"Are you done?" Kino asked with a half-smile, his expression unreadable.
"Not yet, I… ahem, this is all I can manage for now," Xiao Yu suddenly realized something and quickly returned to her original form.
"Then let me calculate your bill," Kino continued.
"What bill?" Xiao Yu asked, confused.
"You secretly infiltrated the Demon Group, trying to steal crucial secrets. A grave crime. But since you're young and didn't know better, a compensation of 10 million will do," Kino said, his tone matter-of-fact.
"10 million!" Xiao Yu exclaimed in shock.
Penny and Nina also panicked.
"If you don't have the money, I'll have to send your parents to prison, and then..." Kino's words were cut off.
At that moment, the sound of two people crying reached their ears.
"I'm sorry! Please don't send my parents to prison!" Penny sobbed.
"I have money, I can pay it back slowly," Nina said tearfully.
"Then let me have this, and you can see how much it's worth." Xiao Yu hurriedly handed over a crystal skull to Kino, but in her rush, she dropped it, landing on her bottom with a thud.
"This won't do. This is mine," Kino said as he tossed the crystal skull in his hand. It had come from Odin's vault, though Xiao Yu had somehow ended up using it.
"Then I'll pay you back slowly. Please don't send my parents to prison, okay?" Xiao Yu asked, tearfully pulling on Kino's pants.
"But... Fine. I'll let this go this time. But if you misbehave again, you'll only see your parents in prison next time," Kino said, though he softened his tone upon noticing Pamela's stern gaze.
"No crying, no crying, it's okay now," Kino said as he gently picked up the still-hyperventilating Penny.
Pamela also picked up Nina, knowing Kino was just scaring them. These little ones had gotten a bit too bold lately, even daring to sneak into the Demon Group. If they weren't stopped, who knew what kind of trouble they might cause in the future.
Once the tears stopped, Kino asked, "Now, tell me how you managed to activate this thing."
Earlier, they had taken all the treasures without inspecting them properly.
"This isn't a thing. It's my head," Xiao Yu muttered.
"Huh? Your head's still sitting nicely on your shoulders," Kino said, puzzled.
"It's my past life's head," Xiao Yu explained, then raised her hand. The crystal skull in her hand suddenly radiated divine power, creating a strange resonance with her.
"Young master, let me explain." X stepped forward.
It was X who had been responsible for guiding the four little ones when they first arrived in Hell. It was also during that time that a skull filled with powerful divine power had burst from the vault and rushed toward Xiao Yu.
However, X had stopped it, noticing a divine soul inside. X devoured the soul, realizing it belonged to the Goddess Maya.
X also felt the same energy in Xiao Yu's soul, confirming that she was the reincarnation of the goddess.
"So how did this thing end up in Odin's vault?" Kino asked, confused.
"After the Maya pantheon was destroyed, Odin and Zeus each took part of the relics and divine artifacts. The crystal skull is the head of the Earth Mother Goddess. It was meant as a backup for her resurrection, but Odin imprisoned it in his vault," X explained, recalling the memory.
"Xiao Yu, what do you think?" Kino asked.
"What do you mean? I'm Chen Xiao Yu, a human from Earth. The Earth Mother Goddess is just a cool title to me," Xiao Yu said casually.
Though Xiao Yu had some memories of the Earth Mother Goddess, they felt more like watching a boring movie.
Sacrifices, bloodshed, slavery… she couldn't relate to any of it.
The only thing she regretted was losing the superpowers she had just gained.
"Here you go." A crystal skull landed in Xiao Yu's arms.
Xiao Yu blinked. "Is this for me?"
"Yes, but there's one condition. If you misuse the superpowers, you'll have to do homework for the rest of your life," Kino said, feeling a bit uncomfortable about using it himself since it was Xiao Yu's head.
"Okay! Thank you, Kino-nii!" Xiao Yu cheered, holding the crystal skull high in the air.
"Now Xiao Yu has superpowers too," Nina said, wiping away her tears as she jumped up and down with Xiao Yu, happy to have a superpowered friend like her.
"I want superpowers too," Penny said longingly, watching the others.
She didn't know how long she would have to grow before she could have powers like her father's.
Flint, sitting in the security office, had no idea that his daughter still remembered his words to her.
Several days later.
New York streets had been fully repaired.
The style was quite different from before, with a solemn and majestic architectural style. Some streets even looked like the legendary Holy City.
However, the images on the buildings were no longer of gods but of demons.
The people of New York didn't mind at all, even welcoming the change. After all, demons could bring tangible benefits, while gods couldn't.
The country had completely abandoned its belief in God.
People walked along the streets, heading to one specific location.
Today was the day of judgment—the trial of the real culprit behind the alien invasion.
Along the way, whenever people saw someone wearing a badge on their chest, they would nod in greeting. If they encountered any war heroes, they would excitedly rush over for autographs.
"It's Ice Man!"
"And Fire Man too!"
The crowd cheered.
John smiled warmly, responding to everyone. He enjoyed this feeling.
Beside him, Bobby looked tired but still managed a faint smile.
"Fire Man, who's the top and who's the bottom between you and Ice Man?"
"Go, we're rooting for you! Same-sex love is true love!" the fans cheered.
John's smile froze. "I'm going to kill Ice Block's head one day," he muttered under his breath.
Once inside the venue...
"Ice Block, what's with that smile? The training teacher didn't teach you to smile like that," John asked, pretending to care. Of course, he knew exactly why Bobby was smiling that way. It was revenge.
Before Bobby could respond, a small figure jumped onto his back.
"Bobby-nii!"
"Anna? What are you doing here?" Bobby asked, surprised.
"Because my mom is one of the investors in this event," Anna said proudly, for the first time feeling that her mother's status had its advantages.
"Bobby-nii, come on! I've found you a great spot where you can see the whole venue!"
Anna pulled Ice Man away, eager to go.
"Anna, I still have friends here," Bobby said, trying to refuse politely.
"It's okay, Bobby. You go ahead. Don't worry about me," John smiled, waving him off.
"Thanks, Fire Man-nii. Come on, Bobby-nii!" Anna said, pulling Bobby along.
Bobby could only follow, reluctantly.
John silently took a photo and shared it in the mutant group.
Soon, everyone who had been lurking came out of hiding.
"Who do you think Bobby will choose?"
"Don't need to guess. It'll definitely be Kelly. If he chooses Anna, he'll be dead."
"He won't die, Bobby's powers are pretty good. He'll just become a research specimen."
"Can't they choose both?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
A series of ellipses followed.
"Olron, after the event, come to my office." Professor X's voice was heard.
"Yes…"
John shook his head and put away his phone. "Idiot. Even if they do have that idea, they can't just say it out loud."
Quote:"Superpowers come with a price. Always remember to use them wisely, or the cost might be something you'll regret forever."
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This fanfiction is 90-chapter ahead and also this fanfic is 90 chapters ahead there