Chapter 586: Classic Revisited (I

The living room on the top floor of Stark Tower.

On a large diorama glowing with warm, soft light, more and more red dots and miniature figurines appeared.

The figurines battled and slaughtered each other within the city on the diorama, as if filming a giant tokusatsu movie.

"Do you know?" Fang Zheng stared at the diorama clearly designed for Ultraman to destroy cities, and sighed dejectedly:

"I thought our first mission would be something like 'Ringu,' 'A Chinese Ghost Story,' 'Kunlun Ridge,' or 'Ju-On'—those kinds of dungeons."

"I looked forward to it for so long, even got so excited I couldn't sleep the whole night, just like the night before elementary school's spring outing."

"But what happened?! During the day I played some 'Fire Blade Hero' in this quaint place, and at night I didn't even see a single evil spirit."

"The Spirit is a ghost too—why don't you go try?" Yang Jian suggested.

Fang Zheng widened his eyes, pointing at a miniature Thanos with the five Infinity Stones, and asked: "You wish I were dead?"

What else can we do?

Yang Jian shrugged, indicating he had no solution either.

The Avengers, the Illuminati, the X-Men, the Ten Rings, the Hydra, the S. H. I. E. L. D., the Nova Corps—from some unknown universe—all clashed in chaos.

They killed each other or were killed, even dragged into certain AoE attacks, turning all of New York into a boiling mess.

"Relax, the big shots are holding the front line—we just need to not hold everyone back."

Zhang Chuanyan sat with one leg crossed, swaying his wine glass as he savored Su Su Tuoni Stark's wine, exhaled the alcohol fumes, and grinned: "You don't expect us, a few bronzes, to fight in a King's match, do you?"

Ge Xiaolun nodded in agreement: "Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, sleep when you're tired—just give your all in the final tally, that's a success, *hiccup*~."

So you're saying to fully enjoy being a benchwarmer, right?

"Don't, Sister Crow!"

A wailing cry came from the next room, interrupting the thoughts of the several benchwarmers.

"Be good, let me take a look~"

A high-pitched, shrill, eerie laugh followed immediately.

Almost simultaneously, Ge Xiaolun and Zhang Chuanyan, who had just been relaxed, instantly changed expression—the lines of their faces grew sharply defined.

Their hands holding the wine glasses trembled slightly, as if struck by lightning, slowly turning toward the half-open door.

Before Yang Jian and Fang Zheng could react, those two had already flashed—without any wind-up—to either side of the door.

Their speed and stealth were unprecedented.

"This is too intense—I can't take it anymore!" Huai Shi's voice, pained, still carried a hint of pleasure and enjoyment.

"If you're a man, hold on, old lady!" Crow's voice rang with delight and glee: "Am I awesome, little brother?!"

Huai Shi's voice suddenly turned desperate: "Please spare me today, oh no, don't!!!"

"." Ge Xiaolun and Zhang Chuanyan exchanged a glance; both saw envy and panic in the other's eyes. Their Adam's apples moved simultaneously, then—

"." Ge Xiaolun and Zhang Chuyang exchanged a glance, both seeing envy and panic in each other's eyes; their Adam's apples moved simultaneously, then.

A crow was flying in the air, its wings swirling vials and test tubes that jabbed repeatedly into Huai Shi's body. Needles of all sizes pierced his skin; a funnel stuck in his mouth poured in a purple fluorescent unknown liquid.

Nerves and blood vessels glowed beneath his skin, bones radiated light through flesh and muscle, bloodshot eyes bulged, leaving trails of bloody tears, and vast amounts of calamity ash, thick with agony and sorrow, vomited from his mouth.

"Still some left—want some?" Crow held up the test tube and asked.

Ge Xiaolun and Zhang Chuanyan shook their heads expressionlessly and quietly closed the door.

They sat back near the diorama, arms limp, heads bowed, lost in some existential contemplation.

Fang Zheng opened the door, glanced inside, then shut it again, stroking his chin and pulling out a resurrection coin, muttering to himself:

"I reckon… the Mountain Ghost is also a ghost…"

You're really hungry.

Yang Jian had never seen someone like this before—too bad his own side's supernatural phenomena had no health bars, otherwise he'd definitely drag this guy over.

"By the way, why are we the only ones here?" Yang Jian asked after scanning the surroundings: "Where did all the other big shots go?"

"They said this Holy Grail War has too many sneaky bastards and Voldemort clones—if we wait for others to kill each other, we'd be here forever," Fang Zheng recalled:

"The Reincarnation Space assigned us a mission too, so they're joining in—and told us to get ready."

"Ready for what?" Zhang Chuanyan looked up, puzzled.

Fang Zheng shook his head—just then, red light illuminated his face.

Fang Zheng shook his head, and just then, red light illuminated his face.

Red light?

All of them turned in unison toward the diorama—where a dense cluster of red dots had gathered around Stark Tower, New York's tallest building.

"Concentrating so many Reincarnators and natives here must be right—this Stark Tower isn't ordinary."

Inside a building, several men in tight suits stood with tense, grim expressions.

"Brother Two, you're sure you saw an Einzbern homunculus in New York—and that she walked into Stark Tower?" asked the Superman figure, wearing red tights with a giant 'S' on his chest.

"Absolutely!" Brother Two, a man in a Green Lantern-style suit, slapped his chest confidently:

"I saw that girl with red eyes and white hair, wielding Hercules to kill a Red Hulk."

"Hercules' appearance matched exactly the Holy Grail War dungeon I experienced long ago!"

"But the girl's face differed from the Little Holy Grail I saw in that dungeon—and she was walking with a red-haired youth who looked exactly like Archer."

The Superman figure nodded, gazing at Stark Tower with sharp eyes.

"Could this omnipotent universe contain the true Type-Moon multiverse? It doesn't seem like a replica built from the ruins of an abyss universe."

The Superman figure grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth:

"Regardless of how it happened, right now—the Holy Grail War is truly happening in the Marvel universe, and the Little Holy Grail is real."

Unlike those low-tier squads crawling around this universe like cannon fodder, their team was an SSS-class squad, privy to far more insider information than others.

Unlike that group of low-tier teams scrambling through this universe as cannon fodder, their team was an SSS-ranked team, privy to more insider information than others.

Even the missions assigned to us are primarily reconnaissance, tasked with collecting laws and data across various timelines and quantum domains.

I never expected that my first mission after promotion would present such an opportunity—the All-Wishing Grail, capable of fulfilling desires across countless multiverses, was an unexpected blessing.

But I never imagined the scale of this Holy Grail War and its chain reactions would be unprecedentedly terrifying.

To casually involve oneself would only result in being shredded to dust by the vortex.

"We've already leaked the news linking the Small Grail to the Great Grail. Let's sit back and watch the tigers fight—let them do the probing." The second brother chuckled.

Fortunately, Stark Tower in this battle world's defenses are overly strong—even Infinite Ultron's attacks have caused no damage. This is a perfect chance to investigate.

"Prepare yourselves. Once we confirm the Small Grail's status, don't let those natives snatch it."

"Understood!"

"They're beginning preparations for a full-scale assault on Stark Tower."

Steve stared at Nick Fury sipping coffee and said: "We can't just watch helplessly."

"Don't rush. Observe a little longer." Nick Fury stared at the liquid matching his skin tone, shaking it until it churned like storm-tossed ocean waves:

"The Grail is divided into Great Grail and Small Grail. Right now, the Small Grail—the necessary device—is in his hands."

"Aren't you curious, Steve?"

"How exactly did our scientist Su Su Tuoni Stark come into contact with these supreme magics?"

Beneath his elbow, stacks of documents in German and English recorded the history of the Einzbern family and historical records of suspected Holy Grail Wars.

"I tried to talk to Wanda, but…" Doctor Strange stepped through the door and said: "The Silver Surfer she summoned is faster than the one we know."

"Can Stark handle it?" Thor stared at the monitor, where someone was already attempting to tear open the space outside Stark Tower.

"I booked a big lunch for tomorrow noon—the chef can't die." Fat Thor raised his axe to charge out, but Ant-Man Scott blocked his path.

"Calm down, buddy," Scott soothed. "That building's defenses are far more terrifying than you imagine."

"If I were you, I wouldn't be so reckless," came Nick Fury's voice. "Thor, don't you have any wish you want fulfilled?"

Hearing the question, Fat Thor's mind instantly flooded with images—his mother, his father, his brother, and the destroyed Asgard.

"In this Holy Grail War, you're either enemy or ally."

Nick Fury from after 2023 stepped forward, hands behind his back, eyes like hawks locking onto his other self, and said:

"For national security and Earth's safety, the Grail must be kept in a proper place, and wishes must be used on the right path."

"I understand the logic," Nick Fury snorted.

"But where exactly is the most suitable place to keep it?"

The two locked gazes, the unspoken meaning between them clear.

From within the shattered glass walls, darkness flowed like water from the broken barriers, while stars appeared as if painted into the void.

First came the Morning Star—a blazing point of stellar radiance ignited at the center of the night sky, followed by countless other stars, then exploding outward in all directions.

Boom—!

Beyond the limits of human perception, a stellar region suddenly plummeted.

"Don't worry."

Shi Difen drew a matrix, light flaring over his nearby teammates: "I'm about to cast a forbidden spell."

A waterfall of stars rained down, and weaker beings nearby were instantly crushed to dust by the sheer force of the falling stars.

Of course, the powerhouses who answered the Grail's call—rising from resentful graves and tombstones of ambition—far exceeded expectations: Hyperion, Quasars, Malekith, Scarlet Witch, Black Phoenix, Thanos.

These individuals and their respective Masters had long prepared.

"Can I hide here for a while?"

A red-skinned demon in a suit stepped out from the vast white light tearing through the world, appearing behind Shi Difen and the others.

"Perhaps we can continue our cooperation~"

Mephisto wore a cynical smile, yet spoke with startling sincerity: "Look at these people—going to such lengths over just a Small Grail. Impatience rarely leads to good outcomes."

"Cooperating with you rarely leads to good outcomes either," Shi Difen said bluntly, flicking his finger.

Terrifying energy leaked from the magical barrier before him, striking Mephisto.

Last night, Shichinoshi Shigeki suddenly went mad and killed several of the enemy's personnel—yet that also exposed his identity.

"We're both Casters. What's there to negotiate?"

The Mephisto before him was not a possessing demon inhabiting a human host, but a demon king summoned from an unknown timeline, originating from the Hell Dimension.

The biker spirit knight was the Master; this one was the Servant of the Caster class.

This disguise fooled everyone—until Shichinoshi triggered a conflict.

"Don't say that. Personally, I believe even as rivals, we can maintain good friendship before the final battle."

Mephisto glanced deeply at Shichinoshi Shigeki beside him and smiled:

"Then let my side show some sincerity."

The attackers coordinated, shattering the Heavenly Realms and Small Worlds into their most fundamental atoms, forcibly carving out a passage.

Seeing the moment was right, Mephisto snapped his fingers. A deep green figure slowly emerged—it was Warlord Hulk.

He opened his eyes, and flames blazed in his gaze; in an instant, fire spread across his entire body.

A Hulk version of the Spirit Knight?!

The burning aura and reality-altering magic took effect on him. This demon lord, who had seized the chance to manifest his true form into reality, enslaved Warlord Hulk's will and obtained the long-sought material.

"Go."

Mephisto watched Hulk, charging at the front, his accumulated rage having burned away his very self, then smiled and looked away:

"My own combat ability isn't as strong as yours—you knew that already."

Mephisto pulled out a book and wrote his name: "I'll let you have the Small Grail, but you must compensate me with three Holy Seals of the same class."

"One," Shi Difen said, narrowing his eyes.

"Deal." Mephisto's smile deepened, as if this was exactly what he had wanted all along.

Under the combined assault of numerous powerful beings, Stark Tower's defenses gradually shattered, and the onlookers nearby finally realized that this ordinary Earth building concealed such terrifying traps.

The killing intent gradually faded, and the true Stark Tower became visible within.

"This thick turtle shell."

A figure that startled Scarlet Witch and others suddenly flashed out, ignoring the attacks unleashed by Phoenix Force and the Five Stones Thanos, and charged forward.

"All of you get out of my way!" Infinity Ultron bellowed with a cold voice; cosmic energy erupted outward, flinging the surrounding figures away.

Since losing to Black Strange in the past due to the Stones being stolen, it had learned and improved, preparing multiple spare bodies and using the Stones' energy as a transmission medium.

"Su Su Tuoni Stark, you think this thing can stop me?!"

With the obstruction gone, through its multidimensional perspective, it saw Ge Xiaolun and others inside Stark's top floor, along with a group of 'sandboxes' that contained loops of space and time.

It raised its hand and tore apart the final line of defense, and within the truly shattered glass walls.

From the rear, Dada Liya, Su Su Tuoni Stark, and others stepped out of the elevator.

"Holy Grail" Ultron immediately made the judgment to preserve the lifeform's functionality.

At that very moment, the hidden attackers, now able to see inside due to the opened view, all struck out.

"I fight Ultron?!"

In the instant Ge Xiaolun's jaw nearly dropped, he quickly stepped in front of Su Su Tuoni Stark: "Brother Su Su Tuoni, run!"

Su Su Tuoni paused, then said: "I'm moved."

Immediately, he raised his right hand, revealing the sigil on his palm.

The moment red light flared on his palm, black rain that had fallen unnoticed enveloped all of New York.

He swiftly traced a ritual array beneath his feet; white light particles rapidly converged, forming within mere breaths a noble and majestic figure.

A horse as massive as a mountain, clad in heavy armor embossed with metallic patterns, its white fur flowing with crystalline radiance, emitted sparks of lightning from its metallic nostrils with each thunderous neigh.

A tall, solemn figure sat silently upon the horse's back, holding a curved long spear.

The moment it raised its head, a golden pupil illuminated the entire night.