Amidst the hushed, bewildered crowd, a single voice rose above the silence. It was clear, unwavering, and charged with something more than mere sound. It belonged to an old man, a priest who had once been a quiet, overlooked figure in the community. But now, standing atop a makeshift platform—a toppled garbage bin—he gazed upon the sea of faces with the fire of a prophet.
"An angel has descended upon the Earth and saved our blessed nation!" he cried, his voice carrying far beyond its natural reach, as if borne on divine wind. "She has banished the undead that crawled across our soil and saved us from the jaws of apocalypse!"
The people listened, spellbound.
"It is clear what must be done! We must cleanse our sins! End this unjust war with Ukraine! Cast down this corrupt government! We must build a theocracy, for only God and the Angel can deliver us now. The military has forsaken us. The government has hidden behind silence. But she came!"
The crowd, shell-shocked citizens who had witnessed the impossible, and even skeptics now uncertain, stood transfixed. For days, they had lived under the pall of fear and anarchy. But now, something was changing. The old systems had crumbled, and in their place was rising a fervent, almost dangerous hope.
Then the priest raised his hand and from his palm, a blinding, celestial light poured forth, casting his face in holy radiance. The crowd gasped.
"We have been blessed by the Angel!" he declared. "Not only I, but countless others across St. Petersburg, within Kazan Cathedral and beyond, have awakened this gift! Raise your hands! Let the world see that we have been chosen! That we are ready to begin anew! That we are willing to build the nation the Angel has called us to!"
And the effect was instantaneous.
All around him, tens of thousands responded. From the young to the elderly, the poor, the rich, even the infirm hands lifted toward the gray sky. Some burst forth with brilliant, dazzling light. Others only flickered dimly, like candles in the wind. But every shimmer was a testament.
Faces once twisted by fear were now lit with hope, conviction, and something far more powerful: belief.
...
Tamamo stood by the window of the illegally claimed apartment, looking down at the growing crowd. Her nine tails swayed gently behind her.
"They're worshiping you, human," she remarked.
Kaito, sitting on a threadbare sofa, ran a hand through his now long hair. A small, almost self-conscious chuckle escaped his lips. "It's kind of embarrassing, to be honest. To be seen as an object of worship... especially when they keep referring to me as a girl."
Eleanor walked over to him, her expression a mix of awe and concern. She had heard the priest's sermon on the street below. "It seems you also granted them power somehow. I saw them, thousands of them, with that same light you had."
Kaito nodded, his gaze distant. "It's the connection to Heaven. When I shielded them from the No Life King's aura, that divine energy bled into them, mostly due to their preexisting beliefs. The connection is faint, almost imperceptible, so it shouldn't impact their humanity too much. But I'm not sure... I've never done anything like this before."
Eleanor knelt before him, her eyes searching his. "Speaking of humanity... how are you feeling, Kaito? Are you still you?"
He looked into her eyes, a familiar sense of warmth washing over him. "Aside from being able to think more efficiently, I feel the same. The rage and sadness I felt earlier… it's what allowed me to retain my humanity." He paused, his expression growing serious. "Although, I can't say the same for Shikabanehime."
With a thought, Kaito summoned Shikabanehime. The sword, usually exuding an aura of cold, ominous death, now glowed with a faint, almost imperceptible trace of holy power. The familiar malevolence was gone.
"Shikabanehime's curse is gone," Kaito explained. "She can no longer consume the life force of the living or grant immortality. She has, however, retained her ability to adapt and rapid regeneration."
Shikabanehime's spiritual form appeared beside him, her pitch-black eyes fixed on Kaito. Her appearance was unchanged, but her very essence felt different—lighter, purer. 'It's alright, Master,' she said, her voice now a gentle whisper. 'I prefer it this way. As long as you don't abandon me.'
"I wouldn't do such a thing, Shikabanehime," Kaito said, gently touching the hilt of the sword. He then turned his gaze back to Eleanor. "I can't risk fusing with Durandal again. Not until I am much stronger, not until I can control the power without losing myself to it."
Eleanor's resolve hardened and smiled. "Then I will train harder. I'll pick up your slack."
A smile also touched Kaito's lips. "I look forward to it."
___________________________
Cipher: "The people of Russia are looking for a new leader. Let's support this revolution. We can conquer the nation in its guise and claim it as our own."
Lord Fitzwilliam: "An idea I can absolutely get behind! I say we strike while the iron is hot!"
StreetLaw: "I will infiltrate the Russian Underworld. They'll be looking for new power vacuums, and I'll be there to 'convince' them to join our cause. A popular revolution is nothing without a strong foundation in the shadows."
Diamond_Diva9: "Excellent. I will provide the necessary funding. Once we have a foothold, we can build a New World Inc. branch there, unburdened by those pesky regulations that slow us down in the United States. Think of the possibilities for unchecked research and development."
FXUnicorn_Cat: "What about the Russian military? They're not just going to stand by and let a populist uprising take over an entire country."
SkyHigh Roller: "The military can be dealt with. We can bribe the high-ranking officials. If that doesn't work, we can always assassinate the troublesome ones and have them replaced with automatons that look just like them. No one will ever know the difference."
G. Hawthorne: "A truly brilliant and pragmatic plan, if I do say so myself."
AluM7: "Here is a GPS location of all their general and key personnel."
Baroness von K: "We should also create a figurehead, an automaton, to lead the government once the revolution succeeds. This will ensure our complete control without any messy human emotions getting in the way of progress."
Larry the Lush: "I've already got an excellent design in mind!."
Palette Princess: "You guys can't be serious... This is an entire country we're talking about... Are we really going to attempt to take over Russia?"