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*****
Every preceding attack had been a mere feint, a smoke screen designed to mask two lethal glints of cold light.
At that moment, the Phoenix had just finished devouring Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai's "Sun." Her hunger momentarily satiated by the surge of Phoenix Force, she allowed herself a split second of relaxation—a microscopic lapse in her guard.
In that heartbeat, the owners of those two glints of light struck with razor-sharp precision.
One was Sui-Feng, Captain of the Second Division of the Gotei 13 from the world of Bleach. The other was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage from the Naruto world.
While they might not have been the raw powerhouses of the group, their mastery over combat timing was peerless. One possessed a uniquely lethal weapon; the other commanded a terrifyingly specialized sealing jutsu.
Though no one could say for certain if their techniques would even scratch the entity before them, they were the vanguard of everyone's hope.
Yes, hope—not to kill, but merely to injure.
That was the grim reality etched into everyone's mind. To actually take down the Phoenix was a feat beyond their wildest imaginings.
The duo did not waste the opening their allies had bled to create. They seized that fleeting moment of the Phoenix's distraction.
"Sting all enemies to death! Suzumebachi!"
The stinger-like blade at Sui-Feng's fingertip became a blur of lethal motion. With blistering speed, she left several butterfly-shaped marks—Hōka-mon—across the Phoenix's form. Before the entity could even register the touch, Sui-Feng lunged again, aiming precisely for the center of the existing marks.
The ability of her Zanpakutō was "Death in Two Steps." The first strike marked the target; the second strike, if landed on the same spot, would cause the marks to overlap into an eight-pointed crest, triggering an instantaneous and inescapable death.
Of course... this was famously ineffective against those whose spiritual pressure vastly overwhelmed her own.
Sui-Feng couldn't sense any spiritual pressure from the Phoenix at all, so a sliver of desperate hope remained in her heart.
But as her second strike was inches from connecting, a primal, bone-chilling sense of dread washed over her.
Simultaneously, Minato Namikaze, having already entered Sage Mode, launched his own gambit. He knew that neither Sage Mode nor the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode could truly threaten the Phoenix. His only trump card was the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
As Minato performed the hand signs, a spectral figure draped in white robes appeared behind him. It held a blade in its mouth, and demonic horns protruded from its head—the Shinigami.
The Phoenix paused, looking at the specter with genuine curiosity. She felt the aura of absolute death radiating from the phantom and the faint, ghostly tugging at her soul. She let out a soft huff of amusement. Just as Minato attempted to wrench her soul from her body, Sui-Feng's Suzumebachi finally connected with the butterfly mark.
The entire battlefield fell into a stifling silence.
Did it work?
Mike let out a heavy sigh.
Against the Phoenix, these two "ultimate" moves wouldn't even count as a scratch.
As if confirming his thoughts, a cold, mocking laugh rang out.
"You want to harvest my soul?"
The Phoenix's emotionless eyes swept over Minato before turning playfully toward the white specter behind him. She snorted with disdain. "What kind of pathetic ghost thinks it's worthy of touching my soul?"
With a mere flick of her wrist, the Phoenix Force surged. Pale gold, flame-like energy erupted from her fingertips, instantly shredding the Reaper specter into nothingness. With a casual wave, she decomposed Minato Namikaze into a cloud of drifting fragments. Then, she turned her gaze toward the retreating Sui-Feng.
"Heh."
A spark of energy flew from her finger, seemingly bypassing the constraints of space to appear instantly before Sui-Feng's chest.
In the next heartbeat, golden cracks spider-webbed across Sui-Feng's body. Like a porcelain doll reaching its breaking point, she shattered into a thousand pieces.
"I only thought the patterns you poked into me looked somewhat pretty. Did you truly believe you could kill me?"
The Phoenix murmured to herself, then looked toward Mike. "You didn't actually imagine this trash could defeat, let alone kill me, did you?"
Since the battle began, the Phoenix had remained firmly seated upon her throne in the sky, only standing up once to deal with Yamamoto's flames. To her, these people didn't even possess the qualifications to make her take things seriously. Being forced to fight "trash" like this felt like a personal insult.
Mike arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
These summons were a part of his power, and he saw nothing wrong with using them. Furthermore... among his cards, there were certainly entities capable of toppling the Phoenix.
"Hmph!"
The Phoenix snorted. With a casual gesture, her throne dissolved back into yellow sand and fell toward the earth.
Mike's nonchalant attitude had finally managed to provoke her. She hadn't been using her full strength until now, but that was about to change. She looked down at the battlefield with growing irritation, staring at the figures Mike had manifested. An impatient coldness settled in her heart.
She wanted to see what kind of expression Mike Kent would make—if he could remain so calm—once she wiped every single one of them out.
She descended rapidly from the sky, landing in the very center of the battlefield.
The summoned warriors looked at her and felt a terrifying power slowly awakening. It made their scalps tingle and their hearts feel as though they were being squeezed by an invisible hand. Cold sweat poured down their faces.
Attack!
They knew that if they stayed passive, many would be crushed by the sheer pressure alone. With a collective roar, the warriors charged toward the Phoenix.
The Phoenix said tonelessly, "All of you... just die."
As the words left her lips, a shrill phoenix cry echoed from deep within Madelyne Pryor's soul, vibrating through the minds of everyone present.
A pair of golden wings, formed of pure energy, erupted from her back. They expanded at an impossible speed, stretching across the horizon as an invisible shockwave of force rippled outward from her.
Decomposition. Destruction.
The power was an irresistible tide. Everything in its path was reduced to its most basic molecular components.
Mike's expression shifted. Just as he was about to step in to protect Gwen and the others, he stopped in surprise. Little Lamb had stepped in front of the group, pressing his small hands into the earth, activating a power Mike had never seen him use before.
Is this... Spatial Phasing?
Though Mike could clearly see Gwen and the others, he could no longer sense their presence or hear their heartbeats. It was as if they existed in a completely different dimension.
Mike shook his head with a wry smile. Even he was starting to feel a little envious of Little Lamb's potential.
Seeing that the boy had the defense covered, Mike flickered away, dodging the Phoenix's devastating blast. Meanwhile, Clark and the other three brothers also scrambled to evade the wave. There was no point in wasting energy trying to tank a direct hit from the Phoenix Force if they didn't have to.
The summoned warriors, however, weren't so lucky.
They were the Phoenix's primary targets. In addition to the destructive energy, the Phoenix had locked down the entire area with her telekinetic domain. Bolstered by the Phoenix Force, her innate abilities were now god-like.
The invisible force pinned the warriors to the spot. While some of them tried to resist, they needed time—time they didn't have. The all-consuming golden light arrived first.
The energy invaded their bodies. In the next second, they began to crumble, weathering away like stones subjected to eons of erosion in a single moment, before scattering into the wind.
Clark, watching from high above, felt his heart sink.
Centering on the Phoenix, a massive crater over a thousand meters wide had been gouged into the earth. Everything—the sand, the summons, the structures—had been erased. Nothing remained but the Phoenix hovering in the center of the void.
Seconds later, the blinding golden wings vanished, and a heavy silence returned to the battlefield.
Gwen stared at the desolation, her heart heavy. This was why the Phoenix was so terrifying; this was why they felt such despair. If she wished, she could erase an entire city just as easily.
Little Lamb swallowed hard. "Wow... she's really strong!"
"But..." He patted Gwen's leg reassuringly. "Sister, don't worry. I'll protect you!"
Gwen felt a wave of warmth through her chest, the bitterness on her face softening slightly. "Thank you, Lamb. Just now..."
She knew that without the boy's intervention, they would have been dust. She reached out to ruffle his hair, finding a strange sense of security in his presence. This child wasn't just bragging.
Suddenly, Gwen's Spider-Sense screamed with a deafening alarm.
Danger! High lethality!
Gwen spun toward the source of the sensation. The Phoenix was glaring at her with undisguised murderous intent. Gwen's body tensed, her fists clenching instinctively.
Suddenly, a small figure flew up, interposing himself between Gwen and the Phoenix's gaze.
"Lamb? It's dangerous! Get back!" Gwen cried out.
Lamb's small face was set in a grim, determined line. "I know! That's why I'm here to protect you!"
As he spoke, two silver-white revolvers appeared in his hands. The guns were etched with mysterious, flowing patterns and shimmered with a faint silvery light, looking almost sentient.
These were "Death"—the weapons Mike had received as payment for "babysitting" for Odin.
Mike hadn't used them since he got them, eventually passing them to Raven. Raven, having no use for them in her current state, had kept them as collectibles in her bedroom. Little Lamb had discovered them, pestered Raven until she gave in, and promised he wouldn't use them recklessly.
He loved these guns. Mostly because they didn't need reloading.
The weapons themselves contained a massive amount of regenerable energy. They could even absorb external energy—stamina, mental strength, magic, you name it—and compress it into bullets. The more energy absorbed, the more devastating the shot.
Furthermore, the two guns could fuse into a single sniper rifle, a form known as "Destruction."
Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, Little Lamb took the initiative and attacked.
Bang!
A single gunshot rang out. A lone bullet streaked from the muzzle of "Death," flying toward the Phoenix at a speed that defied the eyes.
A single bullet?
The crowd blinked. What could one bullet possibly do?
Even the Phoenix didn't bother to look at it, assuming her passive defenses would simply vaporize it.
But...
Thwack!
The bullet tore straight through the Phoenix's telekinetic field and her molecular defense barrier as if they weren't there, slamming hard into her shoulder.
In the next instant, blood sprayed into the air.
The entire battlefield went dead silent. Even the wind seemed to stop blowing out of sheer shock.
"Ah!"
A cry of pain escaped the Phoenix. She looked at Little Lamb with a mix of disbelief and explosive fury.
What power is this? What is that weapon?
While her regenerative abilities could heal such a wound in seconds, this was the first time since she had merged with the Phoenix Force—no, the first time in this entire war—that she had been truly, physically injured.
As she stared at the toddler, a flicker of genuine fear began to take root amidst her rage.
In the air, Mike recovered from his initial surprise. His eyes sparkled, and he couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"As expected of my son... using such an enviable way of fighting."
With a flash of movement, he appeared beside Gwen and Little Lamb.
"D-Daddy!" Lamb squeaked, hurriedly trying to hide the guns behind his back.
Mike chuckled. "I saw everything. No use hiding them now."
Lamb's face fell.
Mike lightly flicked the boy's forehead. "So? Do you have the confidence to give her a good thrashing?"
Lamb snapped his head up, his eyes bright. "Yes!"
"Then go for it." Mike patted the boy's shoulder gently.
Lamb nodded vigorously. He brandished the twin revolvers, mimicked a movie protagonist by blowing on the muzzles, and flew straight toward the Phoenix.
Seeing this, the Phoenix's pupils contracted. The Phoenix Force within her began to boil violently—the precursor to her going all out. That single bullet had bypassed her absolute defense; she could no longer afford to be careless.
The Phoenix hissed through gritted teeth, "A tiny brat like you..."
"Dad! How could you let Lamb go? It's too dangerous!" Gwen said anxiously.
Mike remained perfectly calm. He reached out and ruffled Gwen's hair to soothe her. "Don't worry. Lamb is much stronger than any of you realize."
"His potential is high, yes, but he has no combat experience! And—"
"Don't worry," Mike repeated with a smile. "Lamb has more abilities than anyone can count, and quite a few of them are combat-oriented."
Mike paused to recall the boy's status. "Experience Replication, Combat Instinct, Martial Mastery, Technique Mimicry..."
Gwen's anxiety began to fade as the list went on. Finally, she sighed helplessly. "But watching a toddler go into battle... I still can't bear to look."
"Actually, you're going to be very excited in a moment," Mike said with a wink. "Because Lamb is about to give the Phoenix a beatdown."
Gwen blinked. "Because of that ability he just used?"
"Exactly."
Mike smiled thinly. "Even I didn't expect him to use his power in such a way."
"How? What exactly is Lamb's ability?" Gwen asked curiously.
Mike watched the boy's small back as he flew forward and spoke slowly. "Since the day he was born, Lamb has been awakening new abilities. The frequency is increasing; I suspect that if he wants to, he can awaken a new power every second. At this point, even I don't know how many powers he possesses."
"He used his own abilities to modify the 'Death' revolvers, making them perfectly compatible with the unique combat style he developed for himself."
Mike's voice turned solemn. "That bullet just now wasn't a normal projectile. It was one of Lamb's powers."
"He peeled off one of his own abilities and molded it into the shape of a bullet!"
(End of Chapter)