Michael couldn’t help but feel as if he was blind. How could he have not seen this before? This was what the Ersatz had been planning this entire time!

He immediately looked towards his Mini Drones. Thousands of them, flying in the air of New Sparta like invisible eyes, looking down at the festivities below.

The Upper Echelons had draped everything with happiness. With celebrations and food. Yet, that was only the surface of the truth.

If one were to look, really look at the people in New Sparta, one would see the anxiety and worry in their eyes. The trauma from the attack before had completely made them think that at any second, another horde of Monsters were going to attack them and finish the job they failed before.

And this was only exacerbated by the fact that magic was gone. The only power accessible even to the likes of normal, ordinary people, was suddenly gone from reality as if it never even existed in the first place.

How would they feel then? The answer was obvious. They’d feel fear. Paranoid. There were only two ways to deal with this kind of emotion.

One was to completely consign themselves to the protection of others. Despite not feeling in the mood for festivities, most people in New Sparta turned to the Upper Echelon companies and catered to their whims. They were the only one who could protect them.

However, there was another way to deal with this emotion. And that was through anger. Through revenge. They would want to make themselves strong enough so that they wouldn’t have to worry about the Monsters attacking them again.

And with magic gone, one would think that they would have no other avenue to find strength.

That was where the Ersatz came in. They would approach these angry, lost people and offer them strength. Offer them the blade to kill their fears.

The Ersatz would give them the Artifice. Give them Aubility Powers that could change reality itself.

And then they would think about how easy it was to obtain this power. At that point, they were already in Ersatz hands. They were already fully bought in to their agenda, becoming a part of the mindless zombie army intent on destroying the world balance.

After all, they still felt angry. The Upper Echelons had been hoarding this kind of power all by themselves, not letting the common people even have a taste of this invincible and inexorable power.

Add in to the fact that the Upper Echelons had left them to die at the moment of their need, and these people would be more than willing to go with the Ersatz agenda.

Michael looked down in New Sparta, watching with his unique perspective.

Thousands of people below had ice in their hearts. Instead of showing the warm, pulsing heartbeats in their chests, they instead had cold, dark, Artifice emanating power into their bodies.

They had become Ersatz.

This was what they had been aiming for in the first place. Why they removed magic from the world, making everyone completely dependent on them.

It was at this point that Michael knew something had to change. He had to change. He had to have a more proactive position when it came to the Ersatz. He needed to stop them before they completely corrupt the world with their poisonous world views.

"Master," Fudge called out to him. "Did you see what’s happening out there?"

Michael nodded.

"Hehehe, Master. Just say the word, and I’ll have my spies wreak havoc in Ersatz."

Fudge had been diligent with his work. All this time, he had been building a network of spies within every organization that had come into contact with the Reborn company. Ersatz included. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

He had already captured some people and washed away their brainwash in order for them to accept the Iron Maiden as their one and only guiding light. And it seemed to have been working.

"Can you take a look at some of the Ersatz zombies that we saw back at the Island Prison?"

Fudge took a second before he replied. "Of course, Master. Here they are. I already sent my shadows to monitor them. They’re currently in a Stronghold just a few kilometers away from New Sparta."

A completely new perspective entered Michael’s vision, one that was dark and shadowy on the edges.

It was Fudge’s shadow clone attached to an Ersatz zombie. Fudge allowed him vision to see through it.

And there, he could see the same Ersatz soldiers and guards in a dark room, shackles on their wrists and legs.

"They were imprisoned here after they failed to protect the Island Prison," Fudge explained.

Poor things. They looked completely malnourished, being nothing but bones and skins. And on the small bits of meat and flesh they had left, Michael saw injuries, lashes, and cuts no doubt inflicted by their emotionless wardens.

This was the future that those people would be subjected to in the future. They think they would be joining a revolution. They joined slavery instead.

"I... I never thought they’d punish us like this," one of them said.

"They gave us our power," one of them reasoned.

"Does that give them the permission to treat us like this?!" the aggravated man shouted. "Those... those bastards. And this damn agenda!"

All the other prisoners looked at him with fear and wide eyes. "Do you have a death wish?!"

"Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me that you wouldn’t rather be out there in your normal, simple life. Remember that alcohol we drank? That beer? That was the last piece of freedom that I’ve tasted for years.

They keep telling us that our goal is the only important thing in the world. That it would bring peace and prosperity to the world.

But... it looks like the world is already prosperous. I’ve heard... I’ve heard that some people get to wash their bodies in warm water in their own homes without magic. Is that really so bad that we have to destroy the world?"

The man’s contemplative words made the other prisoners go into a solemn silence. They couldn’t argue, for they too felt the same as him.

"But what can we do? It’s already done. We’ve already given our hearts to this cause. Not just our hearts, but our souls as well. No one will accept us after what we’ve done."

The aggravated man pursed his lips. "I... I believe there are people who’ll accept us. Who won’t judge as for what we were, but what we could become."

"Whoever they are... I hope we don’t destroy them first."

As Michael watched this scene, he couldn’t help but feel a newfound hope sprouting in his heart.

It was only now that he understood the very basis of his Spirit.

They were the reason why he gained so much Spirit back then!

He had instructed Fudge to give them beer as a consolation, and in turn, then gave him Spirit.

After all, that beer was what allowed these men to suddenly start thinking about the whole purpose of their goal in the first place.

If the Ersatz had been telling them that they needed to destroy the world first before they could fix it, then why did it already seem fixed? Why were there already beautiful things here?

And that seed of doubt. That small bit of defiance that began to light the shroud that Ersatz clouded upon them, that was what allowed Michael to gain Spirit.

He had given them a new chance for a new beginning! He was able to successfully change their minds and their hearts.

He was able to let them see a glimpse of his goal.

And that’s how he earned his Spirit. He was able to change the lives of those who think their lives were already a waste.

After seeing this, Michael couldn’t help but smile. Finally, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. He was still a long way there, but he finally knew how he was going to fulfill his goal.

He always thought that he had to defeat the Ersatz. That he had to destroy them before they destroyed the world.

But after seeing this, he was enlightened.

He didn’t have to destroy them. He just had to convince them.

The biggest advantage the Ersatz had were their inexhaustible zombie army. Hundreds of thousands, milllions of people ready to offer their lives in order to destroy the world balance.

But if Michael were to bring those millions over to his side, then Ersatz would be completely useless.

They’d get crippled. And in the meanwhile, he’ll be able to spread his ideal world to them and change the world!

This was the path! This was what he needed to do!

He couldn’t fight them physically. He would if he had to. But that’s not how he was going to win this war. The way to win this war was to recapture their hearts. To let them realize that the world was already beautiful the way it was now.