Chapter 132: Tarot XXI - The World - Reversed
Homelander spread his arms, as if he were God embracing his people. His face was flush, his spirit higher than it had ever been.
"HOMELANDER!"
"HOMELANDER!"
Below him, a roiling sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see. This was the largest protest mobilization in American history, and likely the last. Without Homelander's power to suppress the authorities, no government would ever tolerate a riot of this scale.
Bobby and the other B45 members were at the very front of the procession. His face was also filled with a fanatical fervor, and he held a sign high that read: [MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN]. In his eyes, the government's weakness, its complete domination by corporate interests, was the direct cause of all the suffering of ordinary people like him. And Homelander, this powerful superhero who was willing to see things from their perspective, was the perfect leader.
The police and military lines had been pushed back again and again. It no longer looked like they were trying to stop Homelander's advance; it looked like they were his honor guard, clearing the way for him. In truth, these frontline soldiers and police had no will to fight a monster like Homelander. They were just workers, collecting a paycheck. Who would willingly fight a monster that was immune to bullets? A single blast of his heat-vision, and they would all be killed like insects.
Ance's shoulder was shattered, and he was still recovering. George stood by Kaito's side, a growing anxiety on his face as he looked at the fanatical expressions of the people around them.
"Boss, what's our next move? If this keeps up, it's going to turn into a full-blown civil war…"
He was a frequent internet user. Because of B45's newfound fame, he had become a major influencer himself, and he was highly sensitive to the tides of public opinion. He knew that what Homelander and their movement were doing now was tantamount to inciting an insurrection. They were using hundreds of thousands of people to force the government to concede.
And the government, whether Democrat or Republican, would never tolerate this. To back down now would be to lose all authority. George had a feeling that, at this very moment, countless sniper rifles, artillery pieces, and missiles were all aimed at them. The moment the man in charge gave the order, everyone here, except for Homelander, would be wiped from the face of the earth.
Kaito patted the black man, who still retained a shred of his sanity and hadn't been completely swept up by the mob mentality. He put a hand on his neck and pulled him closer, an unsettling, evil smile on his face. "George. Are you afraid to die?"
Hearing his boss's question, George's panic intensified. He nodded.
"Then run, George. Use every survival instinct you have, and run! This place is about to become a living hell…"
Kaito didn't know what kind of trump cards Kalpa had, but he was certain of one thing: neither Kalpa nor the United States government would sit by and let Homelander continue. They would undoubtedly use every means at their disposal to solve the Homelander problem. The original Soldier Boy had been just as powerful, but he had still been captured, brainwashed, and imprisoned. And this world was not lacking for powerful Supes. Compound V even had the ability to grant temporary superpowers to ordinary people. Although the side effects were severe, he knew that for these politicians, if a tool existed, they would use it.
Kaito looked up at Homelander, who was floating in the air as if he owned the world, a look of cold pity on his face.
[Main Quest 2, Current Completion: B+. Settle now?]
"No."
After killing The Deep, Kaito had already met the minimum completion requirements for the quest. After killing Bad Kid and his accomplice, the rating had risen to B+. He could leave at any time. But he wasn't leaving. He was here to incite even greater chaos, to kill even stronger enemies, to reap an even greater reward. And… to kill Kalpa.
Hearing Kaito's words, George was overcome with panic. He looked around at the people beside him, every one of them screaming themselves hoarse. He suddenly turned and shoved his way out of the crowd, desperately running for the edge.
Kaito didn't stop him. A light flashed in his hand, and he crushed the blue drop card.
[You have opened Stormfront's Drop Card.]
[Extracting Drop…]
[You have obtained 2000 Dimensional Points.]
[You have obtained the item: Stormfront's Cape.]
[You have obtained the material: Storm-Eroded Arm (Blue).]
[Stormfront's Cape]
[Quality: Black Iron Story Equipment]
[Description: The hero equipment worn by Stormfront. Contains a strange power.]
[Requirements: Constitution > 6, Spirit > 6]
[Defense: Low. Durability: Average.]
[Effect 1: When worn, gain Storm Affinity. User's proficiency with these two ability types is increased by an additional Lv1.]
[Effect 2: When worn, gain the special ability, Slow Fall (E). This ability cannot be upgraded.]
Stormfront's drop card was only blue, but the items were quite good.
Kaito then, as if no one was watching, took out the other, special card. He rubbed its surface, and it instantly pricked his finger. This in itself was a strange phenomenon. Even with his debuffed stats, his Constitution was still 13, nearly three times that of a normal person. His skin was incredibly tough; it shouldn't have been possible for a simple card to break it. But once again, from the smooth surface of the card, his blood began to flow.
[Special Item has been bound.]
[Sequence: Tarot, beginning activation…]
In Kaito's vision, the face of the card began to change. Unlike the [Card of Sin], no crimson text appeared. Instead, a brilliant light began to gather from all around, coalescing into the card. Bit by bit, this light began to inscribe a new image on the card's black back.
Against a background of a clear sky, a door made of green leaves had formed. A naked goddess, draped in a light veil, was dancing within the door, her back to him. And in the center of the card, the Roman numeral XXI appeared.
[Sequence Stabilized. Tarot - The World - Reversed (XXI) successfully bound.]
[Activating... Activation Failed. Reincarnator Ex051's innate talent is not anchored.]
Kaito watched as the light slowly faded, leaving behind a card that had now completely transformed into a Tarot card in his hand.
This was clearly different from what [Heartless] had described. He had said he had no "qualification" and that the card hadn't changed at all. But Kaito now knew for certain that this card was one of the twenty-two that the Professor had spoken of: The Twenty-Two Tarot, bestowed upon The Chosen. And it was the final card of the Major Arcana, the one that symbolized completion and endings: [The World].
"Tsk. It's not [The Fool] card? And here I was, thinking I was some kind of protagonist," Kaito mocked himself.
At the same time, the fact that the card had reacted to him meant one thing. He hadn't expected that he, too, was one of the so-called [Chosen]. But… no Reincarnator had ever scouted him. And he had certainly never received any of the "special treatment" that [The Chosen] were supposed to get. So what does that make me?
He knew that these were questions he could only answer back in the Nexus. For now, it was time to cooperate with Kalpa and completely destroy this country.
The victor would take the high-tier Singularities that this chaos would generate, and all the other spoils. The loser… would eat dust.
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Guys We cross the 200 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 300 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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