Chapter Thirty-Two: Death—War for the Sake of Peace
“Lord Reaper, we… we have failed…”
“What? Failed? Weren’t our giants supposed to be impervious to their ordinary mechas?”
“Their mechas seem to have been upgraded. The giant we deployed in Turkey was slain by two teenagers.”
“Teenagers?” A man with the air of a scientist suddenly stood up from his throne, but quickly regained his composure.
“Never mind, it probably isn’t that person. If it were, our base would have been compromised long ago.”
“So, what should our next move be? Should we send some infiltrators to assassinate them?”
“What matters most now is to order Gaia to complete the development of those new Satans at once. Her fortress is currently in Arabia—if she doesn’t finish in time, the results of our experiments could be lost.”
“Lord Reaper, there’s something I’ve never quite understood.”
“What is it? I’ll grant you this chance.”
“Well, my lord, why don’t we develop our own mechas?”
“We lack the talent for that. Even when I was still human, my expertise was in biochemical weapons, not mecha engineering. And ever since that man created what was said to be the strongest legendary mecha only to vanish, many with the necessary skills have gone to challenge him. We barely have anyone who knows machinery.”
“Is that so? But, Lord Reaper, why do you hate humanity so much? Weren’t you once human yourself?”
“Your brain must have retained some human thoughts! Never mind. I simply despise the endless wars raging across the world. What the world needs is someone influential enough to reshape it. My aim is to remake this absurd world. I suppose that person vanished because he feared his mecha would become a threat to humanity.”
“But, Lord Reaper, if our research succeeds, won’t it plunge the entire world into war? Then what’s the point of all this?”
“A brief war will bring lasting peace. If things continue as before, war will never end and more people will become like us. But once everyone’s memories are reengineered, there will be no more mutual harm. When the entire world is made up of our Satans, perhaps then the vision of the Lord will be fulfilled. For Satan to accomplish what God could not—that is true irony. That’s the meaning behind the name I gave you all.”
“Lord Reaper, I’ll go to Arabia to pay my respects to Gaia.”
“There’s no need. Even if we are no longer human, we still have means of communication. The low-grade Satans can’t use them, but for us, with our intellect, it’s as easy as for any normal person.”
“Then I’ll leave you to your work, Lord Reaper. I’m returning to the East Asian front—the offensive there has made no progress.”
“They’re just relying on the terrain. Once we take India in a few days, launch an artillery assault at once.”
“Yes, I take my leave.”
“Humans, Satans—because of my weapons, more and more people are changing. If humanity cannot lay down its arms, then let me help them set them aside forever.”
Back on the desert battlefield, Narukawa and his companions arrived at a school where there were supposed to be survivors. “Is anyone there? We’re here to help you!” Yet, no one emerged.
“How strange. Weren’t there supposed to be survivors? There’s no response!”
“Let’s search. Everyone, switch on your infrared thermal imagers—it’s time to find those who are left!”
With the help of the thermal imagers, they quickly found the first survivor, but…
—Author’s Note—
Why is it that the creator of the biohazard, the origin of calamity, harbors the same wish as someone who loves peace?
The answer is simple. It isn’t entirely about finding an excuse for war. The ceaseless conflicts of humanity have indeed torn countless families apart and claimed innocent lives. Human ambition is never sated by a single triumph; to gain more, humanity has waged far too many wars.
Yet, as humans ourselves, we yearn for an end to war. It isn’t that we are free of ambition; we simply refuse to achieve it through plunder.