin Jie's lips: "This thing might actually be able to defeat me, but with your strength, do you really think you can defeat me in an equal fight?"

"Of course not." Xiao Zhan sighed helplessly. "By the way, aren't you planning to destroy this weapon beforehand?"

"Of course I'm not prepared. Since I've already said I'll wait for you to come and challenge me, then I will wait until you've made all the preparations before trying to defeat me. That's simpler and easier." Lin Jie said nonchalantly, "If I don't even have this much confidence, then I'm not a zero."

“It seems you’ve underestimated the entire Hero Association, including me.” Hearing Lin Jie’s reply, Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but scratch his head: “Speaking of which, when you stopped me a while ago, you said you believed in the possibilities of humanity, but now you’re immediately causing trouble on your own. This really doesn’t seem like you.”

"Back then? Well, to put it simply, I just didn't want to have a ridiculous face for the rest of my life." Lin Jie recalled for a moment before saying to Xiao Zhan, "Besides, I genuinely believe in the potential of humanity, which is why I was willing to give you half a month to challenge me. Otherwise, you wouldn't even have a chance."

"This is really not a happy answer," Xiao Zhan said helplessly. "How about this: full VIP membership to all games, first-time access to all games from around the world, a full genuine game account, and I'll reimburse all your figurines and merchandise. What do you say? Give me some face and stop. A hero shouldn't sacrifice others to satisfy themselves."

"Holy crap! Such a good deal?" Lin Jie couldn't help but exclaim upon hearing Xiao Zhan's words, but he quickly calmed down: "In the past, this deal would have been no problem, but I'm sorry, it's not possible now. I can't agree to this deal with you right now. If you want me to stop, you'd better show me your strength and defeat me! Of course, if you're just challenging me on your own, then you should give up. You should know that you can't beat me."

"Of course it wasn't him." Just as Ling finished speaking, Bai Yu appeared beside Lin Jie, along with eight other people dressed in completely different outfits. These people were all wearing clothing specifically designed for various fighting techniques from around the world, and almost all of them exuded a powerful aura.

"I've brought nine martial arts masters with me this time. They might not be the strongest in terms of raw power, but when it comes to fighting techniques, they're all top-tier." As Xiao Zhan spoke, he casually put a chocolate bar to his mouth. At that very moment, the equipment behind Xiao Zhan was finally assembled, and a huge, oddly shaped, comical-looking device was successfully installed. The reactor began to operate.

"You know what? You're the idol of many heroes! Zero! But why do you have to do something that ruins your image?" Xiao Zhan said while biting into a chocolate bar. "You know what? To be honest, the person I least want to fight in the world is probably you! But this time, I have to defeat you no matter what."

Before Lin Jie could speak, a beam of yellow energy instantly enveloped the battlefield. At that moment, both the Hero Association's and the World Government's surveillance systems could only see a gigantic, comical figure suddenly appearing in the desert. The oasis where Zero was located was also completely covered by this enormous comical object.

The outside world can only wait for news now. As for what happened inside, it's impossible to know for sure.

At that very moment, on the Hero Association's surveillance screen, the figure of a girl appeared beside Leng Yan.

"Kuhuhu, I never thought I'd be able to enter a place like this so openly! You really are a hero willing to take risks, Mr. Leng Yan!" With laughter, Alice and Delis appeared before everyone. The SS-class heroes who witnessed this all showed expressions of surprise. The retired Captain Justice, however, looked at Leng Yan with a grim expression.

"What exactly is going on?" Master Miracle asked Leng Yan in confusion, "Why did you send him here! This person should be a dangerous criminal, right?"

“Kuhuhu, it’s not very polite to speak to a noble lady like that!” Alice said to the Master of Miracles with a smile.

"We've investigated your background thoroughly. Stop pretending." Kong Wang said coldly, "You should have been captured by Ivan when you were very young. And judging from your words and actions, according to psychologists, you're almost always acting according to Ivan's habits. Moreover, the things you did to the Holy City were too similar to Ivan's. Combined with Ivan's technology, we have enough reason to believe that you were brainwashed by Ivan."

"Kuhuhu, you're quite perceptive! But these are all just guesses, aren't they? Since there's no evidence, you seem to have no right to treat me as a criminal." Alice didn't care at all about Kong Wang's words.

“Evidence? We don’t have any.” The Master of Miracles said calmly, “But even so, it doesn’t mean we won’t monitor your life. As someone who was captured by Ivan and disappeared for several years, we have reason to suspect that Ivan has brainwashed you in some way. If you really want to prove your innocence, I suggest you accept the mental treatment offered by the Association.”

"Let's forget about that kind of thing. The association shouldn't interfere with other people's privacy, right? And you don't actually need to be wary of me! Kuhoo, the reason I was invited here is because I was invited by President Leng Yan!" Kuror said, pointing in Leng Yan's direction.

"Why invite someone like this to the association?" Upon hearing the other person's words, Torus frowned and asked.

“Because the person we need to deal with is Zero. In fact, if possible, I would prefer to invite Evan to help! But unfortunately, Evan is dead, so I temporarily invited Alice Elaine, who has some connection with Evan and whose style is very similar to Evan’s, to come here.” Leng Yan still had the same expression: “When facing Zero, I think the opinions of people like them will be useful.”

"But!!" Hearing his words, the other SS-class heroes wanted to say something, but were immediately stopped. Leng Yan's attitude had made it clear that he was serious this time. As for the other heroes, they didn't say much. They could only sigh, never imagining that one day they would have to rely on the intellect of a criminal.

At this moment, Alice's attention was completely drawn to the scene in the video.

"Kuhuhu, since you've invited me, I hope to see Zero's battle as soon as possible! After all, that's my ultimate goal." Alice smiled and said to everyone present, "If we want to defeat Zero, we should at least find Zero's weakness. At least right now, Zero seems invincible to me! After all, he's even abandoned his principles as a hero. This Zero! Kuhuhu, he's amazing! This Zero is simply invincible."

Chapter Six

As everyone stared in bewilderment at the farcical scene unfolding before them, within the farcical barrier, Lin Jie finally met the gazes of Xiao Zhan and the others. Almost simultaneously, Bai was the first to charge towards Zero, striking him directly in the chest with a palm strike.

At the same time, Zero dodged Bai Yu's attack, and almost simultaneously, Zero's fist also slammed towards Bai Yu. However, as a martial arts master, how could Bai Yu not anticipate Lin Jie's attack? He grabbed Lin Jie's fist with one hand almost instantly and blocked it to the side. Almost at the same time, Bai Yu's other hand, which had been striking out, finally retracted, giving Zero no chance to react, and directly grabbed towards Zero's waist.

However, at that very moment, he was surprised to find that Zero's other hand had somehow managed to break free from the entanglement technique he had applied to the opponent's hand. Almost simultaneously, Zero's other hand had grabbed the opponent's other hand, and the fist that had freed Bai Yu's arm was once again aimed at Bai Yu. Just as Bai Yu thought of dodging, a strange force came from the other hand, and under the pull of this force, Bai Yu's body was directly pulled to the position where Lin Jie had thrown the punch.

With just one exchange, Bai Yu suffered a great loss. Fortunately, almost simultaneously, a bar of soap fell to the ground, and Zero immediately released him and rushed towards the soap. Seeing this, Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief; clearly, he wouldn't get punched.

Almost simultaneously, as Zero picked up the bar of soap, everyone else rushed towards Zero as well. Xiao Zhan was among them! After throwing down a bar of soap, he sped up and charged towards Zero.

Just as Zero was picking up the soap, a man in a karate uniform brought a chop to his face. To his surprise, Zero simply sat down on the ground, and before he could react, Zero had already thrown the soap. The soap smashed directly into the man's face.

Without a word, Lin Jie struck the man in front of him directly in the armpit. With a crack, the man's arm dislocated. Of course, Zero's actions weren't over yet.

At that moment, another person in a taekwondo uniform kicked at Zero, but Zero simply rolled away, dodging the kick while still holding the man's dislocated arm. With a sharp pain, the taekwondo-uniformed man threw a punch at Zero with his other arm, which Zero also dodged. Almost simultaneously, Zero's other fist slammed into the man's other arm. In the blink of an eye, his face and arm were dislocated. At the same time, a man in a boxing uniform rained down several punches on Zero.

However, the next second, Zero used this person as a shield, actually using the man in the karate uniform to block the attacks of these punches. The man in the taekwondo uniform next to him kicked out again, and Lin Jie also kicked out.

The instant the legs crossed, Zero struck the man's inner thigh joint, causing him to collapse to the ground, clutching his leg and writhing in pain. Only then did Xiao Zhan reach the man's side and kick Zero, but Zero once again used the man in front of him to block the kick, causing the karate-uniformed man to spit and fall to the ground.

Bai Yu's figure reappeared, and Zero immediately freed his hand to exchange a few blows with him. Almost simultaneously, Xiao Zhan's second bar of soap also flew up, but at the same time, Zero scooped up some sand under his feet and kicked it in the direction the soap flew up.

After kicking, Zero dodged a flying knife with a quick sidestep.

At the same time, sand flew through the air and struck the soap directly, shattering it into pieces. Xiao Zhan was completely astonished; he hadn't expected such a thing to happen.

At this moment, does Xiao Zhan's knitting still possess the same power as theirs, even with zero?

At the same time, the boxer unleashed another series of punches at Zero. However, none of his punches landed on Zero; instead, every counterattack from Zero struck his opponent directly.

A man wearing a beret appeared in front of Zero at that moment, his dagger swiftly and accurately thrusting towards Zero. However, the next second he discovered that the boxer had somehow been pulled in front of Zero, and the dagger pierced directly into the boxer's thigh.

With a painful groan from the boxer, a man holding an attack bow in the distance finally drew his bow and released an arrow. An arrow flew straight towards Zero, but as if Zero had eyes in the air, he instinctively took a step back, dodging the attack. Zero then collapsed to the ground.

What followed was a series of rolls on the spot, and Zero Bai overcame the attacks of three people in one go. When he rolled to the bottom next to the Taekwondo uniform man, Zero Bai did not forget to kick him in the buttocks, which directly rendered the man completely unable to fight.

When Bai Yu, Xiao Zhan, and the man in the beret caught up, Zero had already stood up. At this moment, the men in boxing uniforms, taekwondo uniforms, and karate uniforms were all lying on the ground. Of the initial ten people, three had been lost in the brief exchange.

The remaining seven people looked at Zero, who stood before them, with some suspicion and uncertainty.

Was this person's power truly limited to their level? Keep in mind that they are all among the world's top fighters, yet in such a short encounter, all three were simply defeated.

Looking at Zero standing before them, almost everyone broke out in a cold sweat. Was this Zero? Was this the fighting skill of humanity's strongest hero? The skill and experience honed through countless battles were far beyond their reach.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, their fighting skills were initially trained to become strong among humans; you could say that almost all of their fighting skills are for dealing with humans. But Zero's fighting skills are completely different. They were honed through constant battles with monsters and are specifically designed to deal with monsters stronger than herself.

Looking into those blood-red eyes that had been staring at them a year ago, everyone felt a pang of fear. Was this Zero? Was this what it felt like to be a criminal and monster who had fought against Zero all this time? It was terrifying!

In just a moment of exchange, the terrifying sense of oppression made it hard for everyone to breathe.

Zero! This human legend, his power and oppressive aura can probably only be felt by those who have truly fought Zero. It is a power that is almost invincible.

Bai Yu and the others, who had only ever seen Zero's back, began to tremble involuntarily when they faced Zero head-on.

"Is this the end? Aren't you going to fight anymore? Aren't there still seven people left?" Zero suddenly asked, looking at Bai Yu and the others.

"Of course we'll fight. We're just thinking about tactics," Xiao Zhan suddenly said. "No matter what, this time we'll find a way to surpass you. Even if you're the strongest, we have to show you."

Hearing Xiao Zhan's words, Bai Yu calmed down: "That's right. The reason we've been standing here for the past few days is to tell you that we will surpass you sooner or later!"

As Bai Yu finished speaking, the battle finally resumed. An arrow shot straight towards Zero, but this time Zero didn't dodge; instead, he simply raised his hand and blocked the attack. The instant the arrow pierced Zero's arm, the person wielding the throwing knife launched a dagger at him. However, Zero immediately blocked the knife with the attack he had blocked in his hand. But as the knife landed, the arrow that had pierced Zero's palm had its fletching removed. Zero then grabbed the arrowhead and pulled it out.

It was at this moment that the true power of Zhenwu Baizhan was finally unleashed. Right in front of everyone, the first person to arrive beside Zero was a man wielding nunchucks. However, before the man could even use his nunchucks, the arrowhead in Zero's hand had already pierced the man's arm.

With a sharp pain in his opponent's arm, Zero snatched the nunchucks from his hand and, in the next second, sent the attacking Shiraha flying at an extreme angle. Just as the beret-wielding dagger was about to strike Zero, the nunchucks somehow managed to entangle his arm. A powerful force propelled the opponent to the side, and in that instant, the last fist of the fighting master, wrapped in bandages, finally struck.

A swift and tricky punch was aimed directly at Zero's heart. However, his fist missed Zero. The instant Lin Jie wielded the nunchucks, he used them to immobilize Zero's chest. Because Zero's arm and the nunchucks were a section longer than his opponent's, the opponent couldn't land a blow on Zero.

From behind, Bai Yu and Xiao Zhan attacked once again.

Zero World dodged to the side, and the man with the bandage on his fist, who had been struck in the chest, staggered forward a step due to shortness of breath. This step blocked Bai Yu's attack. At the same time, Zero turned around and swung his nunchucks at Xiao Zhan's face, sending him flying. The beret-wearing man tried to sneak up with his dagger again, but was immediately struck in the hand holding the dagger by the nunchucks.

Almost instantly, Zero wielded the nunchucks with the aura of a divine weapon. Whether it was the distant throwing knives or arrows, or the five martial arts experts coming and going, none of them could truly get close to Zero. The nunchucks in Zero's hands began to become increasingly masterful.

Another effect of the True Martial Arts Hundred Battles technique finally came into play at this moment: it allowed him to skillfully use any weapon. No matter what kind of weapon it was, once it was in Zero's hands, it could be used perfectly immediately.

Chapter VII

As the nunchucks danced back and forth in Zero's hands, a series of darts and arrows were all blocked by him. Of course, the battle was not over yet. Just as the banner found an opportunity to get close, Zero's spiked club struck Bai Yu's face first.

Outside the screen, everyone watched the comical barrier with tense expressions. After all, Xiao Zhan's theory was plausible, and with their cultivation levels suppressed to the same level, combat skills became the key. Undoubtedly, Zero possessed some of the most extensive combat experience in the world, but even so, Xiao Zhan and his team, comprised of the world's top fighters, might not necessarily be a match for Zero.

However, while the whole world watched this scene with anxiety, the internal struggle was not so optimistic.

Bai Yu was initially confident he could dodge Zero's nunchaku, but he hadn't expected Zero's nunchaku usage to suddenly become so varied, almost instantly overwhelming the kung fu master Bai Yu. The beret-wearing man who had previously taken advantage of the situation also suffered greatly this time; every attack he made seemed to be guided, completely blocked by Zero's attacks.

Not only were direct attacks ineffective, but they also affected Bai Yu's attacks.

Just as the three of them were locked in combat, Xiao Zhan threw his soap again. Unfortunately, each time the soap was thrown, it was smashed to pieces by the idiot kicked out by Zero before it even hit the ground. Enraged, Xiao Zhan smashed a bar of soap at his feet, but he immediately regretted it. In that instant, Lin Jie appeared at Xiao Zhan's feet. Xiao Zhan instinctively kicked at Zero, but this time Zero made a bizarre turn while running, dodging Xiao Zhan's attack and picking up the soap at the same time.

Before Xiao Zhan could react, the soap was smashed into his face, followed by a pair of nunchucks that lashed out at his face, sending him flying.

As Lin Jie sent Xiao Zhan flying, the original owner of the nunchucks behind him also moved close to Lin Jie, his fist slamming directly into Zero's body.

However, the next second, his punch, delivered with a burst of force, was skillfully deflected by Zero's swift turn. Retracting his fist, Zero unleashed a series of rapid punches towards Zero. However, facing these attacks, Zero directly countered with his nunchucks, and with a series of cracking sounds, his opponent's arm immediately became red and swollen.

That's for sure, after all, he was attacking Zero with his bare hands while he was wielding a weapon. At that moment, the beret moved closer to Zero once more, and the dagger stabbed directly at Zero's vital point.

Then he took a solid hit from the spiked club and was knocked to the ground.

The moment Zero saw the opponent approaching, he threw his spiked club. At the same time, the expert fighter using the one-inch punch landed a punch on Zero's chest. But Zero didn't retreat an inch, as if the punch had no effect on him. This made the man wonder if Zero was truly being suppressed.