The Red Hand

Chapter 187 – A Difference of Opinions.

After returning to the Estate, Akagi sent her family into overdrive. She'd been prepping for the occupation of Omara for several weeks and came up with what she believed to be the most effective plan for a smooth and painless takeover. It was unknown just how the Spirits would react to her sudden appearance and the reorganization of their nation into a client state, but she was prepared for any possibility.

"Let's go! Chop Chop! We've got to set up the occupation quickly! I don't want those idiotic Council members to have time to try anything." Akagi directed her forces as they began assembling in the main courtyard. "Chloe, get your team in gear, but keep the Maid outfit on. I need you as cute as possible during this operation." She snickered.

"..." Chloe glared at her and pouted before grabbing her team. She might have been on punishment, but Akagi needed her for now, so she was temporarily back on duty. Though Akagi was still going to have fun with her.

"It's like an army assembling for battle." Eris was impressed with the level of activity within the estate. “The movements look chaotic, but there's a rhythm to it.”

"It wouldn't be the first time we've had to take large-scale actions, and a portion of my forces are dedicated to combat." Akagi said in between shouting out orders. "The ninja are my go-to shock troops, but there are only so many at my disposal, so I've brought in Marshal and his team of knights." She pointed to the armored man who was busy giving a detailed explanation to his team. He had a small contingent of ex-Imperial knights that defected alongside him. Some of them even brought their families, which Akagi put to work mostly as maids or other similar occupations.

"What are our orders, my Lord?" Merkyul asked as he and Black Company formed up.

"You'll be coming along with me and Hishya." She responded. "Once we know the situation on the ground, I'll have you go out and act as my firefighters. If anything pops off, you'll be in charge of handling it."

"Yes Mam!" (Black Company)

"Can we get a bit of an explanation for that real quick?" Hishya wanted to know what Akagi did to Merkyul and his team.

"I'll give you the full details later, or you can just pester Imp since she helped." Akagi replied. “But basically, I rewrote parts of their soul. I purged out the bad parts, rearranged their personalities, and gave them absolute loyalty to me. They've had what amounts to a religious epiphany and now serve me as my dedicated special forces team."

{A very good one I might add.} (Akagi)

"So you brainwashed them..." Eris gave a nervous laugh.

"In a way, yes." Akagi nodded. "However, they still retain their memories and are fully aware that I messed with their minds. Go and ask them about it if you want more, but overall I'd say this was an improvement on how they were. At least this way, they are both alive and able to do good." She didn't exactly need a team of players to act on her behalf, but having them around was a boon. Not to mention, it was good testing for a future project she had in mind.

"Please don't go doing that to us..." Hishya sighed.

"I would say Imp is the more likely of the two of us to start going nuts with this whole thing, but thankfully she isn't capable of soul manipulation." Akagi laughed. "As for me, I have no real interest in mind controlling more people or something. I did it in this case because I wanted to test the limits of what I can do, and also because they were fantastic test subjects for game abilities and their changes in the real world."

"Is that why they seemed so much stronger than before?" Superbia asked. "Because Merkyul's team was always powerful, but they did crazy damage to Serval."

{Their power was easily closer to my own, which is something considering only Hitamaguchi should have had that level of ability.} (Superbia)

"Yeah, they are definitely more powerful than when I faced them in Nagoya." Hishya was referring to Sabia and Merkyul specifically.

"Lady Akagi has taken great care to amplify our game abilities and provide additional power boosts where possible," Sabia explained. "After some testing, she found a way to manipulate our powers, if only a bit."

"So you did find out what makes our powers function?" Hishya asked. She'd actually been curious about that part herself. Mizumi didn't really understand it and just assumed it was soul related.

"Yeah, and as Mizumi and I guessed, it's something from within the soul. It's hard to explain and Imp and I are still researching it, but suffice to say, I can change game powers around, at least a little bit." Akagi thought for a moment. "Just don't go expecting radical changes for a while. Right now just messing with minor stuff or adding in a few abilities is all we can do."

{Right now, all we've been able to do was retool and swap a few things. But even that was pushing it.} (Akagi)

"And then you took Imperial's research and his discovery that abilities could be tied to items." Ayame pointed out the ability used by Merkyul and Sabia at the start of their attack. “Merkyul mentioned gauntlets.”

"Yeah, Imperial's been hard at work digging deeper into that over these months." Akagi had placed him under favorable conditions. As long as he didn't cause problems she would leave him alone. Though he was well aware that he was not a free man.

"Where the hell is he anyway?" Minazawa asked. "I haven't seen him at the estate." She looked around.

"A secret lab several miles underground!" Daikael spurted out secret information. "I've been there, and it's super cool!"

"And you didn't tell anyone because?" Alveron figured the nutty fox was involved.

"I don't wanna end up like Armalthy..." Daikael gave a nervous laugh.

"Fair." (Everyone else)

"So getting past your experimenting, what is the plan?" Hishya wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen in Omara.

"I can explain that." Mizumi stepped out of the house. She was in her adult form, one that most players hadn't seen before. Beside her was Shinlua, and the look on her face was of both exhaustion and sadness.

"Go ahead and tell them. I've got stuff to do." Akagi walked away as she grabbed one of the ninjas and complained that preparations need to go faster.

"We'll effectively be performing a coup." Mizumi started explaining. "Omara has no real defense forces, beyond the explorers, and thus a military takeover should be easy. I presume many of the residents will be confused or angry at the sudden turn of events, but it's a necessary evil."

{Though a few individuals might provide some resistance, and we need to either capture or subdue them, hopefully capture. I want this to be bloodless.} (Mizumi)

"So basically, you're just going to overthrow the government in Omara and take up the leadership role?" Eris asked.

"Effectively, yes." Mizumi nodded. "Though, the hope is that the Council willingly surrenders rather than to oust them with bloodshed, and I've asked Akagi to limit any combat within the city." Though she knew well that peace wasn't an option at this point, she was still hoping for it.

"I still think that will be difficult." Shinlua interjected. "Spirits detest authoritarian rule, and Demons specifically. Some kind of unrest or even a revolt will likely occur once you announce the dissolution of the Council and our new status as subjects of the Demon Lord."

"If that happens, then Akagi's forces will attempt to defuse things with as little bloodshed as possible." Mizumi replied. "I've already worked things out with her, and while I agree that there is risk of such civil unrest, we really don't have a choice." She shook her head. "Akagi is already being kind enough to our people by performing a relatively peaceful and lax subjugation when she could just crush us and impose her rule arbitrarily. This is far from what I've wanted, but it's the best alternative to slavery."

"Akagi sure likes enslaving people..." Excelsior scoffed.

"Considering our leadership tried to kill her and Yumi, it's not really surprising." Mizumi gave a wry smile. "And I won't go as far as to say she likes slavery per se, it's just that she views it as a means to an end. I can't say I agree with her attitude, but it's not without its logic."

{Spirits don't practice slavery, but we never exactly condemned it either. So to do so now would be quite hypocritical.} (Mizumi)

"I still don't think this is right." Excelsior shook his head. "She's basically using jungle rules and the idea that might makes right. I get that she's an all-powerful being, but that doesn't make her actions right."

"Just give it up, Excel." Hishya sighed. "Akagi is how she is and there's nothing we can do to change it. In all honesty, she's not that bad of a person. At least, not as bad as I've made her out to be, and it's not like she's been running around acting tyrannical for no reason. Realistically speaking, she could be doing much worse, and I think in this situation we should be grateful for that bit of mercy." Hishya's words surprised everyone, as the Dragon had a habit of talking bad about Akagi's habits in private.

"That's a change in attitude." Superbia said. "But you're not exactly wrong." She mostly agreed with Hishya. "Like I said before, Excel. Just try and put her out of your mind. Otherwise, you're just adding on needless stress."

"I know, I know." Excel let out a breath. "It's just that none of this sits right with me."

"It doesn't have to." Zephiria spoke up. "I mean, you're entitled to your opinion, and Akagi doesn't exactly mind if people dislike her. As long as you keep it to just words and thoughts, what's wrong with taking a stance against her?"

"Akagi not mind-care." Imp said as she came from the house. "She has no ill will-bad blood because you have such thoughts-opinions."

"It's not like we all agree with her 100%. It's just that we realize that nothing good can come from getting all worked up about it." Minazawa said. "I learned the hard way that it's useless to fight her and that one is better off not fighting against the current when it comes to her." She shrugged.

"Indeed." Shiru smiled. "Sometimes just agreeing to disagree is best."

"I'd say it's a bit more than that, but Shiru is right." Hishya nodded. "I think rather than fighting against her, we should put as much effort into making sure that she keeps on her current path. At least, that's my plan."

{It's as I said before, in a thousand or ten thousand years, who knows what Akagi will do. And I for one would much rather her stay as the goofball who transforms into a catgirl for pets instead of becoming a genocidal monster with no feelings.} (Hishya)