New York City.
Inside a luxurious villa.
He woke up.
"Why am I here?"
Kino's head felt like it had been struck with a sledgehammer. The pain was excruciating.
He tried to recall what happened yesterday, but no matter how hard he tried, his brain felt clouded with fog—completely blank. Nothing came to mind.
"Venom? Pamela?"
He called out twice, but received no reply.
Kino got out of bed, his steps unsteady as he moved forward.
As he walked, the pain in his head gradually lessened, but the confusion and unease in his heart only grew stronger.
What happened yesterday? Why couldn't he remember anything? No—his memory wasn't just missing yesterday. There were large gaps in his memories.
But for now, he needed to find Pamela and the others.
He went downstairs. The living room was empty, not a soul in sight.
Kino picked up his communicator.
"Leader, what are your orders?" came Tom's respectful voice.
"What happened yesterday? Do you know?" Kino asked directly.
Tom, bound by contract, was the person he trusted the most.
"Yesterday, enemies appeared in New York. Although they were dealt with, the Demon Group suffered heavy losses. All the ladies… were killed in action."
Kino froze at the message. His first reaction was disbelief.
A force surged uncontrollably from his body. His eyes turned blood red in an instant. A powerful energy erupted around him, blasting through the rooftop as he shot into the sky.
All of New York had become a wasteland. Fires burned everywhere, smoke filled the air. The ruins and debris told of a horrific battle. Once-bustling streets were now scenes of devastation, collapsed skyscrapers scattered like broken toys, and the once-busy city had turned to silence and ash.
"How could this be?!"
Kino flew toward the Demon Group headquarters.
Even if he had lost some of his memories, he had set up countless defenses across Earth. There was no reason to lose this badly.
He arrived quickly.
Outside the Demon Group headquarters stood a massive glass statue—it was Sandman.
"F**k!"
Kino's face darkened as he entered the inner laboratory.
Tony, Banner, Otto, and Tom were all there.
Kino grabbed Tony by the collar.
"Tell me what happened. Where is my Demon Army, my enchanted weapon force, the mutants?"
"Because the enemy… was also a Demon King."
Tony looked at him calmly.
"What do you mean?"
The next moment, a projection appeared in the lab.
The footage showed a massive rift in the sky above New York. Countless demons emerged from it, along with mutants and space warships.
It happened without warning, but Earth responded quickly.
The screen showed Pamela, Venom, Lorna, Jean, and even himself fighting back.
But soon, another Kino appeared. He was terrifyingly strong. He tore Pamela apart, smashed Venom to pieces, and burned Jean to ashes with a blast of thermal energy.
His Demon Army, magical weapons, and mutants were completely wiped out within seconds.
Even Kino himself was stomped into the ground and knocked out with a single blow to the back of the head.
Then, that other Kino turned to the camera and said:
"You're just a pathetic loser!"
CRACK!
Kino smashed the projection screen with a single punch, his face twisted in fury. His body burst with immense energy.
"Where is he!!!"
Tony shrank back under Kino's glowing red gaze.
"That Demon King came from a parallel universe. He's now conquering the multiverse. We can't defeat him—not as we are. Even if you went to fight him, you'd just… Wait. Actually, we have a way to make you stronger."
Tony quickly spoke up as Kino's heat vision began to charge.
"What way?"
The red glow faded from Kino's eyes as he momentarily calmed down.
"Do you remember the God of Fear we encountered before? We've obtained his body and extracted results from it. We can modify your body—transfer his ability to absorb fear into you. But you must cooperate completely and relax during the process."
Hearing this, Kino frowned.
"Of course, you can refuse. But we don't know when the other Demon King will return."
"Do it!"
At that, Kino moved to the operating table and lay down.
"But remember—if it fails, I'll kill you all."
His icy stare sent chills through the room.
Under Kino's cooperation, the drug quickly took effect. He lost consciousness.
"I smell fear. Just a fake, and you're already trembling. When you face the real usurper, will you wet yourselves?"
Killian sneered at the others, his disguise fading to reveal the God of Fear—Serpent.
"Serpent, if you truly knew the Demon King's power, you wouldn't speak that way. To become his enemy… feeling fear is no shame."
Banner's form shifted into Mr. Frightful as he spoke calmly.
"Besides, if I remember correctly, you were nearly killed by that 'fake' not long ago."
Tony's disguise faded to reveal Loki.
"Hmph! Frost Giant. Be thankful your true body isn't here."
Serpent glared coldly at him.
"As if you could kill me even if I were."
Loki smirked, fearless in the face of Serpent's threat.
Serpent, enraged by Loki's words, unleashed a wave of green fear energy.
"Enough."
Two simple words silenced them.
A shadowy figure stepped out from the darkness. He was cloaked entirely in black, face hidden, his appearance resembling that of a bat.
"Don't forget our objective, Avengers."
"Of course I know—destroy the Demon King. No one here disagrees. I just question whether your plan will work. The Demon King still holds the Infinity Gauntlet. One snap, and we're all gone."
Loki voiced his doubts.
"I have other plans for the Infinity Gauntlet. I'll make it useless. As for the Demon King, he will deal with him."
The leader looked at Kino's opened chest on the operating table.
"He? A junkie? Sure, he's strong, but I don't believe he can defeat the Demon King alone."
Loki shook his head.
"He is merely the key to the plan, not the entire plan."
"What is the full plan?"
"You'll know in time."
"Fine, Riddler. One last question—how did you find this guy?"
Loki shrugged.
"In another world."
The leader said nothing more, silently watching the unconscious Kino.
When Kino woke up again, he sensed no change in his power and frowned.
"This is your so-called enhancement? I don't feel stronger at all."
"Kino, there's one last step. And it must be completed by you."
Tony stepped forward, holding images of various world capitals.
"Destroy them. Create fear."
Kino hesitated. He didn't want to do this.
"This is a necessary sacrifice. Once we defeat the Demon King, we'll compensate them well. They will understand."
Mr. Frightful's mental powers subtly influenced Kino.
A flash of red gleamed in Kino's eyes as his hatred for the Demon King surged once more.
He immediately flew out and began destroying buildings across cities.
Human fear poured into him like a tide, transforming into immense power.
"To defeat the Demon King, your sacrifices will be worth it."
Kino gazed sadly at the ruined cities below, unaware of the excited smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Then he flew off to continue the destruction elsewhere.
Meanwhile, in Loki and the others' eyes, the buildings Kino destroyed were nothing more than bizarre-shaped constructions.
And the humans who died?
Merely short, ugly little goblins.
Quote of the Chapter:
"He who fights monsters must take care not to become one himself." — Friedrich Nietzsche
plz support me if you can
patreon.com/AZFANFICTION
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AZofficial
This fanfiction is 90-chapter ahead and also this fanfic is 90 chapters ahead there