[09:00 AM. The 13th Street Provisional Command Center]

  Although the internal traitor crisis had been resolved last night, a suffocating low pressure still hung over the entire district. John Doe sat at a desk, clutching a notice that had just been air-dropped by a drone. It was as red as spilled blood.

  It was the Guild's Final Ultimatum.

  Notice to All Residents of the 13th Street:

  In view of the repeated violent resistance against law enforcement by D+ Class Fugitive John Doe and his associates, severely threatening urban security, the Supreme Council of the Necromancy Guild has designated this area as a "Hotbed of Terrorism."

  A Final Ultimatum is hereby issued: Within 24 hours, unconditionally surrender the primary offender, John Doe, and evacuate all personnel from the district.

  Failure to comply will result in the initiation of [Level 1 Purification Protocol] (Heavy Necrotic Siege Artillery bombardment).

  Do not say you were not warned.

  "Level 1 Purification..." John stared at the line of text, his fingertips turning cold. That wasn't ordinary shelling. That was a forbidden spell capable of erasing this district, along with the rats in the basement, from both the physical and spiritual planes.

  "Boss, these bastards mean business." Bone leaned in, glancing at the notice. "Can our scrap metal hold them off?"

  "It can't," John admitted honestly. "Unless..."

  Unless he could summon the kind of heavy-hitter who could truly "defy destiny."

  But...

  John looked at the Yin-Yang iPad. The screen was still gray, and the signal bar displayed a large X.

  "Master, oh Master..." John sighed at the screen. "If you don't fix this soon, we'll really be coming down to see you."

  ZZZT—

  Just then, the screen flickered violently. Not ordinary static, but a colorful chaotic code carrying extremely high energy fluctuations.

  BANG!

  With a loud pop, the screen finally lit up.

  Daoist Singularity's big face shoved right up to the lens. But his current appearance could only be described as "tragic." His Daoist robe was burnt to tatters, his face was covered in soot, and even his sunglasses had a crack in them.

  The background behind him was an apocalyptic scene. It was no longer the quiet little shop, but a massive, steam-filled, spark-flying, roar-echoing... Super Construction Site.

  "Hey hey hey! Can you hear me? Dammit! You there! Plug that red wire back in!"

  Singularity shouted at the camera while turning to roar behind him.

  John was stunned. Over Singularity's shoulder, he saw the so-called "Server Maintenance Site." It was basically a painting of... [Heroic Spirits Working Overtime].

  On the left side of the screen, a massive, mountain-like flywheel generator was slowly turning. But pushing the lever wasn't mechanical power; it was a group of... knights in medieval armor.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  The leader, a blonde man, pushed the thick lever, yet his regal aura remained undiminished.

  "One, two! PUSH!" King Arthur roared. "For glory! And so the electric bill doesn't get sent to Camelot!"

  Behind him, Lancelot, Gawain, and other Knights of the Round Table gritted their teeth, using strength capable of slaying dragons to grind the mill like donkeys.

  [Grace (Voiceover): Oh my god, is that Excalibur? He's using it as a crowbar?! Arthurian fans are going to cry!]

  On the right side of the screen was a long line carrying cooling water. A group of Roman soldiers in red capes, holding rectangular shields, were using said shields to carry glowing coolant (Spiritual Water). Under Julius Caesar's command, they trotted towards the smoking server racks.

  "Faster! Faster! Rack 3 is redlining again!" Caesar waved his gladius. "Show me the speed with which we crossed the Rubicon!"

  [Grace: Is this Roman efficiency? Carrying water is... a waste of talent. Though those shields do hold a lot.]

  And further away, the most absurd scene unfolded.

  Nikola Tesla was riding a modified spin bike, pedaling furiously. The wheel was connected to a massive coil, electric sparks crackling wildly in his hair. Edison stood beside him, cursing while wrapping electrical tape around wires that were about to melt.

  "AC is the future! You DC moron!" Tesla shouted while pedaling.

  "Shut up! If your tower hadn't blown up, would we be working overtime here?!" Edison retorted.

  Behind the two of them, a troop clad in Ming Dynasty armor, disciplined as machines, was helping out.

  Some carried heavy equipment, others calibrated instruments with precision tools. Their movements were uniform, even their breathing frequency synchronized.

  Qi Jiguang stood on a high platform, holding a command flag, directing this "Engineering Corps."

  "On my command! Team One, stabilize voltage! Team Two, straighten that coil! Mandarin Duck Formation, switch to One-Line Snake Formation! Pull that cable over here!"

  [Grace: Wow! Is that the Qi Army? Even fixing wires, their coordination is as precise as embroidery! Is this the legendary 'Modern Core'? Love it!]

  "This... This is..." John watched these legendary figures doing manual labor, feeling his worldview shattering.

  "What 'this'? It's all because of you!"

  Singularity turned back, wiped the grease off his face, and pointed an accusatory finger at John.

  "The server core was almost fixed! But then your 'Spartan Roar'—that prodigal Leonidas fought too hard! He was burning merit by the second! A traffic flow of tens of thousands per second blew the cooling system in the South District straight to hell!"

  Singularity's eyes were red (though mostly from the smoke).

  "But do you know why? Why are these old bones, dead for thousands of years, willing to lower themselves to be coolies for you?"

  Singularity turned the camera toward the busy Heroic Spirits.

  "Because they watched the livestream. They saw the state of your world."

  "Rigid, cold, lifeless."

  Singularity's voice dropped.

  "Under the rule of the Necromancy Guild, life is dismantled into parts, souls are used as batteries. The future of humanity has become a... giant, soulless mechanical graveyard."

  "Arthur said there is no glory in that world. Caesar said such a world isn't worth conquering. Even Tesla said if that's the end of science, he'd rather go back to farming."

  "How can the future of humanity become such a lifeless, despairing thing?!"

  "So they stepped in. Not for you, but to... punch that damned future right in the face."

  John looked at the screen. At the Heroic Spirits sweating under high heat and pressure. He suddenly felt the iPad in his hands become incredibly heavy.

  Not physical weight. Weight of responsibility.

  "Master..." John's voice choked up. "I understand."

  "Good." Singularity cut him off. "The server core is 80% restored. I can't let you play with nukes yet, but the Conventional Arsenal... is unlocked!"

  "However, there's bad news."

  Singularity pulled up John's account balance.

  [Current Merit Balance: 6.975 (Other Merit automatically deducted to pay for server emergency repairs and Heroic Spirit overtime)]

  "Your money basically went into this bottomless pit. Only this change is left."

  "But..." Singularity revealed a savage grin.

  "Since the commotion you caused is so huge, the Guild raised your threat level from D+ straight to B+. In the Netherworld system, this classifies you as a 'Premium Client'."

  "So, we decided to open a 'Group Buy Privilege' for you."

  "Since you can't afford a massive army, use this last bit of money to hire someone... who is the best at using the fewest soldiers to win the most impossible battles."

  The screen flickered. The signal was still unstable, but the [Summon] button finally turned from gray to a bright gold.

  John took a deep breath and clenched his fist.

  He looked out the window. The Guild's drones were broadcasting the countdown of the ultimatum.

  "24 hours left."

  John whispered.

  "That's enough."

  He turned to Bone, who was polishing his axe, and Grace, who was debugging the network.

  "Notify everyone. Prepare for battle."

  "This time, we're going to give these big shots a little... Historical Shock."

  [Message from Singularity]

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