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"Okay, sure. The world shielded ordinary people, so the Spiritual Plane invasion is only affecting the Supernatural Plane. Does that explain how they managed to reach all the way here in Japan?" Kireina asked thoughtfully. "And that's without even considering how the President is still alive. Could he be so kind of double?"
"Possibly…" Redgaria nodded. "Or sothing even more disturbing. We'll find out soon enough."
"Hmmm…" Kireina sighed. "Haven't you entered the Supernatural Plane over in Arica?"
"Yes, I've fought a few of those annoying 'Superheroes' that keep showing up," Redgaria replied. "And… wait a second. Now that I think about it, it's strange. Arica has Superheroes. They're so irritating that I never stopped to question how bizarre that actually is. Maybe because I rged with my parallel self who saw them as normal. Why are there beings with supernatural powers flying around fighting Villains?"
"You could have ntioned that earlier!" Kireina exclaid, shocked.
"Hey, I was enjoying my life with my sister," Redgaria said with a shrug. "She… well, she grew very attached to our parents."
"…Hm," Kireina acknowledged. "So North Arica is odd because it has actual Superheroes… and Villains? Like sothing straight out of a comic book?"
"Apparently they've been around not just in North Arica but across Central and South Arica for quite so ti," Redgaria continued. "There are Villains they defeat, and they generally keep cri in check. I've fought them both in Reality and in the Supernatural Plane and killed a few. I turned them into Undead. Here."
Redgaria snapped his fingers. Shadows spread from him and revealed a tall, muscular man wearing a tight blue-and-yellow superhero suit with a large "T" on his chest and a flowing yellow cape.
It was a zombie now, with blank white eyes and rotting skin that revealed patches of exposed flesh beneath the damaged suit. A unique aura of power still radiated from it.
"This one was called Titanman," Redgaria said proudly. "I killed him three weeks ago. He was quite strong, and he still is."
"Titanman… I see," Kireina nodded. "This guy isn't part of the Supernatural like we know it. He's an Esper! So they can manifest powers beyond just psychic abilities. But why are there so many Espers concentrated in the Aricas? They're practically nonexistent in Japan."
"Who knows…" Redgaria said. "But we can ask the soul trapped inside."
His hand turned ghostly and plunged into the hero's chest. "Hey, Dream Goddess sisters, would you mind helping pull him into a dream?"
"Hmph. Why don't you use our nas?" Somnara asked with clear irritation.
"Yeah, be more polite, uncle!" Magmara added, flas flickering around her.
"Uncle?!" Redgaria snapped. "I teach at your school sotis. I'm your professor!"
"But you're rude!"
"Yeah…"
"Co on, Redgaria. Just say 'please' once in a while," Kireina said, rolling her eyes. "We don't have ti for this."
"…Please?" Redgaria muttered.
"Ok!"
The two Dream Goddess sisters nodded and extracted Titanman's soul as a swirling dream cloud. Everyone watched his most important mories unfold.
Titanman defeating Doctor Jurassic, a mad scientist who tried to turn an entire city into dinosaurs.
Titanman killing innocent people when his anger got the better of him.
Titanman accidentally destroying buildings.
Titanman battling Shadow Claw, so kind of shapeshifting shadow creature.
And more—his heroic deeds mixed with shaful secrets and cris hidden behind his fa and authority.
"Whew, this guy was a real piece of work," Kireina said, rubbing her chin. "Hmm, wait—stop right there, girls."
The twins paused on a much older mory. Titanman, still an ordinary civilian, was walking ho from work when he accidentally bumped into soone.
A girl with silver hair.
The mont he touched her, his body convulsed. He collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.
The girl glanced back once, revealing rainbow-colored eyes, before vanishing.
She bore a striking resemblance to X0-9.
When the man woke up in the hospital, he was three tis larger and far more muscular, possessing near-invulnerable skin and titanic strength.
From that day forward, he beca Titanman, eventually licensing his powers and rising to celebrity status.
"Who is that girl?!" Wagyu exclaid. "She gave him his superpower?!"
"This is insane. This world has more secrets than I thought…" Kireina murmured. "Redgaria, can you bring the others?"
"Sure." Redgaria summoned two more fallen superheroes.
The second was Captain Magma, a man who could erupt and control lava from his body.
His origin was similar—he had briefly locked eyes with the sa silver-haired girl.
The third, Gum Girl, could turn her body into pink gum. She had saved soone from being hit by a car.
That soone was the sa girl.
"So there's a mysterious girl who grants random superpowers just by touching or looking at people?" Kekensha asked in disbelief.
"And all their origin stories happened within a similar tifra," Redgaria noted. "Superheroes have existed since the seventies, but these belong to the newer generation."
"Maybe the older ones were traditional Espers or governnt experints," Kireina theorized. "But this is very interesting… X0-9 was a clone, right? Along with all his siblings… so perhaps this girl is the original Esper they were cloned from."
"D-Does that an I can grant superpowers—wait," X0-9's eyes widened.
"You already have," Kireina said, glancing at Lazuli and Blaze.
"If I had known superpowers could be granted like this, I would have done sothing…" Redgaria sighed. "Well, whatever. That girl hasn't been seen in the last twenty years. Nobody knows where she is."
"Then we'll add her to the list," Kireina decided. "Find the mysterious superpower-granting girl—possibly the source of X0-9. For now, we also need to investigate what's going on with the Arican governnt. There's no way the president is the sa person after everything we've seen. Redgaria, you and the others who went there—form a team and look into it."
"What? But…" Redgaria started to protest, but Kireina's expression was firm.
"It's an order from your boss," she said with a sweet smile. "I'll reward you well, so please."
"Tsk! Fine…" Redgaria grumbled, crossing his arms. "But don't ask for anything else, okay?!"
"Okay, okay, don't get so upset," Kireina said, rolling her eyes again. "Anyway, let's start the project on X0-9's body. Lazuli, Blaze—your mission is to help him… or her feel better and happier, all right? By the way, do you prefer to be called a boy or a girl? I know you don't have anything down there."
"I like being referred to as a boy," X0-9 answered. "I don't know why, but it just feels right."
"Then you're a boy," Kireina said with a nod.
"How about Allen?" Lazuli suggested.
"Or maybe Gawain!" Blaze added excitedly.
"Those sound a bit much…" X0-9 sighed. "Sothing simpler would be fine."
While they discussed nas, Kireina turned her attention back to her work, simultaneously walking through the bustling streets of Tokyo until she reached the hidden territory of the Amaterasu Clan.
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