Midtown High School
Peter Parker walked alone out of the school gates. Harry Osborn, who used to always be with him, had dropped out to manage Oscorp. Mary Jane Watson, his goddess, was now constantly by Harry's side.
He hadn't told anyone that the Green Goblin was Uncle Norman. To outsiders, Norman Osborn was just missing—like Tony Stark—leaving a glimmer of hope for Harry.
But Peter still didn't know who had rescued him that night on the bridge, or if Uncle Norman had really been erased from existence. All of that was pushed to the back of his mind by the current Peter.
Because today was a new day for Marvel Comics.
The Flash game "Bleach vs. Naruto", which was launched on the new official website a few days ago, was incredibly addictive. Although it was just a small browser game, several new characters had been added: Naruto's Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake. From Bleach, there was Yasutora Sado (Chad), Orihime Inoue, and Uryu Ishida.
According to the official announcement, these characters would all appear in the next issue. Light Inksworth promised that each game update would be one step ahead of the comic release.
This made the fans excited. They poured into the official website to play. The graphics were retro pixel art, but with the diverse Ninjutsu and Spiritual Power skills, it was simply pure fun.
There were even "big brain" theorists on the forums trying to guess the next plot direction through the skills released by the characters.
But they were all wrong.
Skills like "Chidori," "Great Fireball Technique," "Getsuga Tenshō," and "Santen Kesshun" were too diverse to predict a linear plot.
Light had deliberately set up a forum on the official website. A large number of fans rushed in, feeling like they had finally found an organization. The web traffic spiked vertically.
The sidewalk outside the comic store was already crowded with people. Peter slowly joined the queue, but then he saw a familiar figure in front of him.
"Dave?"
The boy turned his head. The two laughed when they saw each other. "Peter, are you here to line up too?"
"Of course."
Dave Lizewski was a curly-haired boy who got bullied by others because of his weak character—just like Peter before the spider bite.
"It's my turn."
Dave quickly bought two magazines. He took the lead in opening Shonen Jump. New characters appeared on the cover.
A boy with black, spiky hedgehog hair, red tips, and golden bangs. He looked like a primary school student and had a golden puzzle box hanging around his neck.
"Sure enough, there are new comics appearing in every issue." Dave read it with a smile and stood aside to wait.
When Peter bought his copy, the two walked side by side for a while, reading with gusto. When they were about to separate, they turned to a page advertising the new comic.
What made them curious was that there was a physical card attached to this page, wrapped in plastic film.
"Huh? Peter, I have a card here. It's weird."
"I have it too," Peter said, peeling it off. "But mine says Kuriboh, and the pattern looks cute."
"Mine says Shining Friendship," Dave scratched his head in surprise. "The pattern is completely different from yours."
"Is it related to the new comic?"
The two friends stopped at the corner of the wall and looked down at the cards. Peter seemed to have forgotten his Spider-Man identity at this moment; he was completely focused on the game mechanics.
He also didn't notice a small blob of black liquid on the eaves above him, which quietly slipped into his open backpack.
The Critic
Edward Vance bought the comics as usual. He turned on his computer, clicked on Twitter and the official website forum. One of the top posts caught his eye; it was pinned by the administrator.
[Monster Card Duel: A game linked with the new comic "Yu-Gi-Oh!"]
"New comic? Card duel?"
Edward was a little confused about how a card game and a comic could be linked effectively.
He opened the magazine quickly. He did not rush to the new comic first. As a professional critic, he couldn't be swayed by promotional gimmicks. He maintained his usual analytical state.
First, One Punch Man.
Speed-o'-Sound Sonic's latest appearance. The exquisite art style vividly expressed his swift and violent speed. Then, he came across Saitama, who was just looking for his lost hammer and didn't want to work.
Seeing this, Edward's interest piqued. This Sonic looked weak but had amazing speed. Would Saitama fail to fight him?
A little expectation rose in his chest.
Sure enough, the two started to fight. Sonic's expression suddenly changed to a devil-like "innocent" smile—a little scary.
But Saitama said, "I can tell you're a good guy by that innocent smile."
Edward touched the non-existent cold sweat on his forehead and spat out mentally: What kind of innocence is this?!
Next, Sonic officially launched an attack, turning into white light moving at high speed among the trees, leaving no shadow, constantly jumping closer.
Saitama's attitude also began to change. Even though the drawing style was still simple, he seemed to be reacting... a bit slowly?
Edward took a brief sip of his coffee. His mind raced, not wanting to miss any details. Just as Sonic was about to launch a fatal attack from behind...
Saitama looked back abruptly. Sonic, unable to stop his momentum, realized he was about to crash into Saitama's fist. In a panic, he tried to jump over him.
But in the next second, Edward's eyes glared wide, and his legs instinctively closed together. A strange feeling of phantom pain washed over him.
Sonic's crotch had landed directly on Saitama's fist.
Edward couldn't bear to look straight at the panel.
Sonic... Sonic... I can't provoke you, but I can't provoke him either.
Edward turned the page. The coffee he was holding suddenly shook, and brown liquid spilled out.
He trembled and finally put the cup on the table. His eyes rested on the next plot point, and he spoke in a deep voice:
"Heroes Association!"
"It's breaking the mold again. No, this time it's reshaping the definition of the world of superheroes. Light Inksworth, what are you expressing?"
"Before, I only focused on Saitama. But now, he defines the group. The registry... the bureaucracy of heroism... It's really a terrible thought."
Edward gasped in horror at the realism of it.
The Triskelion (S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters)
The clue that the entire Hand army had been wiped out lay on Director Fury's desk.
Agent Coulson hadn't stopped moving from last night to this morning. There were too many incidents. Why did the Hand cause an earthquake? And who was this person...
"Director, this is the information."
Nick Fury sat in his chair and took the file.
SLAM!
Nick Fury slapped the table fiercely. His swarthy face darkened even more, his anger indescribable.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. had to look for it ourselves?!"
"Is there no other data on this self-proclaimed 'Aizen Sōsuke'?"
Fury was furious. As the largest intelligence institution on the planet, backed by the World Security Council, they should be able to get whatever information they wanted.
Don't look at the Kingpin calling himself the Emperor of the Underworld; S.H.I.E.L.D. knew what color underwear he wore.
But this man?
"Director, except for the visual match..." Coulson hesitated. "There is no such person in the database. Not in the mutant registry, not in the alien files, not in the strategic defense archives."
Nick Fury picked up the data card. There was only one name and a photo on it.
"Could it be an alien that suddenly appeared? Like in the 90s?" Coulson asked.
The Skrull invasion occurred in the 1990s. Fortunately, they had Captain Marvel then.
"Continue to investigate," Fury ordered. "If there is another alien invasion, the Avengers Initiative must be advanced. And find Tony Stark's whereabouts quickly!"
Fury waved his hand, frustrated by the waves of unsettled chaos.
When Coulson left, Fury took out the retro pager he carried with him. His expression was unpredictable.
'Aizen Sōsuke is so powerful. I have only seen this level of power in Danvers.'
"We lack a heavy hitter," Fury muttered.
"Natasha, are you here?"
As soon as Coulson went out, he saw Natasha standing in front of the French window in the corridor.
Natasha looked a little guilty. "It's nothing. I just..."
"Saitama? What is Saitama?" Coulson looked at the comic in her hand.
"Uh, it's nothing. I was just thinking that we shouldn't set up a strong enemy for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natasha deflected.
"You can't say that. You did a good job," Coulson comforted her. "The Age of Heroes is upon us."
"If we had a Saitama in S.H.I.E.L.D., it would be nice," Coulson sighed.
He exhorted her a bit more, then felt a little itch in his pocket.
Looking down the hall to ensure no one was watching, Coulson hurriedly ran into his office, closed the door, and pulled a comic magazine out from under his jacket.
"The new issue!"
He opened One Punch Man with a giddy expression.
"It's so good."
As a fanboy who had admired Captain America since he was young, Saitama was a revelation. Coulson didn't just like the humor; he liked the power of Saitama.
Coulson once wondered how perfect the Captain would be if he had this power.
Hell's Kitchen: Nelson & Murdock
Daredevil (Matt Murdock) bought two comic magazines under the suspicious gaze of the bookstore clerk.
"You also read comics?" the clerk asked, surprised.
Matt ignored him. He could enjoy the descriptions through his subtle touch reading—the braille of the ink texture was too realistic.
The Punisher climbed in through the window. Matt had become accustomed to his entry method.
"Did you buy it?" Frank asked.
"Why wouldn't I? It's not easy for such a strong man to draw comics," Matt sighed. "I wanted to support him."
They opened Tokyo Ghoul.
In Matt's mind, Ghouls cannibalizing humans were just like evil people preying on the weak. But the next few pages overturned his notion that "monsters are evil."
Twitter Post by Edward Vance:
"Those Ghoul Investigators... I don't agree or deny their existence. But looking at the CCG... who are the real monsters?"
Matt read the dialogue with his fingers.
"Mother." "Hinami, run away!" "It's Mado Kureo. We have to go."
"Kill her!" "Hmph, the mother gave up her life for the sake of her child? Huh… huh… it really makes me want to vomit! Hahaha!"
The investigator, Mado, laughed maniacally.
"I know how you feel." "You ghouls imitating human behavior is simply disgusting."
"Hinami, go quickly!" "Don't come out, Hinami."
"What do you want to do?" "Sigh, despair, hatred... yes, this expression! Let me see more!"
Mado grinned unscrupulously. "Time is up."
"Hinami... live."
Slash.
The blood spilled on the earth, like the white flowers of the spider lily, which should have bloomed in heaven, but were now in full bloom in hell, suffering all the pain.
Kaneki Ken covered Hinami's eyes, hating his weakness.
Ryoko's kindness and simplicity still lingered in his mind.
The Punisher felt a throb in his heart. He tremblingly picked up a cigarette and lit it, feeling uncomfortable.
"Five Fingers... The Hand..." Daredevil sighed, closing the magazine. "They wear the mask of justice, but have an ugly face underneath."
The Punisher was expressionless.
He closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them.
He shut the comic magazine and jumped out of the window without a word.
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Word count: 1946
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