The silence was loud.
That was the first thing Hiroshi noticed. Not the silk sheets that cost more than a Tokyo apartment, not the smell of ozone that seemed to cling to his skin, but the silence.
It wasn't a peaceful silence. It was the silence of a predator entering a room.
He opened his eyes.
[SYSTEM ALERT][Host Integration: 100%][Current Identity: Emperor Varek the Undefeated][Intimidation Efficiency: 99.8%]
Hiroshi Tanaka, former UN senior negotiator and pacifist, sat up in bed. He looked at his hands. They were scarred, massive, and thrumming with energy that felt like holding a live wire.
He remembered dying. A stray mortar shell in a conflict zone he was trying to de-escalate. He remembered wishing, just once, he had the power to force people to listen without violence.
Be careful what you wish for, he thought.
He swung his legs out of bed. The floorboards didn't creak. They wouldn't dare.
A servant was already there, prostrated on the floor, forehead touching the stone. The man was shaking so violently his teeth rattled.
"Good morning," Hiroshi said. He tried for a gentle, approachable tone. The kind he used to calm down angry diplomats.
What came out of his throat was a tectonic rumble. A sound like boulders grinding together deep underground.
"RISE."
The servant didn't rise. He fainted. Dead cold.
Hiroshi sighed, burying his face in his hands. This is going to be a long day.
The Great Hall of the United Empire was a masterpiece of architectural intimidation. Obsidian pillars. Banners dyed in what looked suspiciously like dried blood. And twelve men and women kneeling in a semi-circle, radiating enough killing intent to suffocate a small country.
The 12 War Generals.
Hiroshi sat on the Iron Throne. It was uncomfortable. It was also, apparently, the center of the world.
To his right stood General Marcus, known affectionately as "The Butcher." The man was seven feet of scars and bad attitude.
"Your Imperial Majesty," Marcus rumbled, his voice thick with bloodlust. "The envoys from the Kingdom of Aethelgard are bound in the courtyard. The victory parade awaits your command."
Hiroshi's internal heart rate spiked to 180. Okay. Calm down. You know this. Game theory. De-escalation. You are the Emperor. You set the policy.
He cleared his throat. The air in the room grew heavy. The temperature dropped five degrees.
[WARNING: Sovereign Aura leaking due to emotional distress.]
"The envoys," Hiroshi said. He tried to smile. A friendly, 'let's work this out' smile.
The generals flinched. One of them actually whimpered. To them, Varek the Undefeated had just bared his fangs in a rictus of anticipation.
"Yes, Majesty," Marcus grinned, and it was a terrifying sight. "Shall we massacre them as usual? Or perhaps... the flaying pits? The crowds are eager for blood."
Hiroshi froze. Massacre? Flaying?
"No," Hiroshi said.
The word hung in the air.
"No?" Marcus blinked. "Ah. I understand. A public execution is too quick. You wish to hunt them? Let them run through the forest and—"
"NO!"
Hiroshi slammed his hand on the armrest.
CRACK.
The obsidian armrest didn't just break. It atomized. A shockwave blasted through the hall, cracking the pillars and forcing the twelve most dangerous warriors on the continent to their knees under the sheer weight of his accidental pressure.
[Intimidation Efficiency: MAX]
"Gods help me," Hiroshi whispered internally. I just want to NOT murder people. Why is that so difficult?!
He took a deep breath. He needed to be clear. Direct.
"I am... tired," Hiroshi said.
The Generals looked up. Confusion warring with fear.
"Tired... of the blood," Hiroshi continued, leaning back, trying to look relaxed but looking more like a bored god contemplating the end of the world. "Killing them is... boring."
Marcus's eyes widened. "Boring?"
"Inefficient," Hiroshi used his favorite buzzword. "We kill them, they die. End of story. Where is the value? Where is the... yield?"
He tapped his temple. "Think, Marcus."
The General's face went pale. He exchanged a horrified look with the female general to his left, Elara.
"He doesn't want their bodies," Elara whispered, her voice trembling. "He wants their minds."
"A fate worse than death," Marcus muttered, awe dawning on his face. "To keep them alive... to force them to witness the dismantling of their culture... to make them serve the Empire that crushed them..."
Hiroshi nodded eagerly. "Yes! Exactly! We talk to them. We bring them into the fold. We make them... productive."
There. That sounds nice. Productive citizens.
The room went dead silent.
General Marcus bowed so low his nose touched the obsidian.
"Diabolical," Marcus breathed. "To deny them the honor of a warrior's death. To force them to live as cog-wheels in your machine. Your cruelty knows no bounds, Majesty. It is... magnificent."
Hiroshi blinked.
Wait.
"Bring them in," Marcus barked at the guards. "And cancel the executioners. His Majesty has devised a new form of psychological torture."
"Wait, that's not—" Hiroshi started.
[System Notification: Reputation Updated][Title Acquired: Varek the Soul-Breaker][Empire Stability: +2% (Fear Factor)]
The doors creaked open. The envoys were dragged in. They looked like they had already accepted death.
When they saw Varek—saw the man who had leveled mountains with a swing of his sword—sitting there, smiling that terrible, friendly smile, the lead envoy began to weep.
Hiroshi leaned forward. "Now," he said, clasping his hands together. "Let's have a chat about trade tariffs and agricultural reform."
The lead envoy screamed.
"He's going to harvest our organs!" someone yelled from the back.
"No!" Hiroshi stood up, reaching out a hand. "I just want peace!"
BOOM.
His anxiety triggered the Sovereign Aura again. The windows blew out. The envoys were pinned to the floor by gravity itself.
"PEACE!" Hiroshi shouted, trying to be heard over the shattering glass. "I DEMAND PEACE!"
Marcus looked at the trembling captives, then back at his Emperor. He wiped a tear of pride from his eye.
"You heard the Emperor!" Marcus roared, drawing his sword and pointing it at the terrified diplomats. "SURRENDER TO PEACE OR DIE SCREAMING!"
Hiroshi slumped back into his throne.
This, he thought, is going to be a lot harder than the UN.