Back at the Shendron Temple, Charles had learned a bit about this world's history—particularly the most recent world war.
On the surface, it had been a war between two opposing camps, but in truth it was orchestrated by a single man: The Tyrant Adamas Gaetia, a figure who had ruled the underworld long before.
The Tyrant had used his abilities to control the ruling classes of both factions, endlessly escalating the conflict with the ultimate aim of placing Blazers under his command as the new global ruling class.
Of course, someone eventually caught on to his true intentions—the current Minister of the Magic Knights' League, "Whitebeard" Arthur Bright.
Whitebeard gathered elite Blazers from both sides and led an assault on Rebellion's headquarters, eventually forcing back the Dark King.
That was the official history. But as an eyewitness, the Great Elder told Charles a deeper truth.
Whitebeard's forces hadn't merely repelled the Tyrant—they had sealed away his life and time entirely, tantamount to killing him outright.
With the Tyrant dead, who then led Rebellion? And how had it grown into one of the world's three great powers?
Charles didn't need the Elder to spell that part out.
Rebellion was the perfect scapegoat for war—a group that could draw the hatred of all nations.
After the war, it could also serve as a counterbalance between the League and the Alliance.
But only a Rebellion with the Tyrant "present" could serve that role. Thus, the Alliance and the Coalition had tacitly agreed to hide the Tyrant's death, installing people to prop up Rebellion as one of the three global powers.
For example, among the Twelve Apostles were figures like Hikaru Kazematsuri… and the "Grand Professor" Karl Ahrens, whom the Elder had mentioned.
The White Eagle's casus belli against Japan—and even against the League—stemmed from this.
They intended to accuse the League of concealing the Tyrant's death and secretly controlling the terrorist organization Rebellion, then declare war on the League in the name of justice.
Their confidence in victory came from the truth of "Superman" Abraham Carter, the so-called world's strongest.
Abraham's ability was conceptual interference: "superpowers." That meant he could use any ability recognized as a "superpower"—teleportation, mind control, psychokinesis, telepathy, and so on.
It was certainly a power worthy of the "strongest" title.
But to those who had lived through the previous era, who had seen or fought the Tyrant, this ability was all too familiar—because the Tyrant's own ability was identical.
This was no coincidence. In truth, "Superman" was not a normal human at all, but a clone created from the Tyrant's genetic material.
The Grand Professor's greatest research achievement was Superman—and not just one, but mass-produced. The cost was high, but mass-produced Demons were exactly why Superman was considered the strongest.
Individually, a Superman might be inferior to a Demon who had trained and grown naturally, but the number the White Eagle had created… that was the terrifying part.
Charles now understood why the Grand Professor was the key. Superman's status as the strongest wasn't just about the Tyrant's genes—it was also the result of the Professor's genius and the White Eagle's national power.
The Elder said, "From my information, the Professor is also driving this war. His goal seems tied to one of his ongoing research projects, which happens to align with the White Eagle's ambitions. That's why this war has come about.
Our homeland cannot allow itself to be dragged into war over such nonsense. Without you, our only hope would be for Japan—backed by the League—to hold off the White Eagle and keep the conflict from spreading.
But with you here, we finally have another option."
"I understand the situation," Charles replied. "Japan should have more specific intel. I'll coordinate with them."
"I'll leave it to you, then," the Elder said sincerely.
Ending the call, Charles sighed. Another troublesome job. But if the Elder was personally asking, it meant there really was no alternative.
This world's "homeland" might not be the one bound to him by blood, but he couldn't just stand by and watch it get dragged into war.
Besides, White Eagle nations seemed to have the same temperament in every world—and he'd disliked them for a long time. If this gave him a chance to vent, so much the better.
Unfortunately, what Moya Tsukikage could tell him about the Grand Professor was little beyond basic information.
The only useful detail was that the Professor had last been seen at a White Eagle military base. Minami Torajirou and Saiguu Ningyin had gone there to rescue Tsukikage, but failed to capture him.
What they did find at that base was the dead body of the Tyrant—
—but the Device that should have been on the Tyrant's remains was gone, presumably taken by the Grand Professor for unknown purposes.
As for his current whereabouts, no one knew. But it was certain he would intervene in the war with Japan to further his research.
According to Tsukikage, the Professor hadn't gotten any testimony from him that could serve as a war pretext.
Still, the fact that a Japanese minister had been seen at Rebellion headquarters, coupled with the League hiding the Tyrant's death, was just enough to start a war.
And Tsukikage's fears came true. While he and Gensai worked feverishly to prepare for war, the Pacific Fleet—long prowling Japan's nearby seas—moved in.
The war began in earnest when the White Eagle's vanguard forces landed on Japanese soil.
Perhaps because the last world war had left Japan deeply scarred, Tokyo had been transformed into an extreme fortress. At the sound of the alarm, massive steel domes closed overhead, sealing civilians in protective shelters.
Charles couldn't help wondering why this world's technology was so advanced despite the existence of supernatural abilities.
He had no position in the war, and both the Elder and Tsukikage had advised him not to get involved.
Stella, too, couldn't directly join the fighting—her actions as a princess of Famelion would reflect her parents' and nation's stance, and she wasn't saintly enough to risk drawing war to her own country.
So while Ikki fought on the front lines against the White Eagle's psychics, Charles and Stella busied themselves helping evacuate civilians.
Even so, Gensai occasionally sent updates on the battle.
The White Eagle demonstrated the vast gap in military power between a small nation and a great power.
Their vanguard wasn't even human soldiers, but war robots—deadly machines far beyond the capabilities of normal armies.
Gensai had to send in Blazer units to hold the line.
Ikki, meanwhile, was making a name for himself—single-handedly holding a sector of the defense, his fame building atop his Seven Stars Sword Art Festival performance.
The front remained stable for now, but Charles could feel the strain on Gensai. Even the outwardly calm Tsukikage had to admit the insurmountable gap between Japan and the White Eagle.
If just one robot unit forced Japan to reveal its trump cards, what could they use to stop the White Eagle's next wave?
After all, the [PSYON] psychic unit and the mass-produced Demon "Supermen" hadn't even appeared yet.
As expected, the war soon spread deeper into Japanese territory.
Looking up at the airborne aircraft carrier, Charles couldn't help thinking it looked ready to fall out of the sky at any moment—after all, in movies, big flying things usually ended up as "sky tombstones."
Then he sensed something unusual about it. This wasn't a technological craft at all—it was someone's Noble Art.
Well, Devices came in all shapes and sizes. If someone's Device was a full aircraft carrier… why not?
This was Douglas Upton, the "White Whale"—the White Eagle's strongest psychic before the appearance of Superman, and the actual commander of the Pacific Fleet.
Bringing the world's largest Device, he himself had descended into the heart of Japan's defenses.
But no one seemed to notice another figure appearing before Charles and Stella.
Charles looked at the handsome Caucasian man who had just removed his combat mask. "That lifeless aura… you're 'Superman' Abraham, aren't you?"
Abraham didn't answer. Instead, a voice came from a speaker on his body.
"Rubbing salt in people's wounds is rather nasty, you know. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself—I'm Karl Ahrens. And this time, I hope Her Highness the Crimson Lotus Princess will cooperate with me in a magnificent research project."
Charles's brow twitched. So the man he wanted to capture had come here with his sights set on Stella?
Well… didn't that mean he'd just delivered himself right to the door?
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I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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