"Prime Minister! It's terrible! The Oniiwa Castle is launching a massive attack! Due to the earlier tremors, the protective shield has cracked! They're marching straight into the Mu Federation!" A similarly disheveled underwater soldier stumbled toward the Prime Minister.
"What about the defense forces? What are they doing?" the Prime Minister asked angrily.
"The defense forces were hit by the tremors and couldn't prepare in time. Their formations were completely disrupted!" the soldier replied, lowering his head.
"I... I am the sinner of the Mu Federation!" The Prime Minister collapsed to the ground, murmuring to himself.
After a long while, the Prime Minister, who had been like a pile of rotten meat on the ground, slowly rose like a walking corpse and turned to face the statue behind him.
A statue of a goddess with a human body and fish tail, holding a dolphin in her hands, came into view.
"Oh, Amphitrite, goddess who rules the four seas! Is the end of our Mu Federation upon us? Please guide us forward!" The Prime Minister knelt on the mat before the statue, praying fervently.
In the face of impending doom, when all resistance is futile, the only source of comfort and solace is the ethereal divine.
...
On the other side, after waiting for the outside commotion to subside, Nobita and the others slowly crawled out.
Seeing this place that looked like ruins, they could hardly believe that just moments ago, it had been a quaint underwater ancient city!
In an instant, it was as if it had been weathered and baptized by time.
…
While Doraemon and the others were still in shock, I left them with a quick "Wait here for me."
Then, I used instant teleportation to leave.
I had to go and deal with the Prime Minister, this last threat, to root out the problem completely. No giving the villains a chance to come back—I was firmly committed to the principle of finishing the job.
I searched around the Mu Federation and finally, using my Clairvoyance, located where the Prime Minister was.
I arrived in front of what looked like a church-like building. I was really puzzled—why did these underwater people, who claimed to be so technologically advanced, still believe in gods?
Was this some kind of trap?
Or maybe this god was actually problematic? There are all sorts of weird things in the Doraemon world, and I was afraid of capsizing in the gutter.
So, I stayed vigilant!
After easily taking care of the guards at the door, I pushed it open and walked in.
What caught my eye was that huge statue of a goddess holding a dolphin.
And there, in his red uniform, the Mu Federation's Prime Minister was kneeling beneath the statue.
"You've finally come!" The Prime Minister slowly turned around, trembling a bit, but with a hint of relief.
"I never thought that after nearly a thousand years of conflict between our Mu Federation and Atlantis, Atlantis would bring about its own destruction, and the Mu Federation would ultimately meet the same fate!" The Prime Minister sighed to himself.
"Kill me! But please spare the people of the Mu Federation!" The Prime Minister closed his eyes, spread his arms, and awaited his death.
I used my Clairvoyance to scan again and found that there really were no traps in the temple at all—not even anything in the statue.
Was this some kind of empty ploy?
Whatever, I'd deal with this old geezer first!
I released my telekinesis to press down on the Prime Minister, making his once-straight back bend under the weight instantly.
Looking at the Prime Minister in front of me, still trying to act all unyielding? He was stubbornly refusing to kneel.
I immediately increased the pressure, and the Prime Minister couldn't hold out any longer—his knees buckled, and he knelt before me.
"Do you have to humiliate me even before I die?" The Prime Minister glared at me angrily.
Damn, how did this make me look like the villain? What was he pretending to be all noble and unyielding for?
I walked over and slapped him across the face.
"Old geezer, you know the consequences of messing with me now!"
"You should've just let us leave peacefully, but no, you had to cause trouble!"
Seeing his humiliated glare, yet unable to say anything, I slapped him a few more times. But then I started feeling bored—the thrill of revenge faded a lot.
This was getting dull. Just as I was about to finish off this old guy...
Suddenly, the temple doors were smashed open, and a ragged, tattered figure covered in dust stumbled in.
"Don't kill him, please!" El, covered in grime, knelt on the ground begging me.
"Oh, so you're not dead!" I had thought that under that attack, El had been buried in the ruins along with the other soldiers!
I didn't expect him to not only survive but crawl back out.
His vitality was like a cockroach's.
"As long as you don't kill the Prime Minister, the Mu Federation will agree to any of your demands!" El pleaded humbly!
"El, don't beg him! The Mu Federation has no surrendering Prime Minister!" The Prime Minister said, somewhat defiantly, preferring death.
"But Prime Minister, only you can rebuild the Mu Federation!" El said with a sob.
Watching this touching scene of loyalty between the two...
I just felt disgusted. Damn, you guys started as the aggressors, and now you're playing the victims?
Crap, have I become the villain?
Screw that—if you want to die a hero, I won't let you have it.
I smirked inwardly, coming up with a great idea.
"I can spare him!" My voice came out expressionless.
"Really? That's great! Thank you so much!" El exclaimed gratefully!
The Prime Minister, still kneeling on the ground, looked incredulous.
"Don't thank me too soon—I have conditions!" I cut them off.
"First, the Prime Minister has to step down!"
"Second, you have to publicly announce that you wrongfully captured us and apologize with compensation!"
"Finally, I want El to be the new Prime Minister!"
El was somewhat shocked that the conditions involved him.
"Fine! We agree!" The Prime Minister humiliatingly accepted the terms.
He wanted to live, of course—nobody really wants to die.
As for stepping down, after causing such disaster to the nation, he couldn't stay in the position anyway.
And making El the leader? That would be a good thing for the Mu Federation! The country needed fresh blood after all!
"Very good." Seeing the Prime Minister agree to my demands, I withdrew the telekinetic pressure on him.
The Prime Minister felt like the shackles on his heart had vanished.
But before leaving, I released a sliver of telekinesis into the Prime Minister's brain.
Once I left the Mu Federation, that sliver would turn him into an idiot.
Did he think I'd really let my enemy go? Dream on.
Making El the leader was just to let this bleeding-heart take charge and harshly reform the country, so they wouldn't cause trouble again.
After all, I couldn't really commit genocide right under Doraemon's nose—that'd be too vile and damage my reputation.
And while our side's bleeding-hearts are to be eliminated, the enemy's bleeding-hearts must be protected at all costs.
But when I got back, I heard some bad news.
Saotome Seiko had been captured by the people from Oniiwa Castle.