Chapter 360: Chapter 360

Toxic gas was everywhere, but there was no pungent smell to warn people to flee the area.

The faint, sweet scent was like the gentle palm of a lover, causing those trapped within to let down their guard.

FBI, Army, and special police forces deployed on the outer perimeter fell to the ground in agony, yet no one came forward to rescue them.

The sound of gunfire shattered the former silence, ringing out like New Year's firecrackers non-stop, drowning out the cries and screams.

Sometimes, the combatants couldn't even see each other as a stream of bullets poured out indiscriminately, hitting the enemy by sheer luck.

The occasional roar of a rocket launcher or grenade added to the cacophony.

But those sounds would eventually be overwhelmed by the drone of low-flying combat aircraft and the earth-shaking bursts of incoming missiles, assaulting the eardrums of both sides of the fight.

Every now and then, a fighter jet or helicopter would be hit by a missile and plummet diagonally toward the ground.

Any building in the way, whether two or three stories high, would explode in an instant.

For those inside the buildings, death was the only thing that awaited them.

At this moment, human life was the cheapest commodity.

Vincent stood atop the Pentagon Building, observing the battlefield across the Potomac River with a pair of binoculars.

The White House was just across the river from the Pentagon Building, a straight-line distance of no more than three kilometers, allowing him to maintain a timely grasp of the battle situation.

The resistance there was as intense as imagined, with over 10,000 guards on the outer and inner perimeters, making it understandable that they couldn't be immediately overrun.

The quick response from the Air Force at Langley was somewhat unexpected, but it wouldn't affect the overall situation.

The reinforcing ground troops had already crossed the bridge to the other side and would eliminate the resistance within the time he had anticipated.

The Capitol Building was not a worry either, as the escape routes had been blown up.

The senators were like turtles scrambling in a jar.

Vincent thought to himself, relieved to see that everything matched his expectations.

He wasn't as confident as he appeared to be.

He had been a part of military exercises more than once before.

But this was the first time he had truly commanded a war.

Not becoming an armchair general, a mediocrity, was also a testament to all his efforts up until now.

Vincent considered how to deal with the Rockefeller Family next, as well as how to win the massive war sweeping across the world.

Suddenly, flames rose up. Through his binoculars, he witnessed an abnormal scene, and for the first time, a look of shock appeared on his tense face, "What is that..."

He paused, then said solemnly, "A Superpower User."

This was a completely unforeseen variable.

Flames detached from building after building, converging over The White House's plaza like crows flocking to their nest.

The flames swirled in the air.

At that moment, the fierce sound of gunfire paused.

The combatants on both sides, looking at the dancing flames, had one thought in mind: What kind of advanced weapon were the enemies using?

Without a conclusion, they didn't fire at the flames.

The flames first took the shape of a tornado, then quickly merged into a human form without distinguishable features, just a blazing inferno, with a distinguishable head and limbs, and forty meters tall.

The high temperature of the flames heated the air, making the Giant seem like a sun suspended in the sky, radiating blinding light all around.

"Oh! Had The White House been hiding this up its sleeve?"

Bruno sat on a truck, looking at the Flame Giant standing there, his expression one of shock.

He didn't believe it was a naked-eye 3D effect. He looked down and saw Keith, the Director of the CIA, whose eyes were practically bulging with astonishment. This convinced Bruno it wasn't The White House's doing.

It could not have been Vincent either.

A third party, perhaps?

With this thought, Bruno sensed something was wrong and shouted, "Speed up!"

"Boss, I can't help it. Look at the cars stopped on the road. They aren't following any traffic rules."

The burly driver complained while chugging vodka to stay alert. Only under such conditions could his driving be as steady as a rock.

Bruno frowned and pointed to the sidewalk, "Isn't it spacious over there?"

"Hey, are you serious?"

Bruno wanted to get out of Washington D.C. as quickly as possible. He didn't care how many Americans died.

The driver cursed his boss's callousness, took another deep swig of vodka, and glanced at the panicked crowd fleeing on the sidewalk.

He floored the accelerator and turned the wheel, the truck speeding onto the sidewalk.

The screams grew louder as the speeding truck, like a tank, crashed onto the sidewalk.

Those in its path were sent flying. Not everyone carried a gun when out and about.

Blood splattered on the windshield, and the driver opened a new bottle of vodka, pouring it down his throat.

Bruno ignored the wails and screams, his attention fixed on the distant Flame Giant. He pondered its identity. Is it Dio or another Superpower User?

Silence reigned over the battlefield. No one knew which side the suddenly appearing Flame Giant was on, and they dared not fire at will or continue attacking the enemy.

Aozawa scanned his surroundings, noting only low-lying buildings. In his line of sight, the once chaotic crowd, which had been fleeing in disarray, gradually calmed upon seeing him—or perhaps, they were simply stunned.

One by one, they craned their necks like wind-up robots that had run down.

He lifted his right arm.

A simple movement quickly tugged at the hearts of everyone present, including the high-ranking officials watching the situation outside from the bunker.

GULP. Even Vincent unconsciously swallowed hard.

He composed himself, wanting to see whom exactly this person intended to help.

Aozawa activated the Defense Barrier, identifying the U.S. Army, the FBI, SWAT teams, and the Secret Service as enemies.

The Defense Barrier expanded outward in a ring with him at the center.

The opposing forces, who were still waiting, suddenly saw flashes of colored light before their eyes. The next second, they felt as if they had been struck by a high-speed train, their minds going blank in an instant.

In Vincent's eyes, he saw colored, diamond-shaped Light Shields flickering amidst the buildings surrounding The White House.

Every house that sheltered U.S. Army personnel, or members of the FBI and Secret Service, was destroyed without exception, as easily as if grenading a watermelon.

Countless fragments of flesh mixed with building debris rained down on the rooftops of the outer buildings. It was like a torrential downpour suddenly descending upon Washington D.C.

"Ah, God! I am your most devout believer, please protect me, Amen!"

A priest shouted loudly in the street, clutching the Cross in his hands, and knelt down devoutly.

As for those who didn't believe in God, they regarded the Flame Giant as God, Celestial Fire, or other such divinities.

Regardless of one's faith, upon seeing the Flame Giant, they felt it was the incarnation of the deity they worshiped within their own religion.

This action caused confusion among the non-believers. Which one should we believe in?

After much thought, some decided to believe in God, who was the most famous. Others, however, thought that lesser-known deities might better represent the being. They opted to worship the most obscure gods, ones whose names they had never even heard before.

"Are both sides being destroyed?"

Vincent used his binoculars to survey the distant scene. Around the Flame Giant, the area had been flattened.

The once dignified and power-gleaming mansions were no exception.

After all, those were just the dwellings of mortals. The source of thɪs content is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽

In the eyes of Superpower Users or Angel Envoys, they were insignificant.

But this power seemed different from the information provided by the Rockefeller Family. According to their records, this colored light ability could reach an altitude of 10,000 meters to defend against Space-based Weapons.

The current scene looked impressive, but compared to that kind of attack range, it seemed far too short.

Isn't it the same person?

Thinking of this, Vincent said emotionlessly, "Order the fighters to launch a remote attack on the Flame Giant as a test, and prepare the freeze bombs and poison gas bombs!"

Jida, beside him, exclaimed in shock, "Vincent, that's enough! In this situation, we shouldn't provoke that... entity. Isn't it better to just wait for him to leave?"

"Jida, you really are naive."

Vincent shook his head.

Truth be told, if Jida hadn't genuinely been his friend, anyone else raising such a doubt would have been executed by him instantly. He wouldn't even have bothered with an explanation.

He didn't need foolish and talkative subordinates.

But friends were the exception.

"The Flame Giant isn't seeking the destruction of either side; he's simply obliterating those who dare to cause trouble equally," Vincent said, looking through his binoculars. "This is just a deterrent.

If we stop now, we'll be caught in The White House's siege.

Do you think controlling the Pentagon Building alone is enough to withstand the counterattack from the Capitol Building and The White House?

Continuing to wait is a sure path to death."

He paused, not mentioning the very real possibility that the Rockefeller Family might switch sides.

At this point, he had no way back.

Either he succeeds, or he dies here as a failure.

"Would you tell your opponents in the middle of a rebellion, 'I don't want to fight anymore, just don't kill me, and I will withdraw my troops and return the hostages'?

Do you think this is a game of house?" Vincent's tone was firm as he commanded, "Issue the attack order to the 316th Squadron immediately!"

Jida thought it over and felt Vincent was right. In matters like these, speed was paramount to catch The White House off guard.

Otherwise, once their opponents reacted and used their extensive network of connections to lay siege, Vincent's forces could only passively await death.

The order was passed on to the squadron.

The pilot had no objections. In his view, eliminating the enemy was merely a matter of lifting a finger and pressing the missile launch button.

Six Sidewinder Missiles streaked across the sky and hit the Flame Giant's body.

The intense explosion produced thick smoke that engulfed the Flame Giant's form.

The priest shouted as if he had witnessed his own father being killed, "How can you commit such a disrespectful act against God?"

In the instant those words fell, three Flame Longswords suddenly shot out from the black smoke – attacks generated by the combination of the Defense Barrier and the Fire Element.

The fiery swords pierced through the three aircraft that had launched the missiles with a lightning-fast strike, creating a magnificent display of fireworks in the clear blue sky.

Aozawa remained unharmed. His fiery form made him immune to physical damage.

Forget about Sidewinder Missiles—even if a nuclear bomb was detonated here, he would not die.

But he did not intend to simply stand there foolishly. His gaze turned toward the Pentagon Building.