Chapter 2239 – 2239. Gyeongseong 2033
The inauguration ceremony began.
It started with a march of the honor guard. The army’s armored units took their places in the square, followed by the navy and air force. Of course, they couldn’t bring ships and fighter jets, so it was a bit lackluster compared to the army. Still, the air force was in a better position than the navy. They had an air show scheduled for the end of the inauguration.
Watching the armored units, I was inwardly impressed by the advancing land cruisers.
‘Those tanks are huge.’
The barrels were massive, and the armor was thick. I didn’t know if they could show their power on the actual battlefield, but they looked overwhelming. The German people watching the inauguration on TV would be cheering.
Besides that, the army’s armored units were a sight to behold. Dozens of armored vehicles and tanks, and elite soldiers in enhanced exoskeletons. They were showing off that they were the strongest army in the world.
On one side, the ambassador of the Japanese Empire was watching with an uncomfortable gaze. Originally, the Prime Minister of the Japanese Empire should have come to my inauguration. It wasn’t just any country, it was the inauguration of the new Führer of Germany.
‘I sent an invitation. I’ll kill him if he comes.’
The Prime Minister didn’t come. He knew that I was Seong Yujin, Murakano Katsunara, who killed his double. Since I didn’t hide my face, it would have been stranger if he didn’t know.
He would probably accuse me of being a terrorist who killed Japanese imperial citizens as soon as the inauguration was over.
Germany wouldn’t waver. The German people had blind faith in Hitler. They firmly believed that Hitler was the reason Germany had become great. And in reality, German citizens were subtly brainwashed about Hitler from a young age at school.
Of course, that alone wasn’t enough. As it became easier to access information, the people were no longer ignorant fools. But Hitler had the super artificial intelligence Schicksal. It thoroughly controlled information and immediately eliminated any dissidents. That was why the current system could be maintained.
I headed to the podium in the center of the square. As I stood on the podium, countless eyes were fixed on me. There was nowhere to escape from the gazes pouring in from all directions. Every human in the world would be watching me through the cameras.
“I am Hitler the Third, who has taken office as Führer, following in the footsteps of the great Hitler the Second.”
I declared confidently.
I didn’t use any honorifics.
“Many people are mistaken, intoxicated by the current peace. The arrogance that this peace will last forever. The reason Germany has been able to maintain peace until now is because Germany was the strongest. Yes. Was. Can we say that Germany is the strongest now? Ask people around the world who the strongest country is. Some will answer Germany, and some will say the Japanese Empire. Two strongest countries in the world. It’s absurd.”
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Tanks and armored vehicles moved like a golden wave.
The super artificial intelligence Schicksal was controlling the tanks and armored vehicles according to my instructions. It was part of the plan. However, I couldn’t control all the tanks and armored vehicles. It was only possible because I had prepared in advance.
“It’s a coup!!”
Someone shouted. The soldiers looked at their officers in confusion.
In the distance, Mario Reinhardt jumped up. His horribly distorted face made me feel good. The timing of the coup he wanted wasn’t now.
Mario was giving orders to the officers around him. I couldn’t hear his voice from here, but…
「Interpreting through lip reading.」
According to Schicksal’s interpretation, it was like this.
‘Kill that bastard right now!’
That bastard was obviously me. The officers hurriedly moved and gave orders to the soldiers. The soldiers hesitated for a moment, but… they were afraid of the officers ordering them in front of their eyes and pointed their guns at me. Shells flew and killed the soldiers.
[Hacking successful.]
[Tanks can be hacked for 12 hours.]
[Armored vehicles can be hacked for 11 hours and 41 minutes.]
[Enhanced exoskeletons can be hacked for 11 hours and 35 minutes.]
[Enhanced exoskeletons can be hacked for 11 hours and 32 minutes.]
[Enhanced exoskeletons…]
Shells and bullets rained down. The surroundings became a scene of chaos. The air force and navy were shocked and huddled together. They had no weapons, so they couldn’t do anything.
The army was divided into three factions. Those who sided with Mario, those who didn’t, and those who followed me. The ones getting beaten up were Mario’s side. It was something Schicksal and I had planned in advance, knowing about Mario’s coup. It would be stranger if they collapsed without resistance.
“I will correct your misunderstanding. Peace is just a pretty wrapping paper. If you dig into the inside, the war is still going on.”
Bullets were flying everywhere. A bomb exploded next to me. It was okay. It was within Schicksal’s calculations. All the enhanced exoskeletons were under my control. The same went for heavy armored vehicles, including tanks and armored vehicles. The only thing that could harm me was the soldiers’ bullets. And hostile soldiers were being eliminated as a priority.
I was in the midst of death, but I calmly continued my speech.
“A few decades ago, a civil war broke out in the Middle East. The truth of that civil war was a resource war between Germany and the Japanese Empire. Besides that, there were invisible conflicts and hidden wars between Germany and the Japanese Empire. I want true peace, not a lie.”
Boom!
A metal fragment grazed my cheek. This was really dangerous. If a metal fragment had pierced my neck, a catastrophe would have occurred. I was lucky.
“I want perfect peace, not a thin shell of peace. There is only one way to achieve perfect peace. Germany must win the war against the Japanese Empire and unify the world. The world will achieve lasting peace under German rule.”
The gunshots stopped. My surroundings were filled with blood and corpses.
Mario’s coup had failed. About 3,000 soldiers lost their lives due to his coup. He was captured by the SS and forcibly dragged before me.
“Mario Reinhardt. Traitor.”
“…An Asian! And a Korean who is just a slave of the Japanese Empire becomes the supreme leader of Germany? It’s absurd! German citizens! Are you really going to just watch that yellow monkey take the position of Führer!”
“I am Seong Hitler the Third. The rightful successor of Hitler the Second, and I am ready to become a devil for the peace of Germany. German citizens, listen. From now on, martial law is declared throughout Germany. Also, traitors will be immediately shot, and their families will be held accountable. The family of a traitor is a traitor. New concentration camps, including Auschwitz, will be established, and criminals who harm Germany will be held here.”
I held out my hand to the SS soldier. He loaded a pistol and placed it on my hand.
Bang!
I executed the traitor Mario Reinhardt in front of the whole world.
“I announce to the world. Germany will destroy the Japanese Empire, which is an obstacle to peace, and unify the world to achieve true peace. Many people say that World War III will be a war that ends everything. That’s wrong. World War III is a new war for Germany that will begin.”
It was a declaration of war against the Japanese Empire.
This wasn’t the end. It was something I had decided, but if I ended it here, there would definitely be backlash from various places.
「Launching 1,722 nuclear missiles.」
Dozens of missiles soared into the sky behind me. People all over Germany would be able to see the missiles flying. Intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
The targets of the nuclear missiles were Japan and its colonies, including the Japanese archipelago, Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, parts of Russia, and the Philippines.
It would be great if I could wipe them all out with this attack, but… the Japanese Empire was not an easy country to deal with.
“You’re crazy! Launching nuclear missiles right after declaring war! This makes the declaration of war meaningless!”
The Japanese ambassador shouted.
I pulled the trigger and shot the Japanese ambassador between the eyebrows.
“I’ll warn you in advance. There will be no armistice. If you want to surrender, bring Prime Minister Ito’s head to me. That’s all.”
I turned around and headed to the official residence.
The war had begun.
Now, there were only two ways to stop the war. Win or lose. And no one wanted to lose.
After some time, Schicksal reported.
「Out of the 1,722 nuclear missiles launched, 1,392 were intercepted. 330 nuclear missiles hit their targets.」
“Did any hit Tokyo?”
「All 1,260 missiles that were headed for the Japanese archipelago were intercepted.」
It would have been a huge gain if even one missile had hit the Japanese archipelago, but… it was a shame, but there was nothing I could do. The Japanese Empire had also prepared for war like Nazi Germany. It would be stranger if they were destroyed by just nuclear missiles. It was also a world where the interception system was more developed than in reality.
“That’s a relief, at least. Was the other place devastated? I especially hope that China and Taiwan were devastated.”
China, with its large population, was Japan’s factory.
「200 nuclear missiles fell across China, devastating major cities. 5 nuclear missiles fell on Taiwan, but… the major cities are safe.」
The other Japanese colonies also suffered great damage. At least hundreds of millions of people were massacred today. Of course, I didn’t bat an eye. I was just disappointed that not a single nuclear missile had fallen on Japan.
‘If only the Prime Minister had died, it would have been easier… No, if the Prime Minister dies, the quest will end.’
I advanced the German army into China. The main battlefield would be China.
‘The German navy can’t beat the Japanese navy. I’ll move the army and advance to Gyeongseong.’
I would conquer the Korean Peninsula and Russia to block the path of the Japanese Empire.
I gathered the German ministers and generals in the conference room and said,
“I will go to the battlefield myself. I need to lead the charge to achieve a quick victory.”
“…Führer. Are you serious?”
“I am always serious.”
