On the arena, Abomination and Hoshigaki Kisame had no idea the platform had a "Lock-HP" mechanic.
However, despite this, they were still fighting with all their strength.
And as Sephiroth slashed Abomination's chest open and sent another blade flying into Kisame's heart, the fight finally ended.
"I didn't expect you to be this strong!"
Abomination touched his nearly bisected chest and gritted his teeth as he spoke in a deep voice.
On the other side, Kisame was still struggling to release a ninjutsu.
Unfortunately, his chakra was completely depleted. Despite trying for a long time, he couldn't even cast the most basic Water Release.
He collapsed onto the arena like a fish out of water, belly up.
Opposite him, Sephiroth wasn't doing so great either.
To deal with Abomination and Kisame, he had used nearly every ounce of his strength.
Though he was still standing, he didn't even have the energy to walk over and pull his sword Masamune out of Kisame's body.
After a long while, Sephiroth finally caught his breath.
"You are strong, but I won!"
A smile appeared on Sephiroth's face. Defeating the two of them brought him one step closer to joining Su Ye's team.
No matter how many more opponents remained, he would defeat them one by one until they all lay down or he could no longer stand.
Outside the arena, the remaining Great Wall Guardians exchanged glances.
They had witnessed and even experienced battles this brutal before.
But to fight like that just for a vote—they felt they probably couldn't do it.
Moreover, Sephiroth had fought to this extent not just because he loved battle, nor for himself, but to resurrect his mother.
This kind of filial piety was indeed worthy of respect.
In the end, Captain America and Zheng Xian discussed it and made a unanimous decision.
"We agree to let Sephiroth join the Great Wall Guardians, but there's one condition that must be made clear in advance."
Zheng Xian stepped forward in his role as political commissar and announced the decision.
"No matter who it is, once they join the Great Wall Guardians, they must follow its rules and regulations, obey orders without hesitation, and never leave their post or act on their own accord."
"Especially during missions, this rule must be strictly followed. This is the most fundamental and strictest rule of the Great Wall Guardians!"
Sephiroth nodded.
"I agree."
No leader, regardless of their faction, would want an unruly subordinate. This was normal, and Sephiroth understood.
"Good!"
Zheng Xian clapped his hands. "Then, on behalf of the Great Wall Guardians, I officially welcome you, Mr. Sephiroth."
Sephiroth nodded. As he relaxed, his body suddenly gave out and collapsed.
Just then, the red arena beneath their feet suddenly disappeared, transforming into a red light that flowed into the bodies of the three who had fought.
As the red light entered them, their fatigue and injuries vanished in an instant.
They were fully revived on the spot!
"This... What's going on?"
Everyone looked in confusion at the three who had been fully restored.
The three of them also looked at each other in disbelief.
"What's going on? Did Uncle Su do something again?"
Su Ye appeared in front of everyone, smiling.
"No need to make a fuss. This is just a simple application I developed after researching the Reality Stone."
"This red light is the excess power of the Reality Stone, forming something like a domain."
"Within this domain, you can fight freely. Any physical injuries and lost strength are locked by the arena and returned to you when the arena dissipates."
"In other words, as long as you fight in this arena, no matter how badly you are injured, you don't have to worry about dying."
"Even if your head is cut off or your heart is ripped out, it won't matter."
"Anyone want to give it a try?"
Su Ye looked around as he spoke.
If not for his status, he himself would have wanted to experience it.
However, among the Great Wall Guardians present, aside from Abomination and Kisame, the others were all cautious and steady individuals.
Knowing the arena had such a function was enough for them; they didn't feel the need to personally test it.
If there was a chance in the future, they could consider it.
Seeing everyone's lack of enthusiasm, Su Ye shrugged and led the group back to the spaceship.
"Now that this is settled, it's time for us to return to Earth."
Inside the spaceship, Su Ye spoke to the others.
No one objected to this.
This trip had opened their eyes to new sights and deepened their understanding of the universe and power.
Returning to Earth for some rest was a good idea.
Whether continuing their cosmic adventures or contributing to building a new Earth, both were worthwhile paths.
As for Yondu's Ravagers and Star-Lord's Guardians of the Galaxy, Su Ye did not insist on them staying.
There wasn't much for them to do on Earth—no intergalactic trade routes or ancient planetary ruins for them to explore.
Bringing a few of Star-Lord's Milano-class small ships, along with complete spaceship technology and an interstellar map, was enough for their return to Earth.
"Alright, let's part ways here. I hope that the next time we meet, all of you are still alive."
As they parted ways, the Great Wall Guardians joked with Yondu and Star-Lord's crew, but to the space pirates, this was no laughing matter.
As space pirates, drifting across the cosmos every day, they never knew where their final resting place might be.
It was entirely possible that one farewell could be their last.
Still, they were rough-and-tumble types, used to life and death, so they weren't too bothered.
"We're from interstellar species—we live way longer than Earthlings. You'd better stay strong, or when we show up at your funeral, we'll still be in our prime."
"You already look old!"
"You're the old one!"
"Quit yapping—cheers!"
As Su Ye's group left Xandar, the Avalanche members flew back and landed on the planet once more.
Their goal had always been to overthrow Shinra, and now was the perfect time to strike while their enemy was weakened.
However, not everyone returned—Tifa left midway, taking Yuffie Kisaragi, who wanted to explore, and boarded Ronan's Dark Aster, which was heading to Earth ahead of schedule.
The Dark Aster reached the solar system first, activated stealth mode, and hid in Mars's shadow.
Tifa, meanwhile, took Yuffie to Earth first and went to China, where she met Su Ye's mother, Ms. Ye.
Ms. Ye was incredibly excited when she saw Tifa.
"Tifa, my dear! I've been waiting for you to come back. So, have you seen Su Ye yet?"
Tifa's face turned red at first, then she nodded. "I have."
Seeing this, Ms. Ye instantly understood.
"You two… Haha, youth is such a wonderful thing!"
"Aunt Ye!" Tifa whined playfully.
Ms. Ye quickly hid her smile. "Alright, alright, I understand, I understand."
"Since you're back, just stay here. Su Ye's room is empty anyway, so you can just stay in it."
"And this little Yuffie can stay here too—we have plenty of rooms."
Hearing this, Yuffie smirked.
"Aunt Ye, if there are plenty of rooms, why does Tifa have to stay in my brother-in-law's room? Wouldn't it be better if she stayed with me in the guest room?"
Ms. Ye smiled and asked, "What did you just call Su Ye?"
"Brother-in-law," Yuffie answered proudly.
Ms. Ye laughed. "Since you're calling him brother-in-law, why can't your Tifa sister stay in his room?"
"This…"
Yuffie was left speechless.
Ms. Ye turned around and held Tifa's arm.
"Tifa, dear, what do you want to eat? Tonight, Mom—oh wait, Auntie will cook for you."
Tifa immediately smiled. "Yes! Yes! I haven't had Aunt Ye's cooking for so long—I've missed it so much!"
On the other side, Su Ye's spaceship had also returned near Earth. Unlike the massive Dark Aster, which wasn't convenient to bring into Earth's atmosphere, his smaller spaceship had no such concerns.
However, just as he was about to enter the atmosphere, Su Ye's telepathic sense received a message.
"Set the ship to auto-pilot and send it over. You all go back."
The voice was from Old Su, carrying a tone of impatience and authority—it was clearly an order, not a negotiation.
As a son, what could Su Ye do? Of course, he had to agree!
"I mean, I can do that, but I've been away for so long. Shouldn't I at least go home and visit?"
While setting the ship to autopilot, Su Ye complained to Old Su.
He really wanted to go home, have a meal cooked by his mother, sleep in his own bed, and feel the warmth of home.
But who would have thought that, after passing by home multiple times, Old Su still refused to let him return?
"Stop acting like a child. You're an adult now. Start acting like one."
"The world is not at peace—how can you think of home?"
Su Ye got mad. "Come on, Dad! Can't we talk like normal people? Are you afraid I'll expose your thing with Aunt Jeff?"
"Cough!"
Old Su let out a loud cough.
"What Aunt Jeff? Are you talking about the junior I met when I was learning martial arts in the U.S.? How is she? Is she doing well?"
"Old Su, I really didn't expect you to be this kind of person. Tell me, do you think this is fair to Mom?"
Su Ye decided to just lay it all out.
"You not only betrayed Mom but also stopped me from going back to see her. Isn't that a bit too cold-hearted, unreasonable, and absurd?"
Old Su wasn't having it.
"I'm cold-hearted? I'm unreasonable? I'm absurd...? Do you even hear yourself? Is this something you should be saying?"
"I don't care! Explain yourself!" Su Ye shouted.
Old Su let out a snort.
"So, you're not cold-hearted, not unreasonable, and not absurd? Then tell me, what's up with all your girlfriends?"
"That female classmate, the Japanese senpai, the grappling girl, the secretary, the general's daughter, the Asgardian warrior, the defected Russian agent, the knight-king, and even your childhood friend? I'm embarrassed on your behalf!"
Su Ye was stunned. How did Old Su know everything so clearly, even in the right order?
Could he really be that all-knowing?
"You! You're an old man with no dignity! You're spying on me! You're shameless! And so, what if I have a lot of girlfriends? Mom's happy about it!"
"Heh!" Old Su laughed.
"Your mom doesn't mind, but does Tifa? I don't know. Right now, she's staying in your room, being treated like a daughter-in-law by your mom. Do you think she'll still feel comfortable staying there if she knows the truth?"
"And if all your other girlfriends find out that Tifa is living in your house, will they still be happy to flirt with you?"
Old Su was really going all out to stop Su Ye from coming home—he was saying whatever it took.
"I…"
Su Ye was checkmated—this was something he couldn't handle.
He couldn't bear to lose any of his girlfriends—especially not Tifa.
Though she joined late, she had the deepest bond with him.
Losing Tifa would make him feel incomplete.
"Alright, you win!"
In the end, Su Ye had no choice but to surrender, reluctantly turning away from Earth's border.
Just as he was about to disappear over the horizon, a voice echoed in his mind again.
"It's not that I don't want you to come back, but there are still things you haven't finished. Once you've completed them, it won't be too late to return."
"What things?" Su Ye asked in return.
"It's what you were doing before over there. It's not just about that Big Apple City and Angel City—there's much more you can do."
"You're a grown man now—how can you still not grasp the bigger picture?"
Old Su sighed, disappointed, as if lamenting that iron couldn't turn into steel.
"And another thing—you can't just keep your eyes on current enemies. What about those who committed crimes in the past? Don't they deserve justice?"
Finally, Old Su's tone softened.
"You think I want to stay trapped in here? If I could get out, I wouldn't need you out there causing trouble. You think if you come home, you'll still be allowed to leave freely?"
"That's all. Stay sharp."
After that, Old Su went silent.
In the sky, Su Ye fell into deep thought.
Although Old Su's last words weren't explicit, they carried a strong implication.
There really was a seal inside China.
It wasn't just about a promise to other nations—it was a real, tangible seal that could affect their actions.
That's why Old Su was trapped inside the seal and couldn't act. Instead, he had thrown an unremarkable Su Ye out and gradually empowered him, letting him stir up trouble outside.
If Su Ye returned to China now, would he also be affected by that seal and never be able to leave again?
The more Su Ye thought about it, the more he felt like he was grasping the key to this world's secrets. He was getting closer to uncovering the truth behind his system—and the reality of this world.