Chapitre 11: Chapter 11: The Captain arrives
This news was no less shocking than a massive stone suddenly dropping into a calm lake and causing waves several meters high!
He clearly remembered that Lod had said there were over ten thousand Soul Reapers like him in the Soul Society.
Among these ten thousand Soul Reapers, thirteen were part of the Gotei 13 and possessed terrifyingly powerful combat abilities that could crush any ordinary Soul Reaper.
And now, Lod was telling him that such a terrifying individual was about to come to Earth.
Thinking of Haschwalth and the massive blade-like flames he had unleashed in Hell's Kitchen, and then considering this unknown captain of the Gotei 13, Coulson couldn't help but feel a drop of cold sweat slide down his forehead.
"You don't mean...?" Coulson swallowed hard and asked nervously, "That captain of the Thirteen Court Guard?"
"What else could it be?" Lod's eyes showed a trace of disdain as he said, "No one but a captain-level Soul Reaper can stop Haschwalth."
Coulson was panicking, so he wiped his sweat with one hand and asked tentatively, "I have to ask... what are the temperaments of these captains like?"
Lod thought about it for a moment and shook his head. "Not great."
It seemed that in the Bleach world, there were hardly any normal members among the Gotei 13.
First Division: Paranoid.
Second Division: Tsundere.
Third Division: Slit-eyed Schemer.
Fourth Division: Big Breasted Monster.
Fifth Division: Two-Faced Schemer.
Sixth Division: Pretentious Sis-con.
Seventh Division: Honorable Furry.
Eighth Division: Lazy Uncle.
Ninth Division: A 'Justice' Zealot.
Tenth Division: Shota and Onee-chan.
Eleventh Division: Battle Maniac.
Twelfth Division: Science Pervert.
Thirteenth Division: Sickly Patient.
In summary, Lod could hardly find any of them normal because almost all of them had some kind of issue.
This made Coulson even more anxious.
"Mr. Lod!" Coulson's voice trembled as he said, "They... they won't destroy New York, will they?"
Lod thought for a moment, then answered, "They won't."
Coulson was skeptical. "Really?"
"...Probably."
"...Are you sure?"
"Not entirely..."
"What if, by any chance..."
"Don't worry. Any damage will be deducted from the captain's mission compensation." This statement sounded eerily familiar. Coulson twitched at the corner of his eye. 'Wasn't this the standard SHIELD tactic?'
Lod patted Coulson on the shoulder and reassured him, "Relax. Captains generally don't take action unless necessary."
'That was as good as saying nothing!' Coulson was beyond exasperated, but he could only grit his teeth, step on the gas pedal, and speed off while pondering how he was going to explain this to the Director.
'Who knows if director could even handle this blow?'
Under Coulson's relentless speeding, they soon entered the city.
Nemu pointed at a particularly tall and flashy building in the distance and asked, "Balding Uncle, what's that?"
Coulson glanced at it and replied, "Oh, that's Stark Tower, one of New York's landmark buildings."
"Stark Tower?"
Nemu's eyes sparkled with excitement as she said, "Brother~ I want to see it. Can we?"
Clearly, the little girl had no resistance to shiny and flashy buildings.
Faced with Nemu's pleading, Lod playfully tapped her nose and said indulgently, "Alright, we can go. There's no rush right now."
Coulson naturally wouldn't refuse the request. "No problem. It's on the way, so we can stop by."
The car roared and sped down the spacious road with the three of them inside.
As they got closer to Stark Tower, Coulson suddenly heard a loud noise behind him.
Turning around, he saw a factory wall collapse as two humanoid metal machines burst through it and barreled toward them!
"Not good!" Coulson's face turned pale.
The two metal machines appeared too suddenly and were moving so fast that Coulson had no time to dodge. He could only watch as they came crashing toward them!
The next moment, he suddenly felt his body become weightless.
Someone grabbed him by the collar, yanking him out of the car seat at lightning speed and throwing him to the side!
Coulson landed hard on the ground, his face turning pale from the pain as he let out a cry of anguish!
The car was instantly destroyed and blown up by the two metal machines on the spot!
Fiery explosions and scorching shockwaves swept through the area, throwing Coulson three or four meters away.
The once-bustling road turned into chaos as several cars collided due to the explosion. Flames roared while sirens blared.
Only then did Lod, holding Nemu, descend slowly beside Coulson.
Nemu wriggled free from Lod's arms, walked over to Coulson, poked his face, and said seriously, "Balding Uncle, your lover just exploded."
Coulson: "..."
'What a brutal comment!' Lod couldn't help but think that if you opened Nemu's heart, it would surely be pitch black!
"My... my Laura..." Coulson was on the verge of tears, his eyes welling up with moisture. It was clear how much he loved that car.
Nemu mimicked Lod's gestures and patted Coulson's semi-bald head while saying in a childishly wise tone, "It's okay, Balding Uncle. You can find another lover."
'You're a devil!' Lod's mouth twitched. Why hadn't he noticed before that Nemu had a venomous tongue?
Coulson's eye twitched violently, his chest heaving as he tried to calm himself. 'It's fine... She's just a kid. She doesn't know any better. Don't get mad at a child!'
"Stop it, Nemu." Lod picked her up. If he let her continue, Coulson might just die of anger!
Coulson took a deep breath to compose himself, then glared at the humanoid metal machines that had almost killed him.
"Hahaha..." The large metal figure got up and said, "I love this suit." Saying that, the large metal figure picked up a car with a family of four inside.
"Put them down, Obadiah," the red metal figure said as his chest started to glow.
"Collateral damage, Tony," Obadiah said, and he went to hit him with the car.
Tony's chest glowed, and he fired a beam that sent Obadiah flying.
'Oh? the family feud!' Lod's interest was piqued. It seemed his luck wasn't too bad; he'd run into the plot of Iron Man's first movie.
However, there were slight deviations from the original story. Coulson, who should have been at the factory saving Pepper Potts, was here, so SHIELD must have sent someone else.
Obadiah grabbed a passing motorcycle and swung it at Tony.
The massive impact sent Tony flying, crashing heavily into the ground, and leaving a large crater.
Obadiah used the jet boosters on his feet to jump and rotate mid-air, landing near Tony. He picked him up and slammed him into the ground.
"For 30 years, I've been holding you up!"
With the overwhelming power of his suit, Obadiah pinned Tony down and mercilessly pummeled him!
"I built this company from nothing!"
"And nothing is going to stand in my way."
Obadiah grabbed Tony and hurled him into the air.
Tony's trajectory brought him crashing down right next to Lod.
Obadiah launched a shoulder-mounted missile, aiming at Tony with a sinister smile. "Least of all you."
Whoosh!
The rocket streaked through the air with a blazing tail and headed straight for Tony Stark.
"RPG!" Agent Coulson shouted in alarm. He tugged Nemu by the hand, but she did not move an inch. After remembering who he was traveling with, Coulson felt stupid and stood behind Lod and Nemu.
"Sir, there are three civilians within the blast range of the rocket," Jarvis informed faithfully.
Inside his armor, Tony froze for a moment. He quickly turned and saw three ordinary people nearby, one of whom was a young girl around seven or eight years old.
The little girl was staring at him with wide, innocent eyes that were full of curiosity.
In that instant, Tony felt a strange tug at his heart. Without thinking, he moved.
Instead of fleeing, he charged toward the incoming rocket.
"Run!"
Tony shouted as he kicked the rocket in midair, sending it skyward.
Boom!
The rocket exploded with the force of a thunderclap and sent waves of fire roaring through the air, consuming everything within meters.
Thanks to Tony's protection, Lod, Coulson, and Nemu were unharmed. However, Tony himself was blown off his feet by the shockwave and crashed into a wall before falling heavily to the ground.
"Ugh!"
Tony groaned as he got up, dazed. He muttered, "Jarvis, remind me to improve the shock absorption system next time."
"Noted, sir."
Obadiah roared with frustration and clenched his teeth in fury. "Just die already!"
Obadiah's suit raised its left arm, and the attached six-barrel Gatling gun spun up, targeting Tony.
The Gatling gun roared to life and unleashed a deafening storm of bullets.
Obadiah sprayed bullets wildly, uncaring of the ordinary people nearby who might be caught in the crossfire.
"You're killing civilians!" Tony shouted as he dodged frantically.
This reckless behavior stunned Tony because even if Obadiah managed to kill him, the mass civilian casualties would surely bring Congressional scrutiny.
"Ha ha ha!"
Obadiah laughed maniacally inside his suit. "Who cares? Once you're dead, Stark Industries will be mine. I'll pay off those idiot politicians and media, and it'll all go away!"
Tony was left speechless because, knowing the politicians he was familiar with, they just might allow this to happen.
Frustrated at not hitting Tony, Obadiah turned his aim toward Lod and Nemu.
"Damn it!" With his suit running low on power, Tony cursed under his breath. To protect the civilians, he stepped forward again.
Obadiah grinned wickedly. "Using yourself as a shield to save some nobodies? How pathetic!"
As bullets battered Tony's suit, he shouted at Lod, "Get the child out of here!"
Sparks flew as the Gatling gun continued its relentless assault. The high-caliber rounds pounded Tony's armor and filled the night with dazzling flashes.
"Jarvis, concentrate all remaining power on the chest repulsor!"
"Sir, only five percent of energy remains. Are you certain you want to use it all on the repulsor?"
"I'm sure! Do it!" Tony yelled.
Buzz!
The circular reactor on his chest began to glow brightly as all remaining energy surged into it.
With power fully charged, Tony unleashed a blinding beam of energy from his chest that struck Obadiah's armor and knocked it back.
But with no energy left, Tony's suit shut down completely, its lights dimming as it became a lifeless shell.
"Ha ha ha!"
Obadiah emerged from the rubble and laughed wildly.
Tony's desperate attack had left him slightly dizzy but otherwise unharmed.
"You're out of power, Tony," Obadiah said as he advanced.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The heavy steps of Obadiah's suit echoed.
With no energy left, Tony's suit was useless.
Thud!
As Obadiah walked toward Tony, the civilians he was trying to help walked and stood before him.
'Well, my plans for him aren't ready, so I can't let Tony die just yet,'
"Hoh, you're now trying to protect him? Get out of my way," Obadiah said as he raised his massive mechanical arm and swung it at Lod and Nemu.
"Ikorose, Shinso."
A blinding flash of silver light filled the air, followed by a razor-sharp blade that severed Obadiah's mechanical arm.
The severed limb fell to the ground, and sparks flew from the exposed joint.
Obadiah and Tony looked at the Iron Monger's arm, and when they finally snapped out of their shock and could say anything,
Clang!
A brilliant blade sliced through the air and cut through Obadiah's armor, splitting both the suit and its pilot in two.
[Acquired: Low-grade Soul ×10]
Lod smirked. "A worthless piece of junk."
Even as a villain, Obadiah was only worth a low-grade soul. Well, he was a normal human after all, a bit too greedy perhaps.
---
Obadiah was dead.
The massive humanoid mech he had been piloting was cleaved in half from top to bottom with a single strike.
The speed was utterly astonishing.
In Shinso's Shikai, the extension and retraction speed far surpassed the limits of human retinal capture, and it left only a brilliant flash of light lingering in everyone's vision.
Even in his final moments, Obadiah hadn't understood what had happened.
"Oh my God," Tony stared wide-eyed and gasped in disbelief. "What just happened? Obadiah just died like that?"
However, Tony suddenly realized something. No wonder this person hadn't panicked earlier—it turned out he had the power to kill Obadiah in an instant.
The more Tony thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help but complain, "You obviously could've beaten him, but instead, you stood there watching me get beaten up, huh?"
"Yeah, is there a problem?" Lod smiled mischievously and spoke with a hint of playful malice, "Watching two walking tin cans brawl—isn't that worth seeing?"
"It's called the Mark 3!" Tony retorted indignantly. "It's not a tin can, and don't lump my suit with that piece of junk!"
Lod stroked his chin in mock contemplation and said, "I don't see any difference. Both are just piles of scrap metal that can be casually sliced in half."
"You…" Tony's eye twitched, and he found himself unable to retort.
Since he couldn't argue back, Tony stubbornly declared, "This is just the third generation. I'll improve it soon enough!"
"Suit yourself." Lod's lips curled into a faint smile as he suddenly felt intrigued, wondering if Tony would one day create anti-Shinigami armor.
"Oh, by the way," Lod added, "Remember, you owe me a life."
"Not a chance!" Tony shouted indignantly. "I only ran out of power because I was trying to protect you!"
"Hahaha..." Lod found Tony amusing, and suddenly, he felt mischievous and said, "I like you. Maybe someday we could be colleagues."
Tony misunderstood, thinking Lod was mocking him. "Hey, are you dreaming? Do you even know who I am? I'm Tony Stark!"
Lod couldn't be bothered to explain. Taking Nemu's hand, he told Coulson, "We'll head back ourselves. No need to escort us."
"Wait..." Before Coulson could finish, Lod and Nemu disappeared, leaving him to swallow the rest of his words and shake his head bitterly.
What kind of situation was this?
He had only intended to escort someone and gather intelligence, but instead, he lost his favorite car and got dragged into Stark's mess.
"Jarvis… am I too tired and hallucinating?" Tony stared, dumbfounded, at the spot where Lod and Nemu had disappeared. "Did they just vanish into thin air?"
After a brief pause, Jarvis replied, "Apologies, sir. I do not know."
"Then, Jarvis, investigate!"
Tony suppressed his astonishment and ordered, "I want every detail on this guy within an hour!"
"May I remind you that invading someone's privacy is illegal, sir."
"Jarvis?"
"I'm here, Mr. Stark."
"As long as no one knows, it's not illegal. Got it?"
"Understood, Mr. Stark."
"Also, Jarvis…"
"Yes, sir?"
"Order me a Shawarma. Fast."
Seireitei
After putting Nemu to sleep, Lod headed to the underground chamber alone.
Earlier, he had asked the system about the Bone Hell.
Since this underground space already had Urahara's healing hot spring modeled after the Bone Hell, he decided to save the item for use in the Soul Society he planned to establish later.
However, Lod came here for another reason.
The system's Special Store refreshed monthly, and today was the last day of the month. At midnight, the items in the store would update.
Eyeing the Shun Shun Rikka, which was prominently displayed, Lod felt tempted but helpless. The price—high-grade souls—was beyond his reach.
"Here we go…"
Rubbing his hands in excitement, Lod eagerly awaited the refresh.
Three... two... one...
As the countdown ended, the store refreshed and replaced the previous items with a new selection.
[—
Gold-Item: Special Modified Soul
Gold-Zanpakutō: Katen Kyōkotsu
Gold-Item: Mimihagi
Gold-Item: Schrift-C
Gold-Zanpakutō: Sayafushi
Blue-Item: Senkaimon Tread Enchantment
Gold-Item: Shinigami Women's Association Hot Spring Special Edition (Limited Edition)
Gold-Item: Superhuman Drug
White-Item: Gigai x10
Gold-Item: Reiatsu Amplifier
—]
"Holy crap!"
The sheer brilliance of gold items nearly blinded Lod. Was his blessing from the Gacha God's in drawing Gacha rewards all siphoned to the system for refreshing items?
However, his excitement was short-lived. Seeing the prices, his heart sank.
[—
Mimihagi: High-Grade Soul x10
Superhuman Drug: High-Grade Soul x1
Sayafushi: High-Grade Soul x1
Katen Kyōkotsu: High-Grade Soul x1
Limited Edition Hot Spring Special: Medium-Grade Soul x10
—]
Great items, but they all required high-grade souls, which he didn't have.
"Damn it, what a rip-off!"
Lod gnashed his teeth in frustration. He wanted to rob the system but could only curse. Without the necessary currency, all he could do was look for cheaper items.
"Hm?"
His gaze fell on one particular item.
[—
Gold-Item: Special Modified Soul
Details: A unique, uncirculated modified soul series that replicates the selected target's soul. It shares a mental link with the original and possesses part of their abilities. Permanently sealed by Kisuke Urahara due to Soul Society laws.
Price: Medium-Grade Soul x5
—]
"Interesting…"
Lod narrowed his eyes and felt intrigued. This item was essentially a "clone," linked to the original's mind and sharing partial abilities.
"System, exchange for the special modified soul!"
[Understood. Special Modified Soul received]
As the system's voice fell, five medium-grade souls disappeared, and a cerulean glass ball appeared in Lod's hand.
"A glass ball?" Lod was slightly surprised and held it up to examine it closely.
Through the translucent surface of the cerulean ball, he saw a curled-up infant-like figure inside, its form appearing between gaseous and solid states.
Curious, Lod asked, "System, how do I use this?"
[Answer. The User simply needs to consume it.]
Consume it?
Lod's eyebrow twitched slightly, but trusting the system wouldn't deceive him, he followed the instruction and swallowed the ball.
The cerulean glass ball melted into a stream of energy the moment it entered his mouth, flowing through every fiber of his being.
Suddenly, Lod's soul shuddered, and an indescribable sensation surged through him, as though he was about to bring something new into existence.
With a hum, the Reishi within the underground space gathered into a vortex, while countless cerulean light particles emanated from Lod's soul, condensing gradually with the help of Reishi.
Though not yet fully formed, the Reishi had taken on a humanoid shape. One final step was required for its creation!
[Notice. The host can mentally imagine the appearance of the modified soul.]
[The appearance of the soul can be adjusted without limit.]
Amazing!
It was indeed worthy of its steep cost of five medium-grade souls. This feature was as advanced as creating characters in Cyberpunk 2077!
"Wait... Cyberpunk?" Lod's eyes lit up with inspiration. A bold idea struck him—perhaps he could...
'No, this was going too far. On to the next step!'
Lod gazed at the half-formed modified soul, deciding who he should model it after.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō!
It wasn't that Lod particularly admired him, but since he currently possessed Hitsugaya's Bankai, this was the most logical choice for now.
Lod closed his eyes and visualized Hitsugaya Tōshirō's appearance:
Silver-white, spiked hair, a youthful face with emerald-green eyes.
As the image in Lod's mind became increasingly vivid, the humanoid figure formed from Reishi began to take on this appearance.
He let his inner chunni out and said out loud, "Hitsugaya Tōshirō, I chose you!"
The gathered Reishi slowly dissipated, revealing a man about 170 cm tall.
Under his silver-white, disheveled hair were a pair of emerald-green eyes that seemed as cold. His sharply defined features gave him the appearance of a perfect sculpture.
This was the adult version of Hitsugaya Tōshirō as depicted in Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
In the original story, Hitsugaya Tōshirō could transform into this form, but he disliked it because he associated it with decline, choosing to remain in his younger form instead.
However, as Lod's debut for the 13th Division of the Seireitei, he decided that this mature version better suited the gravity of the situation.
Speaking of the 13th Division, one could not overlook the importance of the captain's haori.
The captain's uniform was a symbol of authority, and Lod wouldn't let it be omitted.
To prevent arousing suspicion within SHIELD, Lod opted to redesign the Shinigami's traditional garb. The updated outfit resembled a long, black trench coat, similar to the style of Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai form.
The captain's haori, however, was modified into a long, wide-sleeved cloak with decorative lines on the hem, and the division number was emblazoned on its back.
Donning the modified Shinigami uniform and captain's haori, the adult Hitsugaya Tōshirō emerged in full glory.
"Incredible! It's perfect!" Lod admired the modified soul he had created, a hint of pride in his expression. "As expected of me, my design skills are still impeccable!"
The newly formed modified soul appeared confused, staring blankly at Lod. "Excuse me... are you my master?"
The modified soul instinctively felt warmth emanating from Lod's Reiatsu.
Lod could sense the connection clearly. His awareness extended into the modified soul's thoughts, allowing him to feel its confusion and unease.
Even more striking was the realization that Lod could impose his will upon the modified soul entirely, controlling it like a puppet.
The most astonishing aspect, however, was the modified soul's ability to share a portion of Lod's abilities.
For example, imagine Yamamoto using a modified soul—there would be two Ryūjin Jakka unleashed upon the battlefield!
The mere thought of such a scenario sent shivers down Lod's spine.
This was the power of the special modified soul!
Lod now understood why the Seireitei had banned this technology and why Urahara had been ordered to seal it permanently.
If this technology were mass-produced, the number of captain-level Shinigamis would increase exponentially.
Such an influx would inevitably lead to conflicts between commoners and noble families within the Seireitei, possibly reigniting civil wars.
To preserve the status quo, the nobles had forbidden the technology.
"From today onward..." Lod placed a hand on the modified soul's shoulder, his lips curling into a warm, gentle smile as he declared, "Your name is Haschwalth. You are both my other half and my shadow."
Lod chose this name because the modified soul's function bore an uncanny resemblance to Haschwalth, being capable of sharing abilities and thoughts like a true extension of himself.
The modified soul—no, Haschwalth—had been given an identity.
"My name... is Haschwalth."
Haschwalth's confusion faded, replaced by solemn determination. Kneeling on one knee, he pledged, "Master... your will is my will."
"I need you to impersonate Hitsugaya Tōshirō." Lod transmitted his plan telepathically to Haschwalth.
"I understand."
Haschwalth responded without hesitation, "As you wish, I will become Hitsugaya Tōshirō."
Excellent.
The next day, at Stark Industries.
"Slow it down."
"Slower."
"Even slower."
"Slow it down even more!"
Tony stared intently at the three-dimensional projection in front of him. It replayed last night's footage of Lod instantly killing Obadiah.
They say curiosity is the driving force behind human progress!
As a genius, he was naturally brimming with curiosity. After a night's rest, he couldn't wait to head to his lab and have Jarvis replay the combat footage from the previous evening.
After slowing the footage down fifty times, he finally saw how Lod had managed to kill Obadiah in an instant!
Just as Obadiah's mech arm was about to strike, a blade suddenly appeared in Lod's hand.
"Jarvis, zoom in on the blade!" Tony magnified the image several times, finally getting a clear view of the blade.
It was short—not even as long as an adult's forearm—with an S-shaped guard. Overall, it looked utterly ordinary, just a plain short sword.
"A... sword?" Tony frowned. "Jarvis, keep playing."
Even with the footage slowed dozens of times, he observed the blade seemingly defy the law of conservation of matter as it inexplicably extended!
The blade pierced through the mech, then vertically split it in two with an unparalleled sharpness, before retracting rapidly back into its short form.
The entire extend-and-retract process was so fast that, even with the footage slowed fifty times, the motion was blurry and nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.
"Did I see that right?"
He inhaled sharply with his eyes becoming wide. "Jarvis, did he really cut Obadiah's mech in half with that sword?"
"Yes, Mr. Stark," Jarvis confirmed.
"Holy shit." Tony scratched his head, a little incredulous. "This doesn't make any sense! How did he do that?"
Obadiah's mech was constructed with military-grade, high-performance composite materials. Its external armor was forged from high-purity, high-strength steel, even tougher than the outer layers of active-duty main battle tanks.
Even Tony's own repulsor beams could only knock it back, not pierce it.
But, He sliced through that military-grade mech with a sword shorter than his forearm!
If it were just about cutting through the armor, Tony wouldn't have been so shocked. Technologies like high-frequency blades or particle vibration could achieve similar results.
But the one thing Tony couldn't wrap his head around was... the speed!
The speed of the sword's extension far exceeded his expectations.
Even with the footage slowed to fifty times normal speed, he couldn't clearly discern how fast the blade extended and retracted, which spoke volumes about how terrifyingly quick it was.
He took a sip of coffee to calm his nerves and asked, "Jarvis, what's the estimated speed of that blade's extension?"
"Preliminary calculations suggest... approximately one hundred times the speed of sound."
Tony nearly choked on his coffee.
One hundred times the speed of sound.
That meant the blade extended at a speed of 34 kilometers per second—faster than most meteorites entering Earth's atmosphere!
"This... this defies all logic!" This blade's existence completely upended everything he'd believed about science over the past few decades.
According to the kinetic energy formula, the faster an object moves, the greater its kinetic energy, assuming its mass remains constant.
Even a coin, if accelerated to such speeds, would have the destructive force of a missile.
And the shockwave generated by launching such a coin would obliterate any structure near the launch site.
Yet this blade, moving at such impossible speeds in such close quarters, caused no massive kinetic shockwaves. This blatantly violated Newtonian mechanics!
"Lod Carl... Weird name, but what a fascinating existence," He muttered with his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, Tony was inundated with congressional hearings and press conferences after publicly declaring himself as Iron Man. Overwhelmed by the chaos, he completely forgot about the incident.
...
"Sigh..."
Agent Coulson sat in a café, gazing across the street at the Seireitei building and sighing softly.
Ever since his last meeting with Lod, the concepts of the "Soul Society" and "Thirteen Court Guard Squads" had unsettled Director Fury. Coulson had been tasked with monitoring Lod's movements.
Fury had earnestly explained that among all the trustworthy agents, Coulson was the only one capable of perceiving Soul Reapers, making him the most suitable candidate.
But to his dismay...
Since that day, Lod and Nemu had vanished without a trace for nearly half a month!
Coulson had tried infrared scans, soundwave detectors, and other high-tech gadgets, but all evidence confirmed the house was empty.
For fifteen days straight, he'd sat in the café, to the point where the staff had started wondering if this suited man was a creep.
As the sun began to set, it seemed today would be another fruitless day.
"Looks like they won't show up..." Coulson sighed, finished his coffee, placed a couple of dollars under the cup, and stood up to leave.
Just then, he saw the old wooden door of the Seireitei building creak open.
Given that no one was supposed to be inside, Coulson's heart skipped a beat. "Could they be back?"
The door opened to reveal Lod and Nemu stepping out first.
This time, however, both were dressed in identical black outfits, with swords hanging from their waists.
"Are they... in their spirit forms?"
Coulson immediately recalled that when he first met Lod, the man had been wearing a similar outfit.
Before Coulson could figure out why Lod and Nemu were appearing in this form, he noticed Lod was standing to the side like guard, his expressions showing a hint of reverence.
"Could it be..."
Coulson's face stiffened as a chilling possibility crossed his mind.
The next moment, a silver-haired man with a pure white haori draped over his black uniform stepped out of the Seireitei building.
Coulson felt his blood run cold with his body stiff with dread.
From the man's demeanor and attire, and from Lod's behavior, it was clear as day.
That man...
Was a captain of a Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
(End of Chapter)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone