Kapitel 86: Face Off

Orlando.

A large machine sat within a warehouse. It was dark black and looked much like a giant cannon would. Flair was covered in a white light as she carefully examined the machine. She glanced behind herself. "It should be fully operational. We'll only get a single shot though. After that, it'll be wrecked to the point of needing at least a month of repairs."

"I see." Ed nodded. "How's the damage output?"

"If we use the light-mana warhead we've created, then the explosive force should stretch at least 300 meters." She replied.

"That big?!" Ed's eyes widened in surprise. "It could take on a nightmare at that scale."

"Maybe." She nodded in agreement. "But I'm sure similar attacks have been tested against the nightmares before. It's not like this weapon can compare to the concentrated power of a single punch of Mr. Sai. It's likely that this weapon would hardly scratch a nightmare."

"That's a shame." Ed sighed.

Suddenly, a creaking sound rang out as the warehouse door swung open. The rumbling of thunder and crackling of lightning boomed from outside. Dupe and Ray stepped inside.

"You guys made it!" Ed smiled in relief. 'I'll need all the help I can get. It'll be impossible to win if the weaker forces interfere with the main fight.'

"Yo!" Dupe grinned. "It's been a fun few days. This bastard is a completely different type of crazy compared to yours."

Ray glared at Dupe for a moment before turning back to Ed. "The Tampa army outside has been defeated. The other city armies barely interfered. They don't seem to have a strong sense of comradery."

"That's normal." Ed nodded. "Without the governor here to lead them, they're a bunch of individual forces. Each one is like a vassal that wants to increase or maintain their own power while their competitors grow weaker. Honestly, the current government system is far more comparable to the feudal system of the past. The elections for most of the state and federal elections are rigged."

"So, what's the plan?" Dupe questioned. "My east coast forces already arrived. We have almost all our forces. Why not press the attack against them now before more of their reinforcements arrive?"

"No." He shook his head. "We would lose too many men fighting early battles. What it really comes down to is the final battle. Everything else leading up to that is just the prelude and is actually of little importance. Even the cities we captured previously were just for the sake of forcing the governor out of his hiding hole so that we don't have to siege his headquarters."

"Even if we lose men, we'll hold the advantage though." Dupe replied. "I think we should whittle down their forces as much as possible before the final battle."

"That would be a mistake." Ray interrupted. "What it all comes down to is Forge's fight against the governor. If we win that, then we've won the war. Our forces don't need to win or kill the enemy. They just need to hold the city until the fight is over so that no one interferes."

"What if the governor just hides outside until their forces successfully siege the city?" Dupe countered.

"That..." Ray hesitated, looking for the correct answer.

"It's a good point." Ed commented. "The chances of us winning would nearly drop to zero in that scenario. That's why I've taken precautions." He waved his hand. "Follow me."

The trio left Flair behind as they traveled towards the edge of the city, getting soaked in the rains of the hurricane as they went. Surprisingly, there was a giant hole near the city walls. Ed walked inside, and the others followed him. The hole was slightly flooded from the storm, causing their boots to sink deeply into the mud as they walked.

The further they went; the more confused Dupe and Ray became. Winding tunnels sprawled in all directions, forming a complex maze. They occasionally saw a Hell Bull drilling against the earth. Ed stopped in front of one such machine and turned around, a big grin on his face. "The storm really was a godsend. The enemy forces would have heard the drilling if not for that."

"What do you plan to use the tunnels for?" Ray questioned while raising an eyebrow.

"They serve two purposes." Ed held up two fingers." First, they will be used to infiltrate enemy ranks during the final battle. Their troops will be thrown into absolute chaos. However, this is still not enough for us to win or force the governor into a one-on-one fight. Once this trick is used, their forces will naturally discover the tunnels. They'll use the tunnels to attempt infiltrating the city. That brings us to the second purpose of the tunnels." He knelt down on the ground and shoved some dirt with his hands, revealing a white powdery substance. "I've covered the entire maze in light mana-powder and light mana-cores. The whole structure is a ticking time bomb. This will hopefully eliminate enough of their forces that the governor will have no choice but to personally attack the city."

Ray felt a shiver go down his spine at the mention of the trap laid within the tunnels. He instinctively took several steps back. "Don't you think you should mention this stuff sooner? If I had used my powers for something, we'd all probably be dead by now."

"I would have stopped you before it came to that." Ed replied nonchalantly.

Dupe looked completely unphased by the threat, as if the concept of death didn't bother him at all. Ray glanced at him, noticing this. "Immortal bastard." He muttered under his breath in complaint.

"Let's head back." Ed said. "Get your men to rest well. The Governor will probably need a couple more days to gather all his forces here. They won't want to invade during the hurricane anyways."

"Mm." The two nodded, serious looks on their face.

...

Two days quickly passed. The hurricane had already passed, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Trees collapsed, and flooding was everywhere. Fortunately, the damage to the city was minimal. The city was still receiving strong wind and rain, but it was nowhere near as bad as before.

Ed stood atop the city wall with his hands folded behind his back. He wore his Harmony mask while eyeing the enemy troops. They had several hundred thousand men. Well over three times the forces Harmony had within the city.

Many Harmony troops lined the city walls. Each one operated a steam cannon, many of which that had just been constructed. They were prepared to dye the land red with blood once the enemy attack began.

Ed lifted a mana-radio to his mouth. He hesitated a moment before speaking. 'Dupe, I can't believe you're making me read this crap...' He sighed to himself, preparing to meet his fate. His voice spread across the entire city, echoing through multiple mana-radios setup next to brass loudspeaker horns. "Today is the day that Harmony shall rise to the level of real power. Together we will bring peace and tranquility to the world. We will equalize the humans and espers, restoring the glory of the founding principle of America, that all men are born equal."

Cheers rang throughout the city as the speech continued. It was also being broadcasted outward from the city walls. It was likely that the enemy troops could hear it as well, which would hopefully lower their morale. After all, no one wanted to fight the good guys, and this speech painted Harmony as exactly that.

Ed continued his speech. "We have already seen what Harmony can bring us. I have forged the path for ordinary men to become great, giving them power equal to or greater than most espers. Just a small number of them were capable of taking over Orlando, a city that had always been held by the corrupt aristocracy and espers. Ray, our general known as Torch, lit the path for ordinary men to triumph over the strong. Even with smaller numbers and disadvantageous terrain, he managed to dominate enemy espers and conquer multiple cities."

More cheering rang out, mostly from those that had followed Ray's campaign on the west coast.

Suddenly, Ed's tone changed, becoming much louder and more enticing. "The government would have you believe that these things cannot be done!" He shouted. "They act as if humans and espers are equal on the surface, allowing elections to take place. Yet it is always the espers or their relatives that conveniently get elected! It's always them that have power! It's always them that receive special treatment from the government!" He waved his hand forward, pointing towards the enemy army. "The government exists to serve the people, and we shall restore that natural balance. Today is the day we take back that power!"

Right as his speech finished, the cannons atop the city walls began firing. The enemy was still out of range, but it showed their resolve.

The enemy troops whispered to each other, discussing the speech. None of them really wanted to be here, throwing their lives away for the stupidity of the higher-ups. So what if somebody else wanted to take over the state? It wouldn't really affect them drastically either way.

A deep voice rang out on the mana-radios, attempting to calm the men down. It was governor Bustion! "My soldiers, don't be fooled by their sweet words. They temp you with the devil's fruit, offering power that should not exist. Who knows what cost those men have paid to get that evil power. I am the rightfully elected Governor of Florida. We hold the elections fairly once every four years. Many of you have even voted for me. These Harmony men are really nothing more than terrorists! They wish to overthrow our beloved democracy! To throw American values into the trash in favor of communistic values! You all signed an oath when joining the military. An oath to serve and protect the constitution! And that's what you're here to do today!"

This seemed to reassure most of the army, calming them down. However, some negative comments still slipped through. One soldier couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Not like we ordinary folks have a way to audit or count votes."

The governor pointed towards the Orlando city walls. "Attack!" He yelled. "Take back what rightfully belongs to America!"

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