The tournament rolled on.
Some lucky contestants drew pitiful opponents like shambling zombies.
Others weren't so fortunate.
One poor soul pulled Aurelion Sol, the Star Forger—and was immediately greeted by a planet crashing down from the sky.
For enemies like that, surrender was the only sane option.
Before anyone realized it, more than half the matches were already finished.
"Alright," Aiden Cross said, stretching. "Time to prepare the prizes."
"Let me see what I can take out," Doraemon replied, plunging his little hand into the Four-Dimensional Pocket.
That pocket contained countless items.
Some he knew. Others… even he didn't.
Like the Gate of Babylon of the ancient king, filled with treasures beyond imagination.
"Auto-Slap Gas? Spray it on an object, shout someone's name, and the object starts beating them up?"
"Dictator Button? Say a name and press it, that person disappears? Only works on normal people… hmm, a bit dangerous. Back you go."
"Thunderflash Blade? Automatically tracks enemy movement in combat?"
He muttered as he pulled out item after item, discarding the ones that were too hazardous.
After selecting around a dozen, he stopped.
Good enough for prizes.
"I'll draw a few things too."
Aiden Cross activated the President's Ring and opened the summon interface.
Random Summon wasn't limited to heroes. If he tilted the probability toward equipment, bloodlines, and abilities, the drop rate for those skyrocketed.
He glanced at his 70,000+ energy points.
Ten thousand for tournament rewards.
Ten thousand for a hundred-draw.
That left a neat fifty thousand.
"Hundred draw. Prioritize equipment, bloodlines, abilities."
The notifications rang out rapidly:
C-Class Bloodline — Four-Winged Angel LineageB-Class Item — Legendary Devil Fruit: Source of LifeD-Class Item — Ability Advancement Fruit (D)D-Class Equipment — Doran's ShieldA-Class Skin — Ares, God of War (usable by specific member)A-Class Equipment — World Item: Hell AbyssS-Class Equipment — Crystal of Love · Fantasy Ring
Aiden Cross blinked.
Alright. Take back what I said.
King's luck buff actually worked.
An S-Class and two A-Class items before the halfway mark.
Maybe it didn't help with hero pulls… but for everything else? It was insane.
The rest of the draws were mostly D-Class items, which he didn't mind.
He had already hit the jackpot.
Then, at the very last moment—
A burst of golden light exploded from the interface.
Even though the focus was on equipment, there was always a tiny chance of pulling a hero.
And that chance just triggered.
S-Class Hero — Professor Koro
Aiden Cross stared.
"…Did my fate just change?"
"King's luck is ridiculous!"
Zero, puzzled by his sudden excitement, reached out and touched his forehead.
"Are you feverish?"
He gently held her cool hand and smiled.
"No. Just something good happened."
A ring slowly formed in his palm.
It shimmered like a dream, refracting rainbow light.
Power pulsed from it.
S-Class Equipment: Crystal of Love · Fantasy Ring
"…Beautiful colors," Zero murmured.
"I'll put it on for you."
Without hesitation, Aiden Cross slid the ring onto Zero's ring finger.
Doraemon's eyes widened instantly.
"Ring finger?! President, you—"
"Quiet."
"Ohoho~ I understand."
Zero tilted her head.
"What's special about the ring finger?"
She genuinely didn't know.
She only knew that the ring was beautiful—and that the moment she wore it, her attributes increased by 30%.
"Nothing. Do you like it?"
"…Yes."
Her cheeks flushed faintly as she looked at the ring.
She had already felt strong affection for this black-haired, red-eyed young man.
Now, that affection was quietly, subtly, shifting toward love.
Not because of magic.
The ring only acted as a catalyst.
If there were no feelings to begin with, it would do nothing.
"From now on," Aiden Cross said softly, "you're the owner of this ring."
"…Thank you."
As an S-Class item with ownership recognition, once it chose its first master, no one else could ever use it.
This ring now belonged solely to Zero.
A voice echoed through the arena.
"Match results finalized! Winner — S-Class Hero: The Tornado of Terror!"
"Highest total score — S-Class Hero: Aizen, Eidolon!"
"With this, the First Hero War officially concludes!"
"President, Vice President, and honored guests, please come forward to present the awards!"
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