In a daze, the Holy Emperor slowly raised her eyelids, which felt as heavy as lead.
The last memory she could recall was of herself handling government affairs in her office.
Then, for some reason, she had grown increasingly drowsy and finally fallen into a deep sleep.
"Where... is this?"
The Holy Emperor twisted her neck with difficulty and found that her body was bound to a chair.
The place where she was now was no longer the office of the Holy Residence but an iron-gray room that looked like an interrogation chamber.
Even though her mind was not entirely clear, as someone in a high position, she quickly understood her situation.
She had been kidnapped.
But how was this possible?
She had been in the Holy Residence the safest area in Tokyo. Even if someone had managed to knock her out, how could they have gotten her out under surveillance and heavy guard?
Waves of panic rose in the Holy Emperor heart.
If someone could truly do this, it only proved one thing:
The other party's strength and abilities far exceeded those of ordinary people.
In the silent room, she was the only one struggling restlessly. No one else was to be seen.
Fear grew inside her.
Although she had decided, under the guidance and stimulation of Nia Honjo, to no longer rely on Kikunojou Tendo, and though she had imitated the methods of previous Holy Emperors in front of her newly recruited subordinates to appear mature, deep down, she was still the little girl who didn't know how to make decisions when faced with major events.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to Nia Honjo for advice every time she faced an important decision.
After that, there was a long wait.
She didn't know how much time had passed before a voice finally sounded.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting. One of us was delayed for a while due to something."
In the empty room, a voice came from a communicator installed somewhere unseen.
It was a man's voice.
His voice sounded refreshing, and he didn't seem very old, yet it carried a calming maturity.
If she hadn't known that the other party must be the one who had kidnapped her, the Holy Emperor would have undoubtedly developed a favorable impression of him.
"Who are you?" She tried her best to suppress the trembling in her voice. "Why did you kidnap me?"
"Then let's start with your first question."
The man was prepared for the Holy Emperor doubts and had no intention of hiding his identity. "I am a high-level cadre of the Wuxiang Society. As the leader of Tokyo, I don't think I need to explain what kind of organization the Wuxiang Society is, right?"
"The Wuxiang Society..."
Upon hearing this name, the Holy Emperor body trembled noticeably.
She actually didn't know much about this organization.
What she knew was as limited as what Kikunojou Tendo knew.
Although her knowledge of this organization was confined to a few words, the fact that they had been able to kidnap her without making any noise could only mean that this organization was truly as all-powerful as the rumors suggested.
"Haha, it seems you've heard something about us," the man said with a smile. "In that case, you should know why we've invited you here, right?"
"You... are you trying to kill me?"
The Holy Emperor palms were still covered in cold sweat as she asked with a pale face, "I am the leader of the Tokyo region, the current Holy Emperor. If you attack me, don't you fear the consequences?"
"Kid, you're lucky. Our original plan was to kill Kikunojou Tendo and replace you to take over the entire Tokyo area," the man said calmly. "But after your speech this morning, your reputation has been pushed to its peak. Even we can't kill you without consideration otherwise, you'd already be dead."
"So what exactly do you want to do?"
"Cooperate," the man continued. "As long as you're willing to join the Wuxiang Society and obey the organization's orders, we can spare your life."
"You said you couldn't kill me."
"It's just that we can't kill you without consequences," the man's tone turned threatening. "Believe me, kid, we have the ability to create a substitute in a short time a substitute with the exact same appearance as you, who will take your place as the Holy Emperor."
After that, his tone returned to its previous friendly demeanor. "However, this is the final solution. If we can reach a cooperation, we don't have to go to the trouble of creating a substitute."
The human body modification technology of this era was several times more advanced than that of the pre-war era.
It wasn't difficult to create a 99% similar substitute through prosthetic implants, plastic surgery, and body modification.
But it was obvious that if a cooperative relationship could be reached with the real Holy Emperor, a fake that might be exposed at any time was naturally not the best choice.
"What do you want me to do?"
"First, we need you to take back the formula for the erosion rate blocker."
"Why?" the Holy Emperor asked in confusion. "It's a potion that can truly help the Cursed Children turn back into humans!"
"That's exactly why this world doesn't need that kind of thing," the man said calmly. "What this world needs is sacrifice, not redemption. In our plan, a large number of Cursed Children need to become the cornerstone of the new world to defeat the Gastrea creatures and restore the glory of mankind."
His tone was casual, as if he were discussing the death of a few animals.
With just a few words, the human rights of the Cursed Children were stripped away, and they were treated as tools that could be discarded at any time.
This made the Holy Emperor feel both chilled and angry.
"Then why don't you sacrifice yourself?" she questioned. "If your goal is truly so noble, why do you use innocent children as stepping stones? Isn't the glory built on countless corpses blinding?"
"You... are indeed still an immature leader."
Faced with the Holy Emperor questioning, the man had no intention of answering.
A burst of chuckles came through the communicator, though it was unclear whether it was mockery or pity for her innocence.
"The glory of mankind will be recast, but not by you."
Perhaps because of her anger at this loss of humanity, the Holy Emperor inner timidity had disappeared.
She said word by word, "Tokyo will save this dying world in its own way."
The man was silent for a long time.
"Then you are the enemy."
When the voice sounded again, its tone had turned cold. "Since you're unwilling to cooperate with us, then die in endless loneliness and torture. Don't hold onto hope. We've handled this very cleanly. No one will come to save you."
"No, someone will come to rescue me."
The Holy Emperor laughed and said firmly, "The gods will send a messenger with mercy and compassion to rescue me from here, save Tokyo from the quagmire, spread true light, and give everyone hope and salvation."
BOOM !
Just then, the wall of the room collapsed.
Dust filled the air, and two figures, one big and one small, appeared behind the hole.
"I'm sorry, Lord Holy Emperor. I didn't seem to see any savior like those in the second dimension when I rushed here."
Nia Honjo scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"Mind being saved by a drunk nerd?"