Kismet fought against the Villains until the sun set and rose again without a break.
"And this is the last one!"
Mira knocked down a thug who was trying to escape. He fell lifelessly on the ground while she stood over him, breathing heavily. Her battle suit was stained with the blood of countless enemies. She had cuts and bruises all over her body and her hair was a mess.
"Dammit!"
She fell on her butt, desperately trying to catch her breath.
"Don't shout. It will just make you more tired."
Not far away, Batu sat on the body of a dog-like monster. He wasn't in a better condition than Mira and was looking down at the ground. The rest of Kismet were scattered around the area, either lying on the ground or sitting on something trying to breathe. The only exception was Impactor.
"How the hell are you fine?"
Belinha asked while sitting on a rock.
"I'm used to fighting against groups on my own. This fight brought back memories."
Impactor wore a smile as he stared off in space.
"Is this guy really reminiscing about his rampages?"
Belinha stood up. Her breathing had already stabilised.
"Oh, you recover fast. As expected of a phoenix."
Impactor showed her a thumbs-up.
"I don't want to hear any praises from the guy who recovered faster than a phoenix."
She pushed past Impactor and took to the skies. Her eyes washed over her surroundings. The city was reduced to burning rubble, a wasteland.
"This is going to take a lot of money to fix."
The damages ran beyond buildings; there were a lot of lives lost. Lives which could've been saved if the GHF were better prepared to handle the situation.
"This country doesn't experience crimes and Villain activities that often; as a result, the Heroes here weren't equipped or experienced enough to stop a sudden invasion....."
She frowned.
"That's a bullshit excuse; one I wouldn't accept if I lost my home and family in this attack."
A new era had arrived and the war to rule had already begun.
"We defeated the Villains, but we are behind in this war."
Her eyes narrowed as she spoke with conviction.
"We, the Heroes, need to win."
"The GHF will fall."
Somewhere in Germany, Board of Heroes members Alissa and Rui were sitting at a table in a cafe. Alissa wore a smile while looking at Rui drink black coffee.
"What a bleak thing to say, even for you."
"I'm just stating what will happen if things remain the way they are."
Rui put the coffee down and repeated—
"The GHF will fall. Am I wrong?"
"No, you're absolutely right. This generation of Heroes is inferior to my and your generations. It's mostly due to the fact that they were raised when the world was already under Sin Sentinel's control."
"Saying the world was under his control is a bit extreme."
"Is it though?"
Alissa played with the spoon in her cup while maintaining her business smile.
"The Villains were afraid to do anything too extreme that would need him to step in. The Heroes benefited from that and fought without fear, knowing he was on their side. Wars, crime, and even the economy depended on his whim. Am I wrong?"
"....When you put it like that, I can't refute."
Alissa let out a chuckle and sipped her hot chocolate.
"His rule made Heroes soft and now we're paying for it."
In a flash, the cup was empty and a clack reached her ears as she put the cup on the saucer.
"When the Calamities came and took over, the Heroes were in a crisis, but only on the surface."
"Alala only appeared on battlefields, Sinvula ruled the underworld and mostly targeted the rich, and Mishma was idle. The three rulers ignored the common people and did as they pleased, so Heroes didn't need to fight them."
"Bingo."
Alissa pointed at Rui.
"So the lack of threat and urgency needed to become strong was gone for the most part because there was still balance. Which leads us to the generation of inferior Heroes."
Rui nodded.
"Which is why I said the GHF will fall."
"Unless we change things, right?"
Rui dug into his jacket and put the GHF emblem on the table.
"You unsealed your Hero's Emblem?"
She looked at him with a bit of surprise.
"You're returning back to active duty?"
"Not official, but I'll do it if our gamble doesn't pay off."
"Ah."
Alissa grinned.
"Kismet huh?"
Rui nodded.
"A group handpicked by the Director to lead this new Generation. The Director is never wrong when it comes to talent. This group has the high potential needed to turn the tide."
"And your daughter is the leader. You must be proud."
"I'm always proud of Belinha."
Alissa's smile grew wider.
"Alissa, I know the Director asked you to return to duty."
"He did."
"And your answer?"
Alissa stared at him in silence for a while before standing up. This action raised Rui's eyebrow. She placed a finger over her lips and—
"Just wait and see."
She turned her back to him.
"Wait, we're not finished yet."
"Don't be so worried, Rui."
She glanced back over her shoulder.
"Believe in your daughter. I'm sure she'll turn the tide."
Without saying any more, Alissa left the cafe and disappeared from his sight. Rui sighed and slumped in his chair.
"You could've at least answered the question so I can make the necessary preparations...."
He stared at the ceiling for a while before speaking—
"If I have to come out of retirement, I'm taking out my frustrations on any Villain or Hero I see."
Back in Copenhagen, Kismet had finished recovering and gathered together to discuss their next move.
"So, are we going to head to the other cities?"
Mikel asked Belinha while eating a ration bar.
"No need. With the two biggest cities retaken and the majority of Villains dead, those who remain will retreat on their own."
Belinha answered while sitting on the ground back-to-back with Impactor. She was also eating a bar.
"So what? We wait until we receive new orders?"
Mira asked while resting her head on Kira's legs as they both sat on the ground.
"I was thinking of taking control of the country until the government can be reinstated."
"We can do that?"
Impactor's voice was filled with surprise and excitement.
"Belinha and I can, since we're currently ranked in the Top 10 Heroes."
Batu took a cup of coffee that Bojana prepared and sipped it.
"Heroes ranked as high as us can take control of a country during a state of emergency. However, we can't stay in control. We have to return authority to it's leaders once stability is reached."
"So you mean I can rule a country if I become a top Hero? I need to get my rank up!"
Impactor entered deep thought before asking—
"Wait, what is my current rank?"
"You're Unranked."
Belinha answered.
"What? Why?!"
Impactor stood up.
"After all the cool stuff I've done, I should at least be in the top 10!"
"Calm down, Celso. It doesn't work like that."
Belinha stood up and projected a hologram from her suit. It was a hologram of a table that showed the current rankings among Heroes.
"In order to be ranked, you need to be a full-fledged Hero. Meaning, you finished a year of apprenticeship and/or completed your first mission as a Hero."
She pointed at Impactor.
"You've just completed your first official mission. You're only just eligible to be ranked."
"So you mean all my achievements meant nothing?!"
Impactor fell to his knees in defeat.
"Well, you're actually in a favourable situation."
He looked up at Batu.
"Explain like I'm stupid."
Batu chuckled and spoke—
"All of your achievements are known to the public and have left a huge impression. So there's bound to be a huge amountof support for you from the public."
"You mean I can be #1!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Celso."
Impactor looked over at Mikel, who wore an apologetic smile.
"The ranks aren't decided by the public alone. So even if you have the popular vote, you won't crack the top 10."
"So, it's rigged?"
Batu spat out his coffee and started coughing.
"Saying the most important rankings in the world are rigged is something."
He failed to control his laughter. Belinha forced Impactor's head to face her.
"Listen, Celso. Don't mock the rankings even as a joke. A change in the rankings can lead to countries' economies to fall and companies to go bankrupt."
"...It's that serious?"
Belinha nodded.
"In this Era, a country's global standing often times depends on what Hero represents it. If they have a Top Hero, even a small country can grow into a powerhouse. Why? Because of their Hero's authority in the GHF."
She pointed at Batu.
"For example, because of Batu being the #7-ranked hero, his motherland, Mongolia, has seen economic growth that would otherwise be impossible. Countries surrounding them also have to treat them with great respect. All because Batu is from there."
"Wait, wait. Isn't that over the top? The rankings are basically a popularity contest, right? Why does it have so much weight over the world?"
"Like I said, it's the authority that comes with being a Top Hero."
Belinha touched the ground.
"I, Belinha the Blood Phoenix, hereby temporarily claim rule over Denmark."
"Affirmative. Denmark is now under GHF's control, with Belinha the Blood Phoenix named as the representative."
A voice came from all of their suits.
"That alert was sent to every Hero in the world."
Belinha stood up.
"And just like that, I have control over Denmark and its population of 5 million."
Impactor's jaw hit the floor.
"Are you starting to get it?"
Batu asked with a smile.
"This is the authority that every country desires, the power to control the world."