The Red Hand

Chapter 191 – A Plea for Peace.

Yumi sat and cried while hugging her sister for several minutes. It was a touching display that even got Hishya a bit choked up. Once Yumi calmed down, she noticed that Miji had fallen asleep at some point, and after a minor panic, Sizix explained that the revival process is draining and that it may take some time for her to recover.

"Take her back home and have Mimi keep an eye on her." Akagi said without looking at Yumi. She wasn't in a happy mood and was barely holding her composure together. The guilt she was feeling from ignoring Yumi's direct plea was eating her up inside.

"My Lord, I-" Yumi tried to say something, but Akagi just walked away.

"I'll speak to you later, just right now... go make sure she's alright." Akagi said as she began to walk toward the stairs.

{I can't talk to you right now, Yumi... I'm sorry...} (Akagi)

Yumi knew that this whole situation was eating at the Demon. While Akagi might trample over the will of those she didn't care for, Yumi was a separate matter. Right now, Akagi's mental state had taken a significant nosedive due to this additional stress, and the Priestess understood that trying to speak to her at this point in time wasn't for the best.

Once things settled down, Yumi returned to the estate with her sister, and Sizix was sucked into Akagi's shadow. Naturally, the Spirit protested, but Akagi's fierce glare told her to shut up or else.

"Are you ok?" Hishya asked Akagi as they walked out of the Council building.

"No..." Akagi gave a dry laugh. "But it's fine. I'll deal with it later."

"At the very least, I think you did the right thing." Hishya's words gave Akagi pause. "Listen, normally I wouldn't say that ignoring someone's wishes is a good thing, but I'd say this might be one of the few occasions where it's understandable. I mean, you gave Yumi back her sister. That has to balance things out, right?" She was trying to make Akagi feel better.

{Even if its not her original sister, Yumi doesn't have to know that, and god have mercy on ANYONE who dares let that slip. I imagine she'd do something so horrific to them that it would make what she's doing to Armalthy look tame.} (Hishya)

"I don't know..." Akagi shook her head. "But let's put that whole issue aside for now. I've got an occupation to begin, and a job to." She waved to Mizumi. "Let's start phase two now. I know it's late, but things have taken a different direction than expected. I can't stay here until morning like I originally planned." She'd wanted to wait for the new day for her speech and declaration. But with the return of Miji, and her current mental state, that wasn't a good idea.

"It's fine. People will just have to deal with a late-night disruption. Let's head to the main plaza. Have your people spread the word around town. Hopefully, we get a good crowd of people this late." Mizumi gave a wry smile.

Moving swiftly to the main plaza, Akagi instructed her forces to begin informing the city's residents that an announcement would take place in the city center. Naturally, many were not happy to have their nights disrupted, but due to the commotion from her force's sudden appearance, people were more curious than angry. After around an hour of waiting, Akagi constructed a makeshift earthen stage with her power, and she, Mizumi, and Shinlua moved up to address the massive crowd.

"Damn, that's a lot of people." Akagi laughed.

{This will be the make or break point...} (Akagi)

"I think around one-third of the city showed up." Mizumi sighed. "That's both good and bad..." She was worried things might turn into a riot with this many people. The crowd was already slightly unruly, with lots of whispers and discussion.

{Now to see if things will go as I've hoped.} Akagi stepped forward, switching back into her Demon Lord mode as she allowed a great deal of power to crash down on the audience. In an instant, all the noise and chatter ceased as people became either unable or unwilling to speak. The Demon allowed her power to push down on people for a few minutes until she was satisfied that she had their attention and receded it a bit.

"Listen up!" Akagi's voice carried throughout the entire plaza. It was loud, authoritative and annoyed. "Most of you already know who and what I am, but for those of you living under a rock, allow me to formally introduce myself." She allowed her aura to flare up for a moment and cover her body in an inky black fire. "My name is Akagi Dumetor, and I am the Demon Lord, and as of this moment, Omara is under my control." Her words crashed down on the Spirits like a wave, and their eyes told her everything she needed to know about how they felt right now.

{Just don't go doing something stupid, and you get out of this alive.} (Akagi)

Akagi snapped her fingers and make the three Council members appear next to her, bound in shadow chains. They were awake but gagged so as to not allow them the chance to start a riot. "I have here the three members of your Spirit Council, which have made war upon me and my people." She began to pace back and forth on the stage as she spoke, and the entire time, she kept her eyes trained squarely on the audience. "When I first came to Omara, I did so with an offer of peace and friendship. I had no desire for war or conflict with your people, and I was more than happy to establish a mutual relationship of trust and cooperation. When I spoke to your Council, I made no demands, no threats, nothing. I simply came to pay my respects to your ruling body and express my desire for a good relationship with those whose ancestors once called my world home." She stopped and pointed at the three Council members. "However, my olive branch was not only swatted aside by these three, but it was crushed and ground into dust! Not only did they refuse to grant me the respect I am owed as a Demon Lord, but they also dared to threaten my life and that of my people! And even after I returned the Anchor which binds this world to mine in a show of good faith, they still sought to kill me and my family!" Akagi could tell her words were having some effect, as the harsh eyes from earlier had softened a bit. "Thanks to the efforts of Mizumi and Councilor Shinlua, I was informed of their plans to invade my world and destroy not only my people but their desire to enslave the humans who live there as well." She laughed. "Now, far be it from me to stand up for humanity. However, even the most xenophobic among you must know that the humans of Earth and those of your old world are not the same and thus bear no responsibility for what was done to you." Akagi could see many of the members of the audience nod in agreement. Onmiyame and Daruma wiggled in an attempt to get free, but Akagi simply tightened their restraints to prevent any movement. "I might not be particularly fond of humanity as a whole, but that world. That world and its people belong to ME!" Her eyes and tone got fierce. "I will not tolerate ANY outside force which attempts to destroy it, for that is MY role and MY role alone." She smirked. "So now, that brings us to the present situation." Akagi stopped moving, held her hands behind her back, and stared out at the Spirits. "For such abhorrent crimes against me, I originally sentenced your people to death." These words caused a minor panic among the audience, who started to scream.

"HOWEVER!" Akagi's voice caused everyone to go quiet. "Thanks to the tireless effort of both Mizumi and Shinula, I've reconsidered my judgment." She started pacing again. "Rather than exterminate your people, you will fall under my suzerainty. Which means that I will be your ruler, albeit indirectly. This will not make you my slaves, for I have no interest in doing such a thing. Rather you will become citizens of my nation, the Kingdom of Dumetor, as a vassal state. At her insistence, and with Shinlua's blessing, Mizumi will take the role of Governor of Omara. She will lead your people as my representative while Shinula forms a newly elected Council to aid in the running of this world." Akagi took a deep breath. "I will give you one single warning before I depart." She allowed her aura to crash down on the entire city. "Do not make me regret allowing your people to live, for there will be no next time!" She retracted her power and Mizumi and Shinlua swapped places with her on the stage.

"It is exactly as she says." Mizumi gave a pained expression. "I am sorry that things have come to this. Akagi truly wished to have peace with our people, but Onmiyame and the other Council members became so engrossed in their own desire for vengeance against humanity that they would not listen to reason." She pointed to Shinlua. "Even at both my and Councilor Shinlua's urging, they would not cease their self-destructive actions. And..." She started crying. "And... as was the job left to me by Hymone, I had to do everything in my power to save our people from destruction!" The tears came on even harder as she continued to speak. "He and the other elders sacrificed themselves to allow us all to live! And the last thing they told me before they entered the ritual chamber... the last thing they told me... was to protect our people! To ensure that their sacrifice would not be in vain! ”She screamed at the top of her lungs. “That's why I begged Akagi not to destroy us! Because while Onmiyame and the others were our leaders, they had no right to jeopardize our lives as they did!" She wiped away the tears with a cloth. "So, please... I know this will be hard to accept. I know this isn't what we wanted or expected, but it's what we have to endure! Akagi might be a Demon Lord, but I trust her when she says that she wants to be friends with us! She's been nothing but kind to me and our people, and if not for her aide, Omara wouldn't be thriving as much as it is today!" She took a deep breath. "I know this is going to be a lot to ask. I know how much each and every one of you detest Demons. I know the idea of submitting to one must churn your stomach, and I know that this rapid upheaval of your lives is both unwelcome and undesired, but please..." She gave a deep bow. "Please give her a chance! And If you can't trust her, then at least trust me! And in return, I will continue to serve you as I've always done!"

"Indeed." Shinlua bowed as well. "I will do everything in my power. I will dedicate my entire life to ensuring that our people are safe. You took me in when my people abandoned me, so allow me to return that favor!"

The sight of the two most well-liked Spirits bowing so deeply after a moving speech stunned the other Spirits. Mizumi was highly respected due to her status as a High Spirit and her charitable acts throughout her life. Most Spirits had at least a positive opinion of her, and Shinlua was basically a war hero, so seeing both of them pleading for calm and peace in such a manner was astonishing to the residents of Omara, and most had no idea what to say or think about this turn of events. The silence continued for nearly a minute, and both Shinlua and Mizumi began to sweat nervously until.

"We won't become slaves?" The little Tanuki girl named Alma who worked at the Wandering Spirit Inn squeezed through the crowd and approached the stage.

"No!" Mizumi vigorously shook her head. "Akagi has guaranteed that our people will not become slaves. All she wants is assurance that our people won't attack Earth or her again. That's all."

"Will we still be able to act as we please? Would our lives change much under her umbrella?" The Arachne woman Akagi had bought the Kimono spoke up.

"No." Shinlua answered. "The new Council, not Akagi, will handle day-to-day affairs. She might provide some policy input, but she has no interest in directly ruling our people. Nor will she be policing your actions."

"I think we should give her a chance!" The small Fish-girl and some of the other war orphans squeezed to the front to voice their support. "Akagi might be a Demon, but she was nice to me and my friends! She even gave us money when she didn't need to!"

"Your lives won't really change under my rule." Akagi spoke. "Hell, if you want, you can go and talk bad about me and make fun of me. I don't really care." She shrugged. "As long as your people don't pose a threat to me or my world, then I don't really care what you do in yours."

"I think it will be fine." (Spirit A)

"She might be a Demon, but she was so nice to me at my music shop." (Spirit B)

"If it wasn't for her, I couldn't have gotten the tools to make my store." (Spirit C)

"She and her sister were so kind to me when we spoke!" (Spirit D)

One by one, members of the audience voiced their support or approval for working with Akagi, until the slow trickle turned into a cacophony. It seemed that the Demon's heavy investment in Omara's construction and development had endeared her to more people than expected. And her kind attitude to the Spirits she met on her travels within the city had convinced people of her kindness and compassion.

Mizumi was relieved to see her people approve of the transition, and once it was clear that things wouldn't spiral out of control, she took the opportunity to declare the creation of the Dominion of Omara. Things wouldn't always be easy, and there would undoubtedly be some friction, but it seemed that, at least for now, things would remain peaceful in Omara.