A Perfectly Logical Guide to a Superhuman Apocalypse: 66 (Patreon)

A Perfectly Logical Guide to a Superhuman Apocalypse: 66

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Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Arksoul

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Interlude: Rai

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While the others deviated from the path, I stayed stringently adherent to the Emperor.

He may have passed, but the ideals that he espoused remained true.

I have listened and learned to the lessons and beliefs shared with me through the machine. The machine spoke on behalf of those who allowed our homeland to fall. They lacked the strength to take the nation, so they called upon others, and now they claimed rulership over the land. In time, even with the support of my former comrades, they will falter, they will fall, and the legacy of the divine Emperor will return to full force.

I will make it so, because it was necessary.

They espoused a system of governance which the Emperpr rid our homeland of before my birth. They spoke of equality amongst all people, where even those with strength and talent were meant to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who were lacking, and the system where those with wealth and power swayed the masses to their wills. In a world where there are those with Talents and those without, such a system will lead to calamity as those without power will enforce their will, only to be broken as those with power rise up.

Blood will spill, the peace will break, and everything shall be undone at the cost of innocent lives.

When that occurs, I will step forward in his name and reforge his dream.

To that end, I trained, I listened, and I learned all that I could from the machine. The machine’s treated us according to our station, and simply conveyed the lessons espoused by the weak remains of the bygone era. It fought against the Emperor thinking he was in the wrong, showing that it was fallible, and the next time I fought against it I shall make sure to exploit that vulnerability.

In time, I will make Parvati a tool to use in the Emperor’s name.

Perhaps, with all its ability and talent, I may one day be able to revive Him or find an heir.

However, that day was far in the future, and for now I worked to forge its foundation.

A knock came upon the door, then it slid open.

Dressed in clothes fit for practicing kendo, I rose to meet with Parvati, until I froze in the presence of the demon.

The Emperor’s killer stood before me.

I could sense his power layered upon him. Like layers of glass stacked atop one another, leading into unknown places, he had field upon field of spaces leading to other worlds as armor. Some were like window panes, others like threads, and their shapes, lengths, and sizes all differed. However, what truly mattered was the effect of his power. Touching any of the surfaces would result in the body of an individual torn apart as pieces are sent in innumerable directions. The field that surrounded him was armor that redirected and scattered anything and anyone that attacked him.

It was through that armor, his Talent, that he managed to slay the Emperor.

A hidden blade from the abyss which could appear anywhere at anytime who served only his own ends.

Egress stood before me as a kaleidoscope of lights swirling all around him.

By his side was Parvati, and I realized the goal of the machine.

To stay my hand from being raised against demon.

“Yo.” He raised his hand towards me, and I levelled a glare at him. I removed my Talent from my eyes, only to find Egress covered in camouflage and armor beneath it all. A true warrior, playing at being a merchant. No. Worse. A mercenary without a lord. “Well, that tracks. Had to do it after I saw everything that he did.”

I narrowed my gaze at him.

“And, what did the Emperor do to earn death by your hand?” I asked him. “What made it so that you can unmake the safety and prosperity in times of peril that he produced?”

“Well, for one, he had whole vehicles filled with women being used as baby factories. Secondly, that divine body he put himself in? They’re literally people with minds that get extracted so that a normal person can get put in. Then, there’s the fact there was a famine coming and most of Japan would’ve starved.” I could sense no lies in his words, he addressed me directly, too. Rather than try to handle me like a child, he addressed me with the respect that I deserved. I am a warrior and I understood killing. So, he spoke to me of killing without a hint of holding back. “And, I get it. He gave a lot of people good lives and even helped raised you guys. Those are good things, but it’s just that all the bad things he did… tipped the scales to the point where I had to take him out.”

A semblance of pride glowed within my chest.

“You feared the Emperor.”

He did not hesitate.

“Yep, he had to go. If I didn’t act against him, he’d have used all his power and all he had to rage across a large chunk of the planet.” Was that admiration in Egress’s tongue? No. It was the truth as he believed it. With crossed arms, he spoke directly and addressed the truth. I reevaluated him once again. He opposed the Emperor in fear of the Emperor’s might. The inexorable strength of my patriarch was recognized by the man who slew him. It was not out of convenience, or even some underhanded assassination. Egress took in the Emperor and the Emperor’s works and came to a decision. “And, I’m the sort of person to be proactive against threats to me. I like to summon the bravery to do what I need to do, before something wrong happens to me.”

Ah, and he feared me.

“You are right to fear me. I grow in strength and I intend to step in once the weakling government that has retaken my homeland has faltered and failed. They failed once. They shall fail again without the Emperor.” I crossed my arms and smiled. The killer of the Emperor, one of the mightiest Talents in the world entire, saw me as a threat. He sought assurances and wished to make sure that my sword would not find his neck. Thus, I was marked as the Emperor’s most true subject. I doubted any other was acknowledged by the Emperor’s killer. “Japan will find peace and prosperity through the methods left behind by the Emperor. Not by the whims of old, infirm leftovers of previous governments.”

“I see, I see. So, what’re your thoughts on vengeance? I mean, I’m interested in trading with the country, but if they fall apart, that’s on them. Unless they hire me to help, of course.” Egress spoke glibly without a hint of respect. However, that was only the manner with which he spoke. He was giving vital information, laying out his plans in the future, and prodding me to do the same. “Is there any way I can convince you to just leave me alone? I fought against your Emperor and I killed him, but it was because I opposed his methods and goals. Not because I hated him.”

I considered my next words carefully, before speaking once again.

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Rai had a high ponytail and wore a traditional kendo training outfit, sans the armor and guards since she wasn’t hitting anyone or being hit. Sitting in the middle of a prefabricated kendo dojo, with her youth, you’d think she was just a normal teenager at her afterschool club.

Not a crazed child soldier preparing for the downfall of an entire nation with plans to take over after a societal collapse.

Thankfully, though, she didn’t seem interested in killing me for killing her warlord.

Rather, she saw me as a potential resource, which I could deal with.

“I hold no illusions regarding my lack of vision. The Emperor is beyond me. All I can do is create a foundation for his heir or someone kin to him to rise up. My intentions this day and the coming days is to prepare for that time.” She spoke in a pretty archaic way. It was hard to keep up with my Japanese not being that great. Thankfully, Parvati had a screen right behind Rai that was translating for me in real time. “I acknowledge that you fought against the Emperor without ill intent, but rather in disbelief in his methods and goals. You fought not understanding the path he walked, but perhaps if you had spoken with him you would’ve seen the truth.”

Yeah, the truth that the guy was a fucking psychopath. If you’ve got mobile land crawlers filled with women turned into baby factories, I’m not standing by and letting you live. Oh, and let’s not forget the manufacturing of giant superhumans, just to lobotomize them, and turn their bodies into meat mecha. That’s like ripping the brain out of a toddler, so that you can put your own brain inside. It’s fucked.

There’s literally nothing that the guy could’ve done to convince me not to run at him like human blender.

I hated doing it, don’t get me wrong, but he crossed the line and I had to act against him so I didn’t regret letting him live.

Anyway, I thought all of that, but I didn’t say it.

That was then, this is now, and this young woman got indoctrinated into being a fanatical child soldier.

Not going to hold her views against her, because they’ve been forced on her.

“Very well, then. I shall have you find absolution from your sins. You have my word, that I shall stay my hand and order that none of my future followers to rise against you, if you provide me true service.”

Hm, I’m getting the cut of this girl’s gib.

“Will you ask me to kill for you? To fight for you?” I already knew she would say no. She’s got a legacy in mind. Most important of what she’s got planned is her story. If she seeks to take on the Shogun’s legacy, that means that she can’t take my power. I killed the man, after all. Normally, that would mean that she’d go after me, but behind all that blind obedience to a dead madman was a lot of intellect. There was more to this situation than me working with her for the rest of my life, or her killing me. She could showcase that she was just, and that she’s right.

“No. You restitution will be in the form of treasure. A treasury, in fact, for me to gather like-minded individuals around.” Yeah, I was right. This girl had the long-game in mind. In the future society of Japan, if they wanted to retain their claim over the nation, they needed to uphold their old ideals. That included free speech and multiple parties up for election. To do that, Rai needed funds. A literal war chest for a campaign. Why wait for an apocalypse or something wrong to happen, when she could assume leadership as a nationalist figure with all the enemies surrounding her nation? Not only that, but the previous government did falter and fail in the end. “You shall pay me with what you most cherish, Egress. Wealth and lucre. Enough to grant me political capital in the reanimating corpse rising in Edo.”

Parvati’s translator behind Raiden was blank, and I could tell the AI was waiting for me to decide.

No.

It already knew I was willing to take the job.

Especially since I could pay up front.

I reached out and pulled it through.

My main lock box filled with bullion.

It cracked the tatami mat of the dojo.

Parvati directed its drone’s gaze towards it, and Rai’s eyes widened, while I took a knee and opened the lock and opened it.

“Two hundred fifty kilograms. Pure gold. More than enough for a war chest to start a political movement, especially in this day in age.” It was around 15 million in American USD before the financial system collapsed. I’d gotten it for relatively cheap while working for a mercenary. Most of the gold was brought up out of the ground by slavery through warlords. Not the best source of capital. In fact, I couldn’t use most of it in any decent countries, but it was my bank account. A chest full of assets that I could rely upon when everything came down the line… and a way to get a future powerhouse like Rai off my back. “I’m also setting up a trade line with Japan. The sole company providing international shipping in Japan. I’ll give you ten percent of monthly profits.”

Rai walked forward, entranced, and she picked up the soft, warm metal within the chest with almost trembling hands.

Why?

It’s a massive, solid step for whatever future she’s got in mind.

And, she’s truly extracted something of value from me.

“I shall take both.” Rai stated after putting the slab back. With a wave of her hand, the box closed and another wave melted the hinges and sealed it shut. The kanji for her name imprinted on the wood an instant later. “Parvati-sama, if you would please store this properly for me.”

I was tempted to tell Rai to ask Parvati to invest it for her, so that it wasn’t lying around, but I decided against it.

Still knelt next to broken tatami, Rai looked at me through my mask.

“…I must wonder if you truly value wealth as I thought, if you are so willing to part it with, Egress-san.”

Wealth is meant to be used. Whether to make a bunker or to buy someone off my neck. I want wealth because it solves a lot of problems peacefully and safely. No superpower required.

I stayed silent, though, because I was sure Rai wouldn’t like it.

The silence pervaded for a long time, before she spoke again.

“Very well, then. This is sufficient. I shall hear from you again regarding the business you plan to start, but rest assured that your head is spared from my wrath and that of my future followers.”

No longer pursued by someone that can manipulate electricity as easily as breathing, and who’s only growing stronger by the day.

In exchange, practically all my saved up precious metals.

Worth it.