"Ugh…" a young man groaned as he opened his eyes, blinking against the chaos unfolding around him. The sky was torn open by a massive rift, and monstrous creatures descended from it. Below, buildings crumbled. Civilians screamed. Adults shielded their children. A group of uniformed men—some blue-clad first responders, some heavily armed agents—scrambled to pull people from the rubble.
Confusion clouded the man's thoughts as he sat up, brushing dust from his tattered clothes. "Wasn't I… at the execution ground?" he muttered, scanning the destruction with dazed eyes.
He shut his eyes tight, willing it to be a dream. But when he opened them again, the apocalyptic vision remained—and above it all, a gaping hole in the sky vomited monsters into the city.
"Where's Luffy…? Is he safe?" he murmured. Then a painful realization hit him. "Yeah… right. I died… protecting my brother."
A soft smile curled his lips as memories surged forward. "Be free, and accomplish your dream, brother."
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through his skull.
"ARGHHHHH!" he screamed, clutching his head as a storm of memories crashed into him. An ancient force pulsed within, and his very soul seemed to convulse.
Ding
[You have met the conditions.]
Ding
[1. Reincarnated four times.][2. Genuinely wished for another's success.][3. Recovered your past memories independently.]
"It hurts… so much…" he whispered, collapsing to his knees.
Ding
[Mission completed: 100%][Reward granted: Personal Dimension][Scanning host… no current powers detected…][Combining previous life attributes… complete.]
[New Power Acquired: ???][System deactivated. Live freely.]
And then—silence.
Knowledge flooded into his consciousness. He saw the lives he had once lived. A hot-headed pirate consumed by fire. A tragic villain wielding blue flames. A nuclear-powered hero torn by responsibility.
"I've been… Ace… Dabi… Ronnie," he whispered.
His name now?
"Eric Bishop," he said slowly, remembering. "Graduated in Mechanical Engineering. PhD in Thermal Engineering. Orphan… and apparently homeless now, thanks to Loki's invasion."
As he looked around, the temperature shifted. Flames—blue and furious—surrounded him like loyal sentinels. His heart burned with newfound strength.
"If I'm going to fight, I need to look the part," he said.
Blue fire surged across his body. It solidified into sleek black armor, glistening under the haze of war. His hair turned into a living blaze of sapphire flame. A long cape flowed from his back, flickering like silk made of fire. In his right hand, a massive greatsword formed, glowing with molten energy.
He clenched his gauntleted fist and spoke in a voice distorted by power, "Just as I imagined… this is good."
Eric took a deep breath, disappearing into his personal dimension. From there, he reemerged atop a skyscraper in the heart of New York. The Chitauri's invasion ravaged the city. He watched their monstrous leviathans soar through the sky, unleashing destruction.
A roar echoed through the air.
Eric's eyes narrowed. "Enough."
He crouched low—and launched himself upward in a burst of blue fire.
Across the battlefield, Iron Man engaged a massive leviathan.
"Sir!" JARVIS alerted. "A substantial nuclear signature is approaching the portal."
"What? Did someone launch a nuke?!" Tony demanded.
"No sir. The power source is… an individual."
Tony blinked. "Come again?"
Before JARVIS could clarify, another voice cut in.
"Tony!" Bruce's voice. "Something just flew into the portal. I can close it!"
"Don't!" Tony barked. "That guy's got a power signature like a warhead! Let's see what he does."
Tony veered toward the portal—and saw the explosion.
A colossal inferno of blue fire engulfed the Chitauri mothership. The alien fleet shuddered. Then, in a heartbeat, they collapsed, crashing to Earth in dying shrieks.
Out of the fading flames, a figure emerged—armored and wreathed in power.
"Close it, now!" Tony shouted.
As the portal began to shrink, the armored figure flew straight at it. With blinding speed, he crossed the threshold and reentered Earth.
"You could've waited a second longer," the armored warrior said, hovering beside Iron Man.
"Sorry, buddy. Couldn't take the risk," Tony replied.
"I'll be seeing you around, Tony Stark. You can call me... Igris."
And just like that, Igris shot off across the sky.
Tony was stunned. "JARVIS… tell me we got that on camera."
"Yes, sir. All of it."
But then another alarm rang out.
"Tony!" Steve's voice crackled through the comms. "A tactical nuke was just launched. Manhattan is the target."
Tony cursed. "What the hell is going on?!"
From the sky, Igris appeared again, flying head-on into the nuke's path. At the last moment, the missile's deadly glow was overtaken by blue fire—and the warhead dissolved… into falling droplets of water.
Tony stared in disbelief. "What the hell are you…?"
But Igris was gone.