The mont he entered the mission world, Kaito Shirogane discovered that his reputation with the Vought faction was already in the negative. He quickly deduced the reason: the survivor of the [9527] team had, through so ans, replaced [Translucent] and had gained the ability to influence the situation.
After a brief consideration, Kaito had abandoned the idea of joining The Boys faction. With both sides of the Reincarnator conflict aware of the plot, siding with The Boys would be suicide. The mont Holander was convinced to act, their faction would have no way to resist.
Based on the principle that the Nexus's descriptions were always precise, Kaito quickly realized that the entity he had negative reputation with was Vought-Arica, the corporation, not necessarily The Seven or Holander himself. Vought's power was imnse, with agents in every branch of the governnt and military. As a monopolistic genetic weapons giant, its influence was vast. But all of this power, at its root, ca from their control of Compound V, the gene-altering drug that created Supes.
By injecting infants with Compound V, they would grow up to have superpowers, a phenonon Vought had beautified as a natural occurrence. Even adults with stable genes could be forced to awaken superpowers by injecting it, though this awakening was highly unstable, temporary, and long-term use would lead to genetic collapse and death. The two most successful results of this drug were the original [Soldier Boy] and the contemporary [Holander]. They were the two best outcos from countless experints, with no genetic degradation. This was what made them so much more powerful than ordinary Supes.
Kaito, combining this with his knowledge of the plot, knew that Holander hated being controlled. More importantly, Holander wasn't very smart. He was a powerful weapon that was very easy to "use." This had led to Kaito's subsequent series of choices. After defeating A-Train and seeing Holander descend from the sky, Kaito had proposed his plan. And just as he'd predicted, Holander hadn't attacked him, sparing him from having to use his incomplete [Secret Trove: Cursed Blood Origin] or the Werewolf lineage item.
In truth, Kaito had his own theories about that incomplete formula. If Muzan Kibutsuji, lacking only the [Blue Spider Lily], had transford himself into a demon who couldn't see the sun, then Kaito might have beco the opposite kind of creature.
But with Holander accepting his plan and wanting to absorb the B45 gang, Kaito no longer needed to take that risk. Holander had brought him to Vought Tower and had personally erased all records of them being at the scene. This was why Queen Maeve had been so confused. Holander should have been the first on the scene, but afterward, there was no trace he had ever been there.
Now, under Kaito's "guidance," Holander felt as if he had finally found the answer to the problem that had been plaguing him his entire life. He had been "shackled" by those people, who had used the numbers from polls and approval ratings to control his decisions. They had made him believe that he had to pretend to be a "good guy" to get their support.
But "rcenary Tao" had given him another answer.
"Look," Kaito had said. "The B45 are a gang, the dregs of society that everyone hates. But now… all of Arica is fascinated by them. Teenagers are imitating them, forming their own community gangs. Those celebrities and politicians are all jumping on the bandwagon, fabricating stories about their own 'humble' pasts."
Kaito's voice was quiet, but to Holander, every word was a pearl of wisdom, perfectly articulating his own inner thoughts.
"Everyone needs recognition. Those 1.4 million gang mbers, the very group that once feared you the most, are no different. Holander, if you stand up and speak for them now, you will instantly beco their hero. And this group... they won't bla you if your thods are a little brutal. They won't care what you do in your private ti. They only care about one thing: that you are strong. That you are stronger than anyone else!"
Holander exhaled slowly. He felt like he was on the ultimate high. He couldn't restrain himself. He nodded, again and again. "You're right. Tao… whatever your na is. You're so goddamn right!"
"Noir. You cooperate with him. Fulfill his every request. I have to go take care of that other thing. It's ti my 1.4 million supporters realized that there is still soone in this world who will fight for their justice!"
WHOOSH.
Holander's speed was also extrely fast. He could fly at Mach 3, and his running speed wasn't much slower than A-Train's. He instantly appeared in the Vought operations departnt.
"Schedule a press conference for , imdiately," he ordered. "I will resolve the Clinton Street stampede incident." His tone was one that brooked no refusal. Ashley, the director, was flustered and instinctively looked toward Stillwell's office.
Holander saw this. His eyes began to glow red, his heat-vision ready to fire. The entire operations departnt scread and dove for cover. Holander looked at these so-called "elites," who were now cowering like insects at the re sight of his eyes, and realized even more profoundly that Kaito was right.
"I said, schedule a press conference. My press conference. I don't need anyone's permission. Don't you understand?"
Faced with this overt death threat, no one dared to object. Calls were made to the dia. Soone also contacted Stillwell. But the blonde woman, after a mont's thought, chose to back down. She keenly sensed that the Holander who had made this decision had not co to her first. His ntality had changed. To provoke him now would likely cause their relationship to rapidly deteriorate. And she was not yet prepared to sacrifice her own body to control him. That was a final resort.
And so, Holander successfully held his press conference.
To the astonishnt of everyone, including Vought's own staff, he did not condemn the B45 gang. Instead, he defended them.
"I believe the situation at the scene was extrely complex. These poor people from the lower class were simply on their way to help others in need when they were blocked by a group of aggressive police officers in the Clinton Street district. Subsequently, a shot was fired at the gang's leader, Bobby, and the situation spiraled out of control."
Holander's speech made his position clear. He was taking a stand for the B45 gang, placing himself in direct opposition to the federal governnt. The event imdiately caused a sensation, sparking a new firestorm online. A huge number of gang mbers and people disillusioned with the governnt were now convinced that the governnt had deliberately frad the B45. At the sa ti, they felt a genuine reverence for Holander, who had spoken up for them.
Holander's approval ratings began to rise.
He smiled, and continued to issue statents online, promising that he would ensure the leaders of the B45 received the fairest possible treatnt, and that if justice was not served, he would enact justice himself. This nearly insane statent stirred up a hornet's nest. So thought he was being too extre, but those who had accumulated a deep-seated resentnt for the governnt and the establishnt found that Holander was speaking their language. They began to support him fanatically.
anwhile, Kaito looked at the silent Black Noir and spoke. "Now, can you take to see an old friend of mine?" His smile was grim. Black Noir knew exactly what he was thinking.
Noir hesitated. Kaito spoke again. "Rember? Before Holander left, he told you to fulfill my every request. You should know that from now on, The Seven is history. Holander has no need for a fake [Translucent]."
Black Noir was convinced. He led Kaito to the 33rd floor of the tower, to Vought's private dical wing, which was equipped with the best technology money could buy.
A clear smile was on Kaito's face. He walked up to a clean, white hospital room. Black Noir leaned against the wall, swiped his access card to open the door, but did not go in.
Kaito walked into the room alone and saw a pale, youthful face.
"Hello there, survivor of [9527]…"
[Heartless] heard the voice and opened his eyes. He stared in terror at the red, ugly face that had appeared before him. He instinctively turned invisible, but when he tried to move, a sharp pain in his chest made him gasp for air. He had been stabbed through the lung by Bad Kid's knife. If not for Vought's technology, he would already be dead.
Kaito gently patted his wound. His hand quickly beca sticky with a clear, viscous fluid. His blood was also transparent.
"You're not the sa as this world's [Translucent]," Kaito said. "No. I should say, your ability was not born from Compound V at all."
As ntioned before, the superpowers in this world were very much bound by physics. The original [Translucent]'s invisibility ca from altering the carbon structure of his cells to let light pass through. But this ant that his clothes did not turn invisible. He had to be naked to be completely unseen.
When Kaito had fought this Reincarnator, he had clearly felt his clothes. From that, he knew his ability was not a native superpower of this world. And it also ant he did not have the diamond-hard, durable skin.
"You can't kill !" [Heartless] blurted out, turning visible again. He was pale but trying to project an air of calm. "I've hidden the thing you want! If you kill , you'll never find it!"
At that sa ti, in a prison cell where the won from Kalpa's team were being held, one of them, who had been sitting silently, suddenly took on the appearance of [Kalpa] himself. He clasped his hands together, and a golden chakra light began to glow. The guards outside went slack-jawed, their eyes glazing over, and walked over to unlock the cell.
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Guys We cross the 1200 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1300 power stone,co on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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