Chapter 64: 64 | Hero Association
Rachael shrugged. "Yeah. There are lots of weird people in this world."
Rachel glanced at him.
"So which one is true?"
Dexter shrugged indifferently.
"They might all be right."
Rachel blinked.
Dexter simply looked out of the window.
The truth was that there was nothing he wanted to explain.
He had married them.
That was all.
The details of his relationship with his wives were personal, and Rachel was still someone he had only recently met. Trust was built over time. Through actions. Through consistency. Not through confessions shared during a car ride with a woman he barely knew.
He had no intention of discussing it further.
Rachel seemed to understand immediately.
She nodded and quietly dropped the subject.
The car continued through the city streets.
Outside the window, the world unfolded before them.
Massive holographic billboards towered above the roads, displaying advertisements for everything from mana-enhancing supplements to the newest combat gear. One billboard showed a hero in gleaming armor slashing through a monster while text flashed: "STORMBREAKER BLADES. WHEN YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON YOUR WEAPON."
Electronic flyers drifted through the air, projected by nearby advertisement drones. They displayed discount codes for potion shops and recruitment notices for guilds looking to fill their rosters.
The streets were lively and peaceful.
Children laughed as they ran through nearby parks, chasing each other around fountains that shot streams of mana-infused water into the air. The water changed colors as it fell. Blue. Green. Purple. The children screamed with delight every time the colors shifted.
Parents watched from benches nearby. Some talked on phones. Others read. A few dozed in the morning sunlight with their faces tilted toward the sky.
Large signs pointed toward emergency shelters and evacuation centers built to protect civilians during monster outbreaks. The signs were everywhere. Constant reminders that the peace these people enjoyed existed on a knife’s edge. One breach. One outbreak. One dungeon that spiraled out of control. And this peaceful street would become a battlefield.
In the distance stood enormous Guild Headquarters buildings, their banners fluttering proudly above their entrances. Each guild had its own colors. Its own emblem. Its own identity. They competed for members, resources, and territory like medieval houses vying for power.
Numerous academies could be seen throughout the city, each training the next generation of hunters, warriors, and awakened individuals. Young students in matching uniforms walked along tree-lined paths toward campus entrances. Some carried practice weapons. Others carried stacks of books. A few carried both.
Unlike in the old world, people openly carried weapons on the streets.
Swords rested at people’s waists.
Spears were strapped to backs.
Firearms designed for monster hunting were visible everywhere.
A businessman in a suit walked past carrying a briefcase in one hand and a mana pistol at his hip. A mother pushed a stroller with one hand while a short sword hung from a sheath on her opposite hip. An elderly man sat on a park bench feeding pigeons with a staff leaning against the bench beside him.
No one found it unusual.
Above them, patrol drones flew through the sky, silently monitoring the city below. Their red sensors swept across streets and buildings in systematic patterns. Always watching. Always ready.
Maglev trains powered by mana technology raced across elevated rails overhead. They moved so fast they were barely visible. Silver streaks cutting through the morning sky. Inside them, hundreds of commuters traveled to work, school, and daily obligations while the city hummed with activity below.
The city was alive.
Modern technology and supernatural power existed side by side, woven together into the fabric of everyday life. Magic and machinery. Tradition and innovation. The ancient and the futuristic. All coexisting. All necessary. All part of what kept humanity alive in a world that wanted them dead.
Dexter watched the passing scenery through the window in silence.
For all its chaos and dangers, the world was strangely beautiful.
The journey toward the Hero Association took nearly thirty minutes.
As the city buildings gradually thinned out, Dexter finally saw it in the distance.
His eyes widened.
The Hero Association headquarters wasn’t a building.
It was a fortress.
A massive concrete and alloy structure stretched across several city blocks on the outskirts of Stargate City. It dominated the landscape. Everything else around it looked small. Insignificant. Like the entire city had been built in the shadow of this single structure.
Tall defensive walls surrounded the compound.
Watchtowers stood at every corner.
Anti-air turrets and mana cannons were mounted along the walls, their dark metallic surfaces gleaming beneath the sunlight. Each one was positioned with mathematical precision. No blind spots. No weaknesses. No way in that wasn’t watched and guarded and ready to fire.
From above, the entire facility looked like a mixture of a military fortress, research laboratory, academy campus, and training ground all merged into one gigantic complex. It was as though someone had taken every aspect of the hero world and compressed it into a single location.
Massive banners bearing the Hero Association emblem fluttered in the wind. The emblem was a shield crossed by a sword and a mana circle. Simple. Powerful. Meaningful. Protection. Strength. And the supernatural force that made both possible.
Countless heroes moved in and out of the compound.
Some wore combat armor that covered their bodies from neck to toe. Scratches and dents in the metal told stories of battles fought and survived.
Some wore long coats that billowed behind them as they walked. The kind of dramatic clothing that seemed impractical but somehow looked perfectly natural on someone who could punch through a wall.
Others carried weapons larger than ordinary people could even lift. A woman walked past carrying a hammer the size of a small car over one shoulder. She didn’t seem bothered by the weight. She was eating an apple with her free hand.
Swords, spears, mana rifles and even cannons.
Even beast companions could occasionally be seen following some heroes. A man walked past with a lion the size of a massive horse walking silently beside him. Its fur shimmered with a faint golden glow. Its eyes scanned the crowd with intelligence.
The atmosphere was busy but disciplined.
Professional and incredibly dangerous.
Dexter stared through the window.
"So this is the Hero Association..."
Rachel smiled proudly.
"Impressive, isn’t it?"
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