Heroes Return

Zero was indeed being suppressed, but the battles he had experienced in the past were not something that could be ended with a single punch. Therefore, Zero could completely endure this pain. Seeing that his punch had no effect, the man's fist was thrown out again, and at the same time, his inch-force burst forth.

However, Zero also moved immediately after taking a punch, their fists colliding directly, followed by a series of rapid punches. In terms of sheer force, Zero completely overwhelmed his opponent. The man exchanging blows grew increasingly alarmed. Was Zero's will monstrous? He had landed every punch on Zero, yet Zero hadn't even taken a step back. The moment Zero's fists landed on him, he felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him.

In the end, the two of them struck each other at the same time once again. Zero remained standing still, while his opponent had already coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.

Although it lasted less than two seconds, the two exchanged a solid ten or so punches.

In those two seconds, the archer finally fired the arrow he had promised, which pierced Zero's shoulder. However, Zero's movements did not stop. As for the second arrow that was aimed at Zero's head, Zero dodged it.

After taking a deep breath, Bai Yu and the other person with bandages wrapped around their fists finally caught up with Zero. However, by the time the two arrived, Zero had already landed a punch on his opponent. At the same time, he forcefully pulled the arrow from his shoulder.

The man with bandages wrapped around his fist unleashed a barrage of punches as he approached Zero. However, the moment he landed a blow on Zero, an arrow in Zero's hand pierced the man's fist. Before the man could react, Zero had already pulled the arrow out a second time.

Bai Yu's staff also struck towards Zero, but it was blocked by the arrow. However, Bai Yu's palm was not something that any arrow could stop. As the staff shattered the arrow, it struck Zero once more.

Unfortunately, Zero dodged the attack by sidestepping. Throughout their fight with Zero, what struck everyone as strange was how he consistently managed to evade their crucial attacks. Facing Zero, they even felt as if they were facing a powerful being with eyes on all sides.

Zero easily saw through their previous coordinated attacks, and even managed to use their coordinated attacks to disrupt their battle rhythm.

In a single exchange, three people were swiftly taken down, disrupting their initial coordination. Now, the fourth person lying on the ground has appeared. It is naturally the man who exchanged punches with Zero. On the man's body, more than a dozen fist marks can be clearly seen. Although Zero also took more than a dozen punches, no one present could tell from his appearance that Zero had been hit.

The exchange with Bai Yu didn't last long before the beret-wearing man and the bandaged man closed in again, all three attacking Zero simultaneously, resulting in a chaotic four-way fight. Meanwhile, the knife-throwing man and the archer, seizing their opportunities, launched attacks on Zero.

As for Xiao Zhan, who had been knocked away, he was trying to get up from the sand, but after several attempts, he couldn't. His head was spinning, and his body was becoming unresponsive. There was no doubt that Lin Jie's nunchaku had caused considerable damage to Xiao Zhan, as it had directly struck him in the head.

"Damn it, at this time... why... why can't I stand up... this is my final battle!" Cursing his disobedient body, Xiao Zhan trembled as he tried to stand up. The sounds of several people fighting in the distance spurred Xiao Zhan to exert even more effort.

"Want to fight me with combat skills and willpower? That might be a good choice, since you can send one of you. However, if it were Dao Qizhan, you might still have a chance." Just as the battle was raging, the three people next to Zero heard Zero's voice almost simultaneously.

The person who had always been taciturn seemed to have become surprisingly talkative during this period.

Before they could react, a flash of blue light streaked past them, and Zero had somehow produced a dagger. However, Zero's movements with it were completely different from those of the beret user. In fact, Zero's handling of the dagger resembled that of a sword.

With a flash of blue light, the beret's arm was slashed open. Then, to the beret's astonishment, Zero snatched the dagger and plunged it into the bandaged man's other fist. Amidst the bandaged man's painful cry, Bai Yu kicked Zero. However, upon striking Zero, Zero's body jerked backward, instantly dissipating most of Bai Yu's force.

Of course, this wasn't even the technical part. Zero threw the dagger he'd mentioned directly at another man wielding a dagger. Undoubtedly, this was the same dagger that man had thrown earlier, only Zero had somehow managed to snatch it back. The thrown dagger missed its target. However, Zero used this opportunity to create distance between himself and Bai Yu. As for the other two who were still standing, they were now clearly seriously injured.

……

On the other side, C went to the sea somewhere. What people didn't know was that this was the entrance to a special space in the world. In this special space, mountains floated between the endless sky and earth, birds were flying and flowers were blooming, and there was a peaceful scene.

"Sect Leader, something big is about to happen in the human realm." A disciple of the Sword Hall arrived in front of Dao Qizhan on a flying sword and said calmly. Behind this disciple, almost all of the hundreds of Sword Hall experts had arrived.

On Hidden Sword Mountain, the arrival of these people caused hundreds of thousands of immortal swords to tremble almost simultaneously, their soaring sword intent erupting continuously. However, the next second, Dao Qizhan simply waved his hand calmly, and all 100,000 sword intents on the entire mountain subsided.

"what happened?"

"It's about Zero. After the battle with the gods, he actually..."

"So what?"

"The power of miracles! He actually intends to reclaim the power of miracles!" The Sword Hall disciple couldn't help but say, "If he succeeds, there will probably be widespread devastation."

"We don't concern ourselves with matters of the human realm," Dao Qizhan said calmly.

"But Sect Leader, didn't you say that there would eventually be a battle with Zero?" The Sword Hall disciple suddenly asked Dao Qizhan, "Isn't now a good opportunity?"

"No, he is not at his strongest right now," Dao Qizhan replied calmly.

"But if he really finishes collecting them, the cataclysmic end of the Dharma will likely descend once more. My Sword Hall might then..."

"So what? We, the members of the Sword Hall, have been detached from worldly affairs for many years. Since the cataclysmic end of the Dharma is going to destroy us, if we are destroyed, it is because we are incompetent and it is our fate." Dao Qizhan said calmly, "No one in any Sword Hall territory is allowed to participate in this matter."

Upon hearing Dao Qizhan's words, the Sword Hall members couldn't help but leave Dao Qizhan's location once again.

From beginning to end, Dao Qizhan's eyes showed absolutely no fluctuation of emotion. Nor could one discern any feeling whatsoever. The coldness in his words was enough to chill anyone who came into contact with him.

chapter eight

The battle resumed, and the beret-wearing man, dragging his injured arm, attempted to attack Zero once more. Unfortunately for him, before he could even get close, Zero's hand had already grabbed his shoulder. With a cracking sound, his arm was dislocated.

Of course, this wasn't the end. As he dislocated the other man's joint, the bandaged man kicked at Zero. But when he felt he'd kicked someone, he was shocked to find he'd kicked one of his own. At that moment, Zero was pressed against him, and his injured hands made him instinctively try to knee Zero.

This time, however, it only struck the cloak. A storm of attacks rained down on the opponent. By the time Bai Yu's slap came, Zero had already taken a few steps back. The bandaged man had also fallen. At this moment, only four people remained standing. Arrows were fired in that instant, but Zero caught them precisely, and throwing knives flew towards Zero from different directions.

However, with Zero wielding his bow and arrow, he managed to deflect all the flying knives.

"How is this possible? Does he have eyes all over his body?" The person using the throwing knife exclaimed in shock at the sight. Almost simultaneously, Bai Yu's attack once again struck Zero. However, this time Zero had no intention of directly confronting Bai Yu. Instead, he kicked up some sand and sent it flying towards the person using the throwing knife not far away.

The opponent reacted immediately, dodging as if his direction had been predicted. However, a broken arrow flew towards him. The man throwing the knife caught the arrow with his head as he dodged.

With a muffled thud, a sudden dizziness washed over him. Zero, meanwhile, charged towards the knife-throwing man. Bai Yu followed suit. Archers in the distance began attempting to block Zero's attacks with their arrows. However, all their efforts were in vain. Their physical abilities seemed similar, but Zero's speed was clearly far superior to anyone else present.

"Is it footwork from ancient martial arts? But why? It shouldn't be some advanced footwork! Why can't I catch up with him even with my advanced ancient martial arts footwork?" Bai Yu looked at Zero in shock. But he immediately understood. The same move, executed by an ordinary martial artist, is ultimately different from one executed by a martial arts master.

Before Bai Yu could reach the other side, Lin Jie, the man who threw the flying knife, was already punched in the throat by Zero. In the instant he went into shock, Zero actually picked up the man and blocked Bai Yu's palm strike from behind.

Of course, this wasn't the end. Zero then grabbed the man's body and used it to shield Zero from three arrows fired from the archer. The archer in the distance, seeing his weapon had hit his own men, was stunned for a moment before stopping his bow. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, several throwing knives were simultaneously aimed at him.

The throwing knife flew past, and the archer barely dodged it, but his bowstring was severed in the process. Only then did the archer feel a piercing pain in his knee. After severing his bowstring, the throwing knife had struck his knee once more.

At that moment, Zero threw the half-dead knife-throwing man onto Bai Yu and rushed toward the person in front of him.

Faced with Zero's pursuit, the archer lost his weapon and suffered a severe knee injury, so he was quickly captured by Zero. Needless to say, his fate was sealed; a series of attacks rendered him unconscious.

Bai Yu's attack finally landed on Zero, but at the same time, Zero retaliated by striking Bai Yu's palm. Both of them took a step back. Looking at his bloodied hand, Zero couldn't help but glance at Bai Yu's gloves. A pair of white gloves, seemingly ordinary, but without a doubt, it was a powerful weapon.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xiao Zhan's figure appeared silently behind Zero, his cleaning stick slamming down towards Zero. In the instant Zero dodged the blow, Xiao Zhan's comical shield shot out, sending Zero flying.

"He can actually stand up?" Lin Jie looked at Xiao Zhan and couldn't help but be a little surprised.

"Dude, I don't know what you're after, but as a hero, I can't let you succeed. Just like last time you stopped me, this time, I'm going to stop you no matter what!" Looking at Zero standing up not far away, Xiao Zhan's cleaning stick and comical shield emitted a faint light.

On the other side, Bai Yu's gaze was also fixed on Ling's figure. Just then, a box containing acupuncture needles appeared on Bai Yu's waist, and almost simultaneously, Bai Yu's gaze was also fixed on the various acupoints on Ling's body.

"After our previous encounter, I've finally confirmed that Zero, you are indeed a real human!" Bai Yu sighed helplessly.

"Hey, don't you guys see me as a human being?"

“After all, you’re too strong, and you’ve never shown your true form or had any real contact with people. Even the Hero Association has had quite a few rumors about you not actually being human.” Bai Yu said calmly, “But now I’m finally sure that you really are a person, so my superpowers should be effective against you.”

"Your superpower?" Upon hearing Lin Jie and Bai Yu's words, Ling thought for a moment before saying, "I remember now, you seem to have that superpower that can cause people's endocrine system to become disordered!"

"It's hormonal regulation! Not an endocrine disorder!"

"Isn't it the same thing? Regulating endocrine function." Zero didn't seem to care at all: "Speaking of which, you probably used this ability when you slapped me just now, right? Trying to make me lose my will to fight or something."

"..."

"Give up. His will can't be changed by simple endocrine regulation." Xiao Zhan couldn't help but say to Bai Yu at this moment, "But I don't believe that his endocrine system is really unaffected right now."

"I already said! It's hormones!!" Bai Yu corrected him again helplessly.

"Alright, since you've all taken out your weapons, I'll take one too. Otherwise, it might seem disrespectful." Looking at Xiao Zhan and Bai Yu's equipment, a crisp sound suddenly rang out from Lin Jie's hand. Immediately afterward, a bronze ancient sword appeared in his sleeve, its azure light causing both Bai Yu and Xiao Zhan to instinctively shiver.

"This sword is called Wentian. I estimate it's on the same level as the weapons you two have..."

As she spoke, Zero's figure rushed towards Xiao Zhan and Bai Yu.

……

Meanwhile, offstage, the heroes were watching the countdown with the sheriff. After all, Zero's power was too great, and the farcical reactor they had hastily put together probably wouldn't last long. Although a master of equal strength might not necessarily be defeated by Zero, if they couldn't defeat Zero within this time, then when the world ended and Zero's power returned, these people would be in real danger.

"Go for it, Bai Yu!" Seeing this, Torus couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Bai Yu.

"Don't worry, even Zero, if they're at the same power level, couldn't possibly defeat ten battle-hardened heroes. After all, those heroes haven't had an easy time these past few years," the Galactic Warrior said to Torus with a smile. "All we need to do later is prepare a victory celebration. After all, this might be Zero's first defeat."

"Do you really think Zero can be defeated so easily?" Captain Justice suddenly spoke up, "Even if the two leaders are the same, Zero's combat skills and experience are no joke."

“Zero, extremely powerful.” The angelic girl Po Jun, who had been mostly silent, suddenly spoke up at this moment.

"Don't worry, the probability of ten people defeating Zero is over 85%." Gear couldn't help but join the discussion at this moment: "I've seen Xiao Zhan's plan and those people's personal data. I've also recorded all of Zero's past combat skills and habits into the machine. After tens of thousands of combat simulations, the conclusion is that there is an 85% probability that Zero will be defeated within the allotted time. Of course, there is also a 15% probability that Zero will last until the time runs out and then recover his strength. At that time, if Zero is seriously injured, we can use the Hero Association's next strike, not giving Zero a chance to breathe and recover."

"Kuhuhu, so what are the odds if Zero defeats all ten of them?" Alice's laughter suddenly rang out.

“According to my simulations, this is impossible.” Gear shook his head: “No matter how strong Zero is, Zero will ultimately be facing a combat master.”

"Do you really believe your data is correct? Or do you really understand the full power of Zero? Kuhuhu." Alice looked at the gear with ill intent: "I know about mechanical simulations, you know? If even one thing is overlooked, then your simulation results are useless. They're all wrong."

Are you saying I overlooked something?

"Kuhuhu, want to make a bet? When the barrier disappears, Zero will appear, and the other ten people will all be lying down." Alice said to Gear with a hint of sarcasm, "I'm very confident about this! Do you really think that as long as you bring Zero's power to the same level as yours, you'll have a chance to defeat him? That's ridiculous."

Chapter nine

Just as everyone anxiously awaited the outcome, the enormous, comical barrier in the distance finally began to dim. Undoubtedly, the power of the comic was gradually weakening. And as the power of the comic diminished, the scene slowly began to become clearer.

The first thing they saw were Xiao Zhan, Bai Yu, and the others lying on the ground. Some were groaning, while others lay motionless on the sand, their fates unknown. But just as everyone's hearts were in their throats, they were surprised to see that Zero was also lying on the ground.

"Was it a lose-lose situation? Zero is just too powerful! He managed to fight ten people to a draw with equal strength!!! Is this the power of the strongest hero?" Everyone gasped as they looked at Zero lying on the ground.

"Regardless, at least this time our plan seems to have succeeded! Notify the countermeasures team to immediately implement the follow-up plan!" Leng Yan's expression was far from relaxed. After all, what to do with Zero after this was still a major problem. Zero was simply too strong! How to imprison and suppress Zero was also a major issue.

Seeing Zero lying on the ground, all the heroes breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't expected to actually succeed, even though it was a devastating result of mutual destruction.

"To be able to fight like this is enough to prove how terrifying Zero is." Gear gritted his teeth and said, "You have to know that, at the same level, Zero took down ten fighters with excellent combat skills just by relying on his combat skills. What Zero has demonstrated is not just his strength. It is also the strength honed through countless battles."

"..." Hearing Gear's words, Alice's expression was not very happy: "Zero shouldn't be like this."

“But he fell down too, didn’t he?” Gear said to Alice with a smile. “If it’s a lose-lose situation, it seems there’s no need to gamble.”

At that moment, an airship appeared above Zero, and a group of fully armed mechanical researchers jumped down from it. Each of the researchers was carrying a number of sophisticated combat machines.

Just as they were about to do something to Zero, right in front of everyone, Zero suddenly stood up. Right in front of all the heroes in the world, Zero stood up.

"Holy crap! When did my leftover watermelon roll here?" Zero glanced at the watermelon at his feet, dusted himself off in front of everyone, and felt incredibly embarrassed looking at the crowd: 'Holy crap, did they really film that scene?! My reputation is ruined!!'

Just thirty seconds ago, Lin Jie swiftly sent Xiao Zhan flying again. This time, Xiao Zhan didn't get up, nor did the other nine experts, including Bai Yu; not one of them stood up.

Looking at the people lying on the ground, Lin Jie merely glanced at the barrier that was about to disappear and said arrogantly, "Hmph, one of them is enough to deal with me? There are still too few."

After saying that, Zero turned around gracefully in front of everyone, then accidentally stepped on a watermelon and tripped over it...

Lin Jie instantly felt his face flush. He had just finished showing off and immediately made such an embarrassing mistake. It seemed he really wasn't cut out for showing off. Just then, a large group of 'onlookers' descended from the sky…

"Holy crap! This is so damn embarrassing! I might as well not get up! Aaaaaah! My life's wisdom is ruined!!!"

Finally, after a period of internal struggle, Lin Jie stood up and looked somewhat awkwardly at the 'onlookers'.

As for the 'onlookers'? They were all staring blankly at Zero, who had stood up and was slapping the sand away, their expressions best described as priceless. Regardless of what Zero was thinking, these people were probably already cursing him out in their minds. Who was the bastard who said Zero had been defeated?

No matter how you looked at it, Zero seemed perfectly fine! Wouldn't these people just be handing themselves over to arrest him now? For a moment, everyone stared at Zero in terror, no one daring to utter a sound. Zero himself was still immersed in the shame from before and didn't know what to say. An eerie silence fell over the scene…

The current situation for the heroes can only be described as extremely awkward. This wasn't just the case for Zero; the Hero Association was in the same boat. Seeing this, almost everyone wore an expression of shock. Gear's smiling expression vanished instantly, his face falling.