Times Square, New York.
It had long been submerged by an angry crowd of protesters.
Tens of thousands of people held up various slogans, merging into an ocean of humanity.
On a high platform, a fat man held a banner that read "Registration Act Petition Group," shouting crazily:
"The Arbiter, get out of New York!"
"Refuse tax hikes! Give me back my hard-earned money!"
"Support the registration act! Superheroes are not outlaws!"
"Take off the masks! Accept supervision!"
With every shout, the marching crowd responded in kind.
The atmosphere reached a fever pitch with each slogan; fanatical emotions spread through the crowd like a grand religious ceremony.
They firmly believed they were the embodiment of justice, representatives of public opinion, conducting a great revolution.
However, none of them noticed the eerie changes occurring in the sky above.
The first to notice something wrong was a TV station photographer conducting a live broadcast.
Through the lens, he accidentally scanned the sky and instantly froze.
"What... what is that?"
Amidst his exclamation, the people belatedly looked up, only then seeing that terrifying red rift and the six figures slowly walking out from it.
They wore classical and magnificent clothing, their expressions arrogant, like gods inspecting their territory. But what they emanated was a pure killing intent that could freeze one's soul.
The Inheritor Family, descends!
Morlun, the leader, sniffed the air, a look of intoxication and a cruel smile appearing on his face:
"Should I say it's expected of a Universe where the other exists? The aura of life here is so vibrant it's simply intoxicating."
The female Inheritor, Bora, looked down at the fanatically clamoring crowd, her gaze like looking at a flock of lambs to be slaughtered:
"What are they shouting?"
"It doesn't matter." Deimos revealed a bloodthirsty smile. "Based on the experience I've gathered from destroying over a hundred Universes, as long as we carry out indiscriminate attacks on these fragile creatures, our delicacy will surely jump out."
As soon as he finished speaking, Morlun dove toward the most densely populated area below.
"Family, I declare the appetizer phase has begun!"
The moment the words fell, Morlun had already flashed into the crowd.
His thrusting right hand seemed to turn into the sharpest spear in the world; with just one strike, he pierced the hearts of more than ten people, skewering them like human skewers.
"BOOM!!!"
Deimos wasn't willing to let Morlun take all the glory, so he followed closely behind, diving down.
He landed right on the high platform in the center of the procession.
The fat man who had been holding forth on the platform just moments ago had his head blown apart by a single punch from Deimos.
Red and white matter sprayed wildly.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
The slogans that sounded like mountain tsunamis came to an abrupt halt.
Everyone stared blankly at the six god-like figures in the sky and at the leader of the petition group, whose head was gone and whose neck was still spurting blood; they felt their minds go blank.
In front of their TVs, viewers watching the live broadcast at home were also stunned.
"Is... is this... special effects?" a girl asked tremblingly.
In the next second, the screams at the scene answered her question.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The silence was instantly shattered, replaced by a terror that spread like a plague!
"Monsters! Dammit, everything The Arbiter said was true!"
"Run! Run!"
"Help! Someone save me!"
The crowd instantly exploded into chaos; everyone was desperately pushing and trampling those around them just to escape this land of death.
The so-called "public opinion" and "justice" were fragile and vulnerable in the face of the fear of death.
The placards in their hands were scattered all over the ground, crushed by panicked footprints; the words "The Arbiter, get out of New York" on them seemed so ironic and ridiculous.
Carnage began.
Inheritors enjoyed this game of slaughter; every time they struck, they took over a dozen lives.
And their actions were being faithfully transmitted to every corner of the U.S. through the scene's cameras and drone footage.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Those who had been mocking The Arbiter online for "alarmism" just a few days ago now felt cold all over, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
The crisis... has really come!
And it was faster and more cruel than anyone had imagined!
A middle-aged white man, originally dressed in fine clothes, was now slumped miserably on the ground. His designer suit was covered in countless footprints, and fragments of internal organs were faintly visible at the corner of his mouth.
Now, only one emotion remained in his heart: regret.
If time could be turned back, he would be willing to offer his entire fortune to let The Arbiter build defense facilities that could protect all of New York.
Unfortunately... there is no medicine for regret in this world.
A mother holding her child fell to the ground in despair. Seeing a female Inheritor walking towards her with a sneer, her eyes were filled with endless remorse.
She remembered how she was still posting online yesterday, cursing The Arbiter, supporting the registration act, and calling his warnings mere alarmism.
Now, she knew she was wrong, truly wrong!
"I was wrong... I was really wrong..."
She sat paralyzed on the spot, terrified, with only one thought left in her mind.
Someone save us...
The Arbiter... superheroes, where are you all?
Opposite this mother and child, the Inheritor Verna had already raised her energy whip.
She was finally tired of the cat-and-mouse game; it was time to finish off these two weak humans!
Crack~
The whip tore through the air with a loud crack, and the mother and child sitting on the ground closed their eyes in despair.
But at this critical moment!
Whoosh~
A streak of dark-gold light seemed to tear through space, arriving in an instant at a speed exceeding the limits of visual capture!
Verna's expression changed drastically. Her hunter's instinct made her sense a fatal threat. Without a second thought, she immediately diverted her attack, swinging the energy whip toward the approaching figure.
Ping~
The whip struck the black-gold armor, creating ripples of eerie undulations, but the masked man who was hit head-on remained unmoved.
Instead, he raised his hand and punched Verna, sending her less-than-sturdy frame flying over a dozen meters away.
The mother, who had closed her eyes to wait for death, waited for who knows how long, but never felt the pain arrive.
She then cautiously opened her eyes a crack.
Through this crack, she saw a tall and magnificent figure standing before her and her child.
A soft white light was currently glowing from this person's hand.
Under the effect of this light, the wound on her son's knee healed instantly.
The iconic black-gold skull mask was clearly quite sinister, but in the eyes of this mother at this moment, it appeared incredibly holy.
It's The Arbiter!
He really came!
Even though they had once clearly opposed him and even hysterically insulted him, when they were in despair, he had put aside past grievances to save them...
Slap!
Without any hesitation, the mother suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard.
I actually doubted The Arbiter's intentions before?
Am I even a fucking human being!