Kaito found himself once again in that completely empty space.
Just like the last ti, there were about a thousand Lords around him. No change in number.
In front of him, a new system window appeared:
[Welco to the second floor of the Tower of Worlds.]
[This is your mission this ti:]
[Mission: Eliminate as many superheroes as possible.]
[World context: You have been sent to a miraculous world, where obtaining superpowers is common. Mutations, technology, devices, magic, extraterrestrial beings... countless sources have given rise to a society full of superheroes. So many, in fact, that villains no longer have any place.]
This ti it wasn't a serialized world. It was a standalone one. That's why the mission was simple: the more heroes you eliminated, the better your final score would be.
Still, that didn't reassure Kaito.
No matter which superhero world it was, they all had one thing in common: they were dangerous. Extrely dangerous.
Even with his current speed, Kaito wasn't sure he'd survive.
Worse still, the system gave no clues as to which exact universe it was.
[You will be transferred into the mission world in 05:00.]
Kaito read the notification calmly and sat down on the ground.
With no information, all he could do was wait.
That's when a small group approached him.
"Excuse ...?" a feminine voice asked, making Kaito look up with curiosity.
"Yes?" he replied with a friendly smile.
The young woman scratched the back of her neck, visibly embarrassed.
"We're forming a group for this level... would you like to join?"
Kaito's smile gave them a brief mont of hope. But his next words shattered it.
"Not necessary. I'm fine on my own."
"But..." the girl tried to insist, but another group mber interrupted her.
"If he wants to go solo, let him. What's the problem?"
"Yeah, just because he's handso he probably thinks he's better than everyone else. Let him go, see how he does," another added bitterly.
"Don't be like that. I just wanted to help him..." one girl tried to calm them.
Kaito could see their intentions were... mixed. More about his looks than actual concern. So he just took his leave.
"Thanks, but I'll be going."
As he walked away, the girl who invited him sighed.
"They scared him off..."
"Co on, you just wanted him in the group because he's cute."
"Of course not! He's strong! My sixth sense says so!"
"Your sixth sense only works one out of ten tis. It's a terrible ability. Right, Kazuto?"
She turned to the group's leader, who had remained silent until then.
"Kazuto?"
The young man snapped out of it when he heard his na. He had been staring in the direction Kaito walked off.
"Ah... it's nothing. It's just... I checked and his na was Lucifer."
"You're not seriously thinking he's that Lucifer, right?"
Kazuto shrugged.
"I don't know. In Gaia, no two players can have the sa na, but maybe he used a trick. You know, capital letters, symbols, spaces..."
"Exactly! No way it's him. Anyway, this is starting soon. No ti for stupid thoughts."
As Kazuto kept pondering, the countdown reached zero.
---
Kaito stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
In front of him rose a colossal being, around thirty ters tall.
Its body was a radiant mix of pink and white. It had three pairs of winged arms, five glowing green eyes, and strange antennas that connected around its head. Floating around it were spheres, like orbiting planets.
"I am Gimmi, Kwami of Reality. Tell your wish."
Kaito smiled. Finally, after days of preparation, he was ready to complete the mission.
"I wish for superheroes to cease to exist in this world, now and forever. Any kind of object, technology, device, magic… anything that raises a person's power above others."
He had thought carefully about each word. Though he knew that Kwamis fulfilled wishes based on the true desire of the heart, not what was spoken aloud, he didn't want to take risks.
Of course, if the wish was granted literally, maybe even things like weapons or nuclear bombs would vanish... but that wasn't his problem.
However, instead of granting the wish imdiately, Gimmi asked an unexpected question:
"What about ti travelers?"
Kaito frowned.
It made sense. If the wish took effect, ti travelers created afterward would cease to exist... but the ones that already existed could still travel forward. Technically, they'd still "exist."
He was about to reword his wish, but then a new idea crossed his mind.
"I want to change my wish."
He went silent for a few minutes, organizing his thoughts. Finally, he spoke:
"I wish for Bunnyx to be the only superhero that exists now and in the future. No other power or superhuman ability should ever exist again, except hers."
Gimmi nodded solemnly.
"Your wish will be granted. But everything has a price."
A bright white light erupted from the Eiffel Tower, spreading across the entire planet.
Kaito felt his body change. His powers disappeared. He was now completely normal. That was the price. The sa thing he had taken from the rest was taken from him as well.
And then, a new notification appeared:
[Lord Lucifer has eliminated all superheroes in this reality. The mission will now end. Your score will be calculated based on current progress.]
[00:10]
Ten seconds. Just enough ti.
Kaito stepped forward to the edge of the tower and shouted to the sky. To nothing.
"Bunnyx! I can save them! This world! From those things that appeared and destroyed everything! Go back one week... to the top of the Empire State... I'll be there!"
Not knowing if his ssage would be received... Kaito vanished.
---
When he opened his eyes, Kaito was on the rooftop of a building.
He looked around and recognized it instantly.
The top of the Empire State. New York City.
The second thing that surprised him was the sky.
Several heroes flew by. Just turning his head, he could see at least ten.
He already knew from the world context: this place was flooded with superheroes.
But seeing it was sothing else entirely.
Down on the streets, even more walked by in colorful costus with flashy styles.
Kaito watched them closely. He didn't recognize any of them. That reassured him.
At least he wasn't in the DC or Marvel universes.
______________________________________
15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
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(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)
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