More and more, Raphaed is an incredibly tough character to get a read on. He definitely cares for his daughter still; we saw how awful nobles were in the past. Could it be that for him, he realized there was no hope for humans and a miracle chance humanity could be better? Granted, he was never in a position that he could be a leader, so his tactics make sense given what they are.
What Shalamy mentioned before about what is underneath is what was created by the ancients. It seems like it was a vast civilization that trounces what we see in the present. Essentially, the power of the new world is that of change. That is clearly what Raphaed and Mikaros are banking on because the potential of change can feel worth the risk. The concept of humanity and this world changing always exists, but sometimes too much change can be bad. Which is why we see these monstrous forms from the humans.
Interestingly enough, the poison from Empire is the source of this power from the New World. In actuality, the empire, by containing, is saving everyone, which makes the twist of the demons being the good guys here even better. Of course, for Mikaros & Raphaed, eliminating the demons is the key because without them, the poison will spread.
The true evil is change. The potential for change is what sparks the evil that motivates Mikaros. The source is more known as subspace. Though once humans got a taste of subspace, the change they got from it, they didn’t want to lose it. They didn’t want to lose that change in their lives. When you see the benefits of change, you don’t want to go back, and the greed in humanity continues. Interestingly enough, humans and demons are descendants of the demons. I suspect that the current demons are the ones that opposed the change, while whatever humans remained are the ones who just survived.
On another note, it’s good that Asta managed to escape, and given that it diverged from expectations, that Shalamy would rescue her. Though a team of her & Piwi is definitely not one you would expect. Still, the concern is how Shalamy is using the power of the new world with her snow awakening magic.
We have known about the danger that these awakened heroes are. Even adding how these prototypes are somehow even stronger than them. The hero in so many fantasy stories is always the one to save the day whose power is unparalleled. Still, what if we had an army of heroes? In theory, Mikaros’s plan is great, but he forgets what makes a hero a hero. It is their mental fortitude and heart that these awakened soldiers just lack. Heroes like Cless & Helck can tune in to that extra mile that these guys can’t.
As the King, Raphaed & Mikaros now meet Helck & Vermilio in the throne room; it looks like we are getting closer to a big showdown. Though now we’ve got Cless launching an attack on Vermilio, and it doesn’t look good. Is Cless fully under their king’s magic now? Also, he looks fine.