Heroes Return

"In this world, justice will prevail! Even you, Zero, will not win under justice!" Dongyang's voice rang in everyone's ears, and almost simultaneously, the mental giant punched Lin Jie.

However, the next second, this mental giant vanished into thin air.

No one noticed that a divine sword, even larger than the psychic giant, descended from the sky at that moment, instantly destroying the psychic giant. The next second, Lin Jie's figure appeared beside Dong Yang.

"You're here too?"

"It's about you! How could I not come? Last time you stopped me, this time it's my turn to stop you!" Dongyang said, her body instantly transforming into a pair of butterflies that drifted in all directions. However, at that moment, Lin Jie's Guixu slashed out, directly piercing one of the butterflies. Instantly, all the magical butterflies flew back and reassembled into Dongyang.

Looking at the longsword piercing into his doll-like body, Dongyang couldn't help but ask, "What kind of power is this?"

However, before Lin Jie could answer, Dong Yang had already fallen to the ground. His smaller body showed obvious signs of damage. It should be noted that the Dong Yang of the past could have survived even direct destruction of this body.

"Who's next?" he asked again, looking at the heroes present.

"It's me!" a massive speaker blared. In that instant, a huge shadow fell over the sky. Almost simultaneously, the floating fortress plummeted down, once again appearing alongside the floating island. The same voice echoed: "Zero! The future of science is limitless! Even if you are powerful now, believe me, you will be defeated by infinitely evolving technology!"

As his words fell, the floating fortress in the sky began to transform! Indeed, right before everyone's eyes, the floating fortress gradually transformed into a gigantic super-giant. From afar, its towering presence was incredibly imposing. Countless weapons emerged from the giant robot's body.

"It's a pity Rose is missing. Otherwise, as the core of this machine, the power they could unleash would be beyond my calculation." Sighing in the cockpit, He Lun adjusted her glasses, a flushed smile spreading across her face. "Well then, I'll have 100,000 floating cannons around me! And 20,000 automatically locked antimatter main cannons on my body. Let me show you my power! Ah… I can finally fire at zero!"

Along with the girl's flushed face, Gear finally pressed the button in the control room. Instantly, all the energy cannons automatically locked onto Zero. Countless barrages of fire began to rain down on Zero in that instant.

Faced with this terrifying barrage of firepower and the sky full of floating cannons, even Zero was somewhat surprised. However, he immediately wielded the Void Returning to Earth to continuously deflect the attacks.

However, the gears continued to unleash their firepower relentlessly, as if they were not worried about the difference in energy sources at all.

In fact, Gear wasn't worried at all, because the largest super mech in history that she was currently in was equipped with four super reactors. Two of them were nuclear reactors, but if they were really called nuclear reactors, Gear would only laugh at them; she had given these two reactors a different name.

The reason they're called 'artificial solar reactors' is simple: these two reactors use nuclear fusion as their energy source. That's a much higher-energy technology; after all, the sun's reaction is nuclear fusion. However, these two reactors are only responsible for handling all the processes within the reactor structure and operating some ordinary internal machinery.

The third reactor is specifically designed to supply existing weapons.

The 'antimatter reactor'—as antimatter is capable of destroying humanity, the power of this antimatter reactor before us is self-evident. It's worth noting that of the two largest antimatter reactors in the world, one was lost in the War of the Gods, and the second is inside this enormous mech.

However, the true source of the machine's kinetic energy and special weapons is the fourth reactor. This reactor is, in fact, entirely based on the core patent of the gears, and currently, apart from this particular accident, no other technology can create this reactor.

Unlike the previous reactors, the 'Star Reactor' is less a product of science and more a product of metaphysics. This is because the most fundamental substance added to this reactor is sacred metal—the same sacred metal used to create mythical weapons. Furthermore, after its construction, the reactor became virtually an infinitely powerful energy source. Currently, the superweapons used by the World Government, those prefixed with "Star," derive almost entirely their energy from this reactor.

This is a reactor capable of drawing energy from the void between the stars in the universe. Simply put, it's a super reactor that can absorb the power of nature, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and magical energy.

Therefore, even with so many weapons attacking zero simultaneously, the entire machine hardly needs to worry about energy issues.

Faced with this barrage of attacks, Lin Jie didn't seem flustered at all; he simply kept using the Return to Emptiness technique to block them.

"Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot, shoot, shoot! Let me see Zero's real combat stats!" Inside the machine, Gear's face showed excitement. But the next second, Gear's expression turned to confusion, as the constantly flashing alarm messages told him that his offensive weapons were rapidly depleting.

"Huh?" After hearing so many hints, a look of confusion finally appeared on Cilun's face. Zero hadn't moved at all, so why were his funnels and the machine's own antimatter cannons constantly decreasing?

After some initial confusion, he turned on the external security cameras. Right in front of him, he clearly saw each turret explode after being attacked!

"This is impossible! How could this be!" Gear's expression was one of shock as it looked at the scene before it, as were the floating cannons in the sky, which were exploding continuously.

What she couldn't see was that all the energy that came into contact with the Void flew back and strangely returned to the transmitter. Then, the transmitter exploded as if it had been struck by Lin Jie's sword.

On the ground, Zero wielded the Void Reversion spell while moving forward, closing in on the massive mech before him.

The next second, the mech produced an incredibly human-like animation. It simply jumped back a step and drew a massive energy sword from its waist, slashing it down at the tiny Lin Jie.

The moment the Void Realm collided with the energy sword, the energy sword exploded. The mech released its grip and flew into the sky, simultaneously drawing an energy gun as large as itself. It fired a single shot at Lin Jie. From a distance, it wasn't apparent, but up close, it was clear that this thing was a modified orbital cannon, transformed from a satellite station into a mech. Of course, besides the slight differences in appearance, this gun was also a rapid-fire weapon…

However, it seems there's no longer a chance for it to fire in rapid succession.

Just as the cannon fired at Zero, Zero had already raised his sword and slashed at the weapon in front of him. From a distance, it looked as if Zero had swung his sword out of thin air. However, the next second, the massive mech's will arm, along with its energy gun, was cleaved in two and exploded.

"Damn, I don't have to pay for this, right?" Looking at the massive mech in the sky, Lin Jie's face showed a helpless expression. He hadn't managed to control his power. He hadn't intended to damage such a huge robot.

"I...am I seeing things?" On the other side, Gear's face showed a shocked expression, because in that instant, she seemed to see an endless longsword slashing down towards her. However, this scene only flashed by, and the next second everything returned to normal, except for the mecha's arm.

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P.S.: My new book, "I'm No Longer a Villain," has been uploaded. I hope those interested will support it. Also, I won't abandon the prequel; you can rest assured. The prequel will officially begin serialization after the main story of "Heroes" is completed.

Chapter 33

Seeing the alarm appear on the machine, Cilun's face showed a surprised expression: "This is amazing! How can Zero be so strong! How can he do this without any technology? Changing fate! It's unimaginable! It seems I need some of his ancestral DNA! I really want to know what his genetic material is like!"

With an excited expression, Gear continued to operate the robot, attacking Lin Jie's direction. It was at this moment that Zero vanished. Even on this round's radar, Zero couldn't be found. However, just as Gear was wondering, Zero had already arrived on the outside of the mech.

"What?! When did this happen?!" Gear looked shocked at the scene. However, in the next second, Zero punched the mech, and the energy barrier on the frame, which could easily defend against SS-level attacks, was shattered by Zero's fist as easily as glass. Then, right in front of everyone, another hole was opened in the outside of the mech, and Zero flew in.

Instantly, the entire mech malfunctioned and collapsed to its knees in the vast desert.

Behind the mech, another hole appeared, and Zero had already pulled himself out of the mech, riding on this wheel.

Held in Zero's arms, Chiru wasn't particularly afraid. In fact, what Zero was about to do wasn't of much concern to Gear. After all, for her, science was an inevitable outcome built from countless trials; the absence of miracles was more fitting for a scientific researcher like herself. However, as one of the Hero Association's heroes, Chiru had to challenge Zero, and she also wanted to know just how far she could go with her current, most powerful technology. Moreover, she had obtained a lot of useful data; at least the super mech, built at great expense, didn't appear completely damaged.

Seeing Zero carrying him to the ground, Gear's face flushed slightly. Although he really wanted Zero to give him some of his ancestral DNA for research, there was no doubt that now was not the time.

When Zero put down the gear, the battlefield fell silent. Almost everyone was watching Zero, but no one dared to launch the first attack.

Or rather, no one dared to continue attacking Zero. This person was simply too powerful. So powerful that everyone present combined could only feel despair. With the defeat of the demon, the magic society's super magic was once again broken. After the Gear's strongest mech was destroyed, no one wanted to step forward anymore.

Too strong! After a series of battles, Zero has become so powerful that it's almost impossible to even consider challenging him. He's defeated such immense power! What chance do they have?

Although the heroes are strong, their strength is far too insignificant compared to Zero-One before them.

The heroes of the Hero Association looked at each other, none daring to step forward. The World Government soldiers, watching Zero in the distance, many had already lowered their weapons. These soldiers had given up; they no longer intended to fight. And ultimately, as conscientious soldiers, they simply didn't have the courage to pull the trigger on a man who had just saved the world!

Zero! This name, which sounds like a ridiculous joke from someone with chuunibyou (middle school syndrome), has gone all the way to the present day and is undoubtedly no different from a god.

Below the floating island, Claude looked at Zero in the distance: "He... he's so huge! Can we really defeat someone this massive?"

"Defeat what? We can't possibly defeat him!" the cursor's voice rang out from the side: "Zero is zero! Now you understand! It was a foolish thing for us to vote to fight Zero again from the very beginning! And besides! We superpowered people on the floating island don't want to continue fighting!"

"But! If we don't continue fighting, it means we agree with his actions!" Kira's voice rang out at that moment: "We are heroes, heroes, and we absolutely cannot condone wrongdoings."

“Then go fight him yourself!” the cursor said, his gaze once again fixed on Zero. “Time is almost up! What can we do? And don’t forget! We’re not heroes, we’re just freaks in the eyes of ordinary people. Unlike you former heroes, we’ve never had any sense of obligation to uphold justice! Zero, right or wrong, is our savior! Don’t forget, we are the majority on this island, you old-time heroes are just outsiders! Anyway, we’re not going to fight anymore. You can fight him yourselves! The promise has been kept, and at this point, I have no intention of continuing to turn my sword against my savior.”

As soon as the cursor finished speaking, many of the superheroes on the floating islands put away their weapons. At that moment, they had given up on the idea of ​​continuing to defeat Zero.

"Cursor! Stop talking! Our participation in the war is hopeless!" Nianxin interrupted Gear.

“I understand. In order to appease those old humans and to allow us to live peacefully with the World Government again, we can’t compromise, right? So we have to take action against our saviors! Now that we’ve already taken action for the greater good, I don’t think there’s any need to continue, right?” Guangbiao directly retorted to Nianxin’s words.

“That’s right, we can definitely go back now! Time is running out. Zero has always been invincible, and he is undoubtedly still so now.” At this moment, Number One, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: “The Zero we know now is not the Zero we imagined. He is just a selfish, ordinary person.”

Upon hearing Number One's words, everyone's gaze turned to Number One, but quickly returned to Zero in the distance. Zero had already returned to his original bottle. Despite all the battles, the bottle remained completely intact.

Within the Hero Association, many voices of resentment rose up.

"Damn it! In the end, we still can't do anything! Even our hero is no longer a hero, and we can't do anything at all!!!" Bai Yu's face showed a resentful expression. Of course, it wasn't just Bai Yu; almost everyone present wore complex expressions. However, even with complex expressions, no one was willing to continue fighting Zero.

"We've already lost. No one can defeat Zero in the remaining time." The Master of Miracles looked at his opponent, then sat down dejectedly on the ground. "Looks like I'll have to get used to life without magic from now on! The future of the Hero Association is in your hands! Torus, you feel the same way, right?"

"Although I know that what Zero is about to do is extremely selfish and wrong, we are powerless to stop it. Leng Yan is right, we are too weak, relying only on a powerful being we have idealized. And when that person shatters our imagination, we can't stop him. This time, Zero has made it very clear to us! He is not some ignorant god, nor some guardian who forever upholds morality and justice. In fact, Zero is just a selfish ordinary person now." Torus's voice rang out at this moment: "My life comes from magic, and it seems I must bid you farewell completely. Heroes of the Hero Association, if you don't want today's failure to happen again, strive to become stronger! Since Zero is not what we think he is, let's use our own power to create an ideal symbol of justice."

"Torus..." Upon hearing Torus's words, all the surrounding heroes looked at the crowd: "There's still some time; the battle isn't over yet."

"In this short time, there's nothing we can do. We've almost used up all our trump cards, haven't we?" Torus said dejectedly. "With our current strength, trying to defeat Zero in the remaining time is just a pipe dream, isn't it? And think about it! Can we really defeat him? In the end, it'll just be a total annihilation! By now, this battle shouldn't even need to be fought anymore. Not just me, after Zero fought that man called Demon, everyone should have lost their fighting spirit, right? Otherwise, why didn't anyone from the Gears' mechs help us?"

"..." Upon hearing his words, everyone fell silent.

In the distance, towards the sea tribes, everyone trembled. Many of their sea tribe armies believed that with the combined might of all their legions, they could perhaps annihilate the being that had brought them countless terrible nightmares. What the sea tribes couldn't comprehend at the time was that this was simply impossible. From soldiers to generals, after a series of battles, no one wanted to continue challenging the Black Death!

Although no one died, the Black Death's power had deterred them from further transgressions! The shadow of the Black Death lingered in the hearts of every sea creature. Previously, the Black Death could defeat many sea creatures without killing a single one. He remained invincible even when surrounded. Now, the Black Death could kill them all.

Every sea creature believed that killing them was easier than sparing their lives. Therefore, they no longer wanted to anger the Black Death! Continuing would only lead to their demise.

"The battle no longer needs to continue." Looking at the scene before her, Heina sighed softly: "We have lost. In the end, our life and death are just a matter of the Black Death's will."

“Zero…” Thirteen looked at Zero from afar. If that person really was Lin Jie, then without a doubt, this was the first time he felt so far away from Zero, an almost infinitely distant distance.

"Huh?" Looking at the crowd who were just watching him without making a move, Lin Jie spoke again, "Don't you want to fight anymore? I'm about to win! Are you all defending your heritage and your justice? Why are you standing here? Come up and fight me! Why have you all stopped?"

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Looking at the crowd before him, Lin Jie asked once more, "Have you all decided to give up?"

Upon hearing his words, everyone turned to look at Lin Jie. Just then, Leng Yan's voice rang out in everyone's ears.

"No matter what you think, I will never give up. The Hero Association cannot compromise on any injustice." With that, Leng Yan charged out from the crowd, and the entire area began to cool down instantly.

"I haven't given up either." Po Jun's voice rang out at that moment. He also rushed out with Leng Yan. Along with them, Captain Justice, Flame Sonic, the Isabella sisters, Time and Space, and Fenrir also charged towards Lin Jie, preparing to launch another attack on Lin Jie.

Many of the other heroes also charged towards zero once again. From a small number at the beginning, their numbers gradually increased. On the Magic Association's side, all the mages were prepared to fight to the death.

However, just as the number of attackers was increasing in preparation for the final assault, the battlefield suddenly fell silent. A beautiful, ordinary-looking human woman had appeared before Zero. The moment she appeared, almost everyone showed surprise, and the attacks paused briefly. No one noticed when the girl had arrived beside Zero.

"Hey! You're here too? Come to think of it, you're not exactly a fighter!" Looking at Tian Xiaoshu, Lin Jie sighed helplessly, "Even if you're here, you can't be of any help, right? Go back now."

"Do you really not want me anymore? Or do you feel guilty?" Hearing Lin Jie's words, Tian Xiaoshu suddenly spoke up: "After all, you ultimately chose her."

"..." Hearing Tian Xiaoshu's words, Lin Jie paused for a moment before saying, "Let's not talk about the past."

"But is it really worth it for Xiaoqian? Would she really be happy if she knew?"

"..." Hearing Tian Xiaoshu's question, Lin Jie's tone softened. If there was anyone in this world whom Lin Jie felt indebted to, it was probably only Tian Xiaoshu. Back in the past, when it was just the three of them—Tian Xiaoshu, Xiaoqian, and him—Tian Xiaoshu had sacrificed a lot for him, even putting herself in danger at one point. Yet, in the end, Lin Jie still rejected Tian Xiaoshu, even hurting her in some ways.

Therefore, Lin Jie could not bring himself to be forceful when facing Tian Xiaoshu.

"Maybe I won't be happy? But even so, I still want to try. I want to see her." Lin Jie said, "Last year I thought I had moved on, and even started trying to win over girls. But in the end, I found that I still couldn't start a completely new relationship. In the end, I really am a scumbag."

"Yes! You really are a scumbag! A scumbag who only thinks things through!" Tian Xiaoshu replied, her voice choked with emotion, before she stepped forward and hugged Lin Jie tightly. "At that time, why would I still like a scumbag like you?! Idiot! Why do you always live in the past? Why can't you look forward?! No matter what, I won't allow it! I like you, and this time I won't back down! This time, not only will I not back down, but I won't watch you bring that rival back to life! No matter what, I hate Xiaoqian, and I will never let her come back to life! Even if you hate me! Even if you're called a selfish girl!!"

"Uh..." Looking at Xiaoqian hugging him, Lin Jie was a little surprised for a moment: "But you can't stop it."

"Kuhuhu! Really?" Upon hearing Lin Jie's words, a girl's laughter rang out: "She really can't stop her! So if you want to continue, you have to kill her!"

"Alice?" Upon hearing Alice's words, Lin Jie's gaze turned to Tian Xiaoshu beside him. Runes had appeared on the girl's body, connecting to the ground. At the same time, her arms, which were wrapped around Lin Jie, were also linked together by runes.

"If you use your strength, you can break free from her! Then she will be torn to pieces! Using the magical connection, she is completely locked to you! However, it is a lock that is very easy to break."

"Is this your plan?" Lin Jie's gaze turned icy upon hearing her words.

"The plan was indeed hers, but I did it voluntarily! If you want to resurrect Xiaoqian, then kill me!" Tian Xiaoshu's firm voice rang out at this moment: "I'm sorry, but I have to do it!"

"..." Faced with Tian Xiaoshu's resolute expression, Lin Jie was momentarily stunned. This was the first time he had seen Tian Xiaoshu so determined; he hadn't seen her like this in a long time. Strong-willed and unreasonable, she was completely unlike the obedient girl she used to be.

“Kuhuhu, we originally planned to have Lin Wan do this, but she said she didn’t want to be hated by you, so she stopped the plan. Speaking of which, it was a dangerous plan! After all, no one can guarantee you won’t suddenly kill someone.” Alice said, glancing at Lin Jie: “This is our first official game. It’s so much fun!”

"I'll teach you a lesson after this is all over." Seeing this, Lin Jie suddenly laughed, stroking the girl's head in his arms, before saying, "What a clever tactic! You'll learn your lesson for this cheating plan after it's all over!"

"Kuhuhu! Then we'll meet again then!" With Alice's words, a blue figure ran out from the crowd, a blue arm reaching straight for Zero from behind. While restricting Zero's movements, Alice's second plan finally began.