The moment the heroes lined up around the boss, Sonya and the others were on their feet. It took a moment for Leiandra to realize this was something clearly traditional and ceremonial to rise as well. Sonya didn’t even spare her the usual smug grin. Her eyes were on the screen. No one spoke as the first attack was unleashed, and the combination of several heroes brought ruin to the Anchor Beasts’ armored hide.

What followed was not a dramatic, life-or-death battle. It was a systemic slaughter. The ranged heroes maintained their positions around the beast from up high, raining everything they had down on it while any who were injured by stray attacks or shrapnel were quickly spirited away. Melee fighters went in as ranged attackers swapped out to catch their breath, delivering quick and brutal strikes from all angles. 

Sonya turned only once to glance at the sole person standing in the room besides herself, Marta, and the judges. The Nepalese President stood like a soldier, his eyes hard and his jaw set as he watched young men and women fight for the honor of his country. She reached up and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze before returning her attention to the screen. She didn’t dare miss a moment. 

When the beast went down, it was beneath the furious hail of attacks rather than some dramatic one man vs beast victory. It simply succumbed, collapsing under its own weight as it finally gave up what life it had.

Her smile could have lit the room.

Medved clenched a fist and shook it with a broad smile. “Good show! That’s how you do it!”

Lillian and Greg were clapping, turning to shake one another’s hand and then shaking hands with Medved, who was roiling with enthusiasm. Sonya turned to the President, and they clasped hands once before Leiandra spoke up, thoughtful. “I’ve never seen an Anchor Beast being taken down. It was a lot less climactic than I had expected. It almost seemed easy.”

No one laughed at her comment. Sonya nodded and grinned at her. “And that, Leiandra, is the point.” She nodded to the screens. “That kind of action, that kind of performance? No muss, no fuss, no drama, minimal injuries, and no casualties. A maximum survival rate and they got the job done. That is the work of pros, real pros. I could not be more proud of them.”

Leiandra looked momentarily shocked. She frowned thoughtfully and looked up at the screen. The young heroes were celebrating, throwing their fists up in the air, hugging, laughing, and what few injured remained were being moved quickly to recover and join in on the celebration. It was a party in the heart of what had once been the most dangerous place on Earth. She laughed. “You’re right. Theatrics are for supervillains and television. Heroes make people feel safe and that’s what they did. A group of individuals from around the world proved it could look easy, and the people saw it first hand. Incredible.”

Sonya admired the woman for a moment. It’s a shame we’re fated to be enemies in the future, Leiandra. You’re the right person for your job. 

“We should deliberate the final scores, but I think we all know who the final four are,” Medved grunted. “Gravitic, Crusader, Cerebella, shall we?”

The other three nodded and joined him at the bar in the rear of the room. Sonya turned to the President. “I’d like to talk to you about the monster remains,” Sonya said. “If you don’t mind?”

The President was still staring at the screen with tears in his eyes. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, of course. It’s your event, so-”

“I’d like to buy them from you.” Sonya cut him off.

He stared at her. “Wh- Really?”

“Yes. I’ll give you a fair price. After that, I’ll get a general estimate of the potential profits off of them and donate half of those profits to Nepal for the reconstruction of Dharan. The rest I’d like to go towards some of the Hero-sponsored charities around the world, like Sapporo’s,” Sonya said simply.

He tilted his head and furrowed his brows. “You’re paying us twice in that scenario.”

“And?” Sonya asked and held out her hand. “What do you say?”

He laughed. “Nepal will never forget this, Miss Chernovna. You have yourself a deal.”

They shook hands, and Sonya sealed it with a Broker-enforced deal. The ability was far better at calculating the possible profits and making sure it got to the right bank accounts in a timely manner. There were a few charities she had in mind that would be perfect for it. She knew it was partially a strategy to further shine up her personal image, but it did feel really good to finally be able to do a little good alongside the bad. She felt a gaze on her and met Leiandra’s eyes.

“Make sure it happens the right way, Leiandra. You’re good at that,” she said and turned away. “I need to clear up a few things before making the announcement about the award ceremony.”

“I’m not your lawyer, Chernovna!”

“Yeah, well, mine’s a little sketchy according to you!” Sonya laughed and left the room.

–

Nietz was staring at the body of the monster. It was huge and so oddly still. He couldn’t believe how easily it went down thanks to the plan they’d hashed out. He ran his fingers through his hair and chuckled to himself before sitting down on a piece of debris. I just hope I did enough. He thought, and let out a heavy sigh. On the bright side, Dharan is free. We did it.

“WE DID IT!” A noisy shout came from behind him and even though his reflexes and instincts told him to dodge, he let Kong tackle him off the chunk of concrete and onto the ground. The martial hero burst into laughter and threw a fist in the air. “WE DID IT! HA HA!” 

Nietz looked up at the wild man he’d only met a few days ago. They’d fought shoulder-to-shoulder since then, and he couldn’t imagine a more reliable teammate. “That we did!” he laughed. “Showed that bastard who’s boss.”

Kong hopped off of him and helped him to his feet, grasping his hand. “You saved my ass against that freakshow last night,” Kong said. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t see my hometown with the sun shining on it. Thanks, Nietz.”

“It’s Anton.”

Kong blinked and gave a genuine, less crazy smile. “Ram.”

Nietz returned the smile and put his hands on his hips. “Where’s Hammond?”

“Sleeping off the stress, probably,” Kong laughed. “We did put a pretty squishy guy on the front lines.”

“It worked!” Nietz laughed. “Oh well, I’m glad he’s getting some sleep.”

ATTENTION! THIS IS THE DHARAN EVENT COMMITTEE’S FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Kong looked up. “Here it comes.”

Nietz closed his eyes and took a deep breath. You did your best. No matter what. Locke saw. Everyone saw. 

THE TOP FOUR HAVE BEEN CHOSEN: HERO KONG.

Kong beamed and struck a pose. Nietz slapped his friend on the arm.

HERO DRAGOON!

Shouts rose off towards the clean up teams. She was probably overseeing them.

HERO HUI!

The recovery tents burst into an uproar, and Nietz imagined Hui halfway through applying a boosting rune to a healer when the announcement came. He let out another breath and steeled himself.

HERO NIETZ!

The breath came out of him, and he dropped to his knees. I did it.

“HA HA HA! What? Were you doubting it or something?” Kong chortled over him.

I did it!

He hopped to his feet and threw his fists up in the air. “Locke! I did it!” He felt euphoric. He threw an arm over Kong’s shoulder and jabbed him the ribs. “We’re going to the big leagues, man! International here we come!”

“Damn right!” Kong barked as two figures approached them. Nietz looked and saw Dragoon and Hui walking over, talking amongst themselves. All four of them were positively beaming. A distance back, Nietz saw the gathered participants shouting and cheering for the winning group. 

Nietz held out a hand and greeted the new arrivals. “Congratulations, you guys.”

“The same to you,” Hui said. “We came by not only to share congratulations, though. Dragoon had a very interesting proposal.”

Kong tilted his head and Nietz was perplexed. “Oh? What’s your suggestion?”

“The four of us are actually quite complementary in our movesets, and we have heroes in our corner who make up for what we lack. I suggested to Hui here that once our international status is confirmed, we should form a team. We may not know one another well personally, but our capacity to do a good job is unquestionable,” she said matter-of-factly.

“An international team?” Nietz asked. “Usually they operate alone.”

“Eventually there will be Heroic dungeons. We all know it's going to happen. Can one Mythic and a support team handle that when it's hard enough to deal with an Epic? Only someone like Black Lotus can solo an Epic dungeon.” Hui pointed out.

“They’re right,” Kong exhaled. “No man’s an island.”

Nietz pressed his lips together and nodded along. “I have a condition for myself.”

“That’s unsurprising; we all have things we want out of this,” Dragoon agreed. “Name it.”

“Hammond and another hero, Locke. I want them as part of our support staff,” he said.

“That’s it?” Hui asked. “Done.”

The other three nodded. “Hammond is arguably the best support hero out there,” Dragoon said flatly. “Judging by him, anyone you want to bring on is more than worthy.”

He let out a long, tired breath. “Then I’m in.”

You’re going to be just fine, Locke. We made it. Next time I see you, I’m keeping my promise and then some.

–

The reporter was a middle-aged man with a comb-over in a dark suit. He was adjusting some notes on his desk as footage playing to his right showed people celebrating in the streets of numerous countries. Signs were held up as communities around the world joined Nepal in the occasion. 

The image flipped briefly to an image of the Charwoman of the Pandora Committee and the Secretary General of the UN standing next to one another. “...with this momentous occasion,” the Chairwoman was saying, “Humanity’s pride has been restored. The wound left behind by that first terrible year has been cauterized and with time, it will heal. This was an action taken by humanity as a whole. Heroes from all over the world came together to accomplish something incredible.”

The Secretary General nodded alongside her. “This occasion marks a victory for Earth and for everyone who has seen trepidation in the face of all the tumultuous changes that have befallen us as a people,” the older man said. 

The reporter was smiling at the screen when the image switched back. “The Prime Minister of Japan also had a few words to say at the newly constructed memorial ground in the Tokyo blast zone.”

The elderly Prime Minister stared at the camera for a long moment before stepping back and bowing at the waist. He held the pose for several seconds before standing back up. “The hearts of the people of Japan are soothed by what has happened today. In one small way, our families, brothers, and sisters are avenged. Sapporo would be proud.”

The reporter adjusted in his seat. “Our hearts go out to the people still recovering in Tokyo,” he cleared his throat. “While most celebrate, there are reports indicating growing concerns about the Pandora Committee’s explosion in influence and military strength as a result of the clearing of Dharan. Some experts indicate that nations may begin electing their Pandora representatives rather than appointing them. The United States has already passed a bill indicating such a move with Germany and the United Kingdom following suit.”

The reporter paused for a heartbeat before nodding. “We’ve just received word that the Awards Ceremony for the Dharan event, still ostensibly a competition, will be held in one week. The ceremony was delayed after the participating heroes requested time to assist in the cleanup of the liberated territory. The winning heroes, who will receive a full sponsorship with ASTA Corporation and one of the ‘Ability Tokens’ as a grand prize are: Hero Kong, Hero Hui, Hero Dragoon, and Hero Nietz. Congratulations to them. Thank you for your service.”

The screen shattered as a glass flew through it.

“Only one?” Hui Lan shouted. “Ma! Where is Ma!”

She whirled towards the door and found that her son was once again late to see her. She scowled and slumped back in her seat. That bastard was supposed to sabotage the event. Our people were supposed to win! What was the point of sending him there if- She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. My granddaughter should have intervened on our behalf. What happened? Has she spent too much time with that Chernovna woman? I knew I should have put her in her place sooner rather than later.

She tapped a button next to her. “BOY! Where are you?” Static was her only response. “BOY!”

“He is sleeping, Hui Lan.”

She whirled. Someone had entered her space without her knowing. She whipped her head up towards the jade sculptures clinging to the walls. They remained still, not reacting in the least to the unwelcome presence. She rose to her feet as green light wrapped around her fingertips. “I do not know who you think you are to enter my home, but I will personally-”

The point of a blade touched the back of Hui Lan’s neck. “That is quite enough. Sit down, Hui Lan.”

She went very, very still. The woman’s voice was so calm, cold, and controlled. She slowly descended back onto her chair as her eyes flitted about, looking for a reflective surface. The woman removed her blade and walked past her. She was an athletic figure in black tattered robes marked with plates of silver armor on her shoulders, back, and her one visible hand. Her other arm was either gone or hidden within the sleeves of her robes. She gestured once with her sword and the screen that she used to separate herself from those who visited her turned to blood-red flame and ash, disintegrating with a gesture.

The doors slammed open, and a dozen men and women in similar robes stormed inside, spreading out to fill the chamber. The woman hopped down from Hui Lan’s raised platform and  turned, resting her sword on her shoulder.

“...Dame Kant.”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “It’s Tianmo now.”

“HAIL! HAIL THE HEAVENLY DEMON! HAIL!” came a military-shout from those behind her. The gathered warriors stomped their feet and stood at attention.

The woman grinned at Hui Lan. “You’ve been a bad girl, Song Hui Lan.”

Hui Lan snarled. “If you think you can just walk in here and-”

Every person in the room drew a weapon. Blades, daggers, chains - all pale post-Pandora metal. All of them radiating that same blood red light. Tianmo shifted her sword arm and raised a finger to her lips, holding Hui Lan’s gaze, red light burning in her eyes. “Shh, I am speaking. You are quiet. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“You’re very fortunate,” Tianmo said. “I came here personally at the behest of someone much more important than you. China is angry, Hui Lan. The only reason my cultivators and I don’t purge you and your family right now is because you’re useful to us and to our benefactor.”

“Useful?”

Tianmo raised her finger to her lips once again, and the warning glare was undoubtedly the last one. “Where do you think we got our pretty weapons from? Thank you so much for the sponsorship, by the way. My sect wouldn’t have grown as fast as it had without your unwitting help. Your son is quite good at hiding the full extent of the bulk orders. Maybe you should treat him better.”

Hui Lan’s stomach fell.

“Finally ahead of Black Lotus. She’s only touching on the idea. I have embraced it,” Tianmo bragged and stepped back a few steps, spreading her arm out wide. Her missing arm followed suit, extricating from Tianmo’s robes. Her arm was jet black and appeared to be made of some kind of molten stone; it glowed between the cracks. “China finally accepted her lost daughter. It’s funny it turned out like this.”

Hui Lan ground her teeth. Get to the point.

Tianmo lowered her hands. “I’m gonna tell you a secret,” she said flatly. “There are Mythics out there who are staying out of the war brewing in the world. Apparently humanity is in enough peril. Our benefactor is one of them, and he is far more powerful than me.”

She cracked a feral grin and tilted her head to the right. “He sent me with a message,” she delivered, and in a flicker of movement too fast for Hui Lan to see, her sword flashed. A tiny pain bloomed on Hui Lan’s neck as her long hair fell to the ground around her, and the wall behind her crumbled. “You serve China. Do not drag your homeland into your games, or I will personally exterminate every generation of your Song family. Do we understand one another?”

She nodded again.

“Good!” Tianmo said with a big smile and turned away. “Let’s hope our business arrangement remains fruitful! Be nicer to your boy now!” She nodded to the door. “We’re leaving.”

With that, Tianmo and her men simply filed out, not a single one of them looking back. Hui Lan, for her part, could only slump deeper into her seat as rage warred with terror.