Steve stepped back, and the girl did the same while massaging her hand. They both turned to look at the muscular young man, who was clearly taller than either of them.
"A demon," Steve and the girl said in unison.
"Hah... don't start labeling people. What do you think you're doing, fighting in the middle of the city? You interrupted my lunch," the demon youth said in a booming, raspy voice.
"Don't get cocky. I could finish you both in a heartbeat," Steve warned.
"Oh yeah? Come on then!" the girl shouted, bracing herself.
"Enough! Shut up! Don't make me angry. I won't let you two trash my city," the demon youth roared.
Suddenly, Steve launched a kick toward the youth's stomach. The demon caught it instantly and shoved Steve back so hard he crashed through the glass of a storefront. The girl brandished her spear and lunged at the youth, who parried the strike with his forearm; his skin was covered in dragon scales as tough as plate armor. The demon youth delivered a counter-kick that the girl blocked with the shaft of her spear, but the force sent her skidding back until she took to the sky.
Steve climbed out of the wreckage, shaking his head. Seeing the demon standing in front of the shop after his kick, Steve lunged from the shadows of the store. He unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches, but the demon parried and countered with equal ferocity. A brutal battle erupted, leveling everything in sight. What was once a busy shopping district now looked like an empty field as the buildings around them crumbled into dust. Suddenly, the girl dived from above with her spear, forcing the demon and Steve to break apart.
The three stood in a triangle, ready to charge again. But before they could move, dozens of massive tentacles snared all three of them and hoisted them into the air.
"Hey... what is this? Let go!" Steve yelled.
"Let me go! Let me go!" the girl screamed in a panic.
"What the hell... who's doing this?" the demon roared.
"I am... and I'm going to wipe you all out," a voice said, sounding strangely digital.
Steve, the girl, and the demon looked down. They saw a pale young man with white hair and yellow eyes, wearing armor that looked like it belonged to an alien from deep space. Most terrifyingly, several tentacles were erupting from his back, pinning them in place.
"Who are you?" Steve shouted.
"Me? Hmm... my name is Space Wraith. You've got some nerve fighting each other in the city. For your information, you were bothering me while I was trying to read at the bookstore. Are you superheroes? Based on your behavior, I doubt it. That makes you villains," Space Wraith said.
"Graaaaaah!"
The demon surged with power, his entire body suddenly coated in a red aura that looked like liquid fire. "Crack." He ripped himself free from the tentacles and hit the ground running toward Space Wraith. He launched a flying kick, but the tentacles shifted into a shield in front of Space Wraith's body. "Whoaaaah!" Space Wraith was knocked back, but his tentacles acted as stabilizers to keep him upright. In the chaos, Steve and the girl were released and took flight.
Steve, growing more annoyed by the second, locked his eyes on Space Wraith, who was still wobbling from the demon's kick. But just as Steve was about to strike, "shiiing," a short blade suddenly appeared behind his neck. He looked over to see another blade held under the demon's chin. They both looked toward the center of the conflict. A girl with cat ears, a tail, and black spandex-like armor stood there. Her face was covered by a ninja mask, and she held her swords across Steve and the demon's throats.
"Now who is this?" the demon yelled.
"You people... you destroyed my grandmother's shop. I'm going to end all of you... including you up there," the girl said, glancing up at the winged girl hovering in the air.
Space Wraith, having recovered, walked slowly toward Steve and the demon with a look of fury. A greyish-white energy began to envelop his body. Above them, the winged girl was shrouded in a swirling black and white aura, ready to dive. The cat-eared girl emitted an aura that looked like a flickering portal. The demon glowed with blood-red flames, and Steve's body surged with a prismatic aura of combined elements. They were all ready to blow the whole block to kingdom come. But before anyone could act:
"Kabooom!"
A massive explosion rocked the air, and the sky turned a deep red. A blonde girl wearing futuristic goggles and mecha-armor descended from above, her weapons systems deployed and aimed directly at the angel-winged girl.
"What is this mess? Stop it! I was trying to sleep and you destroyed my hotel. This is too much!" the cyborg girl screamed.
"Another one. This world just keeps getting weirder," Steve thought, though his fists remained clenched.
Then, Steve let out a long sigh and relaxed his hands. He turned around and started walking away.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" they all shouted.
"Home," Steve replied casually.
Suddenly, the angel girl dived down and blocked his path, pointing her spear at Steve's face.
"You're the one who started this mess, and now you're just going to walk away?" she asked.
"You guys were the ones who started it!" the demon yelled.
"Enough... stop arguing. I see a superhero lying over there. The Association will definitely send reinforcements soon," Space Wraith warned.
"But my grandmother's shop..." the cat girl muttered.
"Grr... who are you people anyway? Are you superheroes or not?" the cyborg girl asked, landing among them.
"Of course not. If he's Space Wraith, then I guess I'm Black Paladin," Steve said, pointing at the tentacled youth.
"Huh? Why are we introducing ourselves? This is ridiculous," the winged girl said.
"I'm Noir Eight," the cyborg girl added.
"Shadow Cat. Nice to meet you. Now, pay for my grandma's shop," Shadow Cat said, extending her hand into the center of the group.
"Grrr... fine. I'm Grey," the angel girl said, making her spear vanish.
"And you?" Steve asked, looking at the demon.
"Huh... do I have to?" the demon grumbled.
He saw the other five nodding, clearly waiting for his answer.
"I'm... Demon Warrior... I guess," he muttered.
"Alright then. I'm going home. And one more thing: I'm not a villain, but I'm not a superhero either. I'm just a normal guy," Steve, aka Black Paladin, said.
"Hah!" the other five exclaimed, watching Steve walk away, clearly over the drama. Suddenly, sirens from police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances began to wail in the distance. They all looked over at Lightning, who was still unconscious; a light on his belt was flashing a distress signal.
"Okay, move out," Steve said.
"My grandma's shop!" Shadow Cat cried.
"Forget it... just go!" Demon Warrior urged.
"How can I forget it, you jerk!" Shadow Cat screamed.
"I'm out," Grey called out, taking to the skies.
"Me too," Noir Eight added, flying off in the other direction.
Left with no choice, Shadow Cat vanished, transforming into a small cat and perching quietly atop the ruins of her grandmother's shop. Steve, Demon Warrior, and Space Wraith sped away, leaving the devastated district behind.
From then on, whenever a massive monster appeared, the six of them were often seen taking it down, only to vanish immediately afterward—unlike other superheroes who hung around for interviews. They were also known to wipe out supervillain dens in the sewers and silence "newbie" heroes who tried to extort civilians. Yet, they still didn't know each other's true identities in their daily lives.
[End Flashback]
***
Back in the classroom, after Lightning and the other heroes had left, things finally calmed down. Steve yawned, bored and wanting to head home so he could read his favorite comics and novels on his phone. Meanwhile, Erica glanced back at Steve as he nodded off. She turned back to the front and sighed.
"Why did my brother have to be a guy... but maybe I'm being too hard on him. He did save me from that Minotaur," Erica thought to herself.
She looked back again at Steve, who had now rested his head on the desk. She smiled slightly before facing the front again.
"He... he wasn't the one from this morning, was he?" Erica wondered.
She drifted back into her own memories—of the moment she was struck by the Minotaur after Steve saved her, dying instantly only to be reborn in a world called Phanteos.