“That's the worst part, we were lied to. Not once, but twice. When we came home all the laurels, accolades, and praise meant nothing. We had no war, no expedition, no purpose. And in the end we were abandoned by our nations that had brought us together. Then the Black King came, his honey words guiding us and giving us a cause even though he himself was the reason we lost all our support. A fact I had come to learn of too late. But what was I to do? Entrapped by love, held captive by narcissism, and imprisoned by honor… What was I to do?”- Excerpt from the Journal of General Dorian Jazz.

AAS: Season 6:CH75: The Con

Standing before the crowd of a thousand dissidents, Jack inhaled, sweeping his gaze across the men and women of the Lost battalion who waited for what they presumed to be their fate from the man on the hastily crafted podium.

Gathered around the prisoners, a contingent of Lita's paladins with Superbia in heavy armor standing at the forefront.

Joining them were several samurai led by Min while imperial soldiers watched from afar.

“Soldiers of the Solomon expeditions… you know of me, as I know of you,” Jack said, staring at the crowd as the winds carried his voice to the entire city, “So I will keep this brief. You have been labeled as enemies of the world. Traitors of humanity abandoned by your false prophet and led astray by leaders who sought to turn your grief and pain into instruments of chaos. Simply put, you. Were. Deceived.”

Jack paused, allowing his words to wash over the stirring crowd.

“But does this mean you are not capable of redemption? Does this mean you must be put down like dogs?” Jack continued, stifling his sudden urge to wipe out the crowd. “No. General Jazz sought to spare your lives, to give you such a chance so you could make a home for yourselves. To give you purpose! A desire I know too well. But what have you done in your dogmatic pursuit of a home? In your quest for recognition? The evidence lies around you. Look at the sky, the sea, the earth, the blight and horrors that roam this land. You. Have caused this. You, have poisoned this world, ruining any hope of our future children to flourish-”

Jack stepped from the podium, walking between the crowd of prisoners much to the dismay of most gathered as it was an action a noble simply didn't do.

“-any hope of change, but… you have the power to fix that future, make amends for your past. Steer the course of humanity away from damnation IF, you lend us your strength,” Jack paused, standing before a common brunette man with brown eyes in overalls who held no mana. Jack removed his eyepatch, brandishing his corrupted blind eye for the gathered men to witness his scar. “If, you become not an instrument of chaos, but of salvation. Will you be that instrument?”

The soldier dry swallowed, looking away, unable to stare into Jack's eyes.

Then much to every imperial’s shock, Jack did something that flustered the dock worker.

He knelt.

“I, King of the Empire, beseech your aid.”

Silence, the workers shaken, imperial and guardsmen alike dumbfounded at the display of a royal bending the knee.

But of course Jack didn't care, this was all a ruse, a ploy to tug at the heartstrings of those he needed in order to accomplish his goals. A con to trick those he needed.

“Will you help us save the world?” Jack asked, looking up at the man.

“Y-yes, your Majesty!” The man shouted, his eyes alight with a spark of hope in a hopeless situation.

Jack didn't know if it was because the man genuinely bought his ruse, or if he hoped by doing so Jack would spare his life, either way, Jack didn't care, he had accomplished what he wanted.

“Then,” Jack said, rising to his feet as Lilith materialized while Sahaqiel descended from on high to gently land beside him. “In order to trust you, we shall weigh your sins.”

To the Cintelli prisoners in the mix, a few of them recognized Sahaqiel, some even prostrating themselves as they saw their patron saint clear as day to their eyes.

Jack took hold of the man’s hands, locking eyes with the worker as Lilith and Sahaqiel flanked Jack as rehearsed.

“Look into my eyes, and you will be judged. You will either stand beside us as a hero, or be cast down as a villain,” Jack ordered, the brown-eyed prisoner shaking but ultimately doing so to allow Jack to peer into his soul, to view his data.

“You know you play the part well,” Lilith commented with Jack ignoring her.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Within seconds Jack saw strife, conflict, turmoil, the man's hopes, desires, lusts, and fears. Unlike ripping apart his usual victims, Jack instead sought out hints of deceit, traces of evil, and anything that could harm his mission.

In the end, all Jack saw was an ordinary man. A human who sought comradery and purpose. A terrified person in the palm of a greater strength.

“Adamska Ocelot,” Jack said, releasing the man who howled, falling to the ground in tears as Jack released him. “You have been judged.”

Jack nodded to Sahaqiel, the archangel stepping forward to comfort and heal the man with a radiant smile.

“Congratulations, Adamska Ocelot, you are of a tender soul,” Sahaqiel said as Lilith relayed the words from Jack to the angel.

**** Four Days Later.

Jack's judgments went on for two days with nearly every second spent weeding out the helpful and the useless. In the interim a massive fleet had gathered, a hodgepodge of landships, airships, and caravans seeking anything from desiring to aid the expedition to bartering, with many amidst the newcomers being refugees following the trail of material entering Zanzibar.

But with most refugees so too followed demonspawn, with Apostles butchering many before Sahaqiel and Selfia's teams could intervene.

In the span of those last two days, the lands beyond Zanzibar were coated in butchered corpses of demonspawn and humans with the flying Theocratic city hanging high overhead to provide an aerial countermeasure and shield against the never ending terrors.

However, it also housed his loved ones, the entirety of the Hoshido aboard the city with many airships converted into shelters and storage for the expedition.

Jack pulled Gram from the body of an Apostle, the three-winged creature reaching a withering arm out at Jack who shot it in the face with his gunblade.

Another monster leapt at Jack from behind, the creature hissing before it was struck by a blast of lightning.

“That’s the last of them for now,” Sahaqiel said, descending with her lightning bolt staff held in both hands, the end of which was coated in demon blood. “I have to say, fighting alongside you has-”

Jack flew off, returning to the city where he was greeted by salutes and bows, the soldiers of the coalition celebrating his return.

That's what they were calling it now, the coalition to free Earth. Aptly named with Selfia hard at work prepping the army's of the world.

What remained of them at least.

Jack entered his tent, a brown average patchwork of cloth that mirrored the hundreds of others scattered around the port.

“H-hello!” Kamila let out, placing Jack's laundry to the side as he sat down on a stool and she went to work, handing him a cup of tea and helping to unlatch and undo his armor. “Are you hungry?”

“I'm fine, just sore,” Jack groaned, sipping his dandelion tea and shaking his head away from the cookie in Kamila’s hand, “Where's Leona?”

“At the school,” Kamila said, lifting Jack's armor and massaging his scarred shoulders with her hands activating soothing touch to try and comfort Jack.

“School? They set up a school?” Jack said with surprise.

Kamila nodded her head, her soft hands gliding across Jack's touch back as her body tingled.

“Madam Hightower doesn't want to disrupt her lesson plans too much and the parents need someone to watch their kids so Lita agreed to host the Madam’s academy.”

“I see, how's Ada and the others?” Jack said as Kamila seemed eager to remove his bloody boots.

“Busy, she sent an email for you detailing everything going on.”

“I see,” Jack said as Kenichi entered his tent. “Keep them on, I have a feeling I'm going to be walking around soon.”

“You realize there are buildings for you to sleep in? Or do you enjoy being uncomfortable?” The blind man said, avoiding Kamila who left with Jack's bloody clothes.

“I'm fine, the lost battalion are stuck in tents so I'll be living as they do, at least until they get the cruisers ready,” Jack said, looking up at the brunette. “You know… if you want, I could probably fix your eyes.”

Kenichi paused, the samurai frowning, “I think I'll pause for now. Besides, with my eyes gone I see more than I ever have… It's especially good for ferreting out secrets.”

Jack cocked his head to the side, staring at the man whose core was now a purple. “Oh? The training with Tenno seems to be paying off.”

The two fell silent for a moment, a thick tension between the pair as they both knew the topic of Ivan was something that needed to be discussed but couldn't.

“Yeah…” Kenchi said before Yukino came charging into the tent, disrupting their stand off and almost tackling Jack who side-stepped the woman.

“ow…” Yukino groaned, sitting up. “So mean!”

“Something you need?” Jack asked, pouring himself another cup of tea from a small stool that held a jade tea set.

“Selfia needs you at the clock.”

“You mean the TOC?”

“Yup, she's calling everyone together so that she can begin her speech. Oh! Is that cookies? Gimme! I swear I haven't eaten in days!”

Jack handed the pink-haired woman his cookies, exiting the tent with Kenichi in tow until they made it to the command center where an injured Tenno, Jin, and Mi’shka sat being tended to by medics.

“What happened to you three?” Jack asked.

“Another Apostle at the south wall, annoying fucker with six arms,” Tenno groaned, perhaps the first time Jack had seen him upset. “Killed a bunch of my boys.”

“Best get on in there, things are looking grim,” Mi'shka said, plucking what appeared to be teeth from his arm.

Jack walked into the bustling command tent where Selfia was waiting for him alongside the leaders she had gathered.

The first thing he noticed was that it was muggy, hot, the temperature in the room on the rise from the crowd of bodies.

“Let's get to work people,” Jack said as he made his way towards a disheveled Selfia kitted out in a tanktop and military fatigues with her red contacts flicking up at the man who stood beside her.