Above the sky.
Under the illumination of the entire oil tanker's flames, the dust and paper scraps falling on the ground seemed to suddenly develop gravity, swiftly floating towards a single spot!
Gradually...
The man who had just been defeated by the Iron Man suits...
Incredibly resurrected right before their eyes!
Tony Stark felt an unprecedented unease in his heart, rubbing his forehead with a fingertip!
Ichimaru Gin chuckled lightly, speaking slowly: "Perhaps there's no need to worry about life or death... there's always a bit less elegance in battle... I apologize for that... everyone..."
Because his body was a Gigai created by Reanimation technology, Ichimaru Gin didn't need to worry about his body being physically destroyed...
As for being destroyed by the exploding Iron Man suits...
It was merely to buy time for a certain person's arrival.
Ichimaru Gin drew the long sword from his waist again, smiling as he pointed the blade at the anxious Tony Stark and the others, softly murmuring under his breath...
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
Ichimaru Gin's eyes flashed!
The next moment, the blade in his hand suddenly extended, this blade rapidly lengthening several dozen meters, stabbing towards Tony Stark and the others!
Now...
The dozen or so Iron Man suits had already self-destructed...
Now Tony and the others were just three ordinary people!
No, perhaps only Tony Stark and Colonel Rhodes were mere mortals, as Pepper Potts still had the Extremis virus in her body, making her somewhat stronger than the two men...
Yet neither Tony Stark nor Colonel Rhodes planned to let Pepper stand in front of them, and they didn't have time to think...
This blade...
Came too fast!
Just at this moment.
A beam of blue energy swept across, piercing Ichimaru Gin's body first, thus saving Tony Stark and the others!
"Is that... Uehara?"
The unease in Tony Stark's heart slightly subsided.
It was Uehara Naraku who had saved him at this moment, perhaps not having arrived in time, only hurriedly using an energy beam to save them...
Tony estimated that Uehara Naraku would arrive soon.
Because, during the Battle of New York, Uehara Naraku had gained power far beyond ordinary humans by obtaining the energy of the Tesseract, and combined with the use of super energy, Uehara Naraku's fighting prowess in The Avengers was astonishing...
At least...
Soon it would be safe.
"Oh? A remarkable person has arrived..."
Ichimaru Gin's mouth still held a light smile as the wound on his body from being pierced was quickly filling and healing. He glanced in the direction that blue energy had come from, then looked down at Tony Stark on the ground.
"Mr. Stark, Colonel Rhodes..."
Ichimaru Gin's eyes opened slightly, the slight brightness in his eyes somewhat unsettling: "It seems this time, your luck is quite good...
Now you can't even protect the president of this country, so... gentlemen, who else can you protect?"
"..."
This was a question that shook the heart.
Moreover, this wasn't just a problem for the two of them.
Iron Man and his War Machine friend couldn't protect the president, who was already traveling under heavy guard. For terrorists, is there anyone left in the United States who can be considered safe?
Ichimaru Gin seemed not to expect an answer from them; he simply asked as a matter of routine before instantly turning into an afterimage, disappearing from the spot.
The television signal was still broadcasting live.
Accompanied by the president's assassination and Ichimaru Gin's final question, chaos engulfed the entire United States, rendering this year's Christmas Eve far from tranquil...
Because of the death of the American president...
And he died on Christmas Day.
A nation's president perished under a public execution by terrorists; would anyone dare to challenge these terrorists? Some cities and towns already saw plenty of thugs and gangs impersonating the Ten Rings and Lord Mandarin's henchmen.
Of course.
Such chaos wasn't pure chaos.
To some politicians, it was an opportunity.
For the vice president waiting to ascend, the president's death was a fortunate event as he would directly assume the term, especially knowing the truth behind the president's assassination. The vice president, Old Mike, had confidence in regaining the people's trust.
Because Vice President Old Mike and Kilian were originally in cahoots...
As long as they manipulated things from the shadows, letting Old Mike decisively take action against the terrorists would successfully win over the people, thus avoiding any issues in the next reelection...
On the Quinjet.
Uehara Naraku recovered the president's body and also brought back Tony Stark, Colonel Rhodes, and the others. He didn't blame Tony and his team; he only watched TV with them as they viewed the live broadcast of Vice President Old Mike's inauguration.
On the television screen, the slightly aged vice president stood in front of the camera, calmly reciting his prepared speech.
"I am sorry."
"This Christmas Eve hasn't been joyful for everyone."
"Our president unfortunately passed away today..."
"I will assume his will and continue to fight..."
"I don't need to find anyone or any superheroes to protect me... because a president's duty is singular, and that is to protect the people until my life ends..."
It must be said.
This vice president was quite adept at soothing and rallying people's hearts.
Initially, the ordinary citizens all across America were worried about terror attacks, as even the president's safety couldn't be guaranteed, so their own safety couldn't be assured one hundred percent either.
However...
This vice president's rhetoric swiftly shifted the conflict, turning them into brave fighters who feared nothing—not even death. Seasoned politicians always keep a few tricks up their sleeves...
Uehara Naraku thought so too.
Colonel Rhodes stared intently at the television, long after spoke: "It seems our new president's confidence is commendable..."
"There is no other choice."
Pepper Potts shook her head and softly explained: "If he cannot regain confidence, no one in the entire United States would have the confidence to fight against Kilian's group of terrorists..."
"Kilian is already dead."
Tony Stark continued to frown, his fingers tracing slow circles on his temple: "Only that lawless guy is left, that man with light purple hair who always smiles; Jarvis can't even find any information on him..."
"Can't find any information on him?"
Uehara Naraku glanced at Tony Stark in surprise, pulled out a tablet, and passed a photo to Tony Stark, speaking quietly: "Looks like you haven't used illegal means... because his information only exists in S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Hm?"
Tony Stark looked at the tablet in surprise, staring at the photo, his face gradually becoming grim.
Because that photo was from before the Battle of New York...
A picture of Evil God Loki and Ichimaru Gin together.
The photo was inadvertently captured by a camera when Ichimaru Gin took Loki's staff, and it was the only recorded instance of Ichimaru Gin.
Since Loki's staff was taken ahead of time without causing a major stir, not many noticed during the Battle of New York, because the trouble caused by the Akatsuki and the Chitauri overshadowed everything, turning all of New York into a monster zone.
Tony Stark glanced at Uehara Naraku, immediately realizing the identity of the light purple-haired man: "I remember before the Battle of New York, it was people from Hydra who took that mind-controlling scepter from Loki's hand..."
"That's right."
Uehara Naraku slowly nodded, speaking quietly: "The man who killed the president was referred to as 'Gin' by Alexander Pierce, and this 'Gin' should hold a high rank within Hydra, as the scepter seems to have always been in his possession.
And, it seems he has a direct connection with Asgard's Death Goddess Hela; I suspect he took the scepter for that Asgardian Death Goddess Hela...
A few months ago, when Dr. Bruce Banner and I killed Alexander Pierce to avenge Director Fury, Pierce mentioned Gin before he died.
Because Pierce kept talking about a prophecy as he was dying...
The Death Goddess Hela, Hydra's master, would initiate Ragnarök, ruling the world again through death... Gin is the Grim Reaper sent out first by Hela."