He Came Walking Through the Rain; Ants Gathered, and World-Ending Black Lightning Annihilated All!

Freezing rain poured from the pitch-black sky. It hammered the concrete, throwing up thick white mist. The streets of Ward 20 were swallowed whole by the downpour. And yet...

Just as the cold steel blade of a Quinque was about to pierce Ryouko Fueguchi's heart, a strange ripple passed through the void.

It spread across the entire block without warning. The rain stopped dead in midair. In an instant, every crystal-clear drop was fixed in place.

The droplets hung like countless tiny mirrors. The streetlights' dim yellow glow refracted through them, shattering into a golden haze.

The ripples in the puddles froze. The sound of the wind vanished, along with the roar of thunder. The whole world fell into utter silence.

Kureo Mado was frozen in midair too. He held his Quinque blade high in both hands, unable to move it another inch. His eyes bulged.

He stared at the tip of the blade, just an inch from Ryouko's heart. That single inch...

In that instant, it became a Death Line he could never cross. Crack! High overhead,

the black sky split like a flimsy curtain. A brilliant golden divine light poured from the rift.

It lit the dark street as though it were the Divine Kingdom. Tobirama Uchiha emerged from the rift with an unhurried stride, his expression calm. Not a drop of rain touched his white dragon robe.

The embroidered nine-clawed golden dragon seemed to swim in the light. His right arm rested gently around Rize Kamishiro's slender waist. She had both arms around his neck.

Her pure white dress spread through the air like flower petals. Her noble violet eyes brimmed with boundless affection for her lord. Tap.

Tobirama set his right foot on a suspended raindrop. It did not burst. It bore his weight, sending golden