41: Arrogant Minamoto no Yoshinobu!

His gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, stabbing directly into the Prime Minister's residence.

The screen switched views, focusing on the interior of the residence. Nakamura Kenichi's face, twisted with fear and anger, was magnified to the extreme.

"That so-called National Guardian Beast of Divine Summer is merely a slightly stronger beast."

Minamoto no Yoshinobu's voice suddenly rose sharply,

"At this moment, it has already been slain beneath the sea by the Shadow Emperor and the Amaterasu Miko of the Dominion."

As he spoke to this point,

He spread his arms. Three pairs of black wings slowly fanned behind him, stirring up invisible air currents.

His face was filled with absolute, unquestionable confidence, arrogance, and haughtiness.

"Hear me, Divine Summer!"

"I, Minamoto no Yoshinobu, representing the Dominion, representing the newborn Fusang Empire, hereby notify you: Immediately! Unconditionally! Cede the Underworld Island and all surrounding seas to the great Fusang Empire! Furthermore, compensate our Fusang with five trillion USD in war reparations!"

"Otherwise..."

A cruel, extreme arc hooked at the corner of Minamoto no Yoshinobu's mouth. Black light exploded in his eyes.

"The powerful ones of my Dominion will trample your defenses and pluck off the head of your so-called War God!!!"

Boom——!!!

Dead silence!

The entire Fusang,

The entire Asia,

Even all the forces on Blue Star paying attention to this matter,

Were shocked into mental blankness by this earth-shattering, utterly arrogant declaration!

"Minamoto no Yoshinobu! You madman! Traitor!!"

Nakamura Kenichi trembled with rage, his flabby flesh shaking as he pointed at the screen and cursed,

"Who gave you the authority to represent Fusang?! Do you know what you are doing?! You are dragging the entire Fusang into Hell!!!"

He suddenly grabbed the communicator, roaring with all his might:

"Self-Defense Forces! Seize him! Immediately! Dead or alive!!!"

Inside and outside the Prime Minister's residence,

The highly alert elite Self-Defense Forces reacted instantly!

Heavy armored vehicles smashed through the residence's gates, emitting piercing metallic screeches!

Fully armed, exoskeleton-clad special forces soldiers poured in like a tide!

Simultaneously, several powerful auras erupted from deep within the residence. They were powerful Evolvers employed by the government, pouncing like leopards towards the location of the screen's signal source!

"Seize me? Heh..."

On the screen,

Minamoto no Yoshinobu watched the surging tide of steel and the light and shadows of the Evolvers. The cruel arc at his mouth widened, revealing his pale white teeth like a demon's smile.

The next instant, the screen image shook violently!

Boom!!!

The alloy dome of the Prime Minister's residence, reputed to withstand missile attacks, was torn and pierced from the outside by a terrifying force as if it were made of paper!

Shattered metal and concrete chunks rained down like a storm!

A black figure, carrying three pairs of black wings that blotted out the sky,

Descended with a thunderous crash at the center of the residence at a speed surpassing visual capture!

"Stop him! Open fire!"

The Self-Defense Forces commander's horrified, desperate roar was drowned in the deafening roar of gunfire and artillery!

Rat-a-tat-tat——!

Bang! Bang! Bang——!

A dense barrage instantly formed a storm of death, weaving into a net, splashing towards that black figure!

Large-caliber autocannons roared, spitting tongues of fire. Armor-piercing shells capable of tearing through tank armor ripped through the air!

Minamoto no Yoshinobu didn't even glance at the metallic storm that could turn steel into a sieve.

The three pairs of black wings behind him simply closed forward elegantly and casually!

Hum——!

A layer of viscous, ink-black energy barrier, visible to the naked eye, instantly unfolded!

Clink! Clank! Clatter!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Bullets and shells capable of piercing steel plates impacted the black barrier, producing a dense, rain-like chorus of crisp sounds, as if crashing against an impregnable wall!

All the projectiles instantly twisted, deformed, and melted, turning into molten droplets of iron that fell onto the floor, sizzling and leaving charred marks.

The energy barrier remained motionless, not even a ripple appearing!

"The struggle of ants."

Minamoto no Yoshinobu's voice carried a hint of lazy weariness.

He moved.

No earth-shattering commotion. He simply swayed slightly and vanished from his spot!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Three afterimages, like ghosts, cut into the Self-Defense Forces' formation!

The first afterimage swept past. Several elite soldiers clad in exoskeleton armor, along with their alloy shields and heavy firearms, were instantly severed as if by an invisible giant blade!

Upper bodies separated from lower bodies. Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spurted into the sky!

The second afterimage penetrated. Minamoto no Yoshinobu's slender fingers casually pointed out, fingertips wreathed in thick, inky black Qi.

A 10th-stage Evolver employed by the government, his body covered in rock armor harder than steel, roared as he threw a heavy punch capable of collapsing buildings!

Yet Minamoto no Yoshinobu's fingertip pierced through the thick stone armor as silently as a hot knife through butter, precisely tapping the Evolver's brow!

The frenzy in the Evolver's eyes instantly froze, turning into extreme fear and confusion.

A small black hole appeared at his brow. Then, his entire head, along with the sturdy stone armor, exploded as if detonated from within! Red and white matter sprayed out radially!

The third afterimage charged straight at Nakamura Kenichi!

"Protect the Prime Minister!"

The last two 10th-stage Evolver bodyguards stared wide-eyed with fury.

One's entire body ignited with scorching flames, transforming into a fire god as he pounced;

The other's body became ethereal, merging into the shadows. A dagger carrying deadly cold light stabbed towards Minamoto no Yoshinobu's heart from behind!

Minamoto no Yoshinobu didn't even turn his head.

One of the black wings behind him, as if possessing life, curled backward at a bizarre angle defying physics!

Rip——!

The Evolver who had merged with the shadows, along with his dagger, was cleanly split in two from the middle by the pitch-black, razor-sharp wing edge, as if cutting through tofu!

Two halves of the corpse fell to the ground with splattering blood.

Simultaneously,

Minamoto no Yoshinobu merely blew a breath towards the pouncing fire Evolver, his expression indifferent.

Whoosh——!

A supremely Yin, supremely cold black wind blew from his mouth!

The golden flames capable of incinerating all things, as if meeting their nemesis, were instantly extinguished!

The black wind continued unabated, sweeping past. The fire Evolver didn't even have time to scream. His entire body instantly froze, turned black, and then crumbled piece by piece like a sand sculpture weathered by wind, transforming into a puff of black crystalline powder that drifted away!

Everything,

Happened in the blink of an eye!

Nakamura Kenichi slumped in his chair, the color drained completely from his face, leaving only ashen despair.

He watched as Minamoto no Yoshinobu's pale, perfect hand, carrying the shadow of death, slowly extended towards his own neck. He could even see the cold glint on the other's fingernails.

"No... don't..."

He made a hoarse, wheezing sound in his throat, struggling in vain.

However,

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone breaking echoed through the silent residence. It also clearly transmitted, through the still-uninterrupted live broadcast signal, across the entire Fusang Archipelago!

Minamoto no Yoshinobu elegantly pinched Nakamura Kenichi's head—eyes wide open, filled with terror and disbelief—and slowly lifted it.