C76: Fusion
Li Ran was delighted that the new card slot function had been added.
However, all of this paled in comparison to another newly unlocked ability in the system—Fusion.
To be precise, it was the Card Fusion function.
Unlike the previous synthesis mechanic, the new Fusion function was clearly designed to be more specialized, likely in response to the increasing number of character and skill cards accumulating in Li Ran's deck. If he didn't know better, he might say the system was getting as smart as J.A.R.V.I.S.
Murmuring a soft comment under his breath, Li Ran turned his attention fully to the fusion tab of the data panel.
Different from synthesis, fusion wasn't free.
Slotting two unused cards into the panel, a system prompt immediately popped up:
> [Yes/No — Consume 100 Fame Points to fuse E-Rank Card [Koji Anzai] and E-Rank Card [Hiroji Nohara]?]
A hundred Fame Points wasn't much for Li Ran. [Xie Lu] only needed to run an errand at Stark Tower to escort Tony Stark once and he'd earn that much.
So without hesitation, Li Ran confirmed.
If nothing else, maybe he'd land a hidden S-rank.
After the massive payoff from fusing [Fire Cloud Evil God], he was feeling a bit too confident. Maybe too much.
The result?
After consuming 100 Fame Points, a brand-new card materialized before him. But at first glance, the card's dull wooden texture already told Li Ran he wasn't about to get another Shang-Chi or Doctor Fate.
> [E-Rank Card — KING (5/5)]
Skills: Emperor Engine, Bluff Aura
Background: Officially ranked #7 in the Hero Association's S-Class (Earth-818 universe), known to villains as "The Strongest Man Alive." Rumored to possess the "Emperor Engine," a battle aura so terrifying it causes enemies to surrender without a fight. In truth, King is just an ordinary gamer who's been mistaken for a powerhouse so many times that even beings like Thanos and Darkseid pause around him.
Notes: "Chu-chu-chu-chu…" (The Emperor Engine revs ominously.)
The moment he saw it, Li Ran's excitement popped like a bubble. The Emperor Engine? Really?
Burning two cards and 100 Fame Points for a bluff master?
The high hopes he'd built instantly dropped. He should've known getting cocky always earned instant karmic backlash in comic universes.
He closed his eyes and sighed, studying the card.
The KING card also revealed a crucial mechanic: unlike regular character cards drawn from the cosmic lottery, fused cards came with limited uses—denoted clearly as (5/5) next to the name. That meant five summons. Period.
Considering he'd burned two full E-ranks and 100 Fame Points for it, Li Ran felt as though he'd been sucker-punched by Taskmaster.
This was a net loss.
After all, even low-tier E-Rank cards pulled from treasure boxes had unlimited uses unless otherwise stated.
This first fusion might've flopped, but the function still opened new creative possibilities. Li Ran's fingers hovered over the glowing Fusion button again.
"Just one more time. If it fails again, I'll give it up."
Famous last words in the multiverse.
He drew out two more cards. This time, as he looked between them, he made a sudden decision and added a third.
> [Yes/No — Consume 100 Fame Points to fuse E-Rank Card [Baby] and C-Rank Card [D-Rank — Fifth Senior Brother Axing]?]
"Confirm!"
> [B-Rank Card — Turtle Hermit (1/1)]
Skill: Kame School Martial Arts
Background: Commonly called Master Roshi, this martial arts grandmaster once trained Earth's strongest champions, including Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha. Don't be fooled by his lecherous old-man act; this man has tanked missiles, defeated alien threats, and even gone toe-to-toe with Beerus in alternate continuities. The title "God of Martial Arts" is not exaggeration.
Note: "Heh heh, little lady, mind showing me your battle stance~?"
Li Ran: "!!"
The old man from another multiverse?!
A solid B-Rank martial arts powerhouse fused from a quirky baby card and a senior brother card. The system might be a cosmic troll, but at least this one was useful.
---
Meanwhile, in New York...
A heavily fortified psychiatric facility stood on the outskirts of the city, shrouded in night mist. The weather was foul, and so was Bullseye's mood.
"You sure this is it?" he asked, eye twitching slightly as he surveyed the rusted iron gate that read Willard Mental Institution.
His informant nodded. "Every source we tapped—including that loose-lipped Arkham transfer—points here. It's where the guy called 'Huo Yun Xie Shen' was last seen."
Bullseye squinted. "A cosmic-tier killer trapped in a loony bin?"
It sounded absurd. But then again, Gotham was full of people with godlike power and questionable sanity.
And if the rumors were true, this guy—The Fire Cloud Evil God once survived a blast from a Celestial-level being in some obscure Earth-313 universe and still walked away grinning.
With an acrobatic leap that would've made Nightwing jealous, Bullseye vaulted the wall and slinked into the institution like a ghost. Stealing an access card from a sleeping nurse, he made his way inside.
The hallway lights flickered with the eerie sputter of faulty wiring. Mad laughter echoed down the halls. One room bore claw marks. Another had blood-red scrawl that read: "He is fire, and fire cannot be caged."
Most men would have fled.
But Bullseye wasn't most men.
Still, when a river of blood suddenly flowed across the corridor floor with no visible source—even he flinched. The lights dimmed. Shadows moved. The very walls seemed to groan in agony.
It lasted less than ten seconds. Then silence.
Was it a hallucination?
No. Bullseye had seen too much. That wasn't madness—it was power.
Following the lingering trail of blood, he arrived at a rusted, sealed basement door. With a flick of his wrist, he picked the lock and yanked it open—
Only to find a man reading a newspaper… on the toilet.
The man flinched and raised the paper in defense.
Bullseye: "…"
The Fire Cloud Evil God, champion of a forgotten dynasty, a man who could parry Iron Fist with one hand, was now staring at Bullseye from the throne of porcelain justice.
Welcome to the multiverse.
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