He Really Came

Chapter 102: He Really Came

It was deep into the night, nearing the early hours of the next day.

The Jisang Air Force General Base suddenly erupted in towering flames. The blaze showed no sign of stopping as it swept outward. By the time the rescue teams reacted and began firefighting operations, the fire had spread several kilometers from the base in every direction.

That night, countless Tokyo residents were jolted awake by the commotion. Looking outside, they could see flames soaring into the sky from near or far, staining the night sky blood-red.

It was as if the heavens were enraged and about to deliver divine punishment.

At the Emperor’s residence, the reigning Emperor of World War II was naturally awakened by his subordinates as well. Confused, he climbed from his tatami bed, changed into his noble Japanese robe while still bleary-eyed, and arrived at the conference hall amid urgent urging.

When he arrived at the discussion hall, still groggy, he saw the glow of the flames at the edge of the night sky beyond the courtyard doors. Listening to the frontline report on the Air Force General Base from the gathered senior officials, he trembled in shock and was completely awake.

Leaning against the doorway as if questioning his own existence, the Emperor turned and stared wide-eyed at a silent officer with his head lowered. "What did you say? Say that again!"

The officer replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty. The Air Force General Base was attacked by American Kyle just now and has completely fallen into a sea of fire. All of Tokyo’s firefighting forces have gathered there to prevent the blaze from spreading…"

"American Kyle? Is he some kind of monster? How could one man invade the Air Force General Base?" the Emperor muttered in disbelief.

"According to the surviving communications officers at the base, he may truly be the incarnation of some monstrous demon. Bullets were completely ineffective against him, and even artillery bombardment could not kill him. Our soldiers, meanwhile, were easily killed in a single exchange." After gritting out those words, the officer took a bloodstained Demon Card from his pocket. "At the Air Force General Base, he forced Commander Okamura to commit seppuku and left behind this Demon Card. He also said…"

Seeing the hesitation on the officer’s face, the Emperor shouted, "What else did he say?!"

"He said that he would pay Your Majesty a visit in the near future and discuss ‘Bushido’ with you again."

The instant the officer finished speaking, the expressions of every senior official in the hall changed. The Emperor leaned against the doorway with an uncertainly dark face. Had the attendants beside him not stepped forward to support him, he would have nearly collapsed onto the floor.

"Your Majesty, remain calm! You are the ‘god’ of this nation. How can you fear a mere invader on your own soil?" the subordinate supporting him quietly reminded him.

"You’re right, you’re right." The Emperor nodded repeatedly, forcing himself to calm down. He looked gravely and imperiously at the cabinet officials and military officers in the hall. "What do you all think? How should we deal with this mad invader from America?"

Commander Sasaki, the representative of the military clique and the man in command of the Jisang Army General Base, gave a cold snort and spoke first. "What nonsense about being impossible to kill? It is most likely an excuse invented by those surviving soldiers to cover up their failure to defend the base by demonizing the invader!"

He said coldly, "Your Majesty, I suggest mobilizing half the armed forces stationed in Tokyo to conduct a thorough search across all of Tokyo. Once American Kyle is found, surround and kill him on the spot!"

Prime Minister Tanaka, the cabinet’s representative, lowered his eyes and chimed in, "That’s right. We are a great nation of samurai. No matter how strong someone is, how could he be stronger than our samurai? While the armed forces search all of Tokyo, Your Majesty should hold a public meeting tomorrow and personally reassure the ordinary citizens of Tokyo. They must believe that we have the ability and confidence to kill the invader!"

Commander Sasaki added, "As for the news of the Air Force Base being invaded and lost, even if Tokyo’s citizens learn of it, it can only be contained within Tokyo. It must never spread outside and let enemy nations laugh at us!"

With two powerful figures who held the nation’s real authority having spoken, the remaining senior officials naturally voiced their agreement. The Emperor cursed those old foxes inwardly, but could only go along with them on the surface.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night for everyone in Jisang Tokyo.

And this was merely the opening act. The real show had yet to begin.

The next morning.

"American Kyle attacked the Air Force General Base, reducing it to scorched earth!"

This news was simply too significant. It was like tossing an underwater mine into a fishpond; no matter how the upper ranks tried to control and reassure the public, discussion and information about it still spread unchecked.

"The unkillable monster," "the American demon," "the war maniac who ruled Germany"…

Within a few hours, nearly everyone in Jisang Tokyo was discussing such topics in panic. The name "American Kyle" hung over every person’s heart like a nightmare shrouded in fog.

Left with no choice, the Emperor appeared at the Emperor’s residence, whose armed military presence had been increased fivefold, and delivered a public speech in the name of a god. He declared that the invader would be dealt with as soon as possible, forcibly soothing the emotions of Tokyo’s citizens.

Ordinary citizens were terrified, while armed soldiers cautiously searched the entire city. Meanwhile, some of Jisang’s self-important samurai and ronin were itching to make their move, excitedly rushing toward Tokyo in hopes of killing Kyle and becoming famous in a single battle.

At the same time.

Tokyo, Kurami District, the main dojo of the Shinto Muso-ryu School.

Kyle, whose Venom form had been slightly disguised, stopped on the road before the dojo gates and looked up.

The swordsmanship dojo before him covered a vast area, with more than a dozen Japanese-style buildings layered across its grounds. The main hall was as large as a modern sports arena, capable of accommodating nearly a thousand people studying swordsmanship together.

Standing tall in the road, Kyle coldly swept his gaze over the majestic swordsmanship dojo. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Japan’s Bushido. Its origins could no longer be traced to any particular time, but it flourished during the Edo period, becoming the spirit revered by the samurai recruited by the shogunate.

Japanese samurai specialized in swordsmanship—the art of killing. Though the shogunate was later overthrown and the new government issued a sword abolition order, later Japanese samurai still revered and practiced swordsmanship. They believed that swordsmanship belonged with samurai, and that powerful samurai could be invincible.

That situation had continued to this day.

The dozens of inherited swordsmanship schools had mostly established themselves in Tokyo, Jisang’s most prosperous city. Japanese Army soldiers had also received instruction from swordsmanship dojos during their youth.

In a sense, these swordsmanship schools were the authoritative foundation representing Bushido, as well as the spiritual pillar that made Jisang samurai believe themselves superior to others.

The Emperor, Jisang’s senior officials, and the armed soldiers at the military bases were all cautiously guarding against a surprise attack. Yet they had not expected Kyle’s target to shift at the last moment.

He would first trample and destroy the foundation of Jisang’s Bushido!

Kyle strode forward confidently. His ordinary Japanese pedestrian clothes began to change, transforming back into the sleek, dark Night Suit as he resolutely headed toward the front gates of the swordsmanship dojo.

Reader’s note: This book depicts a fictional Marvel world. Some regions and historical events only resemble reality and are not the real world.

How have some readers still not understood that? Just relax and enjoy the story. Dragging reality into it for scrutiny only ruins your own fun.