(Sorry for the late update. I'm quite depressed this past few weeks because of my health problems.)
[Edward POV]
"Why now?" Vanessa asked after we kissed, her curiosity evident. "You didn't respond to any of my advances in the past few years. It feels sudden."
She leaned in closer, pressing her body against mine as she sat on the office couch. "Is it because I'm prettier now?"
I chuckled and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Remember four months ago when I went to Worcestershire?"
"Yes." She nodded slightly, clenching her fist against her chest in anticipation.
"Well, remember when you tried to pronounce it?"
"THAT'S THE REASON WHY?!" Vanessa exclaimed, aghast. Annoyance was palpable in her expression, and I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction.
While I found her numerous attempts to say the word correctly endearing, the actual reason for my change of heart was something deeper.
At that time, I was left alone in England. Everyone had something to do—Max had returned to New York, Sage couldn't take the cold winter air anymore and went back to California, and Randall was busy preparing my concert venue in Bulgaria.
Vanessa had come to England to keep me company, even though I never asked for it. She was like Joi from Blade Runner 2049, saying, "You look lonely." I hadn't realized it then, but that's when I started to fall for her.
"Worcester sister—AHH! I give up!" Vanessa exclaimed, wanting to stand up. I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her closer.
"Lunch will be over in five more minutes. Let's just stay like this until I have to get back to work," I said affectionately.
Vanessa was taken aback for a moment before she smiled and rested her head on my chest.
"Anyway~" she suddenly elongated her words. "I'll be your girlfriend, but we won't tell anyone about it yet."
"No. We're telling everyone," I replied playfully.
"Not yet!" She glared at me adorably. "Let's just wait and see if this works out first."
"You mean in public, right? We can tell our friends. I know for sure you'll tell Maggie," I confirmed with a teasing grin. Vanessa flinched slightly before trying to play it cool, saying, "I won't tell her– I promise I won't tell her."
"Are you sure?" I asked with mock seriousness.
"I'm positive," she replied, her eyes darting away.
Vanessa had a script reading for her new project, so she left shortly after lunch. Ten minutes later, I received a text message from Maggie.
"See? You can't stop yourself from telling her," I smiled to myself as I read her message, asking me to confirm if Vanessa and I had started dating.
I sighed heavily before typing my response. "What will Vanessa think when I ghost her for a week after we finally get together?"
Placing my fingers on my chin, I mumbled, "I guess I should turn it into a 9-to-5 thing. Can a revolution be successful if I only do it from 9 to 5? Let's just see what happens first."
After deciding one difficult thing, I sighed as I had to face another.
"Now that I'm official, I guess I should stop meeting up with those girls, huh?"
As I said goodbye inwardly to the 6 person idol group in Japan and a couple of my friends with benefits, I checked the time for my departure.
"I should go to Cuba now. The preparation is done, so I guess I can handle it in a week?"
Slightly unconfident, I added, "Hopefully. I really want to take a vacation."
…
[General POV]
A week ago in Cuba, Woo-Jin—Edward's personal android bodyguard and one of his creations—met inside an empty church. Woo-Jin sat behind the tall, tanned man with scruffy hair and an extremely muscular body.
The sunlight penetrated the coloured glass, staining the inside of the church with various hues.
"Sado (Bleach), are you ready?" Woo-Jin asked the introverted man.
Sado replied, "I'm ready. Call me Fernando while we're here."
Woo-Jin nodded slightly in agreement. Then, the air turned awkward again between the two as they have the same personality type. They only talked if it was absolutely necessary for them to.
A local guide rushed into the church and ran straight to the duo. The man with a bloated belly panted heavily as he said, "The secret police are coming. Both of you need to get out of this town now."
Sado and Woo-Jin glanced at each other and exchanged a subtle nod.
"Thank you for your warning, Yaniel," Woo-Jin said to him with a soft smile. "You're an honest man," he added.
Yaniel exclaimed with disbelief, "You need to run! Once they catch you, they will beat you up and may even kill you. You started a fight with them—one fight that you won't ever win."
"Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do better than take a beating," Sado said as he walked out of the church. "I'm the one they want. I won't drag all of you into this."
"You beat them up because they tried to assault our village's girls! They're the ones who are at fault—yet we're the ones who have to suffer?"
"Unless someone stands up to them, that will always be the case," Woo-Jin said to Yaniel as Sado left the church. Yaniel, a hardcore supporter of the regime, began to see cracks in his beliefs and the authoritarian reality he was living in.
At a Cuban university, ZeroTwo disguised herself as a lecturer and began inciting the students toward revolution by teaching them the history of the world, the weaknesses of the government, the corruption within it, and more.
After a week of lectures, the entire university felt like a bomb waiting to explode. The fuse was lit when the secret police came and arrested the lecturer.
As she struggled and tried to escape, they placed a bullet between her eyebrows while being watched by the entire student body. The police had no idea what prompted him to do that. It was like his entire body was taken over by a different person.
A riot erupted, and the government shut down the internet and phone networks. However, thousands of illegal Starlink SIM cards were distributed, and a local man, guided by someone in the shadows, created VPN software to bypass Cuba's restrictions.
A documentary team led by the Mad Dog media company began reporting on the unfolding events in Cuba while simultaneously documenting the entire revolution.
A government official attempted to get ahead of the scandal and address the public through a state speech. However, during his address, it became apparent that he couldn't hide the truth. A Mad Dog reporter barraged him with questions, exposing incriminating evidence.
"Why did you kill Professor Agueda?" the reporter asked, referring to the disguised ZeroTwo. The pink haired android was actually waiting for a chance to kidnap a military general while everyone was mourning her death.
The short-statured man with a white mustache replied, "Because she refused to keep her mouth shut."
His answer fueled the raging fire in the students' hearts. The riots escalated into insurrection, evolving into revolution.
"DOWN WITH THE REGIME! VIVA LA REVOLUTION!" A 20-year-old hot-headed young man with a crush on the professor threw a rotten egg on the government official's head.
The regime's soldiers were quickly dispatched to regain control of the situation. However, when they reached the crowd, they soon discovered that they couldn't shoot their rifles.
"Ah… they really tried to kill the protestors, huh? Dumb move," Edward muttered as he hid among the crowd, wearing his Inaki disguise and secretly casting a spell—Fire Silence (Academy Undercover Professor)—to disable the firearms.
Even without rifles, the well-trained soldiers posed a threat to the ordinary people. However, Sado took the lead and became a shield that separated the two parties. People knew him from clips of him fighting the secret police with his bare hands, and he alone could handle a group of 30 soldiers.
Starting as a village legend, he became a renowned figure in the country. During the protests, he protected the organizers of the revolution multiple times, and his fame grew rapidly, prompting people to trust him in the confrontation against the regime.
"FERNANDO! FERNANDO! FERNANDO! FERNANDO!"
People chanted his name as he threw a fist at the final soldier's face. After a thorough investigation, it was revealed that Fernando held a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Tokyo.
Edward felt a pang of guilt as he brainwashed a couple of hundred people to have the memory of Sado using his Sharingan. He also published several dissertations under Sado's pseudonym and connected him with various elites from different backgrounds around the world, which made his status viable as someone who could take over the country. Politics were all about connections, after all.
In the present day, at an inpatient facility in Canada, Edward's aunt, Camila Monroe, brought a laptop into the ward and placed it in front of Miranda.
Miranda was hooked up to an IV drip, her eyes dazed and her cheeks sunken. Her collarbones and ribs were visible. Camila grabbed a brush and helped Miranda with her hair as she watched the laptop screen.
"What is this?" Miranda asked, her sanity briefly returning.
Camila replied, "Edward gave it to me. He said to wait until it's time."
"Until it's time for what?" Miranda asked, slightly disappointed. "He's already broken his promise to me," she added, turning her head away from Camila.
Camila sighed and said, "First of all, asking him to take down a regime—something even the American government couldn't do in over 60 years—is not feasible in the first place."
The laptop screen suddenly turned on, broadcasting footage straight from Cuba's capital.
Both Miranda and Camila were taken aback by the suddenness. Miranda stared at the screen intently, trying to understand what was happening.
Edward snuck inside the capitol building where an emergency meeting was being held.
"We need to shut down this revolutionary idea. We're prepared to use bombs—"
"Use bombs! Are you crazy? The people are angry enough as it is!"
"We have no other choice. We've lost contact with all the soldiers we've sent out. Reports indicate they've chosen the side of the revolution."
The regime president sat silently as his generals bickered.
"I can't shake the feeling that a certain party is pulling the strings behind all of this. It might be the CIA," one general slammed the table, addressing the president directly.
"We must contact our allies and retaliate against the Americans!" another shouted.
"Why aren't you saying anything?!" His closest confidant lost his temper as he watched the president remain silent throughout the meeting.
"Because he thinks everyone here is a moron," Edward suddenly chimed in, revealing himself from behind the president, holding the regime ruler's shoulder with his left hand.
"Who the fuck are you?" one of the generals asked angrily. He drew a gun from his holster and aimed it at Edward. "You dare insult me? You're asking for death!"
"Did you perhaps just come out of a Chinese cultivation series?" Edward snorted and laughed at the absurdity of the situation. "You still don't understand, do you?"
The general's face flushed red with anger. He didn't care anymore about the regime ruler; he pressed the trigger, wanting to kill the young man who dared insult him.
"Hmm?" The general was confused. He swore he had shot the pistol, yet the young man was still alive and laughing. He glanced at his gun to check if it was functioning properly.
"Where is my hand?" His eyes widened in horror as he saw his hand had fallen to the floor, severed at the wrist.
"Bastard—"
"DEMON!"
"MONSTER!"
They shouted insults in their anger, wanting to hit Edward, but those who dared to raise their hands lost them. After the fourth person became a one-handed man, the generals stopped trying and wanted to flee, but found that they couldn't move their legs.
"Hmm… None of you here are innocent. I hoped to save at least one person, but I guess I should've expected too much from this rotten institution," Edward mused before he activated his Sharingan.
"From now until the revolution breaches the gates of the capitol and takes power, there's a special punishment for you all."
[Demonic Illusion—Hell Viewing Technique]
He activated a genjutsu technique that would pull the targets into their greatest nightmares. It didn't matter whether or not they were aware of what their fears were; for the next few hours, they would relive the illusion over and over again until all that was left was a husk of the men they used to be.
"Snakes—snakes are everywhere! It's swallowing me whole!"
"Fire—I'm being burned alive!"
"Diddy—what are you doing with that baby oil? You swore you'd only do it once!"
Edward was a bit startled as he heard a bizarre nightmare among the cacophony of groans and shouts. He cleaned his ear with his finger and waited until Sado breached the capitol.
As he felt that his job was wrapping up, Edward changed the footage from outside the capitol to the area where he was waiting. Miranda widened her eyes as she saw the image, her fingers trembling as she recognized the familiar faces around her son.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" she shouted urgently. Edward glanced at the camera and said casually, "Um, if you're saying something, just know that this footage is only one-way. Anyway, the regime is falling today, so I've kept my promise."
"Call—CALL him now!" Miranda begged Camila, desperately wanting Edward to finish off those people inside the room.
Camila suddenly slapped Miranda, stunning her. She looked at her with disdain and said, "I don't know what Edward did to get into that room, but Miranda… do you really want your son to kill people in cold blood? To become a murderer?"
Miranda stammered slightly but couldn't find an answer. Camila continued, "He has done what you asked him to do. He kept his promise. You better keep yours and stay out of his life."
"I don't think I can do that." Miranda's voice shook as she began to choke her own neck. "I did everything—just to—return. But there's… no place for me to return to… anymore…"
"Miranda!" Camila quickly intervened, trying to stop her sister's recurrent self-harm episodes.
But before she could pry her sister's bony fingers off her neck, Edward spoke on the footage, "Ah. The protesters have breached the gates. My job is finally over. My eyes hurt so freaking much."
There was a trail of dry blood beneath his eyes as he overexerted his abilities. Although his chakra levels were nearing depletion, Edward didn't feel tired; instead, he was quite excited.
"After a hard-earned battle, it's time for a banquet and a song." Edward chuckled in anticipation before he left the house through the window.
Less than five seconds later, Sado entered the room. A Mad Dog reporter filmed his breakthrough, closely following Sado as he entered. The elite powers of the country were gathered inside the room.
Suddenly, the president declared, "We surrender," shocking the entire civilian crowd. "Arrest them all," Sado ordered his team of disguised mechanical soldiers.
They handcuffed the generals and the leader one by one before escorting them out of the capitol, while the entire crowd cheered at the sight.
"FERNANDO! FERNANDO! FERNANDO! FERNANDO!"
…
On the street next to the capitol building, a huge crowd celebrated a successful revolution—something they had never imagined would actually come to pass. What was even more remarkable? No lives had been lost during the revolution.
The news spread throughout the world. The U.S., in particular, wanted to intervene, disguising their intentions as 'offering help' to stabilize the country. Russia was furious, considering all of their allies and connections in Cuba had been eradicated.
"Everyone! Pass out the beers! We're going to toast to the beginning of a new country!" Edward, disguised as Inaki, handed out numerous beers and spent a lot of money to celebrate the success with the protesters.
The problem was that there were around 200,000 people on the streets right now, celebrating their freedom from the oppressive regime. The crowd kept growing, and it was highly probable that they would stay out for the entire night.
Suddenly, a young man wearing a straw hat jumped onto one of the vans located near the Capitol, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. Edward, still in his Inaki disguise, complete with sandals, a red vest, and short jeans, grabbed a microphone and spoke directly to the crowd. The vans beneath him were revealed to be a series of speakers strategically placed among the throng.
Although the initial sound was shocking, it started out slow, allowing time for the crowd to create some space. After reaching a level where everyone could hear, Edward cast a sound amplification spell (Sonorus—modified version) he had received from the gacha.
This would help him control the sound waves around him, ensuring his voice wouldn't be drowned out by the sheer volume of human voices in the area.
"¡Viva la revolución!" he shouted in Spanish, which instantly reverberated through the crowd. Edward had to place a chakra barrier over his eardrums to prevent them from being damaged.
"¡El régimen ha terminado! ¡Castro está arrestado! The regime is now over! Castro is arrested!"
The crowd cheered thunderously as Edward addressed the people in both English and Spanish.
Sado would take over after he handled his affairs inside the capitol building. There was a temporary unease before the current leader would share information, so Edward decided to placate the masses first while they waited.
"¡Mañana, un sistema de dos partidos tomará su lugar. Se llevará a cabo una elección burocrática en una semana, ¡y el pueblo cubano finalmente elegirá a nuestro líder! Tomorrow, a two-party system will take its place. A bureaucratic election will be held in a week, and the Cuban people will finally elect our leader! We will adopt democracy for our country!"
"Todos los canales de televisión ayudarán a difundir la información. Los detalles de los dos partidos se transmitirán mañana. Nuestro líder temporal, Fernando Torres, se encargará de toda la transmisión de mañana. Yo solo estoy aquí para transmitir la información de él."
"All of the TV channels will help in sending out the information. The details of the two parties will be broadcast tomorrow. Our temporary leader, Fernando Torres, will handle the entire broadcast tomorrow. I'm here only to convey the information from him."
Edward used dual languages because he knew everything was being recorded and broadcast to the world.
The current global landscape was in turmoil, with various revolutions and riots erupting, regimes being toppled, and civil wars raging. The Arab Spring was still ongoing, so international citizens were curious to see if Cuba would succeed where other revolutions had faltered.
"¡La comida y las bebidas serán distribuidas por la comunidad y los voluntarios que se han reunido para apoyarse mutuamente durante esta transición! Food and drinks will be distributed by the community and volunteers who have rallied together to support each other during this transition."
The androids and trustworthy locals began to distribute the food Edward had purchased a week earlier. Stalls were being set up where food was being cooked on the spot, with roasted goat and chicken added to the menu. One of the main factors behind the revolution had been the food shortage, so the sight of plentiful food greatly appeased their weary souls.
"¡Todos! Para comenzar el día de la mejor manera, cantaré una canción junto con la orquesta cubana—manténganse atentos para una actuación inspiradora que nos unirá a todos mientras celebramos nuestra recién encontrada libertad!"
"Everyone! To start off the day right, I will perform a song together with the Cuban orchestra—stay tuned for an uplifting performance that will unite us all as we celebrate our newfound freedom!"
As he spoke, the crowd erupted in cheers, their spirits lifted by Edward's words. The atmosphere was charged with excitement and anticipation.
Edward spoke in English, "Three days ago, a Cubanese– American singer uploaded a song to support us during our revolution. His name is Edward Newgate."
Of course, Edward would not let the chance to promote his name go to waste.
"I will be singing that today to show him how much his support meant to us. This is also the song Fernando had been listening to constantly in the last three days. Without it, he might have even given up fighting the difficult fight."
Woo-Jin and Sado were astonished when they saw their master being frivolous when facing a crowd of 200,000 people. "What the hell is he doing?" ZeroTwo furrowed her eyebrows and was worried for Edward's safety.
If the American government found out that he had interfered with another country's political strife, he would be greatly punished by them.
"Drums! Start!" Edward sends the cues. The marching band marched to his side and began to circle the van he was standing on, hitting the drums in a perfect symmetry.
[The Score– Revolution]
Edward crooned charismatically, surprising the crowd with his unique voice. "♫♪ All my wolves begin to howl! Wake me up, the time is now! ♫♪"
The marching band acted as a choir, harmonizing beautifully as they sang the next verse, "♫♪ (O-oh) Can you hear the drumming? (O-oh) There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
Edward took center stage, "♫♪ Wide awake, the fever burns, Sweat it out, wait my turn! ♫♪"
The choir chimed in: "♫♪ (Can you hear the drumming?) (There's a revolution coming!) ♫♪"
Edward continued, "♫♪ All this doubt is creepin' in. Inside out, I shed my skin! ♫♪"
The choir responded, "♫♪ (Can you hear the drumming?) (There's a revolution coming!) ♫♪"
Fireworks lit up the night sky far from the crowd as Edward performed passionately, a trail of excitement in the air.
Holding his microphone with one hand, he used the other to guide the crowd, moving them up and down with the rhythm as he sang, "♫♪ I've been waitin' all my life! To live, when I've only been dreaming! Get love when I've only been stealing! ♫♪"
As the beat intensified, Edward crooned loudly, "♫♪ Can't let time keep passing me by! Run down what I've always been chasin'! Black out every fear I've been facin'! ♫♪"
"♫♪ All my wolves begin to howl! Wake me up, the time is now! ♫♪" he sang, rallying the choir once more.
Choir: "♫♪ (O-oh) Can you hear the drumming? (O-oh) There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
Edward passionately continued, "♫♪ Wild things that turn me on! Drag my dark into the dawn! ♫♪"
Choir: "♫♪ (O-oh) Can you hear the drumming? (O-oh) There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
The decades-old wound began to heal with Edward's voice. Although they know that their struggle was far from over, the citizens of the country wanted to hold on to the hope that everything would get better.
As the performance was broadcasted throughout the nation, the other 10.8 million people in the country, whose heart had been closed off, began to tear up and cheered for the revolution.
Edward continued, "♫♪ Body aches, I'm bound in chains, But there's a fire in my veins, yeah! ♫♪"
Choir: "♫♪ (Can you hear the drumming?) (There's a revolution coming!) ♫♪"
Edward raised his hand up, gesturing victory,"♫♪ Like every king who lost a crown, And all those years are history now! ♫♪"
The choir: "♫♪ (Can you hear the drumming?) (There's a revolution coming!) ♫♪"
Edward smirked and took off his vest, revealing his skinny upper body. "♫♪ I've been waitin' all my life, Run down what I've always been chasin', Black out every fear I've been facin'! (Facin') ♫♪"
With the marching band drumming and the choir singing, the entire scene became a historic moment for the world. Historians would later name the event "The Bloodless Revolution Concert."
The crowd joined Edward as he sang, "♫♪ All my wolves begin to howl, Wake me up, the time is now! ♫♪"
The choir joined in: "♫♪ (O-oh) Can you hear the drumming? (O-oh) There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
Edward smiled at them, sweat dripping from his chin as he continued, "♫♪ Wild things that turn me on, Drag my dark into the dawn! ♫♪"
The choir echoed, "♫♪ (O-oh) Can you hear the drumming? (O-oh) There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
An epic marching band performance took the stage for about a minute. Edward had trained the members intensively over the past week, so everyone worked together flawlessly, never missing a beat.
The choir and the citizens sang together, "♫♪ There's a revolution coming! There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
"♫♪ (O-oh) Can you hear the drumming? (O-oh) There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
Edward took the stage again as the marching band finished their solo, "♫♪ I'm rising up, up from the ground! From the bottom, can't hold me down, hold me down! I'm rising up, up from the ground! From the bottom, can't hold me down, hold me down! Hold me down! (Down, down, down, down, down) ♫♪"
Even without Edward, the crowd continued to sing. He gazed at them with satisfaction and pointed his microphone at the audience, feeling the weight of controlling a crowd this size. Every effort had drained his stamina even before the concert began.
"♫♪ All my wolves begin to howl, Wake me up, the time is now!
(O-oh) Can you hear the drumming?
(O-oh) There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
"♫♪ Wild things that turn me on, Drag my dark into the dawn!
(O-oh) Can you hear the drumming?
(O-oh) There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
Edward sat on the van, his legs dangling from the rooftop as he sang softly, bringing the song to a close. "♫♪ There's a revolution coming! There's a revolution coming! ♫♪"
After finishing the song, Edward casually performed a few motivational songs from various artists before Sado arrived.
Funding the revolution had cost him over $50 million. Another $50 million had gone to feed the crowd of 300,000 people. But Edward didn't care; the money didn't put a dent in his wealth. In fact, he considered it cheap to acquire a country in this way.
"You can leave the rest to us. You've done the best you can, even flying around the world searching for talents to help in the country's reestablishment. It's time for you to go back and rest," Sado said to Edward apologetically.
Edward staggered as he walked toward the QuinnJet—ZeroTwo would take him home. "Oh, right. The Denmark delegation will arrive today to help you draft the constitution. Since we want to form a new government similar to theirs, I contacted them in advance, and they've agreed to assist."
"There will be remnants of the regime, third parties with dubious intentions, and disgruntled citizens who will try to sabotage your consolidation of power. So, act quickly and efficiently. I've already extracted data from the previous rulers. Use their hidden wealth as your initial funding."
Edward continued to talk despite his fatigue, like a father reluctantly leaving his child to manage a difficult task alone. He felt anxious about leaving the country in the hands of his android at such a delicate time.
"They pocketed around $2 billion in black money, which is quite disappointing, to be honest. I've inflated it to about $30 billion, adding funds from my own slush funds—"
"Sir, with all due respect, shut up and let us handle it," ZeroTwo interjected sharply, escorting Edward into the jet. The moment he lay down in the cargo area, he fell asleep.
Two years had passed by since Edward was tasked with an impossible mission. Despite having fun touring the world, the nagging thoughts kept tormenting him, not letting him fully relax himself.
For the first time in two years, he couldn't hear the nagging anymore.