Chapter 191: CA [191]: World Changer
"Hero? Guardian deity?" Altair nearly burst out laughing at Seitenshi's report.
The people of Tokyo were absurd, calling him a hero or guardian. Why would I protect you? All he needed was a base to collect litle girls and spread the inhibitor globally. Beyond that, he didn't care what happened to them.
"Mr. Altair, you've saved Tokyo twice. You truly are its hero, its guardian." Seitenshi said, echoing the public's sentiment.
"Sorry, I have zero interest in being Tokyo's hero or guardian." Altair replied. "I'm here to achieve my goals and shape this world the way I want."
"What kind of world do you envision, Mr. Altair?" Seitenshi asked.
"Simple. End the Gastrea virus threat and stop the birth of Cursed Children. After that, I don't care what happens."
Altair laid out his objective plainly.
"So, those who cheer 'hero' while secretly despising Cursed Children, projecting their fears onto them? I have no sympathy for them. If they all died, I wouldn't bat an eye."
His cold words made it clear to Seitenshi that he wasn't joking.
"Don't try to sway me, it's pointless." He continued. "I told you before, I despise saints and sanctimonious hypocrites. I hate people forcing their ideals on me. Unless they can beat me in a fight, they should shut up, or I'll send them packing with my fists."
"Of course, I'm not some devil. I said I'd help you change this world, but you need to prove yourself worthy. If you want the world to be as you envision, work for it. I'm not Tokyo's hero or guardian. Like Gensei Takanotsume, if you fail, I'll back him instead."
Though Altair had taken on a guiding role for Seitenshi, he knew she lacked ruthlessness. He'd tempered her naive saintly tendencies, but her core compassion remained. Gensei's presence was a deliberate prod to keep her from becoming complacent. If she dared challenge Altair, he'd switch to supporting Gensei without hesitation.
That said, he couldn't let Gensei pressure her too much, which was why he'd orchestrated the depletion of Gensei's military forces.
"Gensei's main army from Osaka is gone." Altair said. "He won't bring his remaining forces over, since Osaka is his stronghold. As Tokyo's leader, you can use your influence here to counter him. You don't need me to spell out the rest, do you?"
Altair had spent enough time in Tokyo. Having played the mentor and resolved two major crises, he'd fulfilled his role admirably. Now, it was time to expand.
First, under the Black Dragon's authority, Altair ordered Gensei to round up Osaka's Cursed Children and deliver them to him. Gensei, unaware of the true purpose but assuming it was for the organization's experiments, perhaps to create more beings like the Black Dragon, complied, mobilizing his troops to gather them.
Soon, Osaka's Cursed Children were collected.
Next, Altair offered to help Gensei conquer Japan's remaining three regions. Gensei was ecstatic, instantly becoming a willing collaborator. He'd long dreamed of ruling Japan, but Tokyo's dominance had held him back. Now, with Tokyo under his control, the other regions were ripe for the taking.
In just one month, Altair helped Gensei unify Japan. With Gensei's forces depleted from the Kanto Battle, Tokyo's Self-Defense Force joined the campaign, allowing Seitenshi to gain significant leverage. The spoils were split evenly between them.
After unification, Gensei became Japan's president, with Seitenshi as vice president, each balancing the other.
But then Seitenshi took the stage. Her month-long rivalry with Gensei had sharpened her. Seeing Japan visibly improve, she grew ambitious, echoing her earlier promise to Altair to make the world better.
She requested his help to invade America.
Altair's expression was priceless. Well, damn, talk about a bold move! He hadn't expected Seitenshi to propose expansion first, let alone target America, Japan's historical "parent." Ruthless.
Grinning, Altair agreed and began aiding her campaign. Invading America carried no guilt for him. He transformed and razed several American cities, liberating a few children controlled by Dr. Ayn Rand, like Tina.
With Altair as a walking calamity, America's military stood no chance. The country fell swiftly to Japan.
The victory thrilled Japan. Both Gensei and Seitenshi were elated, revealing to Altair that, at their core, they weren't so different. The thrill of overcoming their historical subjugation to America fueled their euphoria.
Altair didn't care. It just made collecting Cursed Children easier.
He gathered them relentlessly but didn't contract all. Curiously, outside Europe, America, Japan, and Australia, Cursed Children in less developed regions, like South America and Africa, lived better. The poorer the area, the more comfortable their lives. In Brazil, for instance, Cursed Children formed soccer teams, competing between cities, which stunned Altair.
Japan, however, stood out as the worst. Its Cursed Children suffered the most, a testament to its warped mindset.
To address this, Altair developed a third inhibitor, one that eradicated the Gastrea virus in Cursed Children without harming them. His first inhibitor enslaved the virus to empower them; the second killed infected Gastrea; the third cured Cursed Children entirely, removing their powers but ensuring their safety.
This third inhibitor was mass-produced and distributed globally, a task made simple with America under control. Using its authority was effortless.
Thus, Altair freed most Cursed Children from mortal danger, while some became superpowered battle litle girls. However, since many in less oppressive countries weren't eager to leave, he contracted fewer than expected, 9,999 litle girls, just shy of 10,000.
His system granted a 1% permanent stat boost per 100 litle girls. Missing one, he gained only 99.99%, a maddening near-miss.
With 9,999 litle girls, Altair completed his mission and left the world.
***
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