We?
Both Kayo and Mahiro immediately caught that word.
They exchanged glances, and though neither spoke, they could read each other's thoughts.
[That muscle-headed bastard actually teamed up with someone else?]
[Seems like it.]
Still, now that they knew Mitsugi Yuuga's location, they wasted no time. Gathering their belongings, they prepared to move.
Just as before entering the fortress, Kayo took the lead while Mahiro followed behind.
Logically, someone like Mahiro—a powerhouse in combat—should have been at the front, with someone like Kayo, a strategist, providing support from the rear.
But this was Kayo's stubborn insistence, and he couldn't argue, so he let her have her way.
It was already 4 a.m., just two hours until dawn.
Yet, in this moment of utter silence, a bloody battle—no, more accurately, a grand and gruesome massacre—was unfolding at an abandoned dock in a crescent-shaped harbor across Tokyo Bay, where countless fishing boats and small vessels once moored.
Countless screams and the sounds of flesh and bones being torn and crushed rose and fell like a symphony.
They didn't know what was attacking them, only that each time death descended, a circular shadow would swiftly flash by.
Whether they were Initiators or Promoters, they were all instantly pulverized without a shred of mercy.
Blood soaked the earth, and shredded flesh repainted the walls of the abandoned buildings.
All of it happened in the city before them, bathed in the faint moonlight, eerily quiet.
The two climbed a hill overlooking the city, and Mahiro gazed down at the scene below.
He clearly caught the faint scent of blood carried by the wind, and the horrific sight beneath him was now fully visible.
"Let's go. The target is right ahead."
There was no reason to stop. With a brief call, Mahiro continued forward.
But after taking just two steps, he effortlessly overtook Kayo, leaving her behind.
Kayo, however, didn't move. Instead, she turned her back to him and refused.
"No, you go ahead. I'll stay here."
"...There's no point in you staying."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a four-legged beast burst from the forest along the path they had come, charging at them with bullet-like speed.
At the same time, Kayo's eyes turned red—clearly unleashing her power—as she prepared to clash head-on with the creature and halt its charge.
Yet, in the next instant, the four-legged beast was disintegrated, and Kayo, who had lunged forward, was left covered in white ash.
"...Are you really human?"
Landing back on the ground and barely steadying herself, Kayo turned to him with a somewhat disheveled expression, her gaze carrying a hint of resentment.
"From a biological taxonomy perspective, yes, I am human."
Mahiro replied nonchalantly, but Kayo wasn't entirely convinced.
Throughout their journey, whether it was Gastrea they encountered by chance, those lurking in the forest attempting to ambush them, or even the ones that suddenly appeared or trailed them—
Without exception, all of them turned to ash in a flash of light.
"...Maybe, in reality, I'm the human, and you're the Cursed Child?"
"Haha, I never thought little Kayo would start cracking jokes. But you're not wrong—I have indeed been called a Cursed Child."
Though the concept was entirely different.
"Alright, stop spacing out. Let's go."
Mahiro urged her forward as he continued onward.
Stages I, II, and III were easy enough to deal with—he could simply disperse them with a thought. But starting from Stage IV, things got slightly troublesome. The genetic composition was too complex, and even analyzing their information bodies took some time.
About five seconds, give or take.
As for Stage V... he had no idea what that would be like. Probably much harder to analyze the information body, right?
Mahiro rubbed the bridge of his nose, slightly alleviating the fatigue in his brain.
"After all, I'm still human... Otherwise, why would I feel tired?"
Soon, they arrived at the outskirts of the harbor that Ikuma Shougen had mentioned.
Limbless corpses were scattered everywhere. With just a glance, one could see a neatly combed black-haired head facing their direction, its expression frozen in sheer horror.
The face, twisted with shock and fear, had bulging eyes that seemed to bore into them. Not far away, there was even a fresh pile of minced flesh, recently crushed into something resembling a QR code—as if flattened by a steel roller.
Perhaps due to the wind direction, the thick stench of blood had been assaulting their senses since earlier.
However...
"...Mahiro-san, what are you doing?"
Once again, Kayo couldn't understand Mahiro's actions.
He was picking up objects one by one, carefully wiping off the dirt and bloodstains—almost like he was collecting the deceased's belongings. But it didn't quite seem like that, since the only things he picked up were weapons and equipment, leaving everything else untouched.
And then, as if performing magic, he made those weapons disappear.
"Looting, of course. Haven't you played online games, Kayo-chan? You know, battle royale PVP games where you scavenge corpses like a sneaky rat."
"..."
She knew what he meant.
But the problem was—weren't they here to retrieve the case?
"Mahiro-san... are you poor?" That was the only possibility Kayo could think of.
"Not exactly poor, just... perpetually short on money."
No amount of money would ever be enough, given Arcadia's bottomless expenses.
As he spoke, Mahiro picked up another standard-issue tachi from the ground. Examining its slender, straight blade, he muttered something like, "Completely intact? Lucky~"
Kayo found it hard to believe that a private military contractor with the highest influence in Tokyo could be living such a frugal, hand-to-mouth existence.
Did the CEO of Tendo Civil Security just exploit her employees without paying them?
Clang—!
Just then, a noise came from the direction of the small house.
But when Kayo saw the figure standing there, even she—usually the most composed—widened her eyes in disbelief.
"...Shougen-san?"
She tried to step forward, but Mahiro held her back. "Don't. It's too late."
"My... sword... Where is it...?"
The man slumped on a stool in the corner of the shop, his face hidden behind a skull-patterned mask, slowly rose to his feet and staggered toward them.
His eyes were gone—only bloody hollows remained.
"Excuse me... do you... know where my sword is? With that... I can still fight..."
Ikuma Shougen didn't seem to recognize Kayo's voice—or perhaps he no longer had the capacity to. In his final moments, he was still searching for his weapon.
Except...
The sword he was looking for was currently embedded in his own back.
Kayo stared at the scene for a long time.
"Shougen-san..."
Suddenly, a black shadow descended from the sky.
With a thunderous crash, the descending figure stomped hard on the hilt of the sword, forcing Ikuma Shougen to his knees with sheer force. At the same time, the massive blade completely impaled Shougen, pinning him mercilessly to the ground.
It ended Ikuma Shougen's life.
The sight resembled a condemned sinner being executed.
As the clear moonlight spilled from the sky, it allowed the two of them to clearly see the true face of the person standing atop the greatsword.
It was a boy, about the same age as Rentaro, wearing a navy-blue stand-collar uniform.
The boy wore a friendly smile—not the cheeky kind, but one so sickeningly amiable it was nauseating.
"Mitsugi Yuuga, correct?"
Mahiro stepped forward, shielding Kayo behind him as he spoke the other's name.
"Well now... how extraordinary...!"
The boy widened his eyes slightly in apparent surprise, as if driven by some performative urge. Looking down at them from his elevated position, he leisurely spread his arms.
"To think the illustrious Yotsuba Mahiro of Tokyo Area would remember my name—I'm truly flattered beyond words."
It was confirmed.
This guy was definitely a lunatic, just like Hiruko Kagetane.
With that unhurried, composed demeanor, he spread his hands in a gesture that blended courtesy and humility with arrogance, then bowed with exaggerated elegance.
"Pleased to meet you. As you said, my name is Mitsugi Yuuga, codename Dark Stalker. Before the prologue begins, I extend the highest regards on behalf of our leader and extend an invitation to you. Might you be interested in joining our Five Wing Syndicate?"
His words reached not only Mahiro's ears but also Seitenshi and the others clearly.
4:10 AM.
An electronic eye silently observed the battlefield at the harbor from 800 meters above.
The live footage and audio were transmitted clearly to Tokyo Area's operational headquarters. Everyone present watched the scene on the screen, enveloped in deathly silence.
"Five Wing Syndicate..."
Seitenshi's pure white figure gazed at the monitor with deep concern, murmuring upon hearing the term, "It's... the Five Wing Syndicate..."
The other ministers' expressions were equally grim.
They had initially assumed Mitsugi Yuuga was just a high school student—a forgotten mechanized soldier. Never had they imagined he would be part of that organization hellbent on world domination, the Five Wing Syndicate!
Their understanding of the Five Wing Syndicate was shallow at best, limited to hearsay.
Only Tendo Kikunojou had firsthand experience, having clashed with the organization multiple times—even managing to inflict rare losses upon them.
Simply put, they were a terrorist group.
Yes, even in this utterly wretched world, terrorist organizations still existed. Like dogs biting dogs.
However, unlike ordinary terrorist organizations, the Five Wing Syndicate is shrouded in mystery. No one knows who their leader is, nor who the key figures within their ranks might be.
The only certainty is that they secretly manipulate the heads of multiple regions.
And they have always sought to eliminate Tendo Kikunojou.
At least for now, the people in the operations headquarters—even Tendo Kikunojou, the former mastermind behind the scenes—have come to understand the full scope of the situation. Events have spiraled completely out of control.
It is likely that the Five Wing Syndicate intends to use the Legacy of the Seven Stars to summon a Stage Five, bringing about mass extinction upon the Tokyo Area!
"So, what have you decided, sir? Our organization's supreme leader holds you in high regard. Will you join us in our glorious evolution, partake in the New World Creation Project and undergo transformation—or will you perish alongside the Tokyo Area as mere dust in the annals of history?"
"Time... is running out."
Mitsugi Yuuga's words, spoken one by one, reached the ears of everyone present.
"The Tokyo Area... is beyond saving now..."
Many were already trembling, their bodies chilled to the bone as they collapsed to the ground.
It was checkmate.
The moment they were told a Stage Five would descend, they could already foresee the Tokyo Area's fate.
"No, it's not yet time to give up."
At a time like this, the one who could still utter such words was naturally Seitenshi.
"We still have one last trump card!"
Her gaze was fixed intently on the familiar figure displayed on the screen. Over the past year, she had entrusted Mahiro with six escort missions. Each time, just like now, he had left her with nothing but his back—a sight that filled her with immeasurable reassurance.
Even if no one else believed in him, she still chose to place her faith in that retreating figure!
Meanwhile, at the harbor.
The briny sea breeze drifted lazily by.
Mahiro and Mitsugi Yuuga stood facing each other from a distance.
"Then, sir, what is your answer?"
"I refuse."
Mahiro didn't hesitate in the slightest. "A bunch of cowards hiding in the shadows, thinking you can threaten me with some broken box that can summon a Stage Five? And what's this about a 'New World Creation Plan'? With just you?"
"Don't make me laugh."
"If you want to invite me, at the very least, your leader should come—someone like Albrecht Grünewald, one of the Four Sages."
The moment he uttered that name, Mitsugi Yuuga's expression visibly twisted with shock and discomfort.
Mahiro had guessed right. The leader of the Five Wing Syndicate was indeed the renowned chief of the Four Sages. No one else could replicate—let alone surpass—Muroto Sumire's modification plans.
"It seems your answer is 'No.' In that case, the prelude to execution begins now. I look forward to your guidance~"
As soon as the words fell, faint footsteps crushing dirt could be heard nearby.
Kayo tensely scanned the surroundings, but there was nothing in sight—no clue where the sound was coming from.
"Mahiro-san, please be careful. The enemy could attack from anywhere."
Kayo whispered the warning, her power already unleashed. Her eyes instantly dyed crimson, and the automatic shotgun in her hands was loaded and ready.
"It's just optical camouflage."
Mahiro murmured the words as if speaking to himself.
Under the Spirit Eye, no information body—not even optical camouflage—could hide.
"Oh? You can actually detect it. Seems you've got some skill."
A voice dripping with pity echoed in his ears, and a murderous, machine-like gaze pierced through the void.
The sudden turn of events was too fast even for Kayo, who had already unleashed her power. She barely had time to raise her gun toward the sound when a shadow lunged from the darkness.
Instinctively, she leaped half a step back—the shadow grazing past her bangs.
Boom!
A heavy impact shook the ground, as if something massive had struck it. Upon closer inspection, tire marks were imprinted on the dirt—clearly from a thrown tire.
"Ah-ah, no interrupting them. So, you'll have to play with me instead."
The voice came from the rooftop of a nearby church.
A girl sat perched on the edge of the eaves, her slender legs dangling and swaying gently in the air.
Bathed in the pale moonlight, she wore an impractical-looking dress and cradled a stuffed toy in her arms.
A straw hat obscured her face, but beneath it, a pair of crimson eyes gleamed—she was also a Cursed Child!
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kurume Rika, codename 'Hummingbird.' Pleased to make your acquaintance~"
Sitting atop the church, she lifted the hem of her dress slightly in a mock greeting.
"In that case, I'll introduce myself too. I'm Shishigamine Juugo, codename 'Swordtail.' A mechanized soldier who inherited 'Mario Jet.' Remember it well—before you die."
The assailant materialized from thin air, pressing a pistol against Mahiro's temple.
"Too much talk. Let's see if your gun is faster—or my hand."
Without a doubt, Mahiro shattered the tense standoff in an instant. Just as Shishigamine Juugo was about to pull the trigger, a hurricane-like force slammed into him. The world spun violently, and by the time he regained his senses, he was already buried deep in the ground.
Mahiro gripped the man's throat with one hand, slamming him into the earth, while his other hand pressed a CAD against his forehead.
"Looks like you lost."
"W-wait a second!"
How could he have lost before even doing anything?!
Impossible!
"No waiting."
Mahiro pulled the trigger without hesitation. As the muzzle flashed with psionic light, the operative codenamed "Swordtail," Shishigamine Juugo, became nothing more than a lifeless fish—reduced to dust.
Meanwhile, Kayo was still locked in a desperate battle.
"Necropolis Strider—awaken, my lovely familiars."
"Go, go, go!"
Rika clapped her hands rhythmically, as if keeping time to a nursery rhyme.
Below her, scattered tires rose upright as though granted sentience, rolling menacingly toward Kayo.
"Oh, I should make your deaths painless. Let's change the game a little."
The girl spoke the most terrifying words in the most innocent tone.
"—Offensive Enchant: Thorn."
At her command, a series of wet squelches echoed as massive blades sprouted from the tires, transforming them instantly into spinning, spike-covered weapons. The high-speed rotating blade sliced through the air like a meat grinder.
Kayo leaped aside just as a tire blasted through the spot where she'd stood, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Midair, she raised her gun toward the girl atop the church and fired a grenade.
BOOM!!!
A scorching explosion engulfed the rooftop—but the next moment, the flames twisted into a tornado and scattered violently.
The ones responsible? Those grotesque tires.
Their high-speed rotating blades deflected all damage effortlessly.
"Useless~ Attacks like that can't hurt my Striders. Go!"
Rika pointed at Kayo in midair, unleashing the Striders again.
At her signal, the shockwave engines in the Striders roared back to life, hurtling forward with terrifying speed.
Kayo kept firing midair, using the recoil of her shotgun to shift her position repeatedly, barely dodging each assault.
But the tires ricocheted wildly between walls, wrecked car frames, and boulders like pinballs in a machine.
Their chaotic, destructive paths left deep scars of ruin in their wake.
Once activated, nothing living and breathing could escape—this was why she bore the epithet "Necropolis."
"Over the rainbow~"
Humming a fairy-tale melody, the girl lost in her symphony of slaughter hugged her plush doll, swinging her white-stockinged legs carelessly.
Though Kayo fought to stay calm, she couldn't devise any strategy against these autonomous weapons.
Should she close in on the church and redirect the tires toward the girl atop it?
She had tried that, but the wheels seemed to be under some kind of control, completely incapable of harming the girl.
What should she do?
Just as she was at her wit's end, the flying leaf tires came at her again.
But this time, they turned to dust mid-air.
"...Mr. Mahiro?"
Kayo turned her head in surprise and delight. No one else but Mahiro could achieve something like this.
"My familiars!!!"
Rika also noticed her toys had been destroyed. She lowered her head and immediately met Mahiro's icy gaze.
Then, she saw Mahiro slowly opening his mouth, forming the words with his lips—
"Goodbye."
Psi-light flickered, and "Hummingbird" Kurume Rika soon followed in the footsteps of "Swordtail" Shishigamine Juugo.
The mechanically enhanced prosthetic parts fell from the sky.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mahiro. I held you back because of me."
Emerging from behind cover, Kayo was covered in dust but still wore her usual expressionless face. Yet, he could still see the frustration in her eyes.
Mahiro reached out and ruffled Kayo's small head. "Don't talk nonsense. Against opponents like these, you've done exceptionally well, Kayo."
Indeed, she had performed admirably.
Kayo wasn't the combat-type. Even though the Gastrea virus gave her innate physical advantages, her speed and strength were only at the level of an average Cursed Child. She couldn't compare to Enju, let alone Asaka.
However, those two were undoubtedly modified soldiers.
Aside from the self-proclaimed "Fried Fish," who was modified using Arthur Zanuck's methods, the other Cursed Child must have utilized the thought-driven interface developed by Ayn Rand.
The mechanical parts they left behind had already been collected by Mahiro.
Now, only one remained—the crystallization that imitated and surpassed Muroto Sumire.
"Your turn now, Mitsugi Yuuga."
Clap, clap, clap...
Mitsugi Yuuga leaped down from the tip of Ikuma Shougen's greatsword, clapping his hands as he approached.
"What a spectacular performance, Yotsuba-dono. That ability, comparable to our New World Modification Project... No wonder the highest leader of our organization took such a liking to you. Pity you'll die by my hands."
"You talk as much nonsense as that dead fish."
Mahiro had no intention of wasting words. He directly raised Nightmare and pulled the trigger.
"Useless, useless! I've already seen through everything about you!"
Mitsugi Yuuga laughed wildly as geometric patterns suddenly appeared in his eyes. The CPUs installed within his black pupils activated, then rotated. These prosthetic eyes were improved versions of the "Type-21 Black Spinal Stone Eyes" used by Satomi Rentaro, models with significantly enhanced basic performance—a computational device capable of slowing down time and accelerating thought.
Once the prosthetic eyes activated, his thought processes increased to over a hundred times per minute, making the flow of time around him appear in slow motion within his field of vision.
The movement of all things slowed down, and in Mitsugi Yuuga's eyes, Mahiro's speed was similarly reduced.
"Technology shapes the future. I am the pinnacle of technological advancement. I can predict your attack trajectory by reading human muscle reactions, through the fluctuations of your muscles. No matter how fast you are, you can't defeat me. And do you know why...?"
The dirt beneath his feet sprayed outward as Mitsugi Yuuga charged toward Mahiro at blinding speed—his movements nearly identical to Rentaro's!
"—Because I can see the future! Die!!"
His fist shot straight toward Mahiro's face.
And yet.
Despite having accelerated his thoughts, despite having entered a state of observing the future—what he saw at this moment was Yotsuba Mahiro curling his lips into a smirk.
As if mocking him.
Why?!
Why can this bastard still move within my domain?!
Then, a cold, indifferent voice drifted into his ears—
"Then did you foresee the future where you'd be disassembled?"
It felt as though flames ignited inside him.
With his thoughts accelerated a hundredfold, Mitsugi Yuuga could clearly sense every nerve, every blood vessel, every drop of blood, even every strand of his DNA being annihilated by an unseen force.
Gradually breaking down into the most fundamental elements of existence.
The released heat set his body ablaze—his very soul burning.
The scorching agony made him wish he could plunge into ice-cold water.
But the next instant, he was met with coldness—an endless, boundless cold. His cybernetic eye still functioned, yet his vision inexplicably vanished, leaving only darkness.
Thought?
No longer possible.
He couldn't even remember who he was anymore.
The only thing he knew was that his soul seemed to be detaching from his body, drifting further away...
Like a passing breeze, the existence known as Mitsugi Yuuga had faded.
All that remained was his super-varanium prosthetic limb—proof that he had once existed. But even that proof was tossed into a ring by Mahiro.
As for last words?
There would be none.
After all, he couldn't be bothered to listen, and the other party wasn't worthy of speaking.
"Let's go. Time to see this so-called Legacy of the Seven Stars."
He took Kayo with him, first burying Ikuma Shougen. Then, Kayo picked up the greatsword as her own weapon. The petite loli wielding a blade twice her height was, frankly, quite comical.
Yet, Kayo could actually swing that massive sword.
Since he had no intention of persuading her otherwise, he simply led her into the dilapidated, abandoned church.
A faint sense of being watched prickled at the back of his head—a flickering drone circled the sky. No doubt, it had been sent by Seitenshi and her people.
Strangely, though, the drone didn't follow them inside the church.
Soon, he understood why.
The white aluminum briefcase placed on the long table at the far end of the church had been opened.
These people really were aiming to destroy Tokyo Area.
Inside wasn't some ultra-high-tech device or a rare mineral, but something predominantly red... clearly broken—
"A child's tricycle...?"
"Yeah, that's right." Mahiro sighed softly. "This is the Legacy of the Seven Stars—the medium used to summon the Zodiac Gastrea. You're smart, Kayo. You've probably already guessed, haven't you?"
At his words, Kayo froze for a moment before falling into silence—a heavy, wordless silence.
A broken child's tricycle. The Legacy of the Seven Stars. The medium to summon the Zodiac Gastrea.
These three terms seemed unrelated at first glance, but when pieced together, they revealed a horrifying truth.
The first thing Kayo thought of was a Cursed Child like herself... no, someone even younger, riding this tricycle with an innocent smile...
Only to later be infected with the Gastrea virus, transforming into a Stage V Zodiac Creature...
This was just the most superficial hypothesis. Any deeper speculation was something Kayo didn't dare entertain.
She raised her head, her now-faded crimson eyes devoid of emotion as she stared at Mahiro.
"Hey, Mahiro-san... what exactly are we fighting for?"
She didn't even know why she asked such a question.
Back when she partnered with Shougen-san, she fought for his sake. After Ikuma Shougen's death, she felt she had to do something, so she chose to fight for Tokyo Area—to protect their home.
But now, after witnessing the truth behind the Legacy of the Seven Stars, she was lost.
A terrible thought lingered in her mind, refusing to fade, compelling her to ask this strange big brother in hopes of an answer.
"I don't know either."
Mahiro chuckled, instinctively patting her head. "I'm just a passerby. If I had to say what I'm fighting for... right now, it's for kids like you, for the people I want to protect—and for you, Kayo."
"..."
Kayo froze at his answer, staring blankly at him. Her small hands clutched the fabric over her chest as his handsome smile replayed endlessly in her mind. Slowly, she lowered her head.
"That kind of answer... is so unfair..."
"Mr. Mahiro, you truly are a hopeless lolicon."
Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, yet for the first time, an emotion she couldn't quite comprehend colored her tone.
At that moment, a phone call shattered the atmosphere between them.
It was Seitenshi calling, delivering news with unprecedented gravity in her voice—
"Mr. Mahiro, I apologize for calling at this hour, but there's something you absolutely must know—"
"One of the Zodiacs, Scorpio, has descended."
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