Revealed

From the moment he landed, Shiraishi Wataru's travel plans inevitably began sliding toward a certain abyss.

Well, that was what he wanted, actually.

A trip without a romantic encounter just felt like something was missing.

Whenever he tried to struggle his way out of the abyss, the towering Himalayas stood in his way.

"Is this the honey trap? Terrifying. By all means, give me more."

At last, Shiraishi Wataru climbed out of the mountains and stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, admiring the view outside.

In reality, there wasn't much to see beyond Central Park.

Still, he had visited the place in a game in his previous life, playing as Spider-Man, so it held a certain nostalgic charm for him.

"Darling, what are you looking at?"

Jennifer wrapped her arms around him from behind and asked softly.

"I just spotted New York's friendly neighborhood hero."

"Haha, Spider-Man can't save New York."

Shiraishi Wataru was furious. He wouldn't let anyone badmouth Spider-Man in front of him!

So after a little tussle, Jennifer admitted her ignorance and personally talked Shiraishi Wataru down.

Naturally, that meant another day spent dawdling.

"This is the famous Hell's Kitchen. Things are much better now, since housing prices and the cost of living have gone up. A lot of locals can't afford it anymore and have moved away. But you still shouldn't wander around at night. They'll rob you any day of the week."

With Jennifer as his conscientious, around-the-clock tour guide, Shiraishi Wataru's understanding of New York had shifted from movies and games to real life.

"You really aren't going home?"

"Ha, that trashy family of mine? An alcoholic dad, a mom who used to be a delinquent, and a brother who's hooked on drugs. There are robberies and crimes in the neighborhood every day. If I stayed there, my life would be over. I'm already eighteen, so I don't need a guardian. I worked hard to become an exchange student, too. Don't think you can leave me behind now."

Jennifer said that even a dog would shake its head at her family situation. Her greatest wish was to escape that quagmire, which was also why she'd gotten together with Shiraishi Wataru so quickly.

She was practical, but not unpleasant.

"Jennifer, my tour guide, could you take me to see St. John the Divine Cathedral?"

"Ahem. Of course, dear traveler. Please follow me."

St. John the Divine Cathedral didn't seem as ornate to Shiraishi Wataru as St. Patrick's Cathedral, but it had a richer sense of history. He had no idea which church was actually older, though.

Jennifer didn't know much about it either. She had to look things up on her phone and read the signs before explaining them to Shiraishi Wataru.

They walked into the little garden beside the cathedral. In the center stood a towering statue.

"This is the Peace Fountain, though it doesn't look like it's been running in a long time. The statue depicts the angel Michael defeating Satan."

As he listened to Jennifer's explanation and studied the angel statue before him, the hazy plan in Shiraishi Wataru's mind gradually took shape.

After leaving the cathedral, they visited the infamous South Bronx and Harlem, where he saw young Black men eagerly committing crimes to help the police lose weight, as well as older Black men squatting by the roadside as if picking out their next targets.

This place really needed superheroes.

Maybe even a dozen of them.

Spider-Man, who didn't kill people, probably wouldn't get very far.

Here's a joke: how do you describe heavy rain without writing about rain?

Answer: Spider-Man and Batman beating up a criminal.

Stop, you guys! You're not going to kill him like this!

After a day of sightseeing, Shiraishi Wataru took his conscientious guide Jennifer shopping, had dinner with her, and bought her some clothes and makeup.

At last, they returned to the Carlton Hotel.

When the night had grown quiet, Shiraishi Wataru sneaked into Central Park.

The park wasn't peaceful at this hour, either. Homeless people and gang members were scattered here and there.

He casually grabbed two gang members and made them hosts. Then he controlled one of them and took him to the statue of Michael in the garden of St. John the Divine Cathedral. After carefully studying Michael's pose and form, his body gradually changed. Before long, he looked exactly like the statue.

Then he snapped the statue off at its joints and stored it in the void. Shiraishi Wataru's parasitized host took its place, and the result looked completely seamless.

That was because he'd been using his Alienation ability so much lately that he'd become quite skilled at it. The ability was mainly meant for transforming, but he'd managed to find all sorts of uses for it.

Next came the other host. His appearance changed into that of The Faker, and he appeared abruptly on Liberty Island. Gazing up at the towering Statue of Liberty, The Faker wore his trademark, unsettling grin.

In a flash, he seemed to draw something on the ground around the museum at the statue's base. A little while later, The Faker silently left Liberty Island under cover of night.

The next day, the sun rose as usual. For many people, it was another day full of hope.

But visitors arriving on the island to see the statue noticed that some strange patterns seemed to have been painted on the ground.

"Which bastard's performance art is this?"

"Painting a pattern this big overnight must've been hard."

"Maybe it's an advertisement for some event. Wait and see."

On Liberty Island, visitors pointed at the patterns on the ground. Some were interested; others didn't care. Only the staff frowned and went to check the surveillance footage, wondering which bastard had come to cause trouble the night before.

Across the water from Liberty Island, southwest of Manhattan, The Faker floated in the air, gazing at the statue from afar.

From the first moment he saw the Statue of Liberty, a vague awareness had told him that a Demon Declaration targeting the statue would definitely take effect. This beacon of the world, known as the Statue of Liberty, had inspired countless people as a symbol, but it had also accumulated countless hatreds.

Years of continuous foreign wars meant that every bullet fired by American soldiers had added to the malice gathering around the statue.

Once he issued the declaration, the demon would surely be the strongest Shiraishi Wataru had ever faced. He might not even have much chance of defeating it alone.

But it wasn't like he had to deal with everything himself. If he couldn't win, he'd just run! Shiraishi Wataru didn't believe even a nuclear strike would fail to beat it.

More importantly, he hadn't sensed any threat of being "unable to resist."

In other words, the process might be a little complicated, but the demon would ultimately be no match for humanity, and it wouldn't be able to threaten his life.

"...The transformation of a demon this enormous seems to take a long time. Then, I hereby declare—the Statue of Liberty: Your body is called a goddess, yet in truth you are a devil. The torch you hold aloft burns with the blood of millions of families. The chains you have shattered are the restraints of morality you cast aside. With the evil thoughts of countless living beings gathered here, I pass judgment."

"—Demon, reveal yourself!"

The declaration was complete.

There was no backlash, and nothing else happened. Aside from a sudden drain of strength from his body, it seemed as though nothing had changed.

But Shiraishi Wataru could feel an ominous presence condensing, the familiar aura of a demon faintly emerging.

In New York, the sky had been clear, but for some reason, it now seemed a little darker.

Thanks to Shushan Feiwujin Yihuang Liangqiannian for the tip.

Thanks to Author Keep It Up for the tip.

Thanks to lijing383 for the tip.