Riser appeared in the office with a single step, closing the Kamui the very next instant. The room was empty, silent, and organized exactly as he had left it. He walked to the chair, sat down, and rested his fingers on the armrest.
"System."
The answer came immediately, clear and objective.
[HOST.]
"Begin the evolution. I want System 3.0 active."
There was a short pause.
[CONFIRMATION.]
[INITIATING COMPLETE EVOLUTION MATRIX.]
[ESTIMATED DURATION: 3 DAYS.]
Riser lifted his face, surprised just enough to pause for a second.
"Only three days. Last time it took weeks."
[OPTIMIZATION ACQUIRED FROM STORED DIMENSIONAL ENERGY.]
Riser nodded once.
"Perfect. Shut down."
[WARNING: UPON SHUTDOWN, ALL FUNCTIONS WILL BE INOPERABLE UNTIL FULL ACTIVATION OF SYSTEM 3.0.]
"Shut down."
[TERMINATING...]
The voice vanished at once. An absolute silence filled the air, dry and weightless. Riser stood up without hurry and left the room.
The throne hall was occupied when he entered. Hancock stood at the center, aligned with her sisters, speaking in a low tone. All three stopped at the same time when they saw Riser cross the doorway.
Hancock brought a hand to her chest, her eyes widening with intensity and emotion. Her breathing failed for a moment, and she nearly stumbled before running to him.
"My husband..."
The tone carried relief and longing, as if months had passed without seeing him. Hancock clenched her fingers in his clothes and pressed her face against Riser's chest, a sob caught in her throat before she regained her breath.
"You came back."
Her sisters remained motionless, perfectly still where they stood. None of them spoke. They only watched with respect, almost reverence, as if his presence alone was enough to command stillness.
Riser placed a hand on Hancock's back, guiding her with firm calm.
"Come."
He walked to the throne. Hancock followed without hesitation. Her sisters stepped back, keeping their distance.
Riser sat down. Hancock did not wait for an invitation. She settled onto his lap as if it were the most natural place in the world.
"Leave us alone."
The sisters departed immediately. None looked back. The hall fell silent as soon as the doors closed.
Hancock touched his face with both hands, as if she needed to confirm through contact that he was truly there.
"I thought about you every day."
Riser held her wrist, guiding her hand to his chest.
"Hancock."
She lifted her eyes quickly, attentive to every syllable.
"I am going to destroy everything that remains of the old world. And I need you to be part of it."
Hancock shuddered, but did not look away.
"Any order of yours... I will obey."
"The Celestial Dragons."
The name made her body truly tremble. An involuntary, deep reflex. Her hands tightened in his clothes. Air left her lungs in a short breath.
Riser continued.
"You are free to kill them. All of them. Every single one."
Hancock closed her eyes for a moment, and a tear fell before she even noticed. She rested her forehead on his shoulder, breathing deeply to keep control.
"They destroyed my life. My sisters' lives. The lives of many women. I waited so long for this..."
Riser held her waist firmly with one hand.
"It ends now."
Hancock lifted herself slightly, looking directly at him with determination and something deeper than gratitude.
"I will make them pay. With my own hands. With pleasure."
Riser touched her chin and gently pulled her closer.
"That is why I need you. Not just as an ally. As Empress."
Hancock smiled slowly, a small but intense smile.
"I have always been yours."
Riser let her rest her head on his shoulder. Her arms tightened around his torso. There were no tears now, only certainty.
"Thank you."
The word came out low, almost a whisper.
"Thank you for giving me back something I thought I would never have. Thank you for giving me justice."
Riser ran his fingers through her hair, a brief, simple gesture.
"You will lead this world at my side."
Hancock brought her face closer and slowly closed her eyes, letting her forehead touch his chin.
"If you allow me... I will follow you to the end."
Riser took a deep breath.
"Then stay with me."
She smiled again.
"I am not leaving."
Hancock slid her fingers along his chest, seeking stability in the contact. Riser held the touch for a few seconds before speaking.
"Hancock."
She lifted her face, attentive.
"Everything will happen in three days."
She did not ask why. She did not request explanations. She only nodded once, slow and full of trust.
"Three days."
Her smile appeared, small.
Riser held her waist, pulling her closer.
"I need this time."
Hancock rested her forehead on his chin, calm.
"I will wait. Whatever comes after... I will be at your side."
Riser rested his hand on her waist, his voice low and direct.
"I am going to start a small war. Nothing too grand. Just something... for my personal understanding."
Hancock opened her eyes, breathing slowly before asking.
"Who will the enemies be?"
Riser tilted his head.
"Most likely the Revolutionary Army against what remains of the Government. The Navy will choose their side, of course. But that does not matter."
Hancock let her hand move across his chest, her gaze firm, without hesitation.
"As long as I have the Celestial Dragons... the rest is irrelevant."
Her thought came hot, firm, silent.
'I waited so many years. I suffered. I broke. I watched my sisters suffer. I believed I would die without justice. And now... I can touch vengeance with my own hands.'
Hancock leaned closer, her posture calm, but inside she felt something she did not dare name.
'Riser did not just free me. He is allowing me to destroy those who destroyed us.'
She clenched her hand in his clothes, anchoring the future there.
"Do whatever is necessary. Three days, a war, an entire planet... I do not care."
Riser ran his fingers along the back of her neck.
"Then watch with me. In three days, the world awakens to the Crimson Empire."
Hancock closed her eyes once more, letting her breathing align with his chest.
'This world... will never be the same again.'
Riser kept Hancock on his lap for a few seconds, observing her expression without truly knowing what lay behind those eyes. It did not matter.
'I do not know what Hancock is thinking right now... but at least I can see something I always wanted to see in the anime.'
The war that never happened.
Revolutionaries against the Navy.
An open, inevitable clash, without masks or politics.
He breathed slowly, satisfied with his anticipation.
Hancock ran her hand over his chest, a light touch that slid through her fingers with gentle intent. A discreet caress, almost automatic, but firm enough to show she wanted to remain there.
Riser lifted his face.
"I need to send a message."
He raised his hand and activated communication magic. The air distorted above his palm, forming a stable hologram. Merlin appeared in reduced size, runes circling around her like fragments of light. In the background, Vivi appeared blurred, leaning over maps.
Riser spoke without preamble.
"Merlin. I need you to discreetly spread word of the Gorosei's deaths. Rumors only. Nothing official."
Merlin inclined her head, assessing the order quickly.
"Understood. I will consider the movements of the underworld networks. I will spread enough for the right groups to hear... and for the Government to be unable to deny it for long."
Riser nodded once.
"Do it immediately."
"I am already doing it."
The image dissolved into clear particles, ending the spell.
Riser rested his fingers on the arm of the throne, thoughtful.
'Dragon will investigate before making any immediate move. He never acts without confirming information himself. That should give me enough time to finish the System's evolution... and enjoy the spectacle.'
Armies marching without coordination.
The Navy trying to contain chaos with orders no one obeyed anymore.
The revolutionaries advancing like fire through dry fields.
The world sliding toward total war, the war the manga always hinted at but never dared to show.
'At least now I will see it.'
Hancock slid her fingers along his neck, creating a brief line of contact. It was a simple gesture, but something deeper lived there, a silent gratitude, or perhaps the comfort of knowing her vengeance finally had a date.
"You are quiet," she said.
Riser turned his face toward her.
"I am just planning. The war will begin before they realize it."
Hancock rested her hand on his chest again.
"I will be with you."
Riser held her waist.
"I know."
He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the light weight of her body against his. A short pause before chaos. Three days.
Riser slowly opened his eyes.
'When the System awakens, everything changes.'
Hancock rested her chin on his shoulder, comfortable, without urgency.
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