You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

The conclusion is that the target cannot be killed with any known weapon.

The bespectacled man with the rank of major general continued, "We have tried various means, including biological and chemical weapons... Apart from nuclear weapons, which we have not yet used, none of them can currently pose a threat to it."

Conversely, each of his "defensive counterattacks" possesses the destructive power to easily annihilate an army, and he seems to be able to use this attack indefinitely, as unleashing these techniques does not tire him. He has not been seen ingesting food or other substances from the outside world…it is speculated that he may be absorbing some kind of unobservable energy from the atmosphere.

The military was helpless. Ordinary individual weapons were completely ineffective against Iori, and artillery shells were no better; they couldn't even penetrate her defenses. As for more powerful high-end weapons, they couldn't hit her at all—Iori's mobility was much faster than that of missiles.

Besides, those hypersonic missiles weren't originally intended for targets like "humans"...

"Why can't we use 'nuclear weapons'?"

The president was clearly a man of strong character, and even at this point he still refused to back down: "No living thing can survive a nuclear explosion!"

"Perhaps, but how to hit the target is a problem. Even setting aside the follow-up issues caused by using nuclear weapons, just in terms of the core kill range... the target's mobility is more than enough to escape this range."

Although we also possess remote-controlled nuclear weapons similar to nuclear landmines, the General Staff, after deliberation, advised against their use.

"why?"

"It is unwise to recklessly play your biggest trump card without knowing the opponent's hand."

The major general asked the president very seriously, "What should we do if nuclear weapons are useless?"

"..."

The president remained silent for a long time with an unpleasant expression, but after all, he was a man who had experienced great ups and downs, and he quickly rallied.

"Is there really no other way? If a military solution is not possible, then could we make some changes to the contract, at least by replacing the two parties with 'the United States and Japan'?"

To enter into a contract in the name of the nation with an individual—this is unprecedented in history…Am I to become the first US president to yield to another?

"We believe that the other side has shown great goodwill and tolerance, and our casualty figures are quite conservative compared to the enormous energy it has released."

However, the other party's tolerance is not limitless. Once their bottom line is crossed, causing them to abandon their principles and begin to unleash that kind of energy shock without any limits in my country's major cities...

We don't even have the means to retaliate!

Originally, we could have retaliated by dropping a nuclear bomb on Japan, but now that Japan is like this... it feels pointless to retaliate, not to mention we can't be sure if Iori would really care.

The major general frowned, his eyes behind his glasses looking at the president with utmost seriousness: "The main question is, why did we end up like this with that man?"

There's no conflict of interest between us. Essentially, this can be treated as a simple buying and selling transaction, right?

“That person possesses a power we don’t understand, and perhaps he could be the key to humanity’s next evolution—that’s what my advisors say,” the President said thoughtfully. “And there are quite a few influential people who support this.”

Then let these "powerful figures" fight the war—the military leadership looked like they'd swallowed a fly.

In American comics, the relationship between ordinary people and superheroes is a very complex theme. In many major events, ordinary people feel that superheroes are too "reckless" and have threatened their peaceful lives, so they should be restrained, which has led to many unequal laws targeting superpowered individuals.

However, these comics generally assume that superheroes have above-average "morality," and the public doesn't expect much from superheroes with lower moral standards.

In other words, good people get guns pointed at them!

But that's a manga! In reality, the military wouldn't dare gamble on whether Iori is a "good person"!

As the group that has the most contact with Iori and faces the most pressure from him, they know best how terrible Iori can be once he breaks off relations and what he can do. Therefore, they are extremely dissatisfied with the leader who is still hesitating.

"Your Excellency, this contract does not need to be made public; it can be kept secret."

The major general added: "The target... that person said he didn't care about our reputation or true thoughts, as long as he could achieve his goal, everything else was negotiable."

"Oh? A secret pact... that doesn't seem like a bad idea."

The president did not agree immediately, but first consulted with his advisors, the so-called think tank.

"After careful consideration, I believe that this is, strictly speaking, an equal and mutually beneficial treaty. Our legitimate rights and interests have not been harmed. Although there has never been a precedent for signing a treaty with an individual before, the current situation is turbulent, and Japan has suffered unimaginable disasters. Out of moral obligation, we have a responsibility to protect our allies."

The president said a lot of things, and finally nodded: "We can talk about the details later. I agree to this in principle."

"Well, Your Excellency General, how quickly will you be able to contact the other party?"

"Forehead……"

The bespectacled major general hesitated, and the surrounding military leaders also wore strange expressions, which aroused the president's suspicion.

"What are you—"

"In that case, there's no need to bother, let's just sign the contract here."

Just as the president was about to say something, a familiar voice rang out. The blond old man tensed up, his mind flashing back to the terrible memory of being cornered on Air Force One a few days ago.

Looking closely, it was indeed Iori, dressed in a white coat, who had said those words!

"No way……"

The president's first reaction was fear, but he quickly regained his composure and discovered an unbelievable fact:

"This is an underground nuclear bunker!"

My hiding place is somewhere most people... How did you know about this place, and how did you sneak in?!

The security personnel tensed up and raised their guns, aiming them at Iori, even though they knew such weapons would be meaningless to her.

"Infiltrate?" Iori glanced at the reactions of the attendees, smiled slightly, and gracefully sat down in an empty seat at one end of the long table, directly opposite the Grand Commander.

"I didn't infiltrate illegally; there are plenty of people in this bunker who would welcome me!"

"Ok?"

The president calmed down, observed the reactions of the others, and took a deep breath:

He was a terrible president. He had to consult his think tank for every political decision, and the military even bypassed him and reached some kind of verbal agreement with the other side on their own!

But he couldn't expose this; he had to pretend it never happened, calmly communicate with Iori, and try to coax this terrible man back to Japan as soon as possible!

Of course, while it was supposed to be a declaration of non-aggression, the president didn't intend to read it himself; such a humiliating thing could be easily done by a civilian employee.

"Don't you find this place a bit stuffy?"

"...Huh?" The Grand Commander was taken aback, not expecting Iori to say that.

"Since we're going to sign the contract, let's choose a place that makes us feel good!"

Iori laughed heartily, snapped his fingers, and a giant, glowing Bagua array unfolded beneath his feet. Before anyone could react, it was engulfed in white light—

hum!

When the president came to his senses, he smelled the unique humid air of the seaside, and the dazzling sunlight shone on him, making it difficult for him to open his eyes for a moment.

After getting used to it, I looked around and saw that all the high-level executives, including myself, were sitting around the long table, but the environment was completely different from that in the bunker... This was actually a beach!

Fine sand, surging waves, seagulls soaring overhead...

"WTF!!!"

The moment the president uttered his curse, Iori raised an eyebrow.

"Don't like it? Then let's choose another one."

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

Spring-filled forests, a pale snowfield, ancient ruins... Within a minute, the high-ranking officials were transferred five or six times in succession, witnessing completely different landscapes at different latitudes on the same day, leaving them speechless and dumbfounded.

In the end, Iori chose to fix her position next to the famous Sphinx. The curious tourists who gathered around, the various English words with incomprehensible accents, and the heat waves constantly hitting her body in the desert... all made the Great Leader realize that it was not an illusion.

It's true... This man can actually cross half the globe in an instant!

This ability, akin to a "door to anywhere," combined with the destructive power to instantly destroy a city...

god?

This is practically a god-like being, isn't it?!

At this moment, he finally understood why the military's attitude was so ambiguous, and how foolish his think tank, including congressmen and bigwigs, had been!

"I, the President of the United States of America, assure the esteemed Mr. Iori Aizen—"

In the end, the President read the "Declaration of Non-Aggression" word for word, sweating profusely.

Regardless, the signing ceremony was successfully completed, which is truly cause for celebration!

Chapter 223: Aizen-senpai, please go out with me! (6K)

[CG included]

The purity has been greatly improved.

Category: Ordinary

Quality: Legend

Grade: A

Rewards Overview:

Physical strength - slight improvement;

Toughness slightly improved;

[CG included]

Reverence as if God

Category: Art Style

Quality: ~

Level: ~

Rewards Overview:

Art style rating +6!

-

"Shadow, my only disciple, your progress during this period has been remarkable. Even when encountering high-level monsters, you can last a long time in one-on-one situations. There should be no stronger 'human' than you on this planet."

However, you are still missing one thing compared to a 'true strongman'.

This was originally an opera house that could accommodate two thousand spectators. It had miraculously survived the apocalypse to this day, but now its magnificent dome has been cut in half like a cake by some kind of huge "blade." The gap is so smooth that it makes one think that the building was designed this way from the beginning.

Outside the opera house, a massive, nearly two-hundred-meter-long serpentine monster lay decapitated. Its headless body twitched slightly from time to time, and its cut surface revealed taut muscle fibers and smooth bones, from which a large amount of blood slowly flowed.

The snake's head hung upside down in a corner of the opera house, its orange-yellow vertical pupils reflecting everything inside. Its inorganic coldness made people's hearts tighten, but it had no effect on Iori and Kageno Minoru.

On the other side, Yanlong lay quietly on the platform, listening to Yizhi's performance with his eyes closed.

Music is a form of communication that transcends language barriers. As a transcendent life form, it has no equal partners except for a few of its own kind, and it has little contact with humans and elves, so naturally it has little interest in music.

However, Iori's performance brought it a sense of inner peace, as if each note had materialized and danced around it... This reaffirmed the Flame Dragon's belief once again that following this man was the right choice.

—Its feeling was absolutely correct; Iori's piano playing truly possessed a captivating magic.

His perfect talent is not only reflected in combat, but also in art and aesthetics. In particular, the blessing of "Wind, Flowers, Snow and Moon" makes it easy for him to enter a state of oneness with nature in beautiful scenery. By expressing the corresponding emotions through his performance, he can create a magical effect that resonates with intellectual beings.

Originally, as a dragon race, the Fire Dragon's hearing and vision are different from those of humans, and it is impossible for it to agree with the aesthetics of these mortal races.

However, it had a soul contract with Iori, and the resonance and comfort on a spiritual level gave the Flame Dragon an unprecedented peace, which soon made it intoxicated by it...

Even without the promise of a "third law," Iori's strength and taste were enough to make it submit.

Wearing a white trench coat, Iori sat on a round stool, bathed in the cascading moonlight, and finished a piano solo. As she closed her eyes to enjoy the afterglow, she suddenly started talking to Minoru about a certain topic.

What do you think you lack?

"It's power!"

Without hesitation, Minoru's gaze was firm, as if he had answered this question countless times.

"I need more power!"

"Power? That is indeed very important, but you already have a decent level. Now that the correctness of cultivating both body and spirit has been verified, as long as you continue down this path, you will eventually stand at the pinnacle of this world."

To do that, you need time, a power even I can't control, so you must have enough patience, understand?

"I understand."

Kageno Minoru nodded seriously, then couldn't help but look at the severed snake head again, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

A month has passed since he began formally training after obtaining his Zanpakuto. He has gone from being able to deal with low- to mid-level monsters to becoming a master who can fight against high-level monsters. This speed of progress is quite astonishing in any world, but Minoru Kageno still feels it is not enough.

His goal is to become a powerful warrior like Iori, capable of effortlessly severing the head of a giant serpent with a single sword strike!