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The old power structure, like a dilapidated building with its foundation removed, collapsed with a roar. Those elites of the old era, "sold out" by the people, were politely "invited" to "re-education centers." Their assets were quickly inventoried and taken over, used for infrastructure reconstruction worldwide.
The whole process went so smoothly it felt almost unreal.
The High School of Spellcasting has now been reorganized into the "Celestial Council - Far East Branch - Academy for Training Extraordinary Talents".
Gojo Satoru tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. In front of him were a pile of electronic documents about the "New Spellcaster Rank Assessment Standards" and the "Budget for Cleaning Up Cursed Remnants".
"Ugh—this is so annoying!" He leaned back and slumped in his chair. "I'm Gojo Satoru! The strongest sorcerer! Why am I stuck here looking at all this stuff?! My six eyes are going to get cataracts from all these reports!"
Sitting opposite him, Xia Youjie was methodically processing another document—a plan on how to place the former family members stripped of their magical powers into new social positions. Without looking up, he replied, “Stop complaining, Wu. This is a management internship personally assigned to us by Mr. Zhou Ye. Besides, don’t you think it’s very fulfilling to personally build a world where there are no more monkeys and the Panxing Cult?”
"A sense of accomplishment?" Gojo Satoru sat up and pointed out the window. "My sense of accomplishment should be in the sky, blasting the enemy to smithereens in one fell swoop, not here, arguing with the logistics department for ages over a punctuation mark error!"
"You could try isolating these files without any limits," Xia Youjie joked.
"I tried!" Gojo Satoru said indignantly, "but the administrative AI sent me a warning, saying that I was maliciously shirking my work and that they would deduct my energy ration points for this month!"
Xia Youjie finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. Watching his invincible best friend being driven crazy by the modern bureaucratic system was truly a delightful experience.
……
On the bridge of the flagship "Declaration of Truth" in geosynchronous orbit.
Zhou Ye was also reading a report. However, his report was based on the entire planet.
On the screen, lines of data flowed by.
"Global curse removal rate: 98.7%."
"Public support for the new order: 96.3%."
"The purge of the old forces is 99.1% complete."
"The first batch of technology transfer projects has been launched, and it is expected that the upgrade of global basic infrastructure will be completed within three months."
Everything is too good to be true.
Standing beside him was Yuta Otsukoshi, who had just finished special training and had been temporarily assigned to serve as a liaison officer. He looked at the data, still feeling somewhat dazed.
“Mr. Zhou Ye,” Yi Gu You Tai asked, mustering his courage, “I don’t quite understand. Why… did it go so smoothly? I thought that humanity would fight to the very last moment for freedom.”
Zhou Ye turned off the screen, turned around and looked at the blue planet outside the porthole, and suddenly smiled.
“Yotai, let me tell you an old joke from our world. There was a ruler named Megatron whose biggest dream was to conquer the Earth and enslave all of humanity. But every time he failed, he would find that the biggest problem in ruling the Earth was not the rebels, but that after he took control, he would have to build sewers and internet for seven billion people, and also resolve neighborhood disputes.”
Yuta Otsutsuki was stunned.
"Before I came, I imagined many possibilities. Fierce resistance, tragic sacrifices, an epic war that would determine the fate of civilization." Zhou Ye's tone carried a hint of self-deprecation. "And what happened? I came with a massive fleet, only to be handed a three-gigabyte list of corrupt officials and then asked me if my newly issued personal terminal could support holographic games."
“That’s Megatron’s problem,” Zhou Ye said, shrugging. “You’re all set for a world-shaking conquest, only to find out you’re just applying for a job as a property manager on a planet. And the biggest challenge isn’t the war, it’s the endless administrative reports that follow.”
Looking at the thoughtful Yuta Ekiku, he continued, "Don't underestimate humanity's yearning for a better life, nor overestimate their attachment to those ethereal ideologies once they are well-fed and clothed. If the price of so-called freedom is hunger, disease, and the fear of being eaten by monsters at any time, then most people will not hesitate to choose a safer and more affluent cage."
“True rule is never based on oppression and fear. Those are the least efficient and most foolish methods.” Zhou Ye’s gaze deepened. “True rule is to provide a superior system that far exceeds their imagination and is irreplaceable. It is to make them willingly become part of this system and actively maintain it. Because overthrowing this system is equivalent to overthrowing their own happy life.”
"Tyranny breeds rebellion, and prosperity is the ultimate tool of control. Give them a paradise they never dared to dream of, and they will build it into the most solid empire for you."
Yi Guyou nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. He seemed to grasp it, yet also seemed to understand nothing at all. All he knew was that this godlike man's perspective on problems was completely beyond his comprehension.
This world has truly changed.
The final scene is a montage-like sequence.
Zenin Maki and Mai lead a rapid response force composed of a new generation of sorcerers, patrolling the skies above the newly built city. Their eyes are confident and resolute.
Higashido Aoi is excitedly teaching a group of students from all over the world his unique fighting philosophy, which combines the "Rokushiki" and "Injustice Game," in the academy's training grounds, occasionally interjecting with tales of his close friend Itadori Hisahito's heroic deeds.
Kasumi Miwa is no longer that timid little girl. As a battlefield commander, she calmly directs her squad through the communicator to hunt down a discovered, last breeding ground for the curse.
In an ordinary family, a child who had once been diagnosed with a terminal illness is happily playing with his parents. Outside the window, there is a clear blue sky and a futuristic-looking sky garden under construction.
Everything is moving towards a brand new, bright future.
At dusk, on the rooftop of the renovated Spellcasting Academy.
Gojo Satoru and Natsume Yuuki sat side by side, each holding a can of soda, gazing at the distant sky. Several streaks of light flashed across the horizon—those were transport ships traveling between the ground and the orbital space station.
“Honestly, Jai,” Gojo Satoru said, taking a sip of his soda, “Although having meetings every day is annoying, this feeling… isn’t so bad.”
Xia Youjie looked at the magnificent sunset on the horizon and smiled: "What, you're used to being the strongest, now you're starting to enjoy the pleasures of being a corporate slave?"
"Go to hell." Gojo Satoru laughed and cursed, then relaxed and leaned against the railing. "I just feel like... I've let go of a lot of things. I don't have to carry the entire jutsu world on my shoulders anymore, I don't have to worry about you doing something stupid again, and I don't have to think about those nonsensical balances and the future anymore."
“Yes,” Xia Youjie replied softly, “it’s all in the past.”
In the past, one was the strongest person in the world, and the other was a rebel who tried to overthrow the world. They stood at opposite ends, but both were burdened with shackles so heavy they were suffocating.
Now, the shackles have been casually shattered by a more powerful being in a way they never imagined.
They no longer need to play that role.
Gojo Satoru suddenly said, "This doesn't count as an alien invasion, does it?"
Xia Youjie thought for a moment and replied, "I think it's more like a forced system version update. And it even comes with a free permanent membership."
The two looked at each other and laughed.
Yes, a brand new version.
A brand new world where you have close friends by your side, and you can drink soda and enjoy the scenery together.
For them, this might be the best ending.
Chapter 367 Return to High School DxD
The dizziness from the spatial displacement was fleeting.
Zhou Ye appeared in the activity room of the Supernatural Research Department in the old school building of Demon High School.
The air was filled with a familiar, sweet aroma, a mixture of black tea and a faint smell of sulfur.
It's completely different from the oppressive, dull, and ever-present feeling of curses lurking in the shadows of the Jujutsu Kaisen world.
"Ye!"
With a joyful shout, Rias stood up from the sofa, her long red hair tracing a beautiful arc.
She walked quickly to Zhou Ye and looked him up and down.
"You're back. This time you were gone for... a bit longer."
"Yay! You've finally decided to come back!"
Himejima Akeno put down her teacup, her face bearing her usual gentle smile.
"If you don't come back soon, Minister is going to lead us to another world—to find you!"
Zhou Ye stretched his neck, and his joints made a series of slight cracking sounds.
"I had some things to take care of, which caused the delay."
He casually replied, then plopped down on the sofa, sinking into it completely.
He closed his eyes and began to examine the gains he had made on this journey through the world of sorcery.
The council's technical data, analytical data on the spell system, and the "resource utilization" plan for those top-tier cursed spirits...
These were all expected.
But the next second, a massive energy that was completely unexpected surged into his senses.
It was a unique energy that was warm, pure, and vast like the ocean.
It is not magic, not holy light, and certainly not curse power.
It is faith.
A collective will from seven billion people, so vast it can distort reality.
Zhou Ye suddenly opened his eyes.
"What kind of international joke is this?"
He couldn't help but curse.
"What's wrong, Ye?"
Rias noticed his dramatic emotional fluctuations and asked with concern.
"I smashed the old order of that world to pieces, killed a bunch of so-called upper-class elites, and the result... not only did they not hate me, they even worshipped me like a god?"
Zhou Ye's expression was absolutely priceless.
He had considered countless possibilities, but never this kind of development.
He razed the old world and gave them a new world where they were well-fed, clothed, and free from the threat of monsters.
Then, they really started to see him as their savior.
Logically it makes sense, but emotionally... it's too surreal.
"The best way to conquer a world is indeed through targeted poverty alleviation."
Zhou Ye muttered self-deprecatingly.
"Boss, what are you muttering incomprehensible words again?"
The door to the activity room was pushed open, and Nami walked in carrying a stack of financial statements, followed by Kasumigaoka Utaha with a notebook.
"If you keep disappearing like this, our accounts are really going to explode!"
Nami slammed the report on the table, put her hands on her hips, and complained, "Do you know how much it costs to maintain the logistics of an interdimensional organization?!"
"To disguise rule as liberation, to replace swords with favors, and thus gain the worship and faith of the ruled..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha adjusted her glasses, her eyes shining as she looked at Zhou Ye. "Boss, your move was textbook-level imperial tactics. I've got inspiration for the villain in my next novel."
"I didn't think much of it."
Zhou Ye waved his hand, "I just think those old guys are in the way."
As he gazed at the golden ocean of faith within his body, a bold idea began to take shape.
The Herrscher of Reason's constructive abilities, the Herrscher of Void's spatial powers, Talking Tom's idealistic nature...
What would happen if these were combined with this immense power of faith?
met free