Although the New Gastrea Law suffered another setback, the Holy Child did not give up after a brief moment of sorrow.
Real power was in the hands of Tendō Kikunojo. Without his approval, her decrees could not be enforced.
Despite that, there were still things she could do… if she was willing to risk everything.
"..."
The Holy Child drew a deep breath.
Lady Zeroy had already begun clearing Gastrea. Time was running out for everyone. She no longer had the luxury of indecision.
She had been too weak before. Continuing like that, she would save no one.
She had to change. She had to take the step she had never taken.
As the Holy Child, ruler of this nation, she held the highest clearance. She could access any information—Such as the battle footage of the children, their achievements, their sacrifices, and the reality they now faced.
Not just in Tokyo—Governments everywhere had hidden this information—All credit for fighting Gastrea was given to the military, while civilians stayed blind to the truth.
Some people had barely even seen Gastrea.
About the Gastrea War ten years ago—a war that cost humanity eighty percent of its land—most citizens knew almost nothing.
Governments had withheld the details.
So the public was easily incited to hate the children.
Now, the Holy Child would reveal the truth.
At first, the military had been the main force against Gastrea, because the children had not yet been born.
They were born after the war ended. The oldest of them was only six, four years ago.
In recent years, as the first children grew, they gained the power to fight. At the same time, Gastrea evolved, overwhelming the military.
Thus, the children's contributions became greater and greater. They appeared more and more on the front lines.
One day, they might replace the army entirely. They were humanity's hope.
They were not monsters.
The Holy Child released videos, photos, and reports online, bypassing all review with her authority, and pushed them to the public eye.
She believed that once people saw, many would change their views of the children.
As for the consequences… she could no longer care.
If she did nothing, all would die. Survival came first.
...
With Zeroy and Patchouli's efforts, they cleared most of Japan's Gastrea in just two days.
And as they grew more practiced, their speed increased.
The scale of their actions drew attention not only in Japan, but onto the desks of governments worldwide.
Fear, curiosity, ambition—nations and organizations alike stirred. Some saw treasure hidden within their power.
People tried to contact Zeroy and Patchouli.
Regardless, Zeroy refused. If her senses marked someone guilty, she cut them down on the spot.
If not, she ignored them.
She only wanted to focus on Gastrea. Humanity would come later.
Patchouli had wanted to interact with nations, to gather intelligence; even so, having lost to Zeroy, who now led the party, she asked her opinion and then followed suit—refusing contact.
Together, they wiped out Gastrea in Japan.
Then, without pause, they rushed to the next country.
"Good luck, Miss Mage!"
"..."
Now, Patchouli was gritting her teeth in battle while Zeroy cheered from the side.
They had just stopped to rest and chat when a colossal Gastrea emerged into Zeroy's detection radar.
They both sensed its overwhelming vitality. It was clearly a Zodiac Gastrea.
Zeroy had slain two already, but for Patchouli, this was her first. So Zeroy let her try.
However, she only stalemated it.
It couldn't harm Patchouli, but Patchouli couldn't deal a killing blow.
Stage IV and Stage V were only one step apart, but the gulf was immense—Too durable, and its regeneration bordered on immortality.
When Patchouli failed to break through, Zeroy beckoned her back.
"Huff..." Patchouli caught her breath, then asked:
"How did you kill the last two? This regeneration is too troublesome."
Not only tough and fast-healing, but massive.
If smaller, Patchouli wouldn't have struggled so.
"Most Gastrea-infected cells regenerate their telomeres. Theoretically, they have boundless healing, no aging, no natural death."
Zeroy wagged a finger, posing like a teacher explaining.
She had been learning magic from Patchouli, but Patchouli often looked at her like a muggle; since Zeroy preferred to dump mana into raw firepower—like channeling vast mana into her blade for a sea-splitting strike.
Brutal but effective.
Pretty spells were fine, but without damage, they weren't worth it.
Power was king!
Now, with Patchouli asking, it was her turn to show off.
"Stage V, as the original test subjects, regenerate far beyond the others. Even in extreme cold, in a vacuum, in magma at thousands of degrees—they adapt, heal, and live. It's molecular-level regeneration. With current science, there's no physical way to kill them."
"No aging, no death..."
Patchouli's brows rose. She caught the implication immediately.
"Maybe they were created in search of an immortality drug. But I didn't investigate further. What happened has happened. The original truth doesn't matter now."
...
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