"In short, to deal with Stage V, you need a special method—"
As Zeroy spoke, she pulled a piece of dark metal radiating a cold gleam from her Inventory.
Blades flashed, and the metal was instantly cut into hundreds of sharp shards, scattering before them.
"This is Super Varanium. It can effectively suppress Gastrea regeneration. Try using magic to wield it as a weapon."
Curiosity flickered in Patchouli's violet eyes. "So this is how you killed those two Stage Vs?"
"That's right. Even if I split them in half with one strike, I couldn't stop them from regenerating. That kind of immortality is cheating."
Zeroy sighed with a bitter face. "Even chopping off their heads doesn't kill them. Such a hassle."
"..."
Patchouli was no ordinary mage.
As a witch, she not only had innate magical talent but was also a prodigy among prodigies. Most magicians were considered skilled if they mastered one element, while those who mastered two were rare geniuses.
Three elements were unheard of.
But Patchouli, famed as the Mistress of the Seven Luminaries, could wield all seven.
Controlling metal fragments was trivial for her.
With a wave of her hand, mana surged. The Super Varanium shards melted into a black liquid.
She poured in her will, and the liquid metal flowed as her extension.
At times, it split into countless blades, whirling into a storm that ripped into the roaring Stage V Gastrea.
At other times, it condensed into a colossal magic sword, cleaving down with a shriek that tore even the air.
"Ugh... magic really makes me jealous..."
Zeroy puffed her cheeks, glaring at Patchouli's effortless control.
Her own use of the metal was crude—melting it and coating her Striker Unit like an enchantment. Wasteful and clumsy.
If only she could turn it into a resin like in Dark Souls, smear it on her blade... maybe Patchouli could craft such a tool?
With the countermeasure in place, Patchouli completely dominated.
The Stage V couldn't fight back at all. Its one true strength—its regeneration—was negated. Without it, it was helpless.
Humanity had lost because they were fragile.
And that was true in most worlds: technology gave them mighty spears, but no shield.
They were glass cannons—wielding firearms deadly to carbon-based life, but unable to withstand them themselves.
Moreover, Gastrea had the shield to nullify guns and artillery, stripping humanity's advantage.
Now, facing Zeroy and Patchouli, the situation was reversed.
Humans without their spears were slaughtered. Gastrea without their shields were slaughtered.
As for their spears, Gastrea's brute-force attacks couldn't threaten Zeroy and Patchouli much.
Their colossal size gave them monstrous strength—Pure physical blows, if they landed, could be dangerous—especially for frail Patchouli.
Anyhow, without speed or technique, they were just oversized beasts; Their strikes could not touch Zeroy's swiftness or Patchouli's defenses and flight.
This particular Stage V was a walking artillery platform, with its firepower and defense so immense that against humanity, a city wouldn't last half a day.
Despite that, its bloated body made it slow. It couldn't touch Patchouli.
Though it carried parasitic swarms of small Gastrea as guards, they were nothing but fodder.
After testing the Super Varanium, Patchouli ended it with a single wail from the beast as it fell.
"With this counter, it's completely different."
Patchouli landed before Zeroy.
"Do you want these metals back?"
"No need. I found plenty in an abandoned lab."
Zeroy pulled out a stack of documents and a USB drive.
"Here, this is Gastrea Virus research I found over the past two days."
"Even if you give it to me, I can't read it."
Though she said so, Patchouli accepted them.
"At least try, right?" Zeroy smiled awkwardly.
It was her request to Patchouli: To seek a cure for the Gastrea Virus.
Killing villains wasn't enough to save the children.
The virus inside them remained.
Once the infection rate surpassed 50%, the Cursed Children suffered fevers, weakness, and comas before finally turning into Gastrea. In theory, if they avoided using their powers and weren't exposed to more of the virus, their infection rate would not rise.
Albeit that was only a theory.
The Cursed Children could wield powers from the virus, and their regenerative abilities were passive.
Whenever injured, the ability triggered automatically.
Even illnesses—a mere cold—activated the virus, which repaired damage and resisted sickness. That raised their infection rate, with severe cases causing it to spike sharply.
Injury and illness could never be eliminated, even in a better world. And Zeroy had no scientific skill, so she entrusted this to Patchouli.
After all, there was no rush. For now, existing inhibitors could suppress the virus for several years.
That was enough time for Zeroy to search other worlds for a true cure.
...
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