Mark was puzzled, could it be that a small quarrel had strained his parents' relationship?
"I was so worried at the Global Defense Agency before because I had never seen your father so seriously injured, but fighting aliens in another dimension? That's a common occurrence."
If it were really a major event, big enough to threaten the entire Earth, Ciscel would have come knocking long ago, instead of waiting for Nolan to go save people himself."
Taking a sip of coffee, Debbie explained without turning her head, facing the computer.
"I guess Nolan must be reasonably negotiating with that group of aliens about why they shouldn't invade us."
"Reasonably explaining?"
Russell crossed his arms, inwardly chuckling dryly.
Aunt Debbie's filter for uncle Nolan was too thick.
At this moment, Omni-Man was probably slaughtering everything, with bodies strewn everywhere and blood flowing like rivers being minor matters.
...
Under a blood-red sky.
Behind him, a freshwater lake that looked like it had been formed by a nuclear bomb blast was left behind. The air in front of Nolan Grayson became viscous—not resistance, but compressed into a near-solid state by pure speed.
His figure transformed into a crimson meteor, pulling out a tens of kilometers long vacuum corridor above the city closest to the portal.
The temperature of the plasma flame generated by friction between his skin and the atmosphere exceeded the surface of the Sun, and the air along the way was ionized into a brilliant purplish-red wake, like an ominous comet representing death streaking across the sky.
Boom!!!
The sonic boom cloud whipped towards the ground like the angry whip of God.
A skyscraper's main structure was shattered by the shockwave, and the fragments were pulverized before they even hit the ground. Then came the second, the third... the buildings in the entire city center collapsed in sequence like dominoes.
Nolan's flight path suddenly took a right-angle turn, creating a conical shockwave at the turning point. Several buildings were cut in half, their upper sections still suspended in the air.
He reached the building in the very center of the city.
The previous self-detonation-like commotion from the ultimate self-destruct had caused the Flaxen city officials to rush to the rooftop to observe. The green pupils of the mayor in the middle of the crowd didn't even have time to reflect a shadow.
A searing hot iron hand grabbed him, Nolan lifted him into the air, and squeezed his neck as if crushing a tomato.
The severed head and body fell downwards, the expression of fear and bewilderment from before death frozen on the head.
Omni-Man, his hands covered in blood, wore a look of indifference mixed with slight annoyance, as if looking at one of the annoying insects that had been crushed.
"You don't seem to understand, Earth is not something you can covet."
The delayed sonic boom behind him finally arrived.
The ceiling of the city hall center was blown off like a fragile eggshell, and all the Flaxen people within tens of kilometers were pulverized into flesh and mud by the sonic boom cloud.
The entire city was crumpled like tin foil by an invisible giant hand, collapsing inward along his flight path, a bloody road filled with mutilated corpses and severed limbs, with not a single breathing creature left.
And this prosperous city, destroyed in seconds, was just the beginning!
Omni-Man's cold gaze turned towards the inland.
...
"We have just received news that the Global Guardians, who haven't been seen for over a week, have been confirmed to have all perished..."
"...The Global Defense Agency issued an obituary this morning, confirming that all members of the Global Guardians perished in a sudden attack.
The bodies of 'Immortal', 'Shadow', 'Red Rush', 'War Woman', and the other seven Superheroes were buried today.
Earth has been saved from danger countless times over the years thanks to the protection of the Global Guardians. Upon hearing this news, Presidents and political leaders from many countries around the World announced they would lead their nations in mourning for the Global Guardians..."
Rain.
Fine rain threads fell on the black caskets, sliding down the smooth surface.
The funeral was held in front of the United Nations Superhero Memorial Hall. The tall obelisk structure pierced the lead-gray clouds, as if even the sky was bowing its head.
Hundreds of invited guests stood silently in the rain, their black umbrellas forming a moving shadow.
Superheroes wore formal uniforms with white flowers pinned to their chests. Some lowered their heads in silence, some clenched their fists, and some emotional female heroes covered their faces and wept.
Omni-Man, along with Russell, Mark, Debbie, and the families of the deceased, stood in the front row.
The usually cheerful Mark Grayson slightly lowered his head, mourning for the heroes he didn't know well but who had saved the World.
Red Rush's girlfriend, Oga, her eyes red-rimmed, leaned gently on her best friend Debbie's shoulder. The rain wet her cheeks, making it hard to distinguish between rain and tears.
Russell wore a look of collective mourning, his peripheral vision subtly scanning the muscular man beside him.
Nolan Grayson—Omni-Man, stood quietly, his tall and straight figure like a statue, staring expressionlessly at the seven newly erected hero memorials.
Raindrops slid down his hard-lined face, but they couldn't stir a ripple in those indifferent eyes.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture straight, as if he were just attending a perfectly ordinary ceremony.
Just yesterday, Omni-Man had rushed into the portal holding the self-destructing mech, and less than half an hour later, he was safely back home.
He told his wife, son, and nephew that he had sternly warned those Flaxan people not to invade Earth again.
Russell, of course, knew the truth.
He was just curious what his uncle Nolan, the real culprit behind the Global Guardians' deaths, who was now attending the Global Guardians' funeral without anyone knowing, was thinking?
Guilt, indifference, or had his heart become even harder after the funeral reminded him again of what he had done, something irreversible?
"Now, the Global Guardians' close friend, Omni-Man, will come to the stage to deliver a eulogy."
Nolan loosened his tightly clenched fists behind his back and flew onto the podium.
Cameras broadcast the eulogy simultaneously to the entire World.
"To protect this World, we have experienced incredible battles: alien overlords, abyss demons, ancient gods..."
Omni-Man's speech was also the same old routine of looking back at the past and forward to the future.
He spoke of their hardships, being inspired by the deeds of their predecessors, leading to the idea of Superheroes succeeding each other through generations, saying that the Global Guardians were not truly dead, but would become immortal monuments to inspire the next generation of young Superheroes.
The camera naturally cut to Russell and Eve.
As the absolute main force who had repelled the Flaxan invasions three times, Russell was young, powerful, and had unlimited potential, and had already attracted some attention from Superheroes worldwide. Many eyes instantly turned towards him.
Being scanned by so many curious or scrutinizing gazes, he remained calm and composed.
Mark's strength as a Viltrumite during that period naturally also attracted some attention. He was uncomfortable being watched by so many people, his expression visibly tightened, clearly still a bit young.
"I'll see you to the car, Oga." The funeral ended, and everyone dispersed. Aunt Debbie helped her best friend, who was sobbing weakly, to the car.
In the distant woods, Omni-Man seemed to spot a figure watching from the shadows, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Wearing a detective hat and suit, looking like a Demon from hell, with a thick crimson tail and horns on his head, one of Earth's best detectives, Damien Darkblood.
Despite being a Demon from hell with a unique appearance, it was understandable that he wouldn't appear at the funeral site to avoid scaring people and would mourn quietly nearby.
But Omni-Man always had a vague feeling that something wasn't right. He felt that the person in the distance was observing him.
Following uncle Nolan's gaze, Russell also saw the Demon Detective.
"Just an unlucky tool."
However, this person's appearance also reminded him that the day Omni-Man would make his move was drawing closer.