The entire bar was silent. Every eye was glued on the television hanging on the top of the wall, their drinks and food forgotten.

 

This was a battle for the fate of the entire world.

 

Many a journalist volunteered, no, demanded to be present. No matter how much danger they would be in, how little protection could be offered. Director Green had invited them aboard the ILS Mobile HQ as the safest and most out of the way location, and from there they reported on the events of the battle in real time.

Only one person wasn’t watching the screen. A certain man.

Because he had seen enough. He looked away the moment a certain squad of questionable mercenaries appeared on screen.

He gripped his glass so hard it began to crack.

Sweat dripped down his face.

His heart pounded.

His stomach boiled, threatening to return his drink.

He stood up.

He placed a bill on the counter, and stepped out of the bar...

He looked up at the sky.

A girl’s face flashed before his eyes, her words ringing in his ears.

 

“Just focus on what you can do…and only on the people you care about, huh?”

 

He closed his eyes for a moment.

 

He looked deep inside himself.

 

If he ignored everyone else…

 

If he ignored his family’s past…

 

If he ignored the tales of his line…

 

If he ignored the expectations of a hero…

 

What did Arvid Hellquist want? Truly?

 

And that answer…came immediately. For he already knew, deep down. He had simply been afraid of where that future may take him.

 

But the fear of losing his comrades while he waited here was far, far greater.

 

He heaved a sigh.

 

“So that’s that, then? Ok. Guess this is it, huh? Let's just hope it ends differently this time...”

 

He slowly lifted his hand to the side, his eyes still closed. He thought back to his first moments as the man he had become.

 

“I call on thee…”

 

He had not pulled a sword from the stone.

 

“As one who knows he is unworthy…”

 

He had not ventured into ancient or dangerous dungeons.

 

“As one who abandoned you…abandoned his duty…abandoned his line…”

 

He had not been summoned in some sort of grand ritual.

 

“If you would still heed my call…if you would still help me to fight…”

 

He had simply woken up with a blade at his side. He had been chosen, and that was all.

 

“Then grant me your power once again. That my friends may not fall before me.”

 

He slowly opened his eyes.

 

And then his eyes went as wide as they could go.

 

A greatsword sat in his hand, shining as bright as the sun.

 

As if it had never left.

 

He had been chosen once more.

 

He frowned.

 

“I know this is unfair…but I cannot be the hero you chose me to be. I care not for the saga nor for my destiny. All I wish…is to fight for my friends. Are you still willing to help me?”

 

The sword flashed even brighter, forcing the man to shield his eyes and take a step back.

 

He chuckled.

 

“Well what am I waiting for, indeed? In that case…”

 

He looked up and grinned. A grav-jet disengaged stealth mode and appeared midair, its back ramp opening up. He crouched down…

 

“Prepared as always, huh? Wait for me, my comrades! Let me show you a real fight!”

 

He leapt into the air, leaving a huge crater in the sidewalk.

 

---

 

The fight raged on. Icy Rose lifted her hand, freezing a pack of incoming wolf-like creatures.

A grenade dropped near her. Her eyes widened as she looked back and saw it, barely forming a wall of ice between her and the bomb.

The wall shattered, absorbing the heat of the blast. But the shockwave still threw the girl in the air. She let out a cry as she skid across the ground.

 

“ROSE!”

 

She looked up as someone called her name and her eyes widened.

A walker was about to step right on top of her. She cried out and shielded her face, closing her eyes…

 

BOOM!

 

A cloud of dust covered her as the walker’s leg descended.

 

“CONSTANZA!!!”

 

Dark Rose fell to the ground, reaching his hand out towards the cloud of dust.

 

And as the dust settled…

 

Icy Rose grit her teeth, her eyes held shut…

 

She paused.

 

She realized…

 

She was still alive.

 

Slowly…gently…she opened her eyes.

 

And gasped.

 

The walker was gone. Or to be precise, the two halves of it now lay to either side of her. In its place, standing over her...

 

A big, muscular back.

 

Beautiful hair flowing in the wind.

 

A massive greatsword, shining with golden light.

 

Her eyes widened.

 

He glanced at her from over his shoulder and winked.

 

“You know, I realized I’ve been a huge idiot…”

 

He turned to face her, resting his sword on his shoulder, giving her massive grin.

 

“I spent all night with a fair maiden and forgot to even give you my name! I’m Arvid, Arvid Hellquist. Chosen hero of legend or something stupid like that. Nice to meet you.”

 

Icy Rose stared up at him for a moment longer, and then her face broke out into a bright smile.

 

“I’m…Constanza Rubio. Hero…or something foolish like that. It’s nice to meet you too.”

 

Arvid turned back to the front. Several more walkers were approaching in the distance. Arvid grabbed his sword and leapt into the sky. His sword and body began to glow with golden light as he recounted his own contribution to the saga.

 

“You seek to harm my friends, my comrades? I think not! All who dare to strike at my friends shall taste the wrath of my mighty blade! HAVE AT THEE!”

 

He let out a mighty cry as he swung his arm. The sword flashed as its weight increased and then vanished, a yellow beam following its trail.

It struck the lead walker…

And continued on, a yellow line piercing the whole squad at once, leaving a trail of explosions behind it.

Smoking metal legs fell to the ground, their torsos entirely obliterated.

Arvid held out his hand as he landed on the ground, his blade reappearing his grip with a flash of light.

 

Elise landed nearby, crossing her arms.

 

“Annoyed Sarcasm: Oh, so now traitor Arvid decides he wants to show up. And he talks to Aurora Legion member first. This unit has determined situation. Traitor Arvid left us to join Aurora Legion. Situation determined. Classifying traitor Arvid as hostile.”

 

Arvid chuckled while shaking his head and walked over to her, patting her shoulder.

 

“I’m sorry, Elise. I was wrong to leave, for that, I am sorry. But I have realized that my place is by my comrades, whatever may come. I will not leave Nemesis again.”

 

“...Reluctant Compromise: This unit will classify traitor Arvid as ‘untrustworthy ally’. This unit warns against further betrayal. You traitor.”

 

All the aliens in the area turned to the group after the destruction of the walkers. A commander in fancy armor shouted something out in a gutteral language, and all the enemies in the area began to rush towards the three.

The rest of Aurora Legion, Nemesis, and the Nova Guardians arrived as well. The super teens all glanced at one another. Arvid grinned and turned to the aliens.

 

“Let’s show these invaders the might of Earth!”

 

The heroes nodded and leapt into action. Dark Rose fired a singularity, gathering the opponents up. El Mantis and Crystal Guardian began their barrage once more, Icy Rose lending her icicle volleys as well.

And then Nana took aim with chakra rifle.

The kunoichi did not fire at the targets, but rather at the projectiles already in flight. Darts shattered crystal and ice bolts, turning single spears into a hail of chakra-infused shrapnel that were caught and propelled further by El Mantis’s shockwaves.

The deadly barrage turned the gathered foes into beehives.

 

Meanwhile Pink Star created a clone of Captain Hot Devil while Elise loaded her Saydaa profile and Teslida charged her capacitors. The three opened fire together, creating a horizontal cyclone of fire, wind, and lightning devastating everything in its path.

Then Teslida began channeling her lightning into Elise. Elise's capacitors surged, and then she channeled it into a massive beam of light that destroyed a walker outright. Pink Star created a clone of Miss Gabriel Le Blank, combining the villainess' ability to control light with her own. She reached out into the beam and began to split, smaller beams striking all of the aliens near the destroyed walker. Elise gave up control of the aiming to Pink Star and refocused all her concentration on the Mass-Energy Manipulator, converting the power from Teslida as quickly as she could.

 

Meanwhile Voidspeaker, Saydaa, and PSI Omega rose into the skies together. Voidspeaker created a matter-erasing void disk mid-air, Saydaa creating a mighty whirlwind centered on it. PSI Omega reached out and grabbed as many alien craft as she could, pulling them in with just enough force that they would be trapped by the whirlwind.

Explosions filled the skies as countless craft were pulled into the disk and sliced in half.

 

A platoon of armored aliens took aim, setting up power plasma miniguns to assault the heroes. Suddenly a flash of light appeared behind them, followed by two flickering figures as Chronolock and Kiyosuke rushed through the group.

The entire platoon fell to the ground before they realized they were under attack.

 

Arvid and Wonder Knight leapt into another incoming squad of walkers. Arvid sliced off a leg of one walker. Wonder Knight grabbed the severed leg, using it to swipe the feet out from another walker. The two then rushed through the rest of the squad, sword and metal leg smashing through the war machines.

And drawing the eyes of all who appreciate muscles.

 

Captain Hot Devil turned when he noticed the commotion. He turned to the rest of the heroes.

 

“Come on, you going to let the kids steal all the spotlight? Let’s show them what we can do!”

 

The ILS let out a yell and charged back into the fray. The forces of the AVS noticed and rallied as well.

 

Tina’s Titan let out a yell as they rode on the back of giant undead spiders, laying down a hail of lead and explosions as their mounts trampled over alien soldiers.

 

Elise suddenly ducked as Cerberus pounced over her head. The two fought as one without a single word, their network perfectly in sync.

Arachnalich was there too, trying desperately NOT to act in sync with the pair. But they kept feeding her more and more aliens with powerful life force, so she had no choice. It couldn’t be helped. No, she was using them to grow stronger! That’s right. All according to her plans.

 

Master Elegant Katana and Wu Zhengkang led a pack of monsters against another swarm of insectoids, sword and fang cutting the enemy down by the dozens.

 

Chiyeko and Nana both tossed seals to the side, forming a large barrier around a squad of wounded soldiers, setting up a new field hospital for the wounded. They continued across the field with another group of shinobi trained in the arts of Demonic Binding, using their seals to immobilize the aliens so their comrades could take them down with ease.

 

Dragontooth, Eagle Smasher, and Lady Diamond Hornet zipped through the skies, leaving a trail of explosions behind them as they smashed straight through alien craft.

 

Captain Hot Devil joined with several flame-oriented SLF members. They created a roaring wall of fire blazing across the field. A horde of bestial aliens turned and fled as its vanguard burned.

 

The witches tossed their potions into the sky as Aqua Mage formed her magic circles around them. The potions exploded, their liquids stretched into jets that surged across the field, spraying entire platoons of aliens at once.

 

And so hero and villain, man and monster, super teens and their nemesis fought side by side for the fate of the world.

 

And the tide began to turn…