Robert Gonzales, commander of one of SHIELD's few aircraft carriers, was known for being stubborn and almost fanatical about justice. An old veteran who refused to negotiate with injustice, even if the world shook his hand.
"Sending Captain Gonzales could backfire," Hill continued softly. "If Captain Gonzales gets angry, he will choose war, even if it means death."
Nick shook his head slightly. His expression was blank, almost like a stone statue. "Gonzales isn't as foolish as Ross. Gonzales knows the line between courage and stupidity."
Nick turned slightly. "And... from the shape of his lips earlier, the being called 'Lord of the White Sky' referred to that angel by the name: Amenadiel. Ask the theologians. Dig up all the data about that angel. I want to know if we are truly facing a heavenly messenger... or something worse."
Nick wasn't a devout Christian, but he grew up in a distinctly religious American atmosphere. Nick was somewhat familiar with names from the Bible, but Amenadiel wasn't one of them. That name... felt too foreign.
"Yes, Sir."
Hill nodded briefly, then stared at the satellite transmission screen. Without saying a word, Hill turned, issuing orders with emotionless efficiency.
...
...
...
Ding!!
The spear of light and sword clashed in the air, sparking dazzling red flashes like exploding stars.
Amenadiel let out a low roar, pulling back his holy spear with an elegant yet deadly motion. Amenadiel's attack was as precise as divine prophecy—not just reading Lance's movements, but predicting them even before they happened.
Lance responded quickly. He turned his body and swung his sword at an impossible angle—perfect for parrying. But still... the force coming from Amenadiel's spear could not be completely deflected.
The impact hit Lance's arm like a cannon. He stepped back, his jaw tightening to hold back the pain.
This was no ordinary power. It was... time.
Not time that was frozen, but extended—folded thousands of times in the blink of an eye. In the realm of angels, one second for a human could become a thousand strikes.
Lance slipped for a moment—a perfect bait for his opponent.
Lance groaned, his body spinning to evade. But still, the tip of the spear managed to graze his skin. Fresh blood splattered, forming a beautiful line that danced in the air like cherry blossom petals falling under the moonlight.
Even wounds... looked like art when time moved slowly.
"Not bad," Lance murmured. He wiped his bleeding neck with his hand, then licked a drop from the tip of his finger. A thin smile appeared on his face. A smile of someone who finds pleasure in pain.
"Human..." Amenadiel said flatly, "This is not over. You must know one thing: humans can only pray. They are not worthy of challenging God."
"If you talk like that on Earth," Lance replied casually, "a swarm of insects might rise up and slap your face until you realize it."
Lance slowly raised his sword, the tip of the Kyoka Suigetsu pointing at the moon. Lance's voice was almost a whisper. "This pressure... should be enough."
The blade touched the moonlight. Waves of energy spread like a stone dropped into a night lake. Silence. Then... something changed in the air.
Suddenly, the sky split like cracked glass struck by a giant hammer. A black hole yawned wide, slowly spinning like a whirlpool of hell, spewing forth particles of pitch-black souls. They surged forth, hissing like hot mist touching ice, flowing down like cursed rain.
In an instant, a loud crash echoed from within the rift—new cracks appeared, spreading like burst veins in the sky. From each crack, countless black soul particles erupted, flooding the sky and engulfing the view of the two men in a living dark fog.
"This..." Amenadiel murmured, his voice choked. Amenadiel's body felt as if it were crushed by a mountain. The sudden pressure not only weighed down on Amenadiel's skin and bones but also ensnared his soul. Amenadiel's eyes widened, his pupils narrowed, cold sweat trickling down his temples.
In the midst of that suffocating void, Lance smiled. A thin smile, almost imperceptible—but holding the arrogance and calm of a god in the face of chaos.
"Hey, black angel," Lance said, his voice light yet cutting, "open your eyes wide. Witness my sacred power."
Lance slowly raised his right hand, his movement like a dance that challenged the universe. Glowing energy began to swirl around Lance, clearing the black soul fog like light piercing through the night.
"Bankai——"
The voice thundered, not just from his mouth, but as if it emanated from the sky, the earth, and the air between them.
"Tenchi Kairin!"
...
...
...
Zanpakutō is the embodiment of the soul, the deepest desires, and the true determination of a Shinigami.
"Kyōka Suigetsu" had achieved Bankai once in the past. Although it has now returned to its Shikai form, its evolution has surpassed a turning point. Lance does not need to repeat the same path. All he needs is to unite his entire will and soul with his Zanpakutō.
A new Bankai is born—naturally, not through force.
However, because Kyōka Suigetsu is a reflection of Aizen's soul, the fusion with Lance's soul causes a profound change in its form and essence.
Previously, the advanced release of Kyōka Suigetsu only strengthened the control of perfect illusions, but now the direction of its power has shifted. Lance's soul has altered its spiritual flow, creating a distortion that even Aizen himself may not have anticipated.
His new technique, called "Fūsui no Kōsoku"—Energy Flow Restraint—no longer merely envelops the enemy in deceptive shadows. Now, it creates an empty space that swallows logic and direction, a place where time and space nearly lose their meaning.
Meanwhile, the next technique, "Tenchi Sōzō"—Heaven and Earth Merge—allows Lance to manifest all forms of illusion into reality. Not just deceptive shadows, but the world itself—everything imagined can materialize in an instant.
In the realm of Fūsui no Kōsoku, everything is a mirage that is confined. However, when Tenchi Sōzō is activated, the boundary between reality and fantasy erases—everything imagined can become real, as if heaven and earth pulse together in a single heartbeat of life.
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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