Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

Heroes are summoned.

As a meme that only became popular in modern times, it actually carries on a rather ancient connotation.

The concept is that of a hero from afar.

Whether it's the Greek hero Heracles who traveled to various countries and underwent trials, or the Persian war god Bahram who wandered the world to protect travelers... they can all be regarded as heroes of their respective eras.

"—So why choose game cartridges and comics to summon this anomaly?!"

Bai Ze covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight.

After deciding to tackle the "Return of the Hero" phenomenon, Lu Xingyao claimed that she needed to prepare materials to summon the anomaly.

Then she dragged me to several physical stores and I bought a bunch of outdated game tapes and classic comics.

Dragon Quest III, Berserk, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time... and even robot-themed works like Kaiser the Hero, make one wonder if anything with the "hero" tag can be used as a tribute card to summon monsters.

"Yes, that's possible."

Lu Xingyao said matter-of-factly, "Since the anomaly manifests as a hero returning from another world, then thinking in reverse means we can use similar concepts to summon heroes in this world, right?"

This is the magic summoned by the hero.

Using mythological stories as offerings is certainly an option, but it's more likely to point to heroes from the legends of this world. To accurately reproduce the anomaly, the concept is narrowed down to the modern-day popular "hero"—that's how Lu Xingyao, who possesses prophetic abilities, explains it.

Bai Ze once again deeply felt how irrational the anomaly was.

"Alright, senior, let's pile everything up at the alley entrance."

She directed Bai Ze to throw the purchased miscellaneous items at the alley exit, piling them up into a small hill that might give anyone a hero allergy just by looking at it.

The surrounding area has been checked and there are no pedestrians, nor are there any surveillance cameras installed.

Lu Xingyao took out a lighter, lit the flickering flame, and threw it toward the hillside formed by the warriors.

She remained connected to the core, and therefore wore the same flowing palace dress with tassels.

At this moment, she clasped her hands together like a priestess, facing the rising flames, and spoke:

"This world is engulfed in war, visitor from afar, I am the goddess in charge of reincarnation—"

She used the classic time-travel trope of "Shin Megami Tensei".

It actually worked.

The fire suddenly shot upwards, like a sharp sword piercing the sky.

Deep in the dark alley, the air between the crisscrossing utility poles suddenly took on a transparent, scorching quality.

A strong wind rushed from inside to the exit, blowing the girl's hair along her cheeks.

The colorless vortex swirled and expanded, and a figure stepped out from it, landing on the ground of the alley.

Medieval-style armor, with a Western two-handed sword at the waist.

He didn't look at the two people blocking the alley exit, but instead looked up in disbelief at the wire mesh that cut the sky into small squares.

"I'm back! The Demon King was right! I'm really back in the modern world!"

The opponent drew his sword, and a layer of dark light stained the blade.

"With my magic and swordsmanship knowledge intact, I'll make those who looked down on me taste the bitterness of regret. Finally... I can make up for all my regrets!"

Overjoyed, the "hero" finally noticed that there were two onlookers at the scene, casting their gazes toward the alley entrance.

"You were actually seen. Sorry, the secrets of time travelers must not be discovered. Blame your bad luck."

He brandished his two-handed sword, which was stained black, and walked towards the two of them step by step.

"Senior, he just said 'What the Demon King said is true,' right...?"

Lu Xingyao was clearly wavering.

"I finally got to be the goddess in charge of reincarnation, and the cards I drew were absolutely terrible!"

"That's all you care about?! Don't worry, no one will actually put you in charge of choosing the transmigrators."

The ritual the two of them had just performed was, to put it bluntly, merely a ritual to trigger an anomaly.

In fact, judging from the fact that the poster who spread the urban legend claimed that he was almost stabbed to death, Bai Ze believes that the anomaly here is unlikely to call for a righteous hero who embodies truth, goodness and beauty.

Rather, he's more like an evil hero who chose to betray his allegiance midway and then returned to the modern world.

But this is exactly what they want to achieve by testing the waters in real combat.

"You'll become my experience points."

The evil warrior shattered the concrete beneath his feet and charged like a cannonball, his dark sword light slashing toward Lu Xingyao's neck!

The girl lightly flicked her fingers, as if plucking an invisible string.

Several emerald-green short swords darted out like flying fish, seemingly anticipating the future and blocking the opponent's path. The first blocked the attack, the second deflected the blade, and the third grazed the blade and pierced the evil hero's face!

The latter had no choice but to roll backward to dodge, while simultaneously throwing out three blue-glowing throwing knives!

As if she had planned ahead, Lu Xingyao turned to the side, causing two of the weapons to graze past her and plunge deep into the ground, turning the surrounding soil into a rotten swamp.

The remaining blade was thrown at Bai Ze, who used the silken form of the Judgment Blade to create a net that caught the hilt and pulled it in front of him.

Rolling to dodge damage and throwing poisoned knives—this isn't a hero from afar, but a despicable stranger from a distant land!

Undeterred by the thwarted ambush, the evil hero swung his sword with one hand to clash with the flying sword released by Lu Xingyao.

The emerald green short sword clashed repeatedly with the jet-black Western sword like fireflies. The impact of steel against steel carved destructive patterns on the walls on both sides. The raging storm tore off the ground and cut the power pole in half. The sparks that flew out bloomed like fireworks!

The evil hero's sword-wielding movements were quite refined. Although Bai Ze could keep up with the speed of his opponent after merging with the Blade of Judgment, his skills were completely unorthodox. At this moment, he was concentrating on memorizing the opponent's stance.

Even more incredible is that Lu Xingyao was only remotely controlling the short sword, yet she was still able to keep up with the high-speed battle. Each flying sword transformed into a pale green beam of light, crisscrossing and forming a cage that surrounded the prey!

"I can see what you'll do in three seconds!"

She covered her right eye and revealed the answer herself.

A stable future vision limited to three seconds may not be very useful in everyday life.

However, when she gains combat abilities through the core sword spirit, her threat becomes fully apparent.

The situation was even gradually tilting in Lu Xingyao's favor, and the evil hero, now trapped, made a last-ditch effort.

After all, a hero is someone who can turn the tide on the brink of life and death, and the anomaly was indeed presented.

He raised his free hand, and a six-pointed star spun in his palm before unleashing a dazzling bolt of lightning as thick as a dragon!

The blazing white lightning transformed into a pillar of light that engulfed everything in front of it, rushing in like a flood gushing out of the alley!

"It's useless! I've completely seen through your future!"

Lu Xingyao covered her eyes like a villain, struck a bizarre pose, and laughed wildly.

Then she took a step back and shielded Bai Ze in front of her.

"It's you I choose, senior!"

I really don't want to be teammates with someone like that.