A sea of blood

Francis and I took post in the rear end of the central plaza.

"You're changing, Sir Miles."

"W-What brought this on, Francis?"

"I've always thought you loathe social interactions, so you avoid them every time possible, but what you did earlier was... out of character, I'd say."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

Francis giggled and said, "It's a compliment, sir."

Francis isn't exactly wrong... I've always thought that as long as you have one person you cherish more than your life, you won't need another one... since all that does is add more to grieve about. But ever since they've been taken away, I started looking.

Freedom really is a lie... you can't decide anything for yourself. I've determined in the previous world that as long as I have my parents, I'll just live in the moment, go with the flow of life, but here I am in a completely different atmosphere, stuck with an idiot.

"Is that what you think, Francis? I-I didn't do it for them. I-It was for the sake of the mission!"

"I despise people who lie to themselves, Sir Miles."

The mood suddenly got intense... What he said just now is divergent from his previous advice... That abrupt shift to a serious tone... intimidating.

"Anyways, shall we proceed with the plan?"

He's back to his usual self.

"O-Okay..."

That's right... let's focus on the plan!

"Francis, Are Hermes and Reyna in position?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Have you told Ms. Alice about it?"

"If I did, she'll immediately start nagging about my safety, sir."

"I guess I'll have to apologize to her later."

Now... take a good glance at my ridiculousness! I don't know why, but this is... exhilarating!

"Good afternoon, citizens of Midway!"

A voice reverberated throughout the plaza.

Here it comes! I apologize, Mr. Wissen! For using you as a diversion! But you're charisma enhancement is perfect for the job!

"Today, we will be presenting you the traitor among us!"

First step! Use Nori! I now know how to trigger her, but the crowd has to be distracted since an unconscious person lying on public grounds attracts too much attention, but this is where Mr. Wissen's charisma ability comes to play!

"You have the mirror, Francis?"

"Yes, sir!"

"We'll have to wait for Mr. Wissen to make his appearance. The ocean-like crowd is still murmuring and not paying attention."

"I'll update Hermes and Reyna!"

"Please and thank you!"

I feel badass... like I can conquer the world! But this isn't time for emotion! Focus, Miles! Focus!

"This man has been a reliable public servant for decades, but it pains me to say that he has taken the wrong path."

It pains you, huh? That stiff face looks like it's trying to hold back the joy of destroying a good man's life. It's frustrating! But I have to hold back emotions!

"It has been televised! Congressman Alexander Wissen slipped his tongue and revealed his connections to the absolute scum named Hitoshi!"

Unlike you man-children who sit on a high chair doing nothing, I understand where Hitoshi came from. I've experienced firsthand how utterly fucked this place is, and it's enough to turn you into a mass murderer! When scum rules, more scum is born.

"Here is the face of the man who deceived the people's eyes! Guards! Bring him!"

|...|

"Good afternoon, Midway!"

"..."

Mr. Wissen looks... beat up. What did those scumbags do to him?! Fuck! It's not the time for that! Suppress your emotions, Miles! The crowd became silent... Now is the time!

"Francis! The mirror!"

"Yes, sir!"

Francis threw the mirror. Alright! Please be there, Nori!

|---|

"Good afternoon! Master!"

"You know what to do, Nori?"

"I wanted to have a chat with you..."

"Nori! Now is not the t-"

"I'm kidding... I'll let you see... the future you have to avoid."

"Thank you! Talk to you later!"

|...|

Hahaha... W-What the fuck is this?! T-This is a joke, right? Not even Satan... is capable of this!

"The bomb plant was successful! Get to the platform!"

|...|

I got down on my knees... My eyes opened as wide as possible... And I was banging my head against the ground as if someone was forcing me to.

If I were to describe my state, my soul is getting sucked away...

W-Why are they stepping... on the bodies... are these people even aware?! A sea of blood... is beneath their feet?! The crowd from earlier... is gone... all that's left now is... corpses... Reyna and Hermes... are in the masses... hahaha...

"That was one hell of a bomb you made, Ryzen."

"You flatter me, Maestro."

|...|

In a scream the broke all my vocal cords, I yelled, "HITOSHI!"

I sprang towards the masked villain and threw a barrage of punches with all my might. But every hit passed through him like a ghost.

I'll KILL you bastard! I'll PARADE your body in the depths of HELL! Arrgh! I want to go back!

While I was having a mental breakdown, Nori appeared.

"M-Master! D-Don't forget your goal!"

"Nori... Why? I don't want to see any more deaths!"

"It's only an illusion, master! You can prevent this!"

"I know that! But why?!"

"If you start collapsing now, you'll experience this for real!"

"..."

This isn't real... I can prevent this...

Get a grip, Miles! You can prevent this, you useless bastard! They're relying on you! For once! Someone is actually counting on you! You can't mess this up! Ahh! Fuck my sanity!

"Thank you... Nori..."

"D-Don't push yourself too much!"

"Sure..."

Alright... what do we have here... hahaha. So this Ryzen dude planted a bomb in the middle of the crowd. Hitoshi has about a hundred men hiding around the central plaza. The man who has showcasing Mr. Wissen has been shot, and Mr. Wissen is the only man alive.... haha... everyone is dead,

But... I now have a plan.

I got up from my knees and asked, "I've seen enough, Nori... send me back."

"I-I can't send you back like this! You were on your knees and tearing up!"

"Are you going to defy my orders?! I said send me back!"

"Y-Yes... master."

|...|

Ouch... I can't feel anything, nor hear, nor see.

"Sir Miles! You've awakened!"

"..."

"Sir Miles! Get a grip on yourself!"

Oh... I'm back... before the massacre... I'm back before the massacre!

I hurriedly sat down and commanded, "Francis! Call Reyna and Hermes!"

"S-Sure, but what do I tell them?"

"Find a man about six foot five, a scar on his left eye, and has a prosthetic left leg. Grab his bag and give it to you."

"O-Okay? But why?"

"Don't start asking questions now! Hurry up and do it!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

If I were to dive into this ocean of a crowd, I'm not going to make it in time, so all I can do is nothing for now...

"*Ring!"

"Reyna! Sir Miles has an order, and he said to find a man about six foot six, has a scar on his left eye and a prosthetic left leg. Grab his bag and give it to me."

From the phone, I heard Reyna, "So apprehend the man I'm standing next to?"

How convenient! But to seize someone in the middle of the crowd is... weird, I'd say.

I took Francis' hands and commanded, "Reyna, this is Miles. Try not to cause too much trouble, okay?"

"I have an adorable little brother who can turn invisible! We've done this before, so don't worry!"

It pains me to say, but all I can do now is listen to Mr. Wissen's speech, and put all my faith in you, Reyna!

|...|

I sat down on the floor and listened to Mr. Wissen's speech.

"I will not make excuses! For I have no regrets! The corrupt government will not silence me! My legacy does not require my presence! You may have hindered me, but the tidal wave of equality will not be stopped!

An inspiring speech, but why does it feel like it's not enough? Mr. Wissen said he'd speak to the world, but I doubt his righteous address will do that.

|...|

Out of nowhere, a kid's voice could be heard.

"Boo!"

"Ahh! Hermes! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Neh, Miles... This bag is making a ticking noise. What should I do with it? Is it a toy?"

"Give it to Francis, you idiot!"

"Is this a toy or what? You better show me later, okay?"

"Shut up and give it to him! Francis, can you teleport it to somewhere safe?"

"Is the forest a good enough place, Sir Miles?"

"Does blowing up a bomb there cause casualties?"

"Human casualties, no, but animal casualties, definitely."

"Ah! Fuck! Go for it!"

"I'll be back in a minute!"

"*Snap!"

|...|

The bomb has been taken care of, and all that's left is-

"Oi, brat! Where's the bag?!"

R-R-Ryzen? What's he doing here?! And he's pointing a gun at us!

Oblivious to the situation, Hermes exclaimed, "Woah! That's a nice toy gun there, mister!"

"Hermes! Get behind me now!"

This guy is dangerous! His wide-open eye staring blades of rage at my soul... Reasoning with him would be jumping off a cliff.

"Why, Miles? I want to play with his g-"

"Tell me where the fucking bag is! Three... two-"

"Hermes!"

I scrambled towards Hermes in an attempt to save him...

Ah! Fuck me! My body is moving by itself again! Sorry, Ria!

"*Bang!"

|...|

I'm sorry! I'm so... rry? I'm... alive? I'm alive! But what was that gunshot?!

While I was confused, I heard a grown man groan.

"Arrgh!"

"Miles... why are you hugging me?"

Oh, right! I lunged towards Hermes to save him-

"Get off me, bitch!"

A familiar voice yelled, "You tried to shoot my brother! I'll decapitate you, you bastard!"

Impeccable timing, Reyna! That was heroic! She put him in a thigh... chokehold... I wish Ria would do that to me! Ahh! This isn't time for perversion!

"*Snap!"

|...|

"I've returned, Sir Miles!"

"Nice timing, Francis! Can you teleport that dude to Uncle Jerry and tell him to beat the fuck out of this guy!"

"*Sigh... I just got here!"

"*Snap!"

|...|

That was a lot of trouble! Mr. Wissen's charisma ability worked like a charm! The crowd hasn't noticed all the fuss we've created! All that's left is the sniper within the premises and follow the plan...

I have yet another ridiculous idea that involves sacrificing a scumbag. Well, not really, but it technically does!

It's unlikely that the Kuroi gang will continue its onslaught since the bomb has been neutralized, so they won't have a distraction, but in the case, Hitoshi loses his temper, he'll probably send half his hundred men to create a fuss and continue their plan.

This place is guarded, but fifty armed men will penetrate the sloppy defense the police corps put up... though it will take time. My idea is to take advantage of that delay to find the sniper. That would be impossible without any hints, so I'll let the marksman shoot the man hosting Mr. Wissen's public indictment, and from that, I should be able to tell where Mr. sniper came from.

We can teleport anywhere within the central plaza since we've laid Francis's hair around the domain; From the platform, the crowd's square, and the surrounding building, we have it all covered!

"Reyna... Hermes... gather 'round! I have a plan."