Ren and the other protectors stood flanking Ming Wang—Lion King on the left, while Ren and Ye Lingyun occupied the right.
As Hu Linfei marched to the foot of the throne, the spectral image of Ming Wang solidified slightly, his voice calm yet heavy: "Why have you come to prevent my resurrection?"
Hu Linfei came to a halt, pointing a finger directly at Ming Wang with a look of absolute gravity. "If you are resurrected, you will rule all the universes! Therefore, the Super Ultra Team must stop you!"
"Very well. If you succeed, I remain dead. In that case, which of you intends to take over the management of these parallel universes?" Ming Wang countered.
This time, Tai Lei, who had personally endured the weight of oppression, stepped forward. "We won't take over any universe. We will let the people of each universe govern themselves!"
Ming Wang replied, "I see. And if a conflict arises between these universes, who will step in to preside over the situation? You? Or perhaps you?"
Ming Wang's finger rose, pointing sequentially at Hu Linfei and Long Jian.
Both froze. Hu Linfei, naturally, was at a loss; he had made it this far largely because he'd been swept up in Xuan Yizi's rhetoric. Faced with Ming Wang's pragmatic questioning, he had no answer.
Long Jian, however, stood his ground. "There is no need for anyone to preside over it. Their conflicts can be resolved by the people themselves!"
Hearing this, Ren nearly burst out laughing. Isn't that just walking straight into Ming Wang's trap?
As expected, Ming Wang's next "Law of the Strong" theory left them speechless.
"If you leave them to resolve it themselves, then it is nothing more than the strong defeating the weak. By doing this, you are merely condoning the rise of another 'Strong One.' Since a ruler must inevitably exist, why shouldn't that ruler be me?"
"If such violent conflict truly occurs, we will stand on the side of justice!" Hu Linfei shouted, racking his brain for a retort.
"Excellent. That means you intend to act as the arbiters of fairness," Ming Wang said. "But that is an act reserved for rulers. Only a ruler has the power to judge right from wrong according to their own will."
He paused, then added coldly, "And among rulers, there are no weaklings!"
"This..."
Hu Linfei and his teammates looked at each other, rendered mute by Ming Wang's logic. Ming Wang spoke of reality, while they spoke of ideals—and ideals, when faced with raw reality, are often fragile.
As the silence stretched, Ren stepped forward and spoke casually, "Hu Linfei, just admit it. You want to be rulers too. After all, you've gained incredible power, and you're standing right here in front of us, ready to impose your 'justice.'"
Currently, the combined Energy of the four-man Super Ultra God reached 3.2 Black Holes. Aside from a few outliers, they had no equals.
At Ren's words, the team's expressions shifted. Hu Linfei, the "Prince of Emotional Intelligence," barked back: "Who wants to be a ruler! That's something only idiots chase after!"
Spoken like a true Hu Linfei—always ready with a blunt, front-facing insult.
In the time it took to exchange those few words, Ming Wang's illusory form completely solidified. The living Underworld King stood before them.
"Congratulations on your resurrection, Ming Wang!"
The three protectors dropped to one knee, offering their sincerest congratulations. Ming Wang nodded slightly and rose from his throne. Just as he was about to speak, a kitchen knife plummeted from the ceiling!
"No matter how high your kung fu, you still fear the cleaver! Ming Wang! Give me your life!"
Miao Tiaojun, the Little Fatty, descended from the air, cleaver in hand, hacking down at Ming Wang without hesitation!
CLANG!
The sound of metal hitting a solid barrier rang out. The next second, the Fatty's round silhouette was sent flying, bouncing several times across the floor like a rubber ball.
"Little Fatty!" Hu Linfei rushed to his best friend's side, panicked. "Fatty! Don't die on me!"
"Pah! Pah! I'm perfectly fine! Don't curse me, Ah Fei!" The Fatty scrambled up, first roasting Hu Linfei's lack of tact before emphasizing: "And call me Miao Tiaojun!"
Seeing his friend was unharmed, Hu Linfei exhaled. He turned back to Ming Wang, his gaze sharpening. "Enough talk. We, the Super Ultra Warriors, will never let an evil being like you rule the Seven Parallel Universes!"
"Then let there be war," Ming Wang said simply. He reached out a hand toward Tian Yu. "Come back, my child."
"What 'your child'! She's my teammate!" Hu Linfei roared.
He hadn't noticed the shift in Tian Yu's demeanor. Since arriving in the Underworld, her sealed memories had been screaming to the surface. She remembered her origin; she just hadn't wanted to accept it. But with Ming Wang calling her personally, Tian Yu couldn't ignore it. She took a trembling step toward him. "Father..."
WHAT??
Hu Linfei and the others were utterly stunned. Their most trusted teammate was calling Ming Wang "Father"?!
"Tian Yu! You!" Hu Linfei's voice trailed off, his face pale.
Tian Yu turned back, her voice tinged with sorrow: "Between Heaven and Hell, there was never room for my choice—only the fate of being chosen!"
Ren, standing to the side, felt a wave of goosebumps. Back when he watched the show, he thought that line was cool. Standing here in person, hearing her say it, it felt a bit... dramatic. But he also felt her helplessness. She was Ming Wang's daughter; some things were decided before she was even born.
Hu Linfei and the others were reeling. They wanted to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Finally, they unleashed a unified roar!
"Super Ultra! ARMOR!"
"Huanlin Beast!"
BOOM!
A red magic circle appeared beneath Hu Linfei's feet. A mechanical kirin rose, and Hu Linfei merged into it, red Energy sweeping across the hall. Long Jian and Tai Lei immediately followed suit.
"Huanlin God!"
"Longzhan God!"
"Leixiang God!"
Seeing the three giants, Tian Yu trembled. For a split second, she wanted to cast aside all logic and stand with them. But she was the daughter of the Underworld; fate had robbed her of the right to choose her bloodline.
Facing the three Super Ultras, Lion King, Ye Lingyun, and Ren shared a look, preparing to move. However, someone was faster.
Tian Yu erupted with Energy, a pink magic circle appearing in the sky with a phoenix silhouette at its center!
"Super Ultra! ARMOR!"
"Fengyu God!"
Tian Yu leaped into her armor, the giant mecha's eyes flashing red as she launched a kick at Hu Linfei!
"Tian Yu!" Hu Linfei, shocked that his goddess had actually attacked him, threw his arms up to block.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!!
The impact sent Hu Linfei skidding back several steps. "Tian Yu! Stop! We're partners!"
Tian Yu didn't answer. She only wanted to drive them out of the Fifth Parallel Universe—because if they stayed, they wouldn't survive the wrath of the Underworld.
One relevant follow-up question: Should Ren intervene to stop Tian Yu from hurting her former friends, or should he focus on engaging Long Jian and Tai Lei to prevent them from interfering with Ming Wang?