The helicopter fleet began to slowly leave the port area.

But just when everyone thought the crisis was over, a sudden change occurred! Victor Stone made an insane move.


He leaped down from his command helicopter and floated in the air amid gasps from the crowd, wearing a suit of powered armor that I had never seen before, emanating an ominous glow.

"If you think this is over," his voice became distorted and terrifying after landing, "then you are gravely mistaken. I am the result of the Genesis Group's second-generation superhuman project—'War God' Ares. My mission is to clean up the out-of-control first-generation products."

The energy within his body began to surge, and the powered armor started to transform, revealing embedded, glowing serum injectors.


So it turned out that the "Genesis Group" had been secretly developing second-generation superhumans, and Victor Stone was their test subject.

A killing machine created specifically to eliminate first-generation superhumans.


Odin looked at this former human, now monster, with no fear in his eyes, only deep sorrow.

"Another victim, you've already been mentally controlled by the council." He said softly, "Stone, do you know? The way you are now is exactly how I was three years ago."

"Shut up!" 'War God' Ares roared, charging toward the four of them, "I am not a victim! I am the victor! I am the perfect creation of the 'Genesis Group'!"

The real battle is only beginning now.


Just as the four first-generation superhumans were about to reveal the truth to the world at this critical moment, a deep engine rumbling sound came from the sky.

A brand new threat was approaching...

[Perspective: War God Ares - Victor Stone]
[Status: Second-generation serum fully activated]
[System: Independent combat mode, detached from all external constraints]

[Combat file automatically loading]
Codename: War God Ares
True Identity: [Data Deleted]
Mission Priority: Absolute Elimination
Emotional Suppressant: 100% Activated
Combat Efficiency: 97.3%

[Mission Briefing]
Target: Four defected first-generation superhumans
Threat Level: Extreme
Authorization Level: Complete Annihilation

'War God' Ares's attacks are more ferocious and precise than any first-generation superhuman.

Unlike Odin and others, he doesn't possess a single specialized ability, but rather is a multifunctional war machine. His power armor can fire high-energy beams, release toxic gas, and transform into various weapons. The second-generation serum injected into his body gives him strength approaching Odin's, while maintaining complete sanity and tactical thinking.

This is the perfect soldier developed by the "Genesis Group" after learning from the lesson that the first generation of superhumans "easily lose control."

No emotions, no hesitation, no moral constraints, only absolute obedience and killing efficiency.

[Deep within Ares's mind - suppressed voice]
Lily... my daughter... who am I fighting for? Who am I killing? They told me you were dead, but... but that woman said...

[Suppressant automatically injected: Emotional fluctuation detected, correction in progress]

Ares' first strike nearly killed Thor. A red energy beam shot out from his arm armor, shattering Thor's hammer completely, and the massive impact sent him flying dozens of meters until he crashed hard against a steel beam.

"John!" Odin shouted as he rushed over to help Thor up, seeing a huge charred wound on Thor's chest where golden blood was steadily flowing out.

"I'm fine," Thor struggled to stand up, though he was clearly severely injured, "This monster... he's not like us..."

Poseidon and Hades launched simultaneous attacks, attempting to flank Ares from both sides. Poseidon summoned massive water columns to try to trap Ares; Hades released a death mist, attempting to weaken his perception abilities.

But Ares's reaction speed was astonishingly fast. His armor instantly morphed, thrusters unfolding from his back, propelling him like a missile out of Poseidon's water prison, while simultaneously releasing a powerful electromagnetic pulse that dispersed Hades' death mist.

Then, with a backhand motion, he delivered two punches, striking Poseidon and Hades in their abdomens.

Both of them spat blood and were sent flying backward.

"Did you see that?" Ares stopped, looking at the three fallen figures, then turned to Odin. "This is the difference between the first generation and the second generation. You have emotions, so you have weaknesses; you have morals, so you hesitate; you have a past, so you carry burdens. But I have nothing, so I fear losing nothing."

Odin slowly rose to his feet, golden energy beginning to gather around him. "You're wrong, Stone. What you've lost is the most precious thing—your humanity."

"Human nature?" Ares mocked, "Can human nature stop bullets? Can human nature protect the innocent? Can human nature bring peace? No! Only power can! Only absolute power!"

He charged at Odin again, this time, his armor deployed all weapon systems: missile launchers on his shoulders, energy cannons on his arms, the pulse generator on his chest, and the high-frequency cutter on his back.

This was a confrontation between humanity and machinery, a collision between emotion and rationality.

Odin didn't dodge, but chose to meet the attack head-on. He spread his arms, forming a massive shield of golden energy, forcefully withstanding Ares' full firepower assault.

The light from the explosion illuminated the entire harbor, the deafening sound spreading throughout the city.

When the smoke cleared, Odin was still standing there, but his body was covered in wounds, golden blood flowing from countless injuries.

"Do you want to continue?" Ares' voice carried a hint of disdain, "You've reached your limit, Alex. Admit it, the first generation of superhumans were failures. Your era is over."

Odin didn't answer, but he did something that shocked everyone.

He reached out to Thor, Poseidon, and Hades who were lying on the ground, golden energy flowing from his body into the three of them.

"What are you doing?" Ares realized something was wrong, "You're weakening yourself!"

"I'm sharing," Odin said calmly, "This is humanity, Stone. We are willing to sacrifice ourselves for others."

Thor felt Odin's energy, his wounds began to heal, his strength started to return. The same happened to Poseidon and Hades.

Four people, for the first time in the true sense, sharing each other's power.

"We are not gods," Odin stood up, his three brothers also stood up simultaneously, "We are humans. We are humans who help each other, humans who protect each other, humans who fight for justice."

Thor gripped the hammer of thunder, but this time, his power was infused with Odin's golden energy, making the lightning warmer and more powerful.

Poseidon summoned the sea water, but flowing within the water was the collective will of all four, making it both gentle and resilient.

Hades' power of death, because it was infused with the life energy of his brothers, was transformed into a power of purification and rebirth.

The four of them, for the first time acting as a true team, faced Ares who represented cold mechanical rationality.

"Impossible," Ares took a step back, his computer brain told him that this kind of energy fusion was theoretically impossible, "You shouldn't be able to do this... the serum's design doesn't allow it..."

"The design of the serum indeed does not allow it," a new voice came from the shadows of the harbor, "but human will has never been constrained by any design."

I stepped out of the shadows, removed my mirrored mask, and for the first time, stood before everyone with my true face.

"Evelyn Thorne," there was a hint of surprise in Ares' voice, "why have you appeared? You should be hiding in the dark, controlling everything..."

"Because," I looked at the five superhumans before me, feeling an unprecedented emotion welling up within me, "sometimes, hiding in the shadows is not enough. Sometimes, we must step forward and fight for what we believe in."

I took out a small device from my waist, something I had developed over three years using data stolen from the "Genesis Group"—the antidote for the second-generation serum.

"Stone, no, Victor," I struck the tuning fork, sending that frequency unique to Ares vibrating across, looking at that armor-encased figure, I shouted: "Do you remember your name? Do you remember why you joined the 'Genesis Group'? Do you remember who you wanted to protect?"

Ares's movements froze for an instant. In that moment, I saw behind his faceplate a pair of human eyes filled with pain.

"I... I remember..." his voice became trembling, "I have a daughter... her name is Lily... she was sick... I needed money for her treatment..."

"Yes," I walked toward him step by step, "Lily Stone, eight years old, suffering from congenital heart disease. You joined the 'Genesis Group' to get enough money for her surgery."

"But... but they told me... she died... on the operating table..." Ares's armor began to tremble, the serum injectors inside emitting warning sounds, trying to suppress his reawakening memories.

"They lied," I held the antidote in front of him, "Lily is still alive, Victor. She's at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital, waiting for her father to come home."

Ares looked at the antidote in my hand, then at Odin and the other three, and finally at the cameras in the sky that were still broadcasting everything.

The whole world was watching him.

The whole world was waiting for his choice.

"If... if I inject this," his voice was almost crying, "will I be able to see Lily again?"

"I promise," I said firmly, "you will."

Victor Stone reached out with a trembling hand and took the antidote.

As he injected the antidote into his body, the entire power armor began to disintegrate, revealing a thin, tear-streaked middle-aged man inside.

He was no longer 'the War God' Ares.

He had turned back into Victor Stone, a father who wanted to save his daughter.

Odin walked over and supported Victor who was about to collapse.

"Welcome back, brother," he said softly.

In the ruins of the harbor, five former "gods," now humans, embraced each other.

And I stood aside, watching all of this, truly feeling for the first time what "victory" meant.

Not the victory of revenge, not the victory of destruction, but the victory of salvation.

The victory of humanity.