Guard Against Fire, Theft, and the Symbol of Peace

Chapter 270: Guard Against Fire, Theft, and the Symbol of Peace

Rather than taking a helicopter, Kyle had acted on a whim and used his authority to requisition a car reserved for S.H.I.E.L.D. higher-ups’ secret travels.

It looked like an ordinary black Volkswagen business van, but it was actually equipped with bulletproof armor, emergency firearms, satellite tracking, autonomous driving, and more. Vis domineeringly kicked out the vehicle’s built-in AI and took over as its invisible driver, guiding it onto the main road.

Instead of immediately returning to Emperor Building, the business van wandered through New York’s streets, deliberately passing several quiet, secluded churches.

Kyle sat in the passenger seat with the window open. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze swept over the church buildings from time to time as he carefully circulated his divine power to investigate.

He was looking for sorcerers. More precisely, sorcerers carrying Sling Rings.

Divine power was ultimately not magical power. Without the key that was a Sling Ring, he could not open one of the body’s gateways, much less use the various spells imbued with the mysteries of the universe.

Kyle wanted to obtain a Sling Ring and restore his ability to use spells. That was the first reason.

The second reason—

Now that he had attained a Divine Body and controlled Earth’s strongest underground force, he had initially gained a status on par with Master Gu Yi. He wanted to have a proper discussion with her about life and the future.

The truth was, he wanted to draw cards—draw the Sorcerer Supreme’s skill cards!

However, though he knew sorcerers existed, most of them followed Gu Yi in secluded cultivation within Kamar-Taj’s interdimensional space hidden in Earth’s cracks. Finding a sorcerer walking in the real world was truly no easy task.

Thinking back on it now, Kyle genuinely felt that Sorcerer Bru, who had practically delivered himself to his door back then, had been so rare and adorable. He should have left him a few more cans of meat.

"Hm?"

Kyle’s brow twitched slightly as he suddenly looked out the window. The business van was about to pass the landmark building of the seventh church.

This church stood in bustling downtown New York, right beside a noisy street. It was small, only three stories tall, but carried a distinctly classical Western atmosphere.

Most importantly, his divine power had just fluctuated, as if something inside the church had blocked it.

"Vis, stop the car!" Kyle decisively ordered. Once the business van came to a steady halt by the roadside, he opened the door and stepped out.

The small church building stood beside the road. Its main doors were tightly shut, and its exterior was so holy and clean that not a speck of dust could be seen.

Kyle did not overthink it. Pushing open the delicate iron gate, he found himself facing an empty, quiet hall. The walls and corridors were decorated in a classical style, while a broad staircase further inside led directly to the second floor.

In an instant, he knew he had found the right place.

"Is anyone here?" Kyle asked as he briskly stepped into the hall.

No one answered. Only his voice echoed faintly through the hall.

Kyle smiled calmly and was about to head for the staircase when a faint sound suddenly came from behind him.

He turned around and saw a white envelope lying on the ground at the church’s front entrance, despite there clearly being no one around.

Kyle walked back, picked up the envelope, and opened it. After taking a look, a meaningful expression appeared on his face.

He voluntarily stepped outside and casually closed the iron gate behind him.

A while later.

The business van started up again, merged onto the main road, and returned toward Emperor Building.

Meanwhile, in the church building’s second-floor hall.

A bald woman in a Yellow Robe stood by the window. Through the patterned glass, she silently watched the business van drive away from the entrance.

Behind her, a young Black sorcerer asked in surprise, "Master Gu Yi, was that the Symbol of Peace just now?"

"Who else could it have been?" Gu Yi’s expression remained calm as she said slowly, "He has returned after all. That means I can no longer control him."

The young sorcerer asked in confusion, "You strictly forbade sorcerers from contacting him privately, but why didn’t you relocate the space beforehand? Why let him enter our New York branch?"

"Mordo, how do you know I did not relocate the space?" Gu Yi sighed softly.

"Could it be that he… How is that possible?!" Mordo’s eyes widened in uncertainty.

Once the space had been relocated, the church’s true interior would be hidden in an interdimensional space beside the real world. Even if someone entered from outside, they would not be able to reach the actual New York branch church.

Yet just now, without using any spells, Kyle had ignored the spatial barrier and entered the real New York branch!

Gu Yi found this equally strange. She said softly, "There seems to be a rhythm of space hidden within him. The spatial relocation spell has failed for the first time."

"He is impossible to fathom," Mordo said warily and solemnly.

"His methods are strange, but from what we can see now, Earth truly has been developing in a better direction under his guidance."

After pondering for a moment, Gu Yi instructed, "Observe him for a while longer. Also, the New York branch has been exposed. Tell the sorcerers to be careful and not let that man see them."

"I understand." Mordo shrank back fearfully.

By now, every sorcerer had heard the inspirational story of how Senior Bru had struggled to survive for half a month in the Mirror Dimension.

It was an exceptionally tragic story.

Guard against fire, guard against thieves, guard against the Symbol of Peace—this was the rule privately recognized by sorcerers, passed down for fifty or sixty years.

Because Kyle’s visit to the church had taken the business van off its route, it once again passed along the main road in front of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

"I didn’t expect that old woman Gu Yi to be a little tsundere."

In the passenger seat, Kyle gently shook his head. Divine power circulated at his fingertips, burning the letter bearing only eight short words into ash.

‘Welcome back. The time has not yet come.’

Gu Yi’s signature had been left beneath it.

"The time has not yet come… so it isn’t time for us to meet and talk yet?"

Kyle shrugged, brushed the ash from his hand, and wore an easygoing expression.

There were still several years before Thanos arrived. There truly was no need to rush.

"Master, something is happening."

As the business van reached an intersection, Vis’s alert voice suddenly sounded from the navigation system. "Five vehicles are deliberately tracking us. Three are approaching from the left, right, and rear, while two more are waiting at the intersection ahead."

"Are you sure?" Kyle was slightly stunned, utterly surprised.

In New York City, someone actually dared target him and take the initiative to attack the Symbol of Peace?

This was… far too interesting!

He had been free with nothing to do for the past few weeks and had not even had a chance to warm up. Yet someone had suddenly delivered themselves to his doorstep. It was truly unexpected.

Vis fell silent for several seconds before speaking again. "Based on my analysis, they probably are not targeting you. There is a high probability that they have… mistaken you for someone else."

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.

"Because the vehicle you are currently riding in is usually Nick Fury’s personal car, so…"

Before Vis could finish, Kyle understood what it meant.

Well then. Without realizing it, he had drawn Fury’s aggro for him.

Kyle rubbed his chin and muttered thoughtfully, "But in territory where S.H.I.E.L.D.’s forces are most concentrated, who would dare directly attack the former director in downtown New York? Could this be connected to the Project Insight mentioned earlier?"

At that moment, Vis urgently warned, "Master, the two vehicles ahead have slowed down and are closing in. What should we do?"

"What else can we do?"

Kyle silently fastened his seat belt and said with a calm, composed expression, "Step on it. Full speed. Ram straight through them!"