"Planetary Devastation!"
A surge of violent psychic force erupted from Tornado of Terror.
With the purple-haired spirit at its center, gravity itself became a weapon.
Everything on the ground was dragged inward and upward.
Except for the western town protected by Aiden Cross, the land within dozens of kilometers was forcibly lifted ten meters into the air.
Only one small patch of ground remained untouched—
because Mjolnir, the Hammer of Thunder, rested there.
"Shatter, space."
A sphere of pitch-black spatial energy condensed in the purple-haired girl's palm.
Facing the endlessly converging landmass, her expression remained calm.
When the spherical seal fully formed, she detonated it without hesitation.
A blast equivalent to a Spatial Quake erupted instantly, mercilessly annihilating the pseudo–Planetary Devastation technique.
"Hellstorm!"
Under Tornado of Terror's psychic control, a raging tempest took shape—
a hurricane equivalent to a Category Twenty storm.
If it swept through a human city, it would reduce everything to ruins.
"That's enough."
The moment the voice sounded, the storm was dispersed mid-formation.
Using instantaneous spatial displacement, Aiden Cross appeared between Tornado of Terror and the purple-haired spirit.
This was barely warm-up.
And they were already throwing out disasters on this scale.
If left unchecked, Tornado of Terror would probably escalate it into something even worse.
"Are you here to fight me as well, human?"
The purple-haired spirit raised her weapon—Angelic Greatsword Sandalphon—and aimed it at Aiden.
In truth, Tornado of Terror alone was already an extremely troublesome opponent.
Not even advanced human weapons could compare.
If this unfathomable man joined in as well, her odds would drop close to zero.
"No," Aiden replied calmly. "I'm here to stop the fight."
"Stop it?"
"Yes. Let's make a wager."
"If I defeat you in a single move, you come with me."
"If I fail, I'll tell you how to make humans stop attacking you."
"…Hmm."
The purple-haired spirit fell silent.
The proposal wasn't bad.
If she could learn how to stop the endless harassment from humans, that alone would be worth it.
Even ants become annoying when there are too many of them.
"If you're confident," Aiden continued lightly,
"why not give it a try?"
"…Very well."
She took a deep breath, her expression turning serious.
She could sense overwhelming danger from Aiden—but she didn't believe she would fall in a single exchange.
"Wait, I still want to—"
"Once we get back, you can fight her every day."
Aiden communicated privately with Tornado of Terror using psychic transmission.
That was the only way to prevent the temperamental esper from throwing a fit.
In Aiden's palm, a pale-blue sphere formed—
infused with gentle spiritual pressure, carrying no destructive force at all.
He kicked off the air lightly and charged straight toward the purple-haired spirit.
A direct frontal approach.
She frowned.
There was no sense of threat.
No danger.
Not even enough power to scratch her spirit armor.
Conclusion: no defense required.
"Take this!"
"Mm—"
Aiden stopped right in front of her.
The pale-blue sphere vanished.
Revealing what was inside—
A piece of soybean-flour bread.
The purple-haired spirit, having already judged the attack harmless, had completely lowered her guard.
She bit into it—cleanly.
The moment the bread entered her mouth,
the operation was a complete success.
"..."
"..."
With soybean-flour bread still between her lips, the two stood in strange silence.
About ten seconds later, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"What is this?! I have never tasted anything so delicious!"
She devoured the entire piece in an instant, her expression filled with excitement.
Born from a Spirit Crystal—pure as a blank sheet—
this was her first time tasting food, and her first time experiencing flavor of this kind.
"Well?" Aiden said with a sly smile.
"If you admit defeat, I'll take you with me and let you eat this every day."
"But if you don't…"
"You'll never learn what this is."
"The choice is yours."
Not all disasters were evil by nature.
And this innocent, sweet-natured spirit before him—
with the right guidance—could absolutely join the Hero League.
A quasi–S-Class combatant, obtained for free.
Only a fool would refuse.
"…But… I mean…"
"This is extremely rare," Aiden added casually.
"Miss this chance, and you may never taste it again."
"…But…"
"Tsk. Looks like the last remaining delicacy in this world isn't meant for you."
"I surrender! I surrender, alright?!"
She shouted in frustration, her face filled with reluctant defeat.
Such shameless tactics!
If not for this mysterious food, she would never have yielded!
"???"
"???"
"???"
The popcorn slipped from Tony Stark's hand and spilled onto the ground.
He stared ahead, completely dumbfounded.
A dragon-class spirit…
captured by a piece of cheap soybean-flour bread.
The Chairman's methods were truly terrifying.
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