Smoke rolled across the rooftop like a thick gray tide. Fire flashed and burst in every direction as artillery shells continued to detonate, each explosion echoing like muffled thunder rolling through the sky. Below the Empire State Building, the streets had already descended into chaos. Cars jammed the roads, horns blaring, while terrified civilians ran through the streets trying to escape the unfolding disaster.
The entire Manhattan district had fallen into complete disorder.
Ethan Cole stood calmly at the center of the storm. Beside him, Raven frowned slightly as she watched the relentless bombardment. Her body instinctively leaned forward, as if she could barely tolerate the situation any longer and was ready to retaliate at any moment.
Ethan reached out and gently pulled her hand, stopping her before she could move. His expression remained calm and composed as he spoke quietly.
"Relax. You'll get your chance to vent soon enough. For now, just wait."
His thinking was simple and brutally logical. If he acted, then he would act decisively.
Destroying a few helicopters would be meaningless. A small retaliation wouldn't leave any lasting impression. Instead, it was better to crush the entire attacking force in one overwhelming strike.
Only then would the other side truly feel pain.
He wanted the United States to understand something very clearly.
Even alone, he possessed the power to destroy an entire nation.
History would change today, and the first step was forcing America to confront that reality.
Outside the barrier, artillery shells continued screaming through the air. The barrage was so relentless that it resembled a never-ending string of firecrackers exploding around the magical shield. Every impact stirred clouds of dust and waves of energy that rippled through the air.
Under this level of firepower, a normal person would have been obliterated instantly. Even reinforced steel structures would be torn apart and shattered.
Yet Ethan and Raven simply stood there without the slightest hint of urgency.
Eventually the smoke grew so thick that Ethan's view became completely obscured. Instead of trying to see through it, he simply closed his eyes and relied on telekinetic perception to observe the battlefield.
Through the subtle vibrations in the air, he could sense everything around him.
He knew exactly which helicopter had fired a shell and the precise trajectory it traveled. He could pinpoint the exact moment when each explosion erupted and where it struck the barrier.
Ten minutes passed in what felt like an instant.
For a full ten minutes, the Apache squadron poured continuous firepower onto the top of the Empire State Building. By the end of the barrage, the rooftop platform had been completely engulfed in thick smoke.
Even with a moderate wind blowing through the city, the dense clouds of dust refused to disperse.
Inside the lead helicopter, the pilot stared nervously at the smoke-covered rooftop. His hands gripped the controls as he reported through the communication channel.
"Headquarters, this is Bald Eagle One. All cannons have been fired. The target zone is completely obscured by smoke and dust. We currently cannot confirm the internal situation."
He glanced at the thermal sensor display and swallowed nervously.
"The heat signature is still extremely strong."
"Continue observation," the command center replied through the communicator. "Report any changes immediately. You are granted unrestricted firing authorization."
"Yes, sir!"
The pilot acknowledged the order and kept his eyes locked on the rooftop.
Gradually the smoke began to thin.
Two figures slowly emerged from the swirling dust.
Ethan and Raven.
Neither of them had moved. Their clothing remained perfectly intact, without even the slightest sign of damage despite the brutal bombardment from over a dozen Apache helicopters.
They stood there calmly, as if nothing had happened.
"My God… how is that possible?" Bald Eagle One muttered in disbelief.
His voice trembled slightly, a mixture of shock and rising panic.
"Bald Eagle One, what's happening?" the voice from headquarters demanded urgently. "Has the target been eliminated?"
"This… this is unbelievable," the pilot stammered. "Reporting to command—target is still alive. The artillery strike caused no visible damage. He… he appears completely unharmed."
He hesitated before continuing.
"Request permission to deploy thermal weapons."
The communication channel fell silent for a brief moment.
Then the command center responded in a heavy voice.
"Permission granted. There are no civilians left inside the Empire State Building. However, you must maintain precision. Surrounding structures must not be damaged."
"Yes, sir!"
Bald Eagle One unlocked the weapons system.
Taking a deep breath, he placed his finger firmly on the launch trigger.
A sharp roar tore through the air.
From beneath the helicopter's wings, a missile more than two meters long shot forward. Flames streamed from its tail as it accelerated rapidly toward Ethan and Raven.
Ethan watched the incoming rocket without the slightest concern.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
When the missile reached a distance of roughly ten meters from him, he suddenly raised his hand.
An invisible force seized the rocket instantly.
Despite the powerful thrust of its engines, the missile abruptly stopped moving forward. It trembled in the air as if trapped inside an invisible cage.
Then Ethan slowly closed his hand.
The missile compressed inward from both ends as though an enormous invisible pressure was crushing it. Under the intense force, the internal fuse triggered.
The result was an immediate detonation.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion erupted in midair. Flames burst outward with tremendous force, the fireball expanding several meters across.
But before the explosive energy could spread, a faint crimson glow suddenly enveloped the entire blast.
The fire and shockwave were trapped inside the glowing energy field.
From a distance, it looked like a floating ball of fire hanging in the sky—roughly the size of a bathtub.
"What?"
Bald Eagle One stared in shock.
He instinctively reached to launch another missile.
Before he could react, the floating fireball suddenly shot toward his helicopter.
Its speed was astonishing.
It moved just as fast as the missile had moments earlier—perhaps even faster.
"Formation, evade!" Bald Eagle One shouted desperately.
He yanked the control stick back, trying to tilt the helicopter upward and escape the incoming attack.
But Ethan had no intention of letting him succeed.
The flames and explosive force inside the fireball were tightly controlled by Ethan's telekinetic power. The blazing sphere slammed directly into the belly of the helicopter.
At the exact moment of contact, Ethan released his control.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion erupted in the sky.
The fireball expanded violently, unleashing its full destructive force. The helicopter carrying Bald Eagle One was instantly torn apart, its fuselage splitting into two pieces under the blast.
The remaining fuel ignited immediately.
Within seconds the aircraft transformed into a blazing inferno.
The wreckage spiraled downward through the sky as flames devoured the broken helicopter.
Bald Eagle One didn't even have time to scream before he died.
Ethan casually snapped his fingers.
A wave of telekinetic force swept across the rooftop, blowing away the surrounding smoke and dust. The observation platform reappeared in full view.
He turned toward Raven and spoke calmly.
"Alright, your turn."
His tone carried a hint of amusement.
"The remaining helicopters are all yours. Tear them apart if you want, or blow them up. Whatever you feel like doing."
Raven gave a short, cold reply.
"Mm."
She slowly raised her hands.
A pale crimson light erupted from her body. The energy gathered behind her, forming two enormous wings of burning power that spread outward like flaming feathers.
At that moment, the remaining helicopters in the sky suddenly began to tremble.
The pilots immediately realized something was wrong. Instinctively they tried to retreat from the battlefield.
But no matter how hard they pulled the control sticks, their helicopters barely responded.
The aircraft only shook slightly in place.
They could not escape.
A faint sneer appeared at the corner of Raven's lips.
Then she clenched her hands.
"Crunch… creak…"
The horrifying sound of metal being crushed echoed through the sky.
Just like Ethan crushing the missile earlier, the helicopters began collapsing inward. Invisible pressure squeezed their steel frames toward the center of each fuselage.
The metal twisted and folded as if it were nothing more than thin paper.
Then—
"Boom!"
One helicopter exploded.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
More than a dozen helicopters detonated almost simultaneously.
All the explosions overlapped, forming a single earth-shaking blast. The shockwave shattered every window in buildings within a hundred meters of the Empire State Building.
In less than a minute, the entire Apache helicopter squadron had been completely annihilated.
.....
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