Tokyo Bay, Japan

A bright sunny day with a gentle wind that played with the grass graced the day that would go on to change the course of history. There were only a few clouds in the sky, but the sun had not reached its full power. The waves of the bay were small, a perfect time to admire the clear blue water. Seagulls fly around, hoping to separate an inattentive tourist from a tasty morsel.

Gathered in a large open area, an audience was gathered. Members of foreign governments, the press, and interested parties were in attendance. News cameras were trained on the platform that was erected overlooking the bay. The standards of the Lunarian Defense Corps and the Gensokyo Self Defense Force played gently with the wind.

Political pundits were busy identifying the figures in the crowd. Members of the American intelligence community were doing their best to see who a good target would be. This was also the first time that Sumireko had shown off her LSB uniform on Earth, sending shock waves through the people that knew about her exploits. Rumors had made their way from the Moon that claimed the Lunarians had created an internal security agency that severely outclassed anything the Americans had.

Suddenly, a gap opened above the platform and Yukari slowly drifted down. She was dressed in her best outfit. Her white dress was spotless and vibrant, the talbard crisp and fresh. Her hair was perfectly arranged into a bun that fit into the mob cap she wore. She landed gracefully on the stage and adjusted the microphone that was installed.

In the crowd in front of her, she could see representatives from the Lunarian Houses and the LDC. For the youkai in the crowd, it was the first time in a long while that they saw the outside world. The uniformed military staff from the allied nations seemed out of place next to all of the youkai. The press were more worried about their next scope, happily engaging the youkai in attempts to get any information.

Every camera started to track Yukari, the first time that she had finally decided on the formal title that she would be using. Empress was too harsh, Queen was too much, but Lady President was much better. It invoked an equal but opposite to the United States. This was completely inline with what she was going for. Gensokyo stood for everything that the United States claimed to represent but chose to ignore in the pursuit of power.

"Friends, youkai, countryman, lend me your ears. I have come to herald the rise of a new order, one that was born out of fire and treachery by the current dominant power. This conflict that threatens to engulf the entire planet was forced on this world by a power that has abused their authority. Our enemy, the United States has thrown their power around for decades after World War II. They had practiced both overt and covert interference all around the globe. Their interference has ruined nations and even more importantly, they have ruined the lives of innocents the world over.

We youkai sealed ourselves away from the world so that we could all live in peace. However, the United States has decided in their infinite wisdom to drag us back into the limelight. Instead of giving us a chance to gracefully join the world at large, they attempt to invade us and use tricks to hide their infringement of Japanese sovereignty.

When the Americans arrived, we fought them in the forests, we fought them in the fields, we fought them in the mountains. We were determined to go down fighting, dedicated to defending our way of life and freedom. The Lunarians graciously sent troops to aid us in our struggle, an invaluable gift. Lunarian troops quickly established themselves as superior in training, skill, and equipment. Even the more elite members of the American military were no match for them.

After the first battle, we were sure that the Americans would see reason and call off future attacks. We were proven wrong after thwarting assassination attempts and a second attack. The second battle was a continuation of what the Americans were wanting to achieve. We lost many good friends and family during this second battle, but we were able to throw them out of Japan. The capstone of this was when the United States launched a nuclear weapon that was only neutralized by the skills of our best magician.

The launch of a nuclear weapon endangered not just Gensokyo, but Japan as a whole. Japan, who has been the only nation to have to suffer the effects of enemy nuclear strikes on their home soil. Every nation on this Earth has known that Japan is the nation that is least likely to engage in any nuclear conflict. In fact, they are the ones that have lobbied most of the banning of nuclear weapons in an effort to prevent another tragedy from occurring.

American meddling in global affairs has left many historic institutions in ruin and has turned wealthy populations into little more than refugees. Their interference has ranged from rigging elections, deposing democratically appointed leaders to even taking part in the drug trade. They have amassed trillions of dollars in wealth by exploiting weaker nations. They have displayed a callous disregard in their quest to maintain the status quo.

And their duplicity even extends to the battlefield. In clear violation and defiance of the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing, and Training of Mercenaries, the Americans have used substantial numbers of mercenaries. Even if they have not ratified the Convention, they should still have set an example. To not do so would be to show that they believe themselves to be higher than the law.

Even before we were dragged into this conflict, the United States was bogged down in one of their own making. The War on Terror saw invasions that targeted Afghanistan and Iraq based on weak evidence and personal vendetta. In the case of Afghanistan, the United States refused to provide evidence and invaded. Then they setup what could be considered a puppet government that later turned against them. Millions, if not billions, of dollars that were meant to quiet this corruption have gone missing.

But was this enough for the United States? No, they then went to invade Iraq as part of a personal vendetta by President Bush! And instead of using uniformed forces, they used mercenaries that committed crimes that were covered up by the United States. Their mismanagement of the aftermath led to even more death and destruction aimed at the innocent population.

One example that we are all familiar with is the September 16, 2007 incident where private military contractors killed almost twenty civilians and injured twenty more. They claimed that they were attacked, but multiple investigations found that this claim was a lie. Then the American justice system threw out the case. And even better, a law was passed where only the Americans could prosecute them. A small price to pay to bring freedom and democracy to Iraq, isn't it?

We can all remember when Colin Powell waved a vial of fake anthrax in front of the international community at the UN hearing concerning the Iraq invasion. Their argument was based on the wrong assumption that Iraq had ready and potent weapons of mass destruction. The real reason behind this invasion was to take the Iraqi oilfields and to conclude the vendetta that President Bush held against Saddam Hussein.

A personal vendetta that lead to the deaths of thousands and the loss of priceless historical artifacts. This power vacuum led to the proliferation of sectarian violence and to the following Syrian Civil War. This conflict has led to the destruction of historically significant treasures that were beyond value.

And I ask yet again: what has the United States done in response? They have armed groups that later turned on innocent civilians and even the United States themselves. I am not sure about everyone else, but I have begun to see an underlying pattern in the competency of their foreign policy.

And their biggest mistake was how they handled our first contact. How can the nation that prides itself as the head of the international community see aggression as a good first step? How can they accuse Gensokyo of a crime that was so complex and far reaching that even they would have trouble with it? How can they violate the sovereignty of an allied nation in order to act unilaterally?

Instead of having peace as a goal from the start, they entered in short talks with us in bad faith. If we were not able to amass such a power force and the cooperation of the Lunarians, we would have faced a fate worse than death. Our peaceful citizens would have been dragged out of their homes and executed for twisted amusement by their 'special forces'.

If Gensokyo had not been able to stand up and face the Goliath that is the United States, they would have been free to continue to do what they felt like. More and more countries would have fallen in the name of justice and liberty for all. More and more oil wells would have come under their control, flooding their coffers with money.

My friends, the United States that led the United Nations of World War II is long dead, replaced by a greedy entity that only seeks to maintain their grip on power. The Cold War saw the fall of communism, but also of the only other entity that was strong enough to at least make the Americans pause in their pursuit of global conquest.

On the battlefield, countless humans and youkai banded together to defend their homes and ways of life. They went from being farmers, merchants, and craftsmen to being faceless soldiers. But these faceless soldiers gave everything that they had to stop the combined NATO assault. Once the assault faltered, the Lunarians were able to show them how real professionals are able to conduct war.

Lunarian officers were at the front, leading their troops by example. These noble ranks smashed through NATO lines using little more than sabers and sidearms. Airborne troops that took to the skies as sharks took to the deep ocean. A level of cooperation between combined arms that has been unseen on this planet. Lunarian troops bested NATO troops in almost all categories, with the exception of dying. It was a tremendous sight to see such a disciplined and proficient fighting force in action.

And yet, even when handed defeat, the United States still did not back down. No, they sent assassination after me, only to have them wiped out. I do not relish bloodshed, but I will not stay my hand from what must be done. For far too long have the righteous stayed their hand in the hope that those that do evil with recognize the errors of their way themselves.

This approach has only served to make it easier for those with evil and power to gather even more of both. Many of the world's problems can be solved by the judicial application of power, a vastly more economical method than to allow it to fester. But to take on the role of judge, jury, and executioner is one that must not be taken lightly, unlike the Americans.

One of the main issues that we have with the Americans is their predisposition towards interference. I challenge anyone to name one nation or region where the Americans have not tried to apply their influence. Or where they have not toppled democratically elected leaders because they were critical or fearful of what American influence would bring to their citizens.

Many of the targets of interference are chosen due to the possession of large amounts of oil or other natural resources. These resources could have been used to to improve the quality of life in these weaker nations but are instead used as tools in civil unrest and political maneuvers. Innocents that only wished to live their lives were denied even this small concession.

What gives the United States the right to interfere in domestic affairs the world over? Is it because of their military might, the same military might that they threw at us only for to be stopped in their tracks? Is it because of their strong economy, an economy that has been outsourcing to the point that other nations can inflict major damage in a trade war? Or is it because of American exceptionalism, an exceptionalism that has crossed the line into jingoism.

Whenever a living creature encounters an infection, it has an immune system that mobilizes to fight it off. That is exactly what we are being forced to be. Gensokyo has the same purpose as the mythical Imagine Breaker, to serve as a backup for how reality is supposed to be.

I am fully aware that the American President has let slip about the ongoing War in Heaven. I firmly believe that he was a fool for revealing this so early. There is a proper time and place for this, but I will explain the true events that occur in the background. Events that threaten to rip everything that we know and love apart.

The War in Heaven is not a conflict that should have made any difference in our lives, if the original scope of the conflict was maintained. But things have a tendency to change in wars, especially in those of a temporal nature. The original two camps expanded into multiple groups that each sought to take advantage of the confusion.

Our world should have been kept out of the conflict, but there are even more factions that wish to settle personal scores. I am the target of one of these scores, and they have decided to bring the rest of the world into this. The Enemy is using the United States to achieve their goal, at the cost of death, destruction, and the defiling of history.

There are untold battles of the War that are taking place around the stars above us. Battles that have been going on for eternity due to the damage caused to time forcing it to loop, with thousands being killed and revived. Even future battles are sending echoes into the past, terrorizing the poor souls living there.

I swear to everyone listening to me speak today, that I will not allow never-ending battles to exist here on Earth. We are the last region of the galaxy that has not bore the full blunt of the War, and I intend to keep it like that. Even if I have to throw away everything that I hold dear.

Many on our side, mostly the Celestia factionl, have taken offense at the title of the War. But it is indeed accurate to an astonishing degree. A temporal conflict before this time in Earth history could only be fought among beings that could be called gods and forces of nature. But the human race has advanced to the point where it now stands on the threshold of having this power.

However, it will not be the Americans that have earned the right and responsibilities of temporal power. The Americans have proven time and time again that they will allow great power to go to their heads. We have seen this when they became the first nation to unleash nuclear destruction on Japan, when they developed drone technology, and when naval supremacy became dependent on aircraft carriers.

No, the only faction on this planet that has gained the right to temporal power is Gensokyo. You may ask yourself, what makes Gensokyo so different from the United States? What gives them the right to decided on how to control time? I ask this in response: before the American invasion, how many of you knew that youkai still existed?

How many of you knew about Gensokyo? How many of you knew about the incidents that threaten to rock the globe, incidents that we solved without being discovered? The Scarlet Mist Incident of 2002, the Spring Snow Incident of 2003, the Eternal Night Incident of 2004, did any of you know about them before today?

We worked tirelessly to solve those incidents before they could affect the rest of the world, with none being the wiser. These incidents had the potential of wreaking havoc up on the entire world, but now they were buried in history. What would the United States do if they had to solve them? Would they even have the ability or insight to work through them? Or would they invade another oil rich country in the name of solving the incident or the preservation of freedom?

What other country in the world has done so much wrong and so much damage in the prusit of power? Any other country that has done what the United States has quickly found themselves being faced down by coalitions. It happens to be so ironic that the United States that led the Allied forces of World War II would go on to be the United States that forces their views worldwide.

It is a common saying that the average age of an empire is about 200 years. I would say that the time is right for the United States to step back from the global stage and to look in the mirror. The United States lost their way during the Cold War when they became almost radical in their opposition to communism. Then they turned their attention to radical Islam and then to magic and youkai.

With the way things stand, there can be no Gensokyo while the United States controls the world. There can be United States when Gensokyo lives on. The time for peace and cooperation between the two ended when the first artillery shell was blocked by the Great Hakurei Barrier. I fear that this fact may be the only thing that both sides agree upon.

We will not be forced to go back into the shadows. Even if we were willing to, it is impossible for us to be isolated again. We will not live our lives in fear of the next invasion. Even if many of us are not humans, we still have the right to life and the pursuit of happiness. Even if the United States, who preaches those liberties, disagrees.

The Lunarian Empire, who controls the rest of the Solar System, stands with us in our struggle against the Americans. They have recognized us as an equal and will persecute this war to the end. If Gensokyo does not have the caliber of troops needed to finish this fight, the Lunarian Defense Corps more than makes up for it.

As I said before, the LDC has brought American troops to a standstill and helped to throw them out of Gensokyo and Japan. They will not rest until a new world order is established, one that will welcome us with open arms. The only regret that we both share is that violence had to be committed in the pursuit of this dream.

The American-Youkai war is just beginning. I predict that this conflict will engulf the entire planet, surpassing the scale of World War II. There will be battle on land, in the seas, in the air, in space, and even across time. The War in Heaven will continue alongside this war. In this conflict, innocents will be less wounded than changed. Not even God in His Heaven knows how the War will end. Science and magic will collide, the final clash of a millennia long fight.

For all of those hearing this, I offer you no fear, but hope. Gensokyo stands for the oppressed that have been under the heel of the United States. We stand for those that have lost everything due to the greed of the American government. We stand for those that were denied their right to live as they choose.

If the Americans are allowed to continue as they please, this will only lead to suffering. The weak will be preyed upon instead of being protected and there would be a world where no children smile or laugh. It is not too late to keep this future from being locked in. We can make the future a shining beacon that allows all of us to prosper.

The wars that we are fighting are truly the wars to end all wars. Victory in the American-Youkai war will see a peaceful new Earth that will prosper for the rest of time. Victory in the War in Heaven will see us cement that history into place, where we never have to worry about our lives and histories having meaning.

And so, it came to pass on today, that the Americans realized that the time had come for the empire's end. But they have had no concept for their role in greater events. For this was far more than imperialism's end. This was the day upon which the whole of creation would change forever! This was the day…the Youkai returned. For Gensokyo!" The crowd repeated her chant. "For victory!" They chanted even louder. "For the end of Time itself!" The crowd chanted before they realized what they said. Once they figured out what they had said, they began to look at each other in confusion.

Yukari raised her right fist up, a crazed glint hidden in her eye. As she finished her chant, parachute flares flew high into the sky and exploded. Behind her, a gap opened and the first of the Rejuvenator class cruisers appeared in the water. They continued to appear until all fifty greeted the crowd. They sailed towards the end of the bay, showing off their impressive broadsides.

Along with them, squadrons of P47s, P-51s, Spitfires, and SU-47s flew in close knit formations. They were shined and buffed for the occasion, the picture of perfection. Once they exited the gap, they began to trail colored smoke to draw more attention. They started out above the ships and then flew only about two meters above the water.

Journalists in the crowd were taking pictures as fast as they could while news anchors were quickly reporting on the display. The freshly built ships were glinting in the sun, their primary turrets enjoying their graceful lines. Each command tower flew the banner of the Gensokyo Defense Fleet, a black and white Yin-Yang orb on a red and white background.

Sumireko sat back and smiled to herself. The Americans were sure to be watching and who probably react more to the speech than to the fleet that just showed up. Performance details of the youkai cruisers were still under lock and key, but even by looking at them anyone could tell that they were strong. Something like this could be the basis of a new strategy to beat the angels that threatened the Capital.

Princess Toyohime used her fan to hide the frown that appeared on her face. While she agreed a lot of what Yukari had said, the last part had made her start to worry. What did the sage mean when she said that she said the end of Time itself? Was that really how the War in Heaven was going to end? There really wasn't much meaning to winning a war when there would be nothing to enjoy after. Would the First Directive have to be enforced in order to save the Lunarian Empire from certain destruction?

Maribel and Renko both had a chilly feeling gripping their hearts. Maribel was terrified of the crazed glint that Yukari had in her eyes during the chant. She really didn't want to know what Yukari's plans were if she ever went off of the rails. Renko was worried about the chant and the implication that Yukari knew about her new spellcard. There should have been no possible way that the gap youkai should have known. The physicist had taken great care to only practice it when she was truly by herself.

Junko had watched the speech from the hologram projector in front of her throne. She had a small smile on her face as she played with a strand of her hair. The portrait of the Imperator still sat above the entrance, sitting on the boundary of light and shadow. The blonde was amused by the address, she knew that things were on the right track for her plan.

Okina was still in the restaurant that she negotiated in with Maribel. Her dances were off in the kitchen preparing her dinner. The sage began to tap on the table in thought, trying to see which track this current timeline would jump on. She began to hum a song, a song about a man locked in a loop that only ended after he punched though the hardest material in the universe. If she remembered right, it was called "The Shepard's Boy."

Rin was sitting on a stump in the middle of the South Pole. She had made no effort to wear warmer clothing, since she didn't feel any temperature change and she was immune to any damage from it. Next to her, a charm had allowed her to listen to Yukari's speech. She shook her head as she looked up at the portal in front of her. Inside of it, the Time Vortex could be seen in all of its glory. The young woman thought about what would happen if it was revealed she wasn't completely loyal to the Enemy.

On the bridge of her starship, Yumemi was pinching the bridge of her nose. All of the developments that have occurred since she returned to Earth were threatening to give her a massive headache. Temporal physics was never her strong suit, so it would've been a struggle for her to keep up with textbook cases. But now the Protocols of Linearity were starting to break down, things were about to get much worse. The feeling that she should probably call off the study and recommend the ending of the blockade.

Xingun sat in the Oval Office, flipping a pen around. In front of him was a document outlining the creation of a new agency in the intelligence community. It was to specialize in countering magic with a newly developed mix of their own. It was envisioned to be the American response to the creation of the Lunarian Security Bureau. Development of wands to utilize magical power had progressed to the point that they were ready for deployment. The more militant wing of the Catholic Church had already given them spellbooks to help them in their duties.

Tenshi was meditating in front of a portrait of Iku, focusing on maintaining her breathing. The revelation that time could be rewritten had hit her worse than anything else. Ever since then, she had replayed the scene in her mind over and over again. If she could get her hands on the power to control time, she would do anything to bring Iku back.

High above the clouds in an abandoned cathedral, a nutcracker stood upon an altar. Unlike its surroundings, it had no wear or damage. A powerful aura surrounded it, allowing it to stay in its current state. Its painted eyes seemed to stare into the distance but somehow managed to capture all detail in front of it. After a while, it disappeared.

Near the peak of Mount Song in China, an elderly man sat as he studied the horizon. He wore clothes of a vibrant green that matched well with his long white hair and short beard. His blade sat on his lap before him, still resting in its stealth. Youki Konpaku was debating whether the time was right for him to return. The time for the conclusion of Youmu's lesson was nearly right, along with her greatest test.

In a plain of existence just off of the one where Yukari made her speech, a group of beings where gathered around a stone that projected energy into different shapes and colors. They were dressed in an outfit that seemed to be a mocking parody of Yukari's. To any human or youkai that saw them, they would appear to be a distortion that would purge itself as soon as they looked away. They consulted among themselves, paying close attention to Yukari. Sitting on the throne at the head of the room, another shadow watched them. From the way that the shadows played around an outline, one could hazard a guess that it had the shape of a human female. Floating in front of her was a representation of the Time Vortex, but around it was a barely visible field.

Under an orange sky, a mountainous landscape was scarred with fire and smoke. History and time itself were being attacked and broken into pieces. Forces of nature were being thrown against the land, an attempt to destroy it beyond physical means. Houses that stood since the dawn of history were brought down in seconds and left as rubble. The survivors were subjected to mental attacks that manifested themselves as seizures.

But all of this was not at the forefront of Yukari's mind. The gap youkai was in the midst of a quest that would allow her to remake reality in whatever image she wanted. She had literally moved Heaven, Earth, and Hell in her effort. All of the effort and lifetimes that she had spent was in the pursuit of the salvation of a single soul.

The math that would concern the efficiency of this would not make any sense under any circumstance. But Yukari didn't care about that. She had made a vow to herself that she would fulfill the promise that she had made in the middle of that burning city in what felt like an eternity ago. Yukari Yakumo would not allow the weakness of her previous life to doom the person that she had failed to save yet again.

The stage was set for the largest performance in all of history, a performance where no actor or prop was spared. Before the final curtain was to fall, the dance of witches and angels would grace all four corners of reality. Reality itself would be subjected the buffeting winds of the oncoming storm, a disaster far greater than anything before it. And yet, even in the darkest nights, a single star is enough to spring hope eternal.