Just one strike!
It had instantly killed a terrifying monster over a hundred meters tall, a creature with destructive power comparable to a cruise missile!
Coulson was horrified.
A God of Death…
was an individual entity far more terrifying than a Hollow, and even more difficult to deal with than the superpowered humans he had encountered before.
Whether it was overwhelming individual strength, unknown magical abilities, or powers involving the soul itself, no matter how he analyzed it, the God of Death standing before him was not an existence that S.H.I.E.L.D.
could currently control.
“…”
For a moment, Coulson fell silent.
He didn’t know what attitude he should take as a representative of S.H.I.E.L.D.—or even of humanity—when facing such an unknown and terrifying existence.
As a professional S.H.I.E.L.D.
agent, Coulson understood one truth better than anyone.
Power without restraint would inevitably lead to disaster.
The world was chaotic.
It had two opposing sides: light and darkness, justice and evil.
Though they stood in opposition to one another, both were indispensable.
Absolute justice was undesirable.
By the same token, absolute evil was equally undesirable.
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s purpose was to maintain the balance by restraining both sides.
Just as every superhero had a supervillain as an archenemy, S.H.I.E.L.D.
did not seek to eradicate evil entirely.
They merely hoped to preserve the balance between the two.
But now…
That balance had been broken.
The sudden appearance of a God of Death—something humanity had never even heard of before—had shattered the world’s equilibrium.
Just as Lorde turned to leave, Coulson called out from behind him.
“Wait, Mr.
God of Death!”
Ignoring the intense pain coursing through his body, Coulson struggled to his feet.
“My name is Phil Coulson, an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
On behalf of the United States—and humanity—I sincerely thank you for eliminating that monster.”
The absurdly long title left Lorde stunned for several seconds before he replied with a strange expression.
“You said you’re from…
the Department of Homeland what?”
“You can simply call it S.H.I.E.L.D., Mr.
God of Death,” Coulson replied with a helpless smile.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s full name was infamous.
During his more than twenty years of service, Coulson had never met anyone who could remember the entire thing.
“Fine…
S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Lorde nodded slightly before smiling.
“Spare me the thanks.
Is there something you need?”
Seeing how approachable the God of Death seemed, Coulson quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
After gathering his thoughts, he spoke.
“It’s like this, Mr.
God of Death.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
has always been dedicated to protecting humanity by eliminating dangerous and abnormal threats.
Regarding the large monster that appeared just now, we’d like to ask you a few questions.
Would that be alright?”
“I refuse.”
“Whether it’s S.H.I.E.L.D.
or humanity, what does any of that have to do with me?
You protect the living.
We protect the dead.
It’s as simple as that.”
“Uh…”
Coulson was left speechless.
The God of Death had a point.
One organization protected the living, while the other protected the dead.
There was no obvious connection between them, so why should he answer S.H.I.E.L.D.’s questions?
But that wasn’t the outcome Fury wanted.
Nor was it the outcome Coulson wanted.
“I don’t think that’s entirely true, Mr.
God of Death.”
“Oh?”
Lorde’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
A trace of impatience flashed across his azure eyes.
“And why do you think otherwise?”
Oh no.
Coulson immediately noticed the change in the other’s mood.
The God of Death was clearly becoming impatient.
Even so, bound by his duty, Coulson pressed on.
“With all due respect, Mr.
God of Death, you just said there is no connection between us.
However, the monster that appeared today clearly threatened humanity.”
“This…”
Lorde hesitated slightly.
A trace of helplessness and annoyance appeared on his face.
“It was merely an accident.”
That brief flicker of helplessness didn’t escape Coulson’s sharp eyes.
There’s an opening!
Several thoughts raced through his mind.
“Mr.
God of Death, as far as I know, dozens of similar incidents have occurred over the past year.
The resulting property damage is estimated to exceed tens of billions of dollars.
Of course, such losses may not matter to you.
But those monsters also caused the deaths of hundreds of innocent people.
As the protectors of the living, shouldn’t we have the right to ask about this?”
It had to be admitted…
Coulson truly was an outstanding agent.
Not only had he caught the subtle change in Lorde’s emotions, but he had also identified a flaw in his reasoning and immediately pressed the issue.
Unfortunately…
Every one of Coulson’s deductions rested on a single false premise.
That everything before him was real.
“…Are you questioning me?”
Lorde narrowed his eyes as his voice turned cold.
A trace of Spiritual Pressure was released.
Boom!
Coulson instantly felt as though an enormous mountain had been dropped onto his body, crushing him to the ground.
Heavy.
Terrifying. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
It was as though he had been cast ten thousand meters beneath the ocean.
Invisible pressure surged from every direction, making even breathing an impossible luxury.
“N-No…”
Terrified, Coulson struggled to speak.
“You misunderstand…
I wasn’t questioning you…”
“Hmph.”
Looking down at him with icy eyes, Lorde spoke coldly.
“A mere human dares to speak to me in that tone?
You certainly have courage.”
A wise man knew when to bow his head.
Coulson had no illusion that the God of Death would care in the slightest about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s authority.
“Mr.
God of Death,” Coulson said carefully, “we only wish to speak with you.
We mean no harm.”
“Speak with me?”
Lorde laughed softly, his voice filled with disdain.
“What could people like you possibly discuss with me?”
“Cooperation!”
Coulson answered immediately.
“You protect the dead, and we protect the living.
We can work together to protect this world.”
“Cooperation?”
Lorde’s indifferent gaze swept over him before he let out a cold chuckle.
“How unfortunate…
You are not qualified to discuss cooperation with us.”
“But—”
Before Coulson could finish speaking, Lorde raised a finger and pointed it at his forehead.
“Bakudō #1: Sai.”
An invisible force instantly bound Coulson’s arms behind his back while simultaneously sealing his mouth shut.
“Farewell…
interesting human.”
Using Shunpo, Lorde vanished from Coulson’s sight.
At this point, his plan had reached its first stage.
You couldn’t rush when trying to deceive S.H.I.E.L.D.
Who was Nick Fury?
A veteran of World War II who had survived into the modern era, he had led S.H.I.E.L.D.
for decades.
He was meticulous, suspicious by nature, utterly ruthless, and had participated in countless classified operations.
Someone had once said:
“No one can guess what’s going on inside that bald head, and no one knows who Nick Fury truly trusts.”
No one could even be certain that the person standing before them was the real Nick Fury.
When dealing with such a cunning old fox, Lorde had to proceed with extreme caution.
Every step had to be carefully planned.
Not a single flaw could be exposed.
Therefore…
If he wanted that suspicious bald man to truly believe that the Gods of Death and the Soul Society existed, he couldn’t appear too approachable.
He had to project the mystery, authority, and overwhelming power expected of an ancient organization with a legacy spanning more than a thousand years.
Humans were always like this.
The harder something was to obtain, the more they treasured it.
That was true for possessions…
And it was equally true for people.