"Impossible, impossible."
When Daniel Davis arrived at the basement where the Black Divine Book was stored, he found a transparent, ghostly woman frantically flipping through an ancient-looking book before her. Unsurprisingly, it was the Black Divine Book.
"No!"
The female ghost—Dr. Lucy—raced her eyes over every page, yet she found nothing that satisfied her desperate need. In her rage, she tried to tear the book to shreds, but no matter how forcefully she struck it, not even the slightest mark appeared on its surface.
"Bind spirit, dispatch!"
At that very moment—just as Lucy's outburst began to subside—Daniel Davis swept his right hand. Instantly, the ghost's form twisted and contorted, then coalesced into a ball of black soul energy that hovered in his palm.
"So she went mad because she couldn't find a way to restore her body. The Black Divine Book really isn't a good thing after all."
From Lucy's memories, Daniel learned the truth behind her frantic behavior: she had been desperate to regain her lost corporeal form. In her eyes, the Black Divine Book was meant to reveal, according to the reader's innermost desire, a method to heal her. Yet when she looked into it again, not only did it withhold the restorative secrets she craved, but even the contents she'd once seen began to fade away—until, at last, it became nothing more than a blank tome. It was as if the book had lost interest in her altogether.
"A particle emitter is a pretty neat device… though it does seem rather unstable."
By delving into Lucy's recollections, Daniel discovered that she and her husband, Joseph, had once witnessed a description of a particle emitter within the Black Divine Book. Indeed, it had seemed like a remarkable tool—but unfortunately, it turned out to be a failed prototype. Its failure appeared to stem from the fact that what Lucy saw and what Joseph saw in the book were not the same.
"As expected—it can't be destroyed."
While examining Lucy's memories, Daniel swept his left hand, and a burst of scorching flame leapt onto the Black Divine Book, an attempt to annihilate it. Yet the book simply absorbed the flame. Not stopping there, he tried freezing, lightning strikes, even bursts of sword energy—but just like the fire, each attack was swallowed whole by the book.
"Looks like I'll have to leave it to the Phantom Knight."
Though Daniel himself could keep the book, safeguarding something that served him no purpose—and even came with considerable side effects—was not a wise course of action. Lucy and her husband had scoured countless records in their desperate search for clues about the Black Divine Book, and what they found confirmed a grim pattern: none of its previous owners had ever met a good end. Their own tragic experiences bore witness to that very truth.
"Such talent—and yet they chose to take shortcuts."
After reflecting on Lucy and her husband's misfortunes, Daniel couldn't help but shake his head. There was no doubt that both were extraordinarily gifted—perhaps not on the level of Stark or Banner, but far smarter than most. Had Lucy truly devoted those ten years solely to seeking out the Black Divine Book, she likely would have long since solved the challenges in her research. In fact, at one point she had almost given up—only for the book to appear out of nowhere, robbing her of any real choice.
After his moment of contemplation, Daniel created a shadow clone and sent it off to deal with Lucy's colleagues—also ghosts—whose abilities, thanks to their role as subordinate experimenters, paled in comparison to Lucy's own.
"This is the Black Divine Book, Robbie. I'm entrusting it to you."
"Why me?" Robbie asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. Such an important item would normally be safeguarded by S.H.I.E.L.D. or another official agency—after all, I'm just an ordinary guy.
"Because you are a Phantom Knight. Phantom Knights aren't born every day. Someday, if you get the chance, you can cast this book into Hell. You're the only one who can venture there."
Not everyone can become a Phantom Knight; only souls of a special kind qualify. (That Mephisto fellow would certainly be intrigued. It's amusing—no Phantom Knight ever follows orders, yet he can't help but seek them out. I suppose he's lived far too long and grown terribly bored.)
"Coulson, I assume you have no objections?"
"Of course not. I think it's best that this thing never appears among mortals."
That was precisely the difference between Coulson and Nick Fury. Coulson never tries to master what is beyond his grasp. Even if Fury himself harbored a deep dread of the Black Divine Book, he would undoubtedly insist that S.H.I.E.L.D. keep it under lock and key.
After Coulson became director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury had once publicly declared that all dangerous items had been destroyed. In truth, everything that could be eliminated had been—though some perilous relics were secretly kept hidden.
"I understand."
After a moment's thought, Robbie accepted the Black Divine Book. In a way, the book was connected to him—if it hadn't been for it, his uncle might never have ended up behind bars.
"Robbie, rest assured—regarding Mr. Elias's case, S.H.I.E.L.D. will help you out."
Elias, Robbie's uncle, had been a casualty of past events; once the truth of those times emerged, Coulson had wanted to do something for him—perhaps even secure his early release. After all, without him, the catastrophe might have extended far beyond the power plant.
"And about your brother's legs—you probably don't know, but that guy runs the most advanced hospital in the country."
"Just make that call and state your credentials. I'll handle the rest. As long as it isn't the worst-case scenario, it should be fine."
Robbie's brother had lost the use of his legs when he inadvertently got mixed up with gangsters back in the day. It was precisely that incident that drove Robbie to become a Phantom Knight and wipe out the entire gang to avenge his brother. With today's technology, even if his brother's condition couldn't be cured, an exoskeleton might at least let him walk—but such devices cost a fortune, and Robbie's family has never been wealthy. Don't be fooled by his beat-up antique car; he's far from rich.
"Thank you."
When it came to his brother's well-being, Robbie wouldn't turn down any help.
"Alright, I've taken care of the ghost situation over there. You've got plenty on your plate here, so I'm off."
With the Black Divine Book issue now handled, Daniel lost interest in meddling with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s routine affairs—nor did he have any real solutions for the perennial challenges of Inhumans coexisting with ordinary humans.
"Thank you very much," Coulson said gratefully for Daniel's intervention in saving May.
"No need to mention it. Even though I'm no longer with the Avengers, if I can help, I will."
"After a thorough investigation, we've determined that this latest attack had nothing to do with Inhumans at all—it was carried out by extremist humans. S.H.I.E.L.D. will protect everyone, whether Inhuman or not."
It wasn't long after Daniel returned to his villa that Coulson appeared in the news. Evidence provided by the Inhuman resistance had cleared the Inhumans of blame, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s re-emergence was officially announced. With S.H.I.E.L.D. back in action, spokespersons from many nations expressed their support. During the agency's rebuilding, Coulson had worked tirelessly to secure its return. Given the rapidly shifting global landscape, recent alien assaults, and even the presence of Asgardian Norse deities, many countries were happy to see S.H.I.E.L.D. step in—after all, some matters between nations are better left to the professionals.
"I can't believe it's actually connected to that congresswoman," someone remarked.
After S.H.I.E.L.D. unveiled evidence proving that the city attacks were not the work of Inhumans, online sentiment toward them improved considerably. Sure, there were still troublemakers trying to stir the pot, but at least it wasn't a unanimous public outcry against Inhumans anymore.
Of course, the congresswoman wasn't willing to let it end there. She began blasting both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhumans—comparing them to Hydra. Daniel hadn't expected her ties to the Watchers; after all, some politicians do nothing but grab attention by stirring up controversy.
Taking a firm stand against Inhumans can win votes for some career politicians—even if they don't truly despise Inhumans themselves, it's all just political theater. Yet during his investigation, Daniel uncovered that she had secretly funneled a large sum of money to certain accounts that were closely linked to the Watchers.
"Stephanie—this guy is involved too. Sure enough, Hydra never misses an opportunity like this."
Further probing revealed Hydra's shadow even within the Watchers. That wasn't surprising; inciting strife between humans and Inhumans might not benefit Hydra greatly in a direct sense, but it would certainly cause enormous headaches for S.H.I.E.L.D. If the enemy were Hydra, Coulson could simply ramp up his countermeasures. But if it was the Watchers, things would be far more complicated—if he acted too harshly, Hydra could claim that S.H.I.E.L.D. was siding with the Inhumans.
"Forget it—I'll help you out this one time."
Reviewing all the intelligence he'd gathered, Daniel decided to lend a hand to Daisy and the other Inhumans. Some issues were too delicate for S.H.I.E.L.D. to handle on its own, but with his influence and strength, Daniel was more than capable of stepping in.
After secretly forwarding information—including details about the congresswoman and Stephanie—to S.H.I.E.L.D., Daniel also arranged for the Red Queen to covertly hire a team of mercenaries to wipe out the Watchers' muscle and several of their lieutenants. Without those thugs, the Watchers would become little more than a hollow shell. Of course, completely eradicating the Watchers was impossible; they had originally been formed by ordinary people who despised Inhumans—not a violent organization, since most lacked the means to launch widespread attacks. In the early days, they'd merely spread their message online. It was only later, when opportunists began funding and arming them, that the Watchers turned into a violent force.
"Thank me, Coulson—I've really saved you a world of trouble this time."
Strictly speaking, the Watchers themselves weren't the greatest headache for S.H.I.E.L.D.—the true problem was the Black Divine Book. It was the main reason why S.H.I.E.L.D., which had barely managed a comeback, had subsequently gone underground. Everything originated with a framework—a being called Aida, an artificial intelligence.
Generally, AI doesn't cause problems—but if unforeseen factors come into play, all hell can break loose. Think of the Infinity Stones, and then the Black Divine Book. Aida had been created with the best of intentions, but after "reading" the Black Divine Book, everything changed. It even spawned its own dimensional space, and before long, the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been replaced. Now that Robbie has taken possession of the Black Divine Book, and with the female ghost and the Watchers dealt with, such disasters should be a thing of the past.
"Fitz, I can't believe you didn't report something like this."
Inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Coulson glared sternly at Fitz, who kept his head down in silence. Even though Daniel had already resolved the problems Coulson faced, Aida had still been discovered—more precisely, Simmons had found her and reported it. No matter how human-like Aida might seem, a scientist like Simmons could never overlook the differences between man and machine.
"It was I who asked Fitz to help cover it up—I was only trying to help," Dr. Holden Radcliffe hastily interjected.
"Doctor, you know S.H.I.E.L.D.'s regulations. Mike, take Aida back to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Coulson ordered, fixing his gaze on Dr. Radcliffe.
To Coulson, the fact that the doctor had created Aida wasn't the real issue—the real problem was that they had hidden it from him, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Even a usually patient Coulson was now visibly upset; after all, S.H.I.E.L.D. had just made its public comeback, and its reputation was crucial.
"Aida isn't at fault—it's all my fault. Please spare her," pleaded Radcliffe, his voice trembling. To him, Aida was his life's work—a daughter, almost. Others might see her as merely an AI, but not he.
"Coulson…" Fitz also tried to plead.
"Details can be discussed later. For now, take her to S.H.I.E.L.D. and have Simmons examine her." Coulson's tone softened—both his strength and his weakness.
It must be said that the relationship between Fitz and Simmons had always been full of unexpected twists. They'd planned to buy a house and live together, yet the Aida incident cast a long shadow over their plans. Even though Fitz knew that the fault lay not with Simmons but with himself, he couldn't help but resent that Simmons had reported such a major issue so quickly. Likewise, Simmons was irked that someone so close to moving in with him had kept such a huge secret.
"This is yet another world."
"Indeed—and this one is populated by immortals and deities. Xiaomeng has already arrived."
In Liberty County—the Americanized setting of the world from American Sword IV—Daniel Davis, accompanied by Yan Lingji, appeared to brief her on the state of this realm and to instruct her in mastering fire-based immortal techniques. As expected of Yan Lingji, she possessed an extraordinary affinity for fire. Come to think of it, Yan Lingji hails from the lineage of the ancient Southern tribes, descendants of the legendary warrior Chiyou. In the world of American Sword IV, that heritage aligns her with the beastkin and demonfolk. Though the two worlds differ, her innate talent remains unmistakable.
While teaching Yan Lingji, Daniel Davis also took the opportunity to bed her—proving once again that Yan Lingji truly lived up to her reputation as a woman whose tenderness flowed like water and whose passion burned like fire.
(End of Chapter)
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