Mark was puzzled. Could it be that after a small argument, his parents' feelings just faded?
"I was so worried back when I was with the Global Defense Bureau because I'd never seen your father hurt so badly. But fighting aliens in another dimension? That's pretty routine."
"If things were really that serious, serious enough to threaten the entire Earth, Cecil would have come to us by now. He wouldn't just sit back and wait for Nolan to rescue people."
Taking a sip of coffee, Debbie didn't even glance at the screen as she explained.
"I bet Nolan is just politely reasoning with those aliens, explaining why they shouldn't invade us."
"Politely explaining?"
Russell crossed his arms and gave a dry chuckle inwardly.
Aunt Debbie's filter for Uncle Nolan is way too thick.
At this point, the omnipotent hero was probably going on a full-on killing spree. Corpses piled up everywhere, blood and carnage were a given.
.................................................................
Under the blood-red sky.
In the distance, a freshwater lake that looked like it had been hit by a nuclear bomb was left behind. The air before Nolan Grayson grew thick— not due to resistance, but from pure speed compressing it into near solid form.
His figure transformed into a crimson meteor, leaving behind a vacuum corridor dozens of kilometers long over the nearest city to the portal.
The plasma flames caused by friction between his skin and the atmosphere were hotter than the surface of the sun, turning the surrounding air into a brilliant purple-red tail. It looked like an ominous comet representing death, streaking across the sky.
Boom!!!
The sonic boom cloud cracked down like the wrath of God's whip, slamming into the earth.
A skyscraper was shattered, its core fractured. Before the debris hit the ground, the shockwave pulverized it into dust. Then came the second, third buildings... The whole central city block collapsed like a row of dominoes.
Nolan's flight trajectory suddenly made a sharp turn, and at the point of the bend, the shockwave formed a conical shockfront. Several buildings were cleaved in half, with their upper halves still suspended in mid-air.
He flew straight to the city's most central tower.
The earlier catastrophic explosion-like noise prompted city officials in Flackson to rush to the rooftop to watch. The mayor, standing in the center of the crowd, barely had time to process the events before…
A glowing iron hand with high heat gripped him. Nolan lifted him into the air, snapping his neck as easily as crushing a tomato.
The severed head and body plummeted downward, the mayor's horrified, stunned expression frozen on his face even in death.
Blood-coated, the omnipotent hero looked indifferent, with a hint of disgust—as if watching an annoying insect being squashed.
"You all don't seem to understand. Earth is not something you can just meddle with."
The delayed sonic boom finally arrived.
The ceiling of the city government center was torn off like fragile eggshells, and everyone in Flackson within a dozen kilometers was pulverized into bloody pulp by the shockwave.
The entire city looked as though an invisible hand had crumpled it like tin foil. A bloody path, littered with dismembered corpses, stretched along his flight path, leaving no living creature in sight.
And the once-vibrant city, destroyed in seconds, was just the beginning!
The omnipotent hero coldly turned his gaze inward.
.........................................................................
"We've just received word that the Global Guardians, who've been absent for over a week, have all been confirmed dead…"
"…The Global Defense Bureau issued an obituary this morning, confirming that all members of the Global Guardians perished in a sudden attack."
"'Immortal, 'Red Rush,' 'War Woman,' and other superheroes were buried today."
"For many years, the Global Guardians protected Earth from countless dangers, and as this news broke, political leaders from multiple nations declared that they would lead their countries in mourning for the fallen Global Guardians..."
Rain.
The fine raindrops fell on the jet-black casket, sliding down its smooth surface.
The funeral was held in front of the United Nations Superhero Memorial Hall. The towering obelisk pierced the leaden clouds, as though even the sky was bowing in respect.
Hundreds of invited guests stood silently in the rain, black umbrellas forming a sea of moving shadows.
The superheroes were dressed formally, each wearing a white flower on their chest. Some kept their heads bowed in silence, others clenched their fists, while some emotional female heroes wept into their hands.
Omni Man, along with Russell, Mark, Debbie, and the grieving families, stood in the front row.
Mark Grayson, usually lively, bowed his head slightly, mourning the heroes he'd never met, but who had saved the world.
Red Rush's ex-girlfriend, Olga, had red eyes and gently leaned against her best friend Debbie, her face damp with rain, her tears indistinguishable from the raindrops.
Russell wore a face of solemn sympathy, his peripheral vision subtly scanning the imposing man beside him.
Nolan Grayson stood quietly, his tall figure resembling a statue, expressionless, as he stared at the seven newly raised memorials for the fallen heroes.
Raindrops slid down his sharply defined cheek, but they couldn't stir a ripple in his indifferent eyes.
His hands were clasped behind his back, standing upright, as if attending just another ordinary ceremony.
Just yesterday, Omni Man had dove into a teleportation portal with a self-destructing mech. Within half an hour, he was safely back home, telling his wife, son, and nephew that he had sternly warned the Flackson aliens never to invade Earth again.
Russell knew the truth.
He was simply curious about what Nolan, the true killer of the Global Guardians, was thinking as he secretly attended their funeral without anyone knowing.
Guilt? Indifference? Or was he reminded by the funeral that he could never undo what he'd done, his heart growing even harder as a result?
"Now, Omni Man, a close friend of the Global Guardians, will come up to give a eulogy."
Nolan released the clenched fist behind his back and flew up to the podium.
The cameras transmitted the eulogy worldwide.
"We've fought many unimaginable battles to protect this world—alien overlords, abyssal demons, ancient gods..."
Omni's speech was the same old routine: reflecting on the past, looking to the future.
They had endured hardships, been inspired by the deeds of their predecessors, and now passed the torch to the next generation of superheroes, declaring that the Global Guardians had not truly died. They would become immortal monuments, inspiring the next generation of young superheroes.
The camera naturally shifted to Russell and Eve.
As the one who had thwarted the Flaxans invasions three times, Russell, young and powerful, had limitless potential, already drawing attention from global superheroes. Many curious and appraising glances were cast his way.
Despite the many eyes on him, Russell remained calm and collected.
Mark, who had also shown his strength as a Vitrumite, garnered some attention. He wasn't quite used to so many eyes on him, his expression tightening slightly. He was still a little too young for all this attention.
"I'll drive you to the car, Olga." After the funeral, as everyone dispersed, Aunt Debbie helped her tearful best friend to the car.
Omni man, from a distance in the forest, seemed to spot a shadow watching them from afar. His eyes narrowed as he took a closer look.
A detective hat, a detective outfit, and an appearance like a demon from hell—a thick, crimson tail and two horns on his head. It was Damian Blackblood, one of the best detectives on Earth.
Despite being a demon from hell, his unusual appearance wasn't visible at the funeral to avoid scaring people, but it was normal for him to quietly mourn from the side.
But couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He felt as though that figure in the distance was tailing him.
Following Nolan's gaze, Russell also spotted the demon detective.
"Just an unlucky pawn."
But the appearance of this person reminded him that the time for Omnipotent Hero to take action was drawing nearer.
.................
[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]
If you want to read 30 advanced chapters before they get Thanos-snapped, check out my [email protected]/INTRAX (Replace @ with 'a')