Chapter 295: The Three Great Warbands Astonish the World
Once they sensed the anchor point and received the order, they would calmly form hand seals, and dazzling magic circles would suddenly appear.
Sometimes they summoned enormous meteors, one after another, smashing into regions saturated with filthy dark energy and bombarding the area until the monsters and demons were wiped out.
With a simple gesture, they could tear the earth apart as terrifying flaming ghostly hands burst forth and ripped everything to pieces.
Crimson chains would coil around powerful monsters, destroying them from countless kilometers away.
Their style was a different kind of elegance and splendor.
They remained calm and composed as they passed judgment on everything before them.
The three great Warbands each had completely different combat traits and fighting styles, yet all of them captivated people around the world.
On the battlefields of Hell, the three Warbands directly tapped into humanity’s deepest fantasies.
Whether they were children, teenagers, or already well into adulthood, everyone carried a dream of being a superhero.
The difference was that the young were still dreaming it openly, while older people had simply buried that dream deep inside.
Adults understood that dreams were only dreams because no one would ever make them real.
But once something like this truly appeared before them, that buried dream was awakened again.
No one disliked strength.
And the strength of the three Warbands also represented the strength of humanity. The blade of the Terra Empire was pointed at demons—
the beings people regarded as the most evil creatures imaginable.
So no one feared that the terrifying power of the three Warbands might threaten their lives.
On the contrary, under Terra’s deliberate and subtle guidance, people felt only pride and an unprecedented sense of security.
True, they were not Terrans.
The Astartes, Ravens, and Grey Knights all came from Terra, but Terra was also a human empire.
Human blood flowed through them, and at the most fundamental genetic level, they were still human.
The demons that had always been portrayed in myth and reality as powerful, evil enemies of humanity were now being slaughtered by human warriors.
That pride and sense of security had been pushed to their absolute peak.
People around the world finally let all their emotions loose. Their blood boiled with excitement, their spirits soared, and longing began to take root.
How wonderful would it be if they were citizens of Terra too?
How wonderful would it be if they could become Astartes, Ravens, or Grey Knight battle-brothers?
Once that desire took hold, it could no longer be suppressed.
Clearly, one of Terra’s strategic objectives had already been achieved.
And Terra was not the only one to realize it.
Many senior officials in governments around the world had also understood what was happening, but every one of those in power remained silent.
Because there was nothing they could do.
A worldwide wave of fanaticism like this was no longer something governments could suppress simply by stepping in.
The entire world was caught up in the excitement, and public opinion had erupted completely. Trying to suppress it now would be useless, especially when they all knew this was one of Terra’s methods for gathering popular support and winning over the public.
And even if they wanted to manipulate public opinion, did they really dare?
Who would?
The abilities displayed by Terra’s three great Warbands were already there for everyone to see.
Their methods were not limited to technology. They possessed physical strength beyond ordinary human limits—and they had magic.
And no one had forgotten that Professor X, one of the world’s strongest telepaths, had already joined Terra.
If they dared manipulate public opinion, it would be far too easy for Terra to identify them.
They could be found almost instantly.
More importantly, Hell was apparently fucking real.
And humans really did have fucking souls.
Some people might not fear ordinary death. At worst, they could see it as a release.
But now that the existence of Hell and the soul had been clearly established, death was no longer necessarily an escape.
The worst possible outcome was dying only to have your soul dragged out and tortured afterward.
Who wouldn’t be afraid of that?
There was no way a superior could simply give an order and expect those beneath them to manipulate or distort public opinion against Terra.
If they had the guts, they could kill them—or go do it themselves. Either way, the people below weren’t touching it.
As a result, this wave of public opinion was allowed to run wild with almost no deliberate interference or suppression.
The frenzy spread completely out of control.
There was no stopping it.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Triskelion, Washington.
“Me?”
Inside the conference room, Coulson pointed at himself with a bewildered expression. Beside him, Hawkeye—Clint Barton—was making the exact same gesture with the exact same look on his face.
Both men stared straight at the bald Black man in front of them as if he had lost his mind.
Their expressions were anything but friendly.
You scheming, devious bastard—do you even hear what you’re saying? You want us to find a way to infiltrate Terra? Then steal internal intelligence from the Terra Empire?
And preferably gather classified information on the three great Warbands, maybe even the secrets behind the creation of their super soldiers?
After risking our lives helping you take down that Hydra bastard Pierce and purge S.H.I.E.L.D. from within, this is what we get?
No commendation, no reward.
Instead, you hand us an order that might as well be a death sentence.
Nick Fury, what the hell are you trying to do?
Start a rebellion?
Hawkeye’s hostile gaze was already drifting toward Fury’s vital points. Judging by the look in his eyes, he had probably come up with thirty-three ways to kill the man instantly.
Besides the two of them, Melinda May was also present, along with a tall, cold-eyed, black-haired agent named Hill.
The two women kept their expressions perfectly neutral, as if none of this had anything to do with them.
But even they were suspicious.
Their director had always been sharp and level-headed.
Had he finally gone insane?
Why else would he suddenly issue an order like this?
Seeing the expressions on the faces of his four trusted subordinates, Nick Fury remained as calm and composed as ever.
Though being stared at with obvious killing intent by an agent of Hawkeye’s caliber did send a chill down his spine, so he quickly shook his head and explained.
“This isn’t a mission you absolutely have to complete. I just want you to try to get inside and send back whatever information you can.”
“Learn more about Terra.”
Of course Fury knew how absurd the order sounded. He was merely giving the two of them a nonessential objective.
If they succeeded, everyone would be happy.
If they failed, there would be no real loss.
“Learn more about Terra? Their government agencies aren’t like the CIA or FBI, full of holes everywhere. They’re stricter than either of them.”
“And they’ve taken in huge numbers of mutants. Who knows whether their background investigation departments have telepaths?”
Clint immediately shook his head and refused again.
He could handle missions where death was almost guaranteed. Somehow, he always managed to get them done.
But the order Fury had just given was too ridiculous.
It was simply not a mission a normal person could complete.
Coulson, however, fell into thought.
He was considering something else entirely.
If he really could join Terra, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Coulson genuinely had a favorable impression of Terra.
He was patriotic, and his idol had always been Captain America, Steve Rogers—the legendary American soldier.
But the longer Coulson worked inside the system, the more clearly he understood that beneath the country’s powerful and glamorous exterior, it was riddled with problems.
To put it simply, he could already see exactly where it was headed.