Chương 150: Chapter 142: The Leap of Faith

Deep within the maximum-security subterranean levels of the Hero Association Headquarters, the sterile, brightly lit laboratory hummed with an intense, suffocating tension. A complex series of high-tech machinery, hydraulic cabling, and heavy energy conduits spider-webbed across the room, all feeding directly into the massive, reinforced containment chamber in the center. Inside the glowing cube of Metal Knight's high-tech restraining field, the captured advanced multi-limbed eldritch monster shrieked soundlessly.

It thrashed against its bindings, its cosmic eyes burning with malice while its half-destroyed obsidian carapace agonizingly, slowly regenerated. Behind the thick, blast-proof glass of the elevated observation room, a crowd of the most powerful individuals on Earth watched the preparations for the unprecedented "warp" operation. High-ranking executive Sitch paced nervously, running a hand over his sweaty face. Beside him, Association executives Sekingar, Busho, and Jinruzen stared at the squirming horror below.

Gathered behind them were the elite of the S-Class: King, Tornado of Terror, Child Emperor, Atomic Samurai, Metal Bat, Pig God, Puri-Puri Prisoner, Tanktop Master, Watchdog Man, Flashy Flash, Zombieman, and Drive Knight. Amai Mask stood slightly apart, his arms crossed in pristine disdain. Standing near the main console was Metal Knight's primary battle robot, its glowing optic serving as the eyes and voice for Dr. Bofoi, who remained safely tucked away in his secret facility.

"Dr. Bofoi," Sitch began, his voice trembling slightly.

"Are we absolutely certain about this? We are about to intentionally trigger a dimensional anomaly inside our own headquarters."

"Theoretically, my calculations are flawless," Metal Knight's synthesized voice echoed through the room.

"The extraction parameters have been perfectly calibrated to the specimen's unique spatial frequency."

"Theory is not a guarantee," Child Emperor argued, aggressively chewing on his lollipop stick. The boy genius looked deeply unsettled.

"This is incredibly risky. We have never experimented with interdimensional transport before. The variables are astronomical!" THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. The legendary King Engine roared to life, filling the observation room with an aura of intimidating power. King stood perfectly straight, his scarred face a mask of stern, stoic fury. This is a terrible idea! What if he gets ripped to shreds?! I don't want to lose Genos too! King screamed internally, cold sweat trickling down his back.

"Are we certain this is the optimal path?" King asked aloud, his deep voice rumbling.

"The abyss is unforgiving."

"Sometimes, we must run before we can walk," Metal Knight replied coldly.

"If we do not map this coordinate now, the future invasions will eradicate us." The heavy steel doors to the observation deck hissed open. Every head turned. Stepping into the room was Demon Cyborg. Sitch, Sekingar, Busho, Jinruzen, and the heroes stared in absolute awe. Genos had been completely overhauled by Dr. Kuseno. His usual sleek silver plating was gone, replaced by a hyper-dense, shock-absorbent pitch-black composite alloy.

Intricate, futuristic designs etched across his chassis glowed with bright, pulsing orange lines of internal heat. His shoulders were bulky and heavily armored, and housed directly in the center of his chest behind his hooded jacket was a massive, highly complex module, the Dimensional Container Device. Genos stepped forward, his optical sensors burning with intense gold.

"I'm ready." Despite his terrifying, advanced new appearance, a wave of profound worry rippled through the heroes.

"Are you certain you won't just fall apart out there, cyborg?" Amai Mask scoffed, though his eyes betrayed a hint of genuine concern.

"This isn't a simple monster extermination. You are diving into a void. If your crude machinery fails, you will embarrass the Association."

"He's right to be skeptical," Zombieman exhaled a cloud of gray smoke, leaning against the glass.

"You're jumping into the complete unknown. There is no coming back if your core gives out mid-jump." Flashy Flash crossed his arms, his long blonde hair shifting.

"Relying on untested machinery for dimensional travel is foolish. Your artificial reaction time won't save you from the crushing weight of a collapsing reality." Tatsumaki floated forward, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air.

"Hmph! If you get yourself turned into scrap metal out there, don't expect me to come drag your pieces back, toaster! It's your own funeral!"

"Do not concern yourself, Tornado," Genos replied flatly.

"I do not require your assistance." Genos looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the doubting heroes. His determination remained utterly unchanged.

"There is no other way," Genos stated, his synthetic voice echoing with unyielding resolve.

"Our universe is at stake. It is now or never. And with my cybernetic processing speed, I am the only one who can safely interface with this energy."

"If the extraction process seems to go wrong, or if your core temperature exceeds safety limits, you must pull back immediately, Genos!" Child Emperor pleaded.

"Don't throw your life away!" Genos nodded to the boy.

"Listen closely, Demon Cyborg," Sekingar stepped forward, adjusting his tie.

"Once you successfully cross over, we will keep this specimen alive in stasis. We will wait for exactly twenty-four hours. When the time comes, Dr. Bofoi will reactivate the warp from the creature, creating a tether back to our world so you can return with the exact coordinates of the Progenitor."

"Understood," Genos nodded.

"Be careful, Genos," King said, his voice deep and solemn.

"Take care of our world while I am gone, King," Genos replied respectfully.

"A true warrior tests his blade against the unknown," Atomic Samurai grunted, giving an approving nod.

"Just bash that main boss's head in for me!" Metal Bat cheered, slamming his bat into his palm.

"Return to us safely, my beautiful cyborg boy!" Puri-Puri Prisoner blew him a sparkling kiss.

"May the versatility of the tanktop protect you across dimensions!" Tanktop Master saluted.

"Good luck," Watchdog Man said blankly. Pig God simply offered a supportive thumbs-up while continuing to chew a massive handful of fries.

"The extraction array is primed," one of the lead scientists announced over the intercom.

"The operation is ready to go." Genos turned to walk toward the heavy airlock door leading down to the containment lab.

"Demon Cyborg. A moment." Genos paused, turning back. Drive Knight approached him, his single red optic glowing. Drive Knight reached into a compartment on his armor and handed Genos a sleek, small rectangular device.

"What is this?" Genos asked, taking the device. It hummed faintly with highly advanced energy.

"An advanced cosmic-extraction and container device," Drive Knight explained clinically.

"I engineered it based on the anomalous readings. It is designed to isolate, extract, and safely store highly volatile, ethereal energies without killing or destroying the host container. Use it to gain a pure cosmic energy sample from the eldritch 'main body' itself, or any unique sources you find in the universes outside." Drive Knight looked at him seriously.

"It could be useful to fuel your return travel, and it is vital for our future studies to combat Void-Gorgon's spawns."

"I see. Thank you, Drive Knight," Genos nodded, safely storing the rectangular device into a secure compartment in his armored thigh. Genos turned and walked through the airlock. He stepped into the massive, sterile containment chamber. The heavy blast doors sealed shut behind him with a deafening thud. Genos walked slowly toward the glowing energy cube. The advanced multi-limbed eldritch monster stopped thrashing for a moment, its four cosmic eyes locking onto the cyborg.

It shrieked, a horrifying, grating sound that vibrated against Genos's audio receptors. Up in the observation room, Sitch, Sekingar, Busho, Jinruzen, and the heroes watched nervously from behind the safety glass.

"Initiate interdimensional energy extraction," Metal Knight commanded. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. The automated machinery whirred to life. Six massive, heavy mechanical syringes extended from the ceiling, plunging directly through the energy cube and piercing deep into the monster's obsidian carapace. The monster shrieked in absolute agony. The machines forcefully drew the residual "warp energy" outward.

A thick, violently swirling stream of dark, violet cosmic energy bled from the creature, crackling with localized spatial distortion.

"Activating Dimensional Container Device," Genos announced. The massive module in the center of Genos's chest whirred to life, glowing with a blinding orange heat. Genos thrust his hands forward, engaging the vacuum. The violent, swirling cosmic energy was drawn directly into his chest module. Genos's entire body shuddered as the extradimensional physics clashed with his internal reactor. Under the immense pressure of the forced extraction, the monster's body began to violently destabilize.

Its obsidian carapace cracked loudly, the sound echoing through the lab like a gunshot.

"Warning! Energy density exceeding predicted parameters!" Genos stated, his boots sliding backward on the sterile floor. The sheer concentration of the anomaly reacting to Genos's highly advanced container device triggered an unexpected, catastrophic critical mass. Instead of just releasing energy, the fabric of space around the monster physically shattered. CRACK! It was the exact same, deafening sound of reality tearing open that Genos had heard three months ago.

A swirling, violent dimensional rift tore open in the direct center of the laboratory. It roared with a blinding, featureless white light, generating a massive, apocalyptic gravitational pull. The advanced multi-limbed monster shrieked one final time before its body completely crumbled into fine, gray dust, its cosmic tether entirely consumed by the rift. The laboratory alarms blared, bathing the room in flashing red light. Equipment, loose cables, and diagnostic tables were violently sucked into the portal.

Genos stood his ground, his heavy black boots magnetically locked to the floor. The Container Device in his chest pulsed rapidly. [DIMENSIONAL COORDINATES LOCKED.] In the observation room, utter chaos erupted. The scientists were screaming in panic.

"The specimen is decaying!" Child Emperor shrieked, slamming his hands against the glass.

"The spatial pressure is collapsing! Abort! Pull back, Genos!"

"Do not stop the operation!" Genos roared back, his voice cutting through the deafening wind. Genos looked into the blinding white light of the rift. He felt the terrifying, crushing gravity trying to tear his chassis apart. But he knew what this was. This was the gateway to Void-Gorgon. This was the door to his sensei. Genos didn't fight the gravitational force. He disengaged his magnetic locks. With a fierce, absolutely determined look on his organic face, he allowed himself to be violently sucked into the rift.

A blinding flash of pure, white light erupted from the portal. A massive concussive shockwave blasted outward, completely shattering the reinforced observation glass and throwing the heroes and executives to the floor. Then... Absolute silence. The dimensional rift completely collapsed, disappearing as if it had never existed. The laboratory was half-destroyed, cables sparking and pipes hissing with steam. Genos was gone.

Sitch, Sekingar, and the heroes scrambled back to their feet, rushing to the shattered edge of the observation deck. They looked down into the ruined chamber. But what made their eyes widen in absolute, blood-curdling shock wasn't just Genos's disappearance. The heavy energy cube was empty. The body of the advanced multi-limbed eldritch creature had completely disintegrated into a pile of useless ash.

"The specimen!" Jinruzen panicked, grabbing his hair.

"The specimen is gone!"

"How do we activate the tether in twenty-four hours?!" Busho demanded, turning frantically to the battle robot.

"Dr. Bofoi! How do we bring Demon Cyborg back?!" Metal Knight's robot stood silently for a moment, analyzing the ash.

"We cannot," Metal Knight stated coldly.

"The biological tether has been destroyed. The only way to bring him back is to wait for the third invasion, so that we can capture more advanced specimens and reconstruct the operation." Child Emperor fell to his knees, his eyes wide with horror. Everyone in the observation room stared down at the half-destroyed, empty containment chamber. The twenty-four-hour plan was ruined. Demon Cyborg was now entirely stranded in the multiverse, and they had absolutely no idea if he would survive.

Genos was tumbling through the abyss. It was a chaotic, violent slipstream of blinding colors, crushing gravity, and deafening silence. He was being pulled through the rift between spacetime itself, a terrifying "warp space" existing entirely between universes. The spatial pressure was astronomical. His new, pitch-black composite alloy groaned and creaked under the weight of a billion atmospheres.

Alarms blared inside his optical feed, his internal temperature skyrocketing as the Dimensional Container Device fought to stabilize his existence in a realm that rejected physics. I will not fail! Genos thought, clenching his teeth as he fought the crushing pressure. I will not be destroyed! He pushed through the pain, his core burning with fierce, unyielding loyalty. I... have to find... SENSEI! And finally... The blinding light shattered.

Genos burst through the fabric of reality, violently expelled into an open sky. Gravity instantly reasserted itself. He was in freefall. Genos immediately engaged his thrusters, arresting his momentum and hovering smoothly in the frigid air. The intense heat of his recent dimensional crossing caused the freezing atmosphere around him to instantly vaporize into a cloud of steam. He observed his surroundings, his optical sensors whirring as they adjusted to the new lighting.

"Where am I?" Genos muttered. He found himself in a strange, incredibly cold environment, much like a frozen arctic wasteland. But floating majestically below him in the sky was a massive, sprawling, incredibly advanced city built upon a levitating island. His sensors immediately picked up the sounds of heavy artillery and monstrous shrieks. He zoomed his optical lenses. A massive, desperate dogfight was occurring above the outskirts of the floating city.

Numerous sleek, heavily armed airships were engaged in a brutal battle against a massive flock of black, avian creatures. Genos's eyes narrowed. They were massive black gorillas grafted with feathered wings, fighting alongside giant black ravens, griffons, and creatures that look like mythological manticores. Every single one of them possessed horrifying white bone plating and glowing red eyes.

Far away, near the edge of the floating island, Genos spotted towering, advanced defensive walls attempting to protect the city from the swarm. But the swarm was overwhelming the defensive energy grid. The black animals were aggressively forcing themselves through the shields, breaching the perimeter one by one and swarming the city's airspace. Genos enhanced his visual feed, looking down at the streets and rooftops of the city outskirts. He saw people fighting the grounded black monsters.

They were using strange, highly complex hybrid weapons, like scythes that doubled as sniper rifles, gauntlets that fired explosive shells. Furthermore, his thermal sensors detected strange, colorful, glowing energy fields enveloping the fighters' bodies. An ethereal power source that allowed them to move with superhuman speed and generate localized elemental effects.

"What is happening there?" Genos asked himself, utterly fascinated. Genos chose to remain suspended high in the sky, his black chassis blending into the clouds. He did not want to blindly involve himself in an unknown conflict. He needed to process his exact location. He accessed his internal communication array. [NO SIGNAL.] There was no Hero Association network. No satellite uplinks. Genos raised his hand, running a deep, localized scan on the ambient atmospheric atoms and the background cosmic radiation.

The results returned instantly. The atomic structure, the physics, the very flow of energy in the air was fundamentally, undeniably different from his homeworld. Genos lowered his hand, his core pulsing with a profound, exhilarated realization. He had successfully crossed the multiverse.

"I... made it!" Genos whispered, a rare smile touching his face. Suddenly, a massive explosion caught his attention. He looked back toward the perimeter. The section of the defensive wall where the swarm had been concentrating their assault finally shattered. The energy grid failed, and the entire, massive apocalyptic swarm of thousands of winged gorillas and avians poured through the breach, heading directly toward the city outskirts. Genos observed the horrific tide of monsters.

He looked down at the outskirts, seeing the terrified civilians hiding in the alleys, and the strange, colorful warriors desperately preparing to hold the line against impossible odds. Genos was a hero of the S-Class. He could not simply watch innocent people be slaughtered. Genos's core roared to life, glowing a blinding orange. He engaged his thrusters at maximum output, breaking the sound barrier as he dove from the clouds.

He flew straight past the fleet of military airships that were struggling in the dogfight. The pilots inside the cockpits recoiled in sheer shock as the black-and-orange blur tore past their windshields.

"What is that?!" a pilot yelled over the radio network.

"This is Manta 9-1. An unidentified flying figure just passed us! Over!" another reported frantically.

"Air control, this is Manta 7-5. We got visual on the unidentified flying figure! Over!"

"That's..." the pilot gasped in disbelief.

"A man?!" Genos abruptly killed his forward momentum, halting perfectly in mid-air. He floated high above the city streets, positioning himself directly in the path of the massive, apocalyptic swarm of black monsters. He raised both of his advanced mechanical arms, leveling his glowing palms at the horde. Genos's booming, mechanical voice echoed from the sky.

"INCINERATE!" Two absolutely massive, cataclysmic beams of searing, golden-orange laser energy erupted from his palms. The heat was instantaneous and blinding. The massive laser beams swept across the sky, effortlessly melting through the front lines of the horde. Within ten seconds, the entire apocalyptic swarm of thousands of winged gorillas and avians was completely and entirely vaporized into nothingness. Their ashes evaporating before they could even hit the ground. The sky was completely clear.

Genos ceased firing. Smoke plumed from his metallic arms as he slowly lowered them, his optical sensors scanning the streets below to ensure the threat was neutralized. He spotted a large group of people gathered on the asphalt. They were the colorful warriors he had seen fighting earlier, alongside several individuals in military uniforms. Genos narrowed his eyes. He was wary. He was now in a strange, different world, and he didn't know a single soul here. But he didn't have any other choices.

He needed a lead to locate Void-Gorgon, or any localized spatial anomalies. I'll try asking them about this world. Genos decided. If they perceive me as a threat and attack with their weapons, I am ready to defend myself. Genos fired his thrusters, descending rapidly from the sky. He landed heavily onto the asphalt in a deep, heroic crouch, his back intentionally turned to the group. The immense weight of his new chassis cratered the pavement, kicking up a dramatic cloud of dust. Slowly, the cyborg stood up.

He turned around, fully revealing his highly advanced, intimidating appearance to the group. Genos locked his face into a deadly, calculating scowl, observing the people in front of him. They were an incredibly colorful, diverse group of warriors. There was a girl in a red hood carrying a massive sniper-scythe. A white-haired girl in a princess-like dress holding a graceful rapier. A blonde girl equipped with heavy, yellow shotgun-gauntlets. And a girl with feline ears holding a chain-scythe katana.

Beside them stood a blonde boy with a traditional sword and shield, a red-haired girl with a bronze shield and spear, an energetic orange-haired girl leaning on a massive hammer, and a quiet boy with green streaks in his hair holding dual pistols with sickle blades. Genos observed them closely. They were staring back at him, completely frozen in a complex mixture of absolute awe, lingering fear, and profound confusion. His glowing yellow sensors scanned the crowd, processing their threat levels. Until...

Genos's gaze shifted to the back of the group, locking onto a certain man standing slightly apart from the colorful warriors. He was wearing a sharp black suit, a pristine white trench coat, and a classic bowler hat. Genos zoomed his optical lenses, focusing directly on the man's face. It was a perfectly flat, oval face with simple, dotted eyes. Genos's mechanical heart skipped a beat. The man in the bowler hat stared at the terrifying, futuristic cyborg. His dotted eyes widened to maximum, comical proportions.

"Whoa!" the man blurted out simply, his jaw dropping in genuine surprise. Genos's deadly, calculating scowl instantly vanished. As his processors matched the facial recognition software with a 100% certainty rating, his black and yellow eyes widened in pure, unadulterated, earth-shattering shock. The invincible hero. The man he had spent three agonizing months searching for. The man he had crossed the multiverse to find. He was standing right there... In some kind of a mafia disguise.

Genos took a trembling step forward, completely ignoring the armed warriors with him. He raised his hand, shouting in a voice thick with a mixture of profound confusion and overwhelming, desperate longing.

"SENSEI?!"