“Mr.
God of Death.”
Natasha brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled calmly.
“Since we’re both working to protect humanity, why can’t we work together?”
“This…”
Lorde hesitated.
A flicker of unease crossed his face before he quickly concealed it.
That brief hesitation—and the trace of caution in his eyes—didn’t escape Natasha’s notice.
He’s afraid?
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
It was obvious that he was tempted by the offer.
Yet, for some reason, he didn’t dare cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D.
What’s holding him back?
What is the God of Death afraid of?
“Mr.
God of Death,” Natasha continued gently, “we may not understand what’s making you hesitate, but if there’s a problem, perhaps you could tell us.
Maybe we can help you find a solution.”
A conflicted expression flashed across Lorde’s face.
His perfectly timed hesitation and obvious inner struggle only convinced S.H.I.E.L.D.
even more that they were close to uncovering valuable information.
“Mr.
God of Death…”
Natasha leaned forward, lowering her voice.
“Please trust us.
We only want to better protect this world.
We would never reveal your secrets.”
“But…”
Lorde still looked uncertain.
“Sigh…”
Natasha let out a long sigh and adopted a troubled expression.
“To be honest, protecting the world isn’t the only reason we’re so eager to cooperate with you.”
Lorde raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s because of one of our enemies,” Natasha replied seriously.
“Since World War II, they’ve opposed us from the shadows, carrying out inhumane experiments and trying to plunge the world back into war.”
Lorde’s eyelids twitched.
He had already guessed who she was talking about.
Sure enough…
“The organization is called HYDRA,” Natasha continued.
“They’ve been S.H.I.E.L.D.’s greatest enemy for decades.
Recently, we received intelligence that they’ve discovered the existence of Hollows.”
Wow…
Lorde nearly blurted the word out loud.
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ability to shift the blame was truly something else.
At this rate, it was no wonder they’d eventually end up being infiltrated by HYDRA.
“For the sake of humanity…
for the safety of this world…”
Natasha looked at him with complete sincerity.
“Mr.
God of Death, I sincerely ask for your cooperation.”
Lorde was almost speechless.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
had no shame whatsoever.
They were using HYDRA as a convenient scapegoat just to trick him.
He sighed helplessly.
“Unauthorized contact between Soul Reapers and humans is strictly forbidden by the Soul Society.
If I’m discovered, I’ll be imprisoned.”
Natasha’s expression immediately stiffened.
That single sentence revealed an astonishing amount of information.
First, the Soul Society strictly prohibited contact between Soul Reapers and humans.
Second, it operated under a formal legal system.
Taken together, those facts suggested that the Soul Society wasn’t merely an organization—it was an actual nation, complete with laws and a strict hierarchy.
“Natasha,” Nick Fury said through the communicator, his voice tense.
“Keep him talking.
Find out more about this Soul Society.”
Receiving the instruction, Natasha feigned surprise.
“Someone as powerful as you…”
She hesitated.
“There can’t be many people like you in the Soul Society, can there?”
“Pfft.”
Lorde let out a dismissive laugh.
“Powerful?
You’ve misunderstood.”
He shook his head.
“Soul Reapers like me, who handle missions in the Human World, are everywhere.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie.
In the original Soul Society, he had been nothing more than an ordinary Soul Reaper.
There were countless people stronger than him.
Natasha’s expression froze.
Nick Fury: (ΩДΩ)!
Coulson: (ΩДΩ)!!
The rest of S.H.I.E.L.D.: (ΩДΩ)!!!
Watching Natasha sit there in stunned silence, Lorde secretly smiled to himself.
He could already imagine the look on Nick Fury’s face.
As expected…
The moment everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D.
heard those words, they instinctively gasped.
They had assumed the Soul Reaper sitting before them was an elite among his people.
Instead…
He was just an average member.
“T-Then…”
Natasha swallowed hard.
“How many Soul Reapers like you are there in the Soul Society?”
“Not that many.”
Lorde answered casually.
“Roughly ten thousand.”
“Ten…
thousand?”
“That’s about right.”
“And…
how many would you consider truly powerful?”
“Not many.”
He held up a finger.
“Only thirteen.”
“They’re the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.”
Natasha’s heart skipped a beat.
strong are they?”
Lorde thought for a moment before pointing at himself.
“A Captain could crush someone like me with nothing more than the pressure of their spiritual energy.”
Natasha stared at him.
“…You’re joking.”
“No.”
His expression turned completely serious.
“The Thirteen Court Guard Squads are the Soul Society’s greatest military force.
Every Captain is a legendary warrior who has trained for centuries.
Their names are recorded throughout the Soul Society’s thousand-year history.”
“Centuries…”
Natasha whispered the word.
Then another question came to mind.
“If you don’t mind me asking…
how old are you?”
“I’m two hundred and seventy years old.”
Lorde took another sip of his coffee.
“Compared to the Captains, though…
I’m still quite young.”
Natasha struggled to process that answer.
“Do…
Soul Reapers not have a natural lifespan?”
Lorde looked at her as if she’d asked the most obvious question imaginable.
“We’re Soul Reapers.”
“We govern death itself.”
“Why would we have a lifespan?”
“…”
Seeing the look in his eyes, Natasha realized just how foolish her question had sounded.
Of course.
He was a Soul Reaper.
Why would a being that governed death die of old age?
At that moment, Nick Fury felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
A civilization with over a thousand years of history.
An entire nation responsible for guiding the souls of the dead.
An elite military force known as the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
And humanity had only just learned it even existed.
The United States had existed for barely two and a half centuries.
Yet even this seemingly ordinary Soul Reaper was older than the nation itself.
Compared to the Soul Society, S.H.I.E.L.D.—an organization that had only existed for a few decades—looked like nothing more than a child trying to challenge an ancient giant.
Outwardly, Lorde maintained a calm, serious expression.
Inside…
He was practically celebrating.
That’s right…
Keep asking.
The more you learn…
the more you’ll fear.
If his thoughts could have taken shape, they would have looked like a sly fox grinning from ear to ear.
At this moment, S.H.I.E.L.D.
was nothing more than a mouse.
Lured by the bait Lorde had carefully laid out.
Completely unaware that, with every answer, they were walking one step deeper into the trap he had prepared.
The more they learned…
The more terrifying the mysterious Soul Society became.