Marvel: Father of Superheroes

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After a full day of sightseeing, just as the sun was about to set, Mike and his family drove their rented car back toward their hotel.

Gwen looked down at her little travel notebook and marked a check next to "Chinatown." Seeing that only a few destinations remained, she sighed softly.

They wouldn't be staying here much longer—and there wasn't much left that was interesting.

Turning to a blank page in the notebook, she began writing about today's fun travel experiences.

Speaking of fun, she thought back to the delicious food they'd had. Just thinking about it made her mouth water uncontrollably.

There was so much good food...

Slurp.

Raven glanced back at Gwen and chuckled at the sight.

"You little glutton," she said softly, then couldn't help but smile.

A few minutes later, Gwen closed her "Houston Guidebook" notebook, stretched lazily, and looked out the window.

"I wonder how Thor and his girlfriend are doing on their trip?"

She muttered quietly, thinking of Thor, who was also out traveling.

Suddenly, Gwen's eyes widened as she stared out the window at the rooftop of a nearby building.

"Dad, look!" she exclaimed. "What's that on the roof? Why is there black smoke? Is there a fire?"

"Black smoke?"

Mike and Raven both turned to look.

Raven frowned. "That doesn't look like smoke."

Smoke wouldn't rise so perfectly straight.

She looked at Mike. Seeing the furrow in his brow, she asked, "Mike, what is that?"

What was it?

Mike had spotted an open gate—one that led to Hell. The "smoke" wasn't smoke at all. It was the aura seeping in from the underworld.

Standing beside that gate were two figures.

One of them was Carrie, whom Mike had just seen yesterday, and the other was a man with glowing red eyes.

That… was Blackheart?

Mike frowned as he guessed.

What were they trying to do?

Turn this place into a new Hell?

He pulled the car over to the side of the road. Seeing Gwen and Raven staring at him, Mike said, "That's a gate—a gate to Hell, a passage for releasing demons."

Raven's pupils shrank slightly. But after seeing Mike's calm expression, she quietly let out a breath of relief.

With Mike around, that thing posed little danger to them.

Gwen, however, exclaimed in shock, "Hell?!"

She looked at the building, worry on her face. "Isn't that really dangerous? What if those demons hurt people?"

"Dad…" she murmured, "Can you help them?"

In her heart, her dad was incredibly strong. But...

After thinking for a moment, she added, "But what if you get hurt? Maybe you shouldn't go after all."

Mike gave her a faint smile and said, "Don't worry. Someone will show up to deal with it."

This was the opening of a gate to Hell. With something this serious, the sorcerers led by the Ancient One would surely take action.

Meanwhile, beside the Hell Gate—

Blackheart stared at the now-open gateway and smiled at Carrie. "As long as I gather more souls, I'll become even stronger—stronger than that damn old man!"

Carrie smiled in return, but there was a cold glint in her eyes.

Standing before the gate, Blackheart began chanting in a low voice. Then, with a sharp shout, he declared, "Come forth!"

At his command, demons from Hell began to emerge.

The first were faceless creatures with elongated limbs and half-missing heads—ghastly beings with vaguely human forms. They scurried along the ground and, upon appearing, immediately ran down the outer walls of the building.

Next came flaming hellhounds, dog-sized demonic bats, and skinless sheep-like monsters—nothing but muscle, exposed flesh, and pale bones.

These were all low-tier demons. Blackheart had not summoned any powerful Hell-lords or greater demons.

What he needed now was quantity—monsters that could create widespread chaos and slaughter.

And as soon as these hellish creatures killed a person, Blackheart could use his newly gained abilities to harvest their souls, converting them into raw power for himself.

More and more monsters poured from the rooftop, spreading out in all directions.

Watching the scene unfold, Blackheart let out a roar. From his body, streams of malicious, vengeful spirits burst forth and took flight across the city.

These wraiths were now part of his power. Beyond enhancing his own strength, they also served as soul harvesters.

The demons would carry out the killing; the wraiths would collect the souls and return to him, feeding him power.

It was a flawless hunting system.

As he watched the swarm of monsters and evil spirits spread out, Blackheart smiled in satisfaction—waiting eagerly.

Meanwhile, inside Mike's car—

Gwen and Raven kept their eyes on Mike, while Mike stared intently at the distant building.

Seconds ticked by. When he saw that the hellish creatures were still pouring out—and had begun charging toward the street below—Mike cursed under his breath, "Damn it. What are those sorcerers doing? Why haven't they shown up yet?"

"Dad?"

Gwen looked up at him. "The people you said would stop those scary monsters… are they really coming? Are lots of people going to die?"

Mike pressed his fingers to his forehead, then reached for the car door handle. "Stay in the car and don't come out. I'll handle it."

Raven grabbed his hand. "Is it dangerous?"

Mike gave a calm, reassuring smile. "Don't worry."

Raven stared into his eyes. Once she was sure he wasn't lying, she let go. "Be careful. I'll keep Gwen safe."

Gwen waved at him. "Go, Dad! You can do it!"

Mike smiled back at them, opened the car door, and stepped out.

Several glowing cards appeared at his fingertips. The cards dissolved into light, forming multiple protective barriers around the car. In a flash, Mike vanished from the ground and reappeared in mid-air. A conjured mask appeared in his hand, which he placed over his face before flying toward the building.

There were many hellspawn. The closer he got to the building, the denser they became—like a page filled with dark ink blots spreading outward.

But wherever Mike passed, it was like someone had taken an eraser to the chaos, leaving a clean white streak through the darkness.

Every single demon in his path was reduced to dust.

"Hm? Looks like we have a visitor."

Blackheart, seeing the scene unfold, was visibly stunned.

Before he could finish speaking, Mike had already descended from the sky and landed directly in front of him.

Carrie, upon seeing Mike, instinctively took two steps back—as if trying to distance herself from Blackheart.

"Who are you?" Blackheart asked, eyeing Mike. Though surprised by his speed, he still managed a calm smile.

He was trying to project his usual boss-like aura.

But Mike simply stared him down, his expression icy. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Blackheart.

Blackheart's eyes widened in shock—but that was all he had time to do.

The next moment, Mike had his hand around Blackheart's throat.

Blackheart's eyes bulged. He raised his hand, and black magic began to swell within his palm, a pulse of dark energy ready to burst forth. But before he could act, a glowing card in Mike's other hand dissolved into light, creating a portal beside them.

On the other side of the portal, it was early morning. The location—a training ground.

The field was filled with people wearing mage robes, all practicing spells under the guidance of a stern, dark-faced man. At the very front stood a bald-headed man holding a fan.

Mike glanced through the portal, confirmed he'd opened the right one, and then hurled Blackheart through it with a swift motion.

(End of Chapter)