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Arrogance.

Indeed.

The neocons were arrogant.

And as arrogant as they were, they also had some moral issues and tended to lack empathy.

Many of them believed that individuals were far more important than the state, harboring thoughts that as long as they did not violate the law, they could do anything.

Because of this, quite a number of them amassed wealth and power through actions that straddled the line between legal and illegal, leaning closer to gray.

Furthermore, due to their almost arrogant attitude of believing that America was the best, they did not seek to understand or empathize with others, resulting in conflicts that would not usually occur.

They could be said to be groups that provided little benefit to both America and other countries.

However, the problem was that these neocons seized the keys to America.

On the surface, it sounded sweet, and many Americans were swayed by the ‘macho’ claims that America loved so much, becoming enamored with the neoconservative ideology. They even lent their support through voting, empowering them. Thus, the number of those endorsing neocon claims gradually increased, and bit by bit, the neocons began to gather strength to voice their opinions.

Yes.

They were slowly gaining power.

Until John F. Davis was elected.

After John F. Davis took office, the neocons rapidly grew at a pace so ‘explosive’ that it barely sufficed to describe it. They thrived with the strong backing of WASP, which gained considerable influence from John F. Davis. They infiltrated various government agencies with the tacit approval of John F. Davis and the support of the populace, even seizing important positions.

Thus, America transformed into a country that was authoritarian, hegemonic, aggressive, very conservative, deepening its isolationism, and lacking the will to understand or even consider other nations.

“But the process was surprisingly quiet.”

Moreover, the more tragic fact was that the process of neocons becoming central to American power was extraordinarily quiet. It was so quiet that ordinary people who did not keep an eye on America’s power structure failed to notice it.

Additionally, despite gradually becoming the center of power, they did not cause significant incidents, making experts’ cries of ‘The neocons are gaining power, and we need to keep an eye on them. We must be cautious.’ seem trivial.

Even power holders began to see the neocons merely as simple right-wingers or those with strong conservative tendencies.

This was the tragedy.

Before the rewind, Korea and Japan had been constantly clashing, suppressing their animosity towards each other until limits were reached. If it weren’t for the presence of America or adversarial countries like China and Russia that might strike at Korea, they would have fought a long time ago.

No, it wasn’t just ‘fighting a long time ago’.

It wouldn’t have been strange even if they burned and contaminated each other’s territories.

However, despite their increasingly hostile relationship, America merely stood by.

America should have reconciled them somehow for the sake of countering China and Russia, ensuring they could both fulfill the role of ‘frontline’ that America desired… Before the rewind, rather than improving relations, America not only stood by, but also made foolish blunders that made it appear not to consider either nation, leading to even greater animosity.

Moreover, by constantly causing friction with the Korean and Japanese governments, it gradually lost influence over East Asia and continued to provoke both China and Russia. Not only that, but the provocation was ineffective.

In boxing terms… It was akin to just throwing jabs incessantly, making others furious without inflicting any heavy blows.

If they were going to attack, they should either land a strong blow to knock them down or subdue them through overwhelming fear.

But the neocon-led America provoked both sides, as if daring them to come at them, providing just enough stimulation to fuel anger without being particularly strong. Thanks to this, East Asia became a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.

Additionally, it wasn’t only in East Asia that such antics were played out.

Southeast Asia, West Asia, and even Europe felt the repercussions.

Naturally, due to these neocon blunders, China was able to expand its influence over all of Asia and Europe. Furthermore, Russia was also able to strengthen its influence in Europe by aligning with China.

What a dreadful blunder it was.

Once, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche said:

“What does not kill me makes me stronger.”

The same applied before the rewind.

The neocon’s ‘containment,’ which only provoked and ignited anger, ended up uniting China and Russia, allowing them to gain strength.

And with the power they gained, they became a pillar in the third world war.

“And so the world began to burn, and those who ignited the flames could not remain unscathed.”

Could America, which had shouted isolationism, be safe?

Not at all.

America could escape external invasion due to its strong military power, but it could not quell the flames rising from within.

The madness spreading across the globe quietly seeped into America, giving rise to numerous lunatics that had quietly grown in different parts of the nation.

Not just any lunatics.

Lunatics with military organization-level strength or those with military-like power.

They were madmen who had the capacity to impose their madness upon the world.

Criminal groups setting fire to lands that could feed all Americans to spare.

A group of lunatics proclaiming that control through machines and evolution via machines would create a better world.

Vegetarians destroying barns, declaring that meat was the cause of world wars.

Eco-fascists joining in the destruction of barns alongside the vegetarians and taking it a step further, destroying factories and dragging American industry into the abyss.

Terror groups seizing research data on genetically modified food chimera to create bioweapons to overcome the food crisis caused by terror.

Governors declaring that to survive in a barbaric world filled with violence and bloodshed, they must unite pure white bloodlines and expel all people of color.

Heresy churches claiming that the day of reckoning was near, occupying entire regions.

Mad doctors and alchemists claiming that to eliminate the plague plaguing America, they needed an ‘all-purpose vaccine,’ kidnapping people for biotic experiments.

…

…

…

These madmen, nurtured in the madness that spread across the globe, began to act openly throughout America, dragging it into a maelstrom of chaos. Ordinary people were either swept into the madness or paralyzed by fear, unable to engage in normal social activities, unperturbed by government repression and containment.

Moreover, when civil war erupted in America, they seized the chaos as an opportunity to further reveal their madness without reservations, growing their numbers and strength, creating even more chaos in the world.

But were they the only issue?

No.

The government went mad too.

The government was also swept away by the wave of madness, beginning to conduct unethical and brutal experiments that would normally be unthinkable.

They revived brainwashing projects once conducted during the Cold War, recruiting alchemists and pharmaceutical companies to experiment on people to develop new drugs. They engaged in biotic experiments aimed at creating super soldiers using genetic manipulation, and even attempted to create weapons by bringing in the lunatics stirring chaos in America.

In the meantime, civil war broke out, and the brakes were worn down to nothing.

America became a toxic wasteland filled with poisons, a breeding ground for monsters.

America’s political situation became so chaotic that Canada poisoned the border region with America, creating a death belt known as the Death Belt, and once freely crossing the border, Mexico now hung all sorts of charms on the border to keep Americans from crossing.

Thus, America was doomed.

The great nation decayed and fell because of arrogance.

Arrogance is indeed the greatest sin.

For that reason, Jinseong has now triggered the conflict between Korea and Japan.

Pressing down their limits until they burst.

So that at the right moment, they can resolve each other’s anger and madness.

So that while America is still robust, they can ‘properly’ fight.

So that Korea and Japan can notice that America has gone mad and retrieve their reason.

So that they won’t go to ruin in a complete state of madness.

Now, Korea and Japan would not become a sea of flames.

Aside from soldiers or those who take up fighting as their occupation, there would be little loss of life, and the divine objects and magic that might perish in the process of people dying and countries being destroyed would remain safe.

Moreover, that’s not all.

Iserin, who had been dispatched to Japan before the rewind to commit mass killings and destroy Japan, would not have to endure such cruel experiences, and people of the Lee Clan would not have to tremble in fear of war risks.

Rise, who is living in Japan, could continue a peaceful life, avoiding the flames of war, while those cooperating with Jinseong could maintain their wealth and power within a society that retained its form, not on a battlefield full of blood and steel.

All of this is truly a good thing.

“How wonderful, how wonderful.”

Long and prosperous indeed.

 

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