"There is no life in the void...""Only death..."
A deep and hoarse voice echoed in this world.
In an endless darkness as thick as ink, where time and space seemed to have lost all meaning, a figure who had once worn a yellow battle suit now stood clad in blinding red. His once brilliant golden hair had silently turned a deep, shadowy black, and his eyes glowed with a frightening white light.
"Now then… let me have some fun!"
A brutal and manic smile spread across Xu Wu's face.
"Sh*t, Transcendent Stand-in!" Kino cursed, but before he could react, Xu Wu's figure vanished from sight.
Kino instantly activated his Godspeed Mode. Time itself seemed to pause — everything froze.
Just as he was about to search for Xu Wu in this frozen timeline, a wave of pain exploded in his back, as though he had been struck by a massive hammer. His body was flung uncontrollably through space.
"Can your speed outrun time itself?"
Xu Wu cackled wildly as he vanished again, reappearing in Kino's flight path with his hands clenched together, smashing downward.
BOOM!
A massive explosion followed. Kino's body, like a cannonball, shot forward with unstoppable force, obliterating several planets and scattering cosmic dust in his wake.
Meanwhile, on Earth…
With all combat forces dispatched to Mirror Earth, the surface of the real Earth had never been this vulnerable.
The people of Earth were completely unaware of the unfolding events in the Mirror World.
Dark clouds loomed over the sky.
"Earth… is mine now."
A flaming skull suddenly appeared — it was Dormammu.
As per his agreement with others…
They had promised to send armies to stall the Demon King and his subordinates, including the Sorcerer Supreme.
In return, Dormammu would lend the power of the Dark Dimension and enlist Shuma-Gorath to invade the Demon King. But of course, that was impossible.
He had long since prepared a gateway between Earth and the Dark Dimension, hidden away due to the protection of the Sorcerer Supreme — until now.
As for "sharing" Earth with Shuma-Gorath? Laughable. Earth could only belong to him.
"Begin the invasion of this world."
With Dormammu's command, countless demons surged out from the portal behind him, covering the sky and flying toward Earth like a tidal wave.
Panic erupted instantly on the streets. Screams filled the air as people ran for their lives. Chaos and fear spread like wildfire.
Demon Syndicate Headquarters
Currently led by Pierce.
"They're finally here," he muttered.
The door swung open, and Dr. Otto walked in carrying four boxes.
"What you asked for is ready," Otto said, his voice weary.
"But due to material constraints, these are all single-use items — even their operational time is limited."
"That's enough," Pierce replied.
He opened the boxes to reveal rings in green, yellow, orange, and red — each radiating a mysterious glow.
One orange ring lit up and automatically slipped onto Pierce's hand. An orange protective aura enveloped his body.
"So… the one that suits me is Greed?"
"Among all the rings, the Orange Lantern has the most severe side effects. We managed to mitigate those for the others, but with the orange one, there's little we can do," Otto explained.
His hand tightened inside his coat pocket, fingers wrapped around a small hidden trigger — a failsafe he had built into the orange ring.
Pierce stared into the box of rings, as if seeing infinite power and wealth laid before him.
"With these, I can control all of humanity… this solar system… even the world…"
Otto, hearing this, subtly pressed his finger closer to the trigger.
If he pressed it, the greed-filled ring would explode in an instant.
SLAP!
Suddenly, Pierce slapped himself hard across the face, drawing blood from his lip.
"Thank you for your efforts, Dr. Otto," he said calmly, as if the slap had never happened.
"You stay here with the Demon Syndicate. Leave the outside matters to Hydra."
He closed the boxes and confidently walked out, holding them in both hands.
"How did you suppress the greed in your heart?" Otto asked curiously.
He had experimented on prisoners — offering freedom and huge rewards if they could endure the ring's power. But all failed. Greed always took over.
Just touching the orange ring was enough to awaken a soul-crushing hunger. Even removing it didn't help — its addictive pull was far stronger than any drug.
"I didn't resist it," Pierce said with a smirk. "I simply told my inner greed… that following the Leader would get me more."
His eyes glowed orange as he remembered what he had witnessed by the Leader's side — other worlds, power, miracles.
A single planet could no longer satisfy his desires.
Why take a few rings for himself and work alone, when following the Leader would grant him life, strength, and infinite worlds with far less effort?
Everyone in the Demon Syndicate shared the same belief: their Leader was famously generous — he had once handed over control of an entire Earth without hesitation.
So no, Pierce never tried to suppress his greed. At this moment, he was completely consumed by it.
Otto's pupils constricted as he noticed a faint, spectral figure forming behind Pierce — the manifestation of his greed.
"Here, take this," Otto said, handing him the trigger.
"You might be able to control it, but others might not. Pressing this will make their orange rings explode."
The ghostly figure behind Pierce moved as if alive, catching the trigger mid-air and slipping it into his pocket.
"Thank you for your help, Dr. Otto," Pierce said, knowingly not asking why such a device existed.
Having a built-in weakness, after all, helped him keep his greed in check.
Demon Syndicate Hellgate Base
The vast open area was now filled with dense crowds.
All wore black uniforms with a red demon emblem on their chest.
Some were mutants from the alternate Earth, others were Hydra operatives.
Now, they all stood silently in formation.
"Everyone, our world is in crisis. The Leader and others are fighting in another realm — it's up to us to save this world!"
"For the Great Leader, give your strength, new Hydras!"
At Pierce's words, every eye filled with fervent light.
"For the Great Leader, we offer our lives!"
They all raised their right hands in unison, shouting with deafening resolve. Their voices overflowed with loyalty and determination.
These were the New Hydras, trained through more subtle methods — no crude brainwashing anymore, which meant fewer in number, but more reliable.
Pierce opened the four boxes. Streams of colored lights flew out, attaching to each person's hand. Auras of different colors began to shine across their bodies.
"Now — move out! Tell those trash who the true masters of this world are. Crush them, tear them apart, devour them all!!"
Pierce's roar echoed through the underground hall.
His orange light blazed brightly.
And behind him, the ghostly figure became even more distinct — resembling a massive octopus.
"Yes! Tear them to pieces!"
Everyone looked at the monster behind Pierce — not with fear, but with fanatical admiration.
Only a being this powerful deserved to be their Leader.
Quote of the Chapter:"The strongest chains are not forged with iron, but with desire."
plz support me if you can
patreon.com/AZFANFICTION
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AZofficial
This fanfiction is 90-chapter ahead and also this fanfic is 90 chapters ahead there