Chapter 75: So, have you seen your future?
"We"?
Both Chisato Fuse and Yotsuba Mahiro's first reaction was to catch this word.
They exchanged glances; although they didn't speak, they read what they wanted to say in each other's eyes.
[That muscle-bound idiot is actually teaming up with others?]
[That should be correct.]
However, since they knew Yiji Youhe's location, they didn't delay any further, packing their belongings and preparing to set off.
Just as before entering the bunker, Sasha still walked in front, with Mahiro following behind.
Logically, a strong combatant like Mahiro should be at the front, clearing the way, while a strategist like Chisato Fuse should be in the back providing support.
But this was Sasha's stubbornness, and he couldn't do anything about it, so he could only let her have her way.
It was already four in the morning, with only two hours left until dawn.
However, at this moment of dead silence, across the Tokyo Bay, at an abandoned dock in a crescent-shaped harbor where countless fishing boats and small vessels were moored, a bloody battle was erupting… No, to be precise, it was a grand and bloody massacre.
Countless screams and the sounds of tearing and crushing flesh and bones echoed like a symphony, rising and falling.
They didn't know what attacked them, only that a circular dark shadow would swiftly flash by each time death descended.
Whether it was an Initiator or a Promoter, they would be instantly crushed, without the slightest mercy.
Blood soaked the soil, and minced flesh repainted the walls of the abandoned buildings.
Everything was happening in this city, shrouded in faint moonlight, so quiet it was unsettling.
The two climbed a hill overlooking the city, and Mahiro gazed down at the city below.
He clearly caught the faint scent of blood carried by the wind, and the tragic scene below was already fully visible to him.
"Let's go, the target is right ahead."
There was no reason to stop, so Mahiro called out and continued forward.
However, after taking two steps, he suddenly overtook Chisato Fuse, leaving her behind.
Chisato Fuse, however, did not move; instead, she turned her back to him and refused.
"No, you go first, I want to stay."
"...It's no use if you stay."
As soon as he finished speaking, from the path they had walked, a four-legged beast darted out of the forest and charged over at bullet-like speed.
At the same time, Chisato Fuse's eyes turned red, clearly having unleashed her power, ready to collide head-on with that thing and suppress its charge.
However, the next second, the four-legged beast was instantly disintegrated, and Sasha, who had pounced, was covered in white ash.
"...Are you really human?"
Landing back on the ground, Sasha, who had barely managed to stabilize herself, turned around somewhat disheveled, her gaze seemingly containing a hint of resentment.
"From a biological classification perspective, yes, I am human."
Mahiro replied indifferently, but Chisato Fuse didn't quite believe him.
Along the way, whether it was Gastrea they encountered, or Gastrea lurking in the forest attempting to ambush them, or even the suddenly appearing ones and those tailing them, like the one just now.
Without exception, all of them turned to ash with a flash of light.
"...Perhaps, in reality, I am the human, and you are the Cursed Children?"
"Haha, I didn't expect Sasha to make jokes, but you're right, I am indeed also called a Cursed Children."
Though the concept is completely different.
"Alright, stop standing there in a daze, let's go."
Mahiro called out while continuing to move forward.
Stage One, Stage Two, and Stage Three were easy to deal with, as Scattering Mist could be activated directly, but Stage Four started to become a bit troublesome because the genetic components within were too complex, requiring some time to analyze their information bodies.
Roughly five seconds.
I wonder what Stage Five will be like; it'll probably be very difficult to analyze its information body, right?
Mahiro rubbed the bridge of his nose, slightly alleviating his mental fatigue.
"Sure enough, I'm still human, otherwise why would I be tired…?"
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Soon, they arrived at the outskirts of the harbor, the destination mentioned by Igaruma Shoukan.
Scattered everywhere were dismembered limbs, and a quick glance revealed a head with neatly combed black short hair standing beside the grass, facing them, looking utterly horrifying.
On that face, filled with shock and fear, the eyes, almost bulging out, stared intently in their direction, and not far away, there was even a fresh pile of minced meat, recently crushed into a QR code.
It was as if a steel roller had rolled over it.
Perhaps because they were downwind, the dense smell of blood, which had been impossible to conceal since before, assailed their nostrils.
Only…
"...Mr. Mahiro, what are you doing?"
Sasha couldn't understand Mahiro's actions again.
He looked as if he was collecting relics for these deceased, picking up various items, and even specifically cleaning off the dirt and bloodstains, but it didn't quite seem like it, after all, Mahiro only picked up weapons and equipment from the ground, leaving everything else in place.
And as if by magic, he made these weapons disappear again.
"Of course, I'm scavenging. Haven't you played online games, Sasha? Like those battle royale PVP games, specifically the 'old six' who loot corpses on the battlefield."
"..."
She certainly knew that term.
But the problem was, weren't they here to retrieve the box?
"Mr. Mahiro, are you perhaps very poor?" This was the only possibility Sasha could think of.
"Not poor, but rather, I don't have enough money."
The kind where no amount of money is enough, after all, Arcadia's expenses are a bottomless pit.
Mahiro said, while picking up a standard katana from the ground, looking at its thin, straight blade, and muttering things like, "It's perfectly intact, lucky."
This made Sasha difficult to believe that an IFA with the highest influence in the Tokyo Area would live such a frugal and impoverished life.
Does the president of Tendo IFA Company only exploit his subordinates and not pay them wages?
Clang—!
At that moment, there was a sound from the direction of the single-story house.
But upon seeing the person's appearance, Sasha, usually the calmest, widened her eyes slightly, her face filled with disbelief.
"Mr. Igaruma…?"
Sasha wanted to go forward, but Mahiro held her back, "Don't go, he's beyond saving."
"My sword... my sword... where is it?"
The man, wearing a skull mask, sat slumped on a general store stool, seemed to have heard their conversation, and slowly stood up, walking unsteadily towards them.
His eyes could no longer see, having turned into bloody holes.
"Excuse me, do you… know… where my sword is? With that, I can still fight…"
Igaruma Shoukan didn't seem to recognize Sasha's voice, or perhaps he was no longer capable of recognizing it; he was simply searching for his weapon in his last moments of life.
Only.
The weapon he was searching for was currently plunged into his back.
Sasha looked at that scene, watching for a long time.
"Mr. Igaruma…"
Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from the sky.
With a loud thud, the descending figure stomped heavily on the sword hilt, and with a strong push, forced Igaruma Shoukan to his knees, while the heavy greatsword completely impaled Igaruma Shoukan, pinning him firmly to the ground.
Ending Igaruma Shoukan's life.
He looked like a sinner being judged.
And as the clear moonlight spilled from the sky, it allowed the two of them to clearly see the true face of the person on the greatsword.
It was a young boy, similar in age to Rentaro, wearing a dark blue, stand-collar uniform.
The boy's face held a friendly smile, not a mischievous grin, but a smile so friendly it was nauseating.
"Yiji Youhe, right?"
Mahiro stepped forward, shielding Sasha behind him, and simultaneously spoke the other party's name.
"This is truly… incredible, incredible…!"
The boy seemed surprised, widening his eyes slightly, as if he had some desire to perform, looking down at him from above, he calmly spread his arms.
"To think that the esteemed Yotsuba Mahiro of the Tokyo Area would remember my name, I am truly flattered."
It was confirmed.
This guy was definitely a lunatic, just like Hiruko Kagetane.
With that leisurely and composed attitude, and with his hands spread open, he bowed to him with politeness and humility mixed with arrogance, feigning elegance:
"It's a pleasure to meet you. As you said, my name is Yiji Youhe, and my codename is Dark Stalker.
Before the prelude begins, I, on behalf of our leader, extend our highest regards to you and offer you an invitation.
I wonder, are you interested in joining our Five Wings Association?"
As soon as these words were uttered, they not only reached Yotsuba Mahiro's ears but were also clearly heard by Saitenshi and the others.
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4:10 AM.
An electronic eye silently overlooked the harbor battlefield from eight hundred meters above.
Real-time footage and audio were clearly transmitted to the Tokyo Area's operations headquarters, and as everyone watched the scene on the screen, a deathly silence enveloped the room.
"Five Wings Association…"
Saitenshi's pure white figure, looking at the display, was filled with worry, but upon hearing that term, she couldn't help but murmur, "It's… the Five Wings Association…"
The other ministers also looked very grim.
Initially, they thought this Yiji Youhe was just a high school student, a forgotten mechanically modified soldier, but they never expected him to be from the Five Wings Association, which sought to rule the world!
They didn't have a deep understanding of the Five Wings Association, having only heard of them.
Only Kikunojo Tendo had a profound understanding of this, as Kikunojo Tendo had already clashed with this organization several times, and was even one of the rare individuals who could make the Five Wings Association suffer losses.
Simply put, this was a terrorist organization.
Yes, even in this terrible world, terrorist organizations still existed, like dogs biting dogs.
But the Five Wings Association was different from ordinary terrorist organizations; they were very mysterious. No one knew who their leader was, nor did anyone know which cadres were inside.
The only known fact was that they secretly controlled the heads of state in multiple regions.
And they always wanted to eliminate Kikunojo Tendo.
At least for now, the people at the operations headquarters, even Kikunojo Tendo, who was once the mastermind, had already understood the whole story of this matter, and the situation had completely spiraled out of control.
It was likely that the Five Wings Association intended to use the Seven Stars' relic to summon Stage Five, thereby causing a mass extinction in the Tokyo Area!
"How have you considered, esteemed sir? The organization's supreme leader is very fond of you, so will you join us in this glorious evolution, become part of the New World Creation Project and accept modification, or will you become dust in history along with the Tokyo Area?"
"Time is running out, you know."
Every word from Yiji Youhe clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Is the Tokyo Area… beyond saving…?"
Many people were already shivering, trembling as they slumped to the ground.
It was already checkmate.
When they were informed that Stage Five would descend, they could already foresee the future of the Tokyo Area.
"No, it's not time to give up yet."
At such a moment, the one who could still utter such words was naturally Saitenshi.
"We still have our last trump card!"
Her gaze was fixed on the familiar figure on the screen. In the past year, she had entrusted Yotsuba Mahiro with six escort missions, and each time, just like now, he left her with only his back—a back that brought her immense peace of mind.
Even if everyone else doubted, she still chose to believe in that back!
-------------------------------------
Meanwhile, at the harbor.
The salty sea breeze gently blew.
Yotsuba Mahiro and Yiji Youhe gazed at each other from afar.
"So, what is your answer, sir?"
"I refuse."
Yotsuba Mahiro didn't hesitate for a moment. "A bunch of rats hiding in the shadows, trying to threaten me with a broken box that can summon a Stage Five gastrula virus? And what's this 'New World Creation Plan'? Just you, huh?
Don't make me laugh.
If you want to invite me, at the very least, your leader should come, like Albrecht Grünewald of the Four Sages."
The moment he uttered that name, Yiji Youhe's expression clearly wavered and became unsightly.
He guessed right; the leader of the Five Wings Association was indeed this famous chief of the Four Sages. There was no one else who could replicate and even surpass Sumire Muroto's modification plan except this guy.
"It seems your answer is 'No', sir. In that case, the prelude to the execution begins now. Please enlighten me further~"
As soon as he finished speaking, a faint sound of footsteps on dirt could be heard nearby.
Sasha looked around warily, but there was nothing in sight, and she had no idea where the sound was coming from.
"Mr. Mahiro, please be careful. We don't know where the enemy will attack from."
Sasha reminded him softly, her eyes already turning crimson as she unleashed her power, and even the automatic shotgun in her hand was loaded.
"It's just optical camouflage."
Yotsuba Mahiro murmured, as if to himself.
Under Elf Eyes, any information body, even optical camouflage, had nowhere to hide.
"Hoh, you actually discovered it. You do have some skill."
A voice filled with pity sounded in his ear, and a cold, murderous gaze, like that of a killing machine, was cast from the void.
The sudden turn of events was so swift that even Sasha, who had already unleashed her power, couldn't react in time. Just as she was about to raise her gun to fire at the source of the sound, a shadow suddenly lunged from the darkness.
Sasha instinctively took half a step back, the passing shadow almost grazing her bangs.
Boom!
A heavy thud came from the ground, as if something heavy had struck it. Upon closer inspection, tire marks were left on the ground, clearly from a tire.
"No, you can't disturb them, so you'll play with me instead."
The voice came from the top of a nearby church.
A young girl sat on the edge of the eaves, her slender legs dangling naturally, gently swinging and swaying.
The elegant moonlight illuminated her figure. She wore a dress that was not conducive to movement, and she held a stuffed toy in her arms.
The straw hat on her head obscured her face; the only discernible feature was a pair of crimson eyes peeking out from beneath the hat. She was also a Cursed Child!
"Nice to meet you, I'm Kurumi Rika, codename 'Hummingbird'. Please take care of me."
The girl sat on the church roof, slightly pulling up the hem of her dress as a greeting.
"In that case, I'll introduce myself too. I am Shishigatake Juugo, codename 'Swordtail'. I am a mechanized soldier who inherited 'Mario Jet'. Remember that well, and then die."
The assailant, who had suddenly appeared from nothingness, aimed a pistol at Yotsuba Mahiro's temple.
"Too much talk. Let's see whose gun is faster, or whose hand is faster!"
Undoubtedly, Mahiro directly broke the tense standoff. The moment Shishigatake Juugo was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly felt a hurricane assault him, followed by his entire world spinning. When he reacted, he was already deeply embedded in the mud.
Mahiro gripped the opponent's neck with one hand, slamming him into the ground, while his other hand held the CAD against the opponent's forehead.
"Looks like you lost."
"Wait... wait a minute!"
He lost before he even had a chance to do anything?!
How was that possible!
"No waiting."
Mahiro directly pulled the trigger. As the psion light from the gun muzzle flashed, Shishigatake Juugo, codename 'Swordtail', had already become a dead fish, turning into dust.
Meanwhile, Sasha was still struggling in her battle.
"'Necropolis Strider'—Awaken, my lovely familiars."
"GOGOGO!"
Rika clapped her hands, as if keeping time to a children's rhyme.
And directly beneath her, scattered tires stood up as if imbued with self-awareness, rolling towards Sasha.
"Oh, by the way, I can make sure you die painlessly, so let's change the way we play."
The girl spoke the most terrifying words in the most innocent tone.
"—'Offensive Enc Thorn'."
Issuing another command, a squelching sound was heard as huge blades sprouted from various parts of the tires, instantly transforming them into spike-covered weapons. The high-speed spinning blades cut through the air, like meat grinders.
Sasha leaped suddenly, and the tires instantly flew past the spot where she had just stood, narrowly avoiding the attack.
In mid-air, she raised her gun towards the girl on the church and fired a grenade.
Boom!!!
The scorching blast of the explosion enveloped the church roof, but the next second, the fiery explosion turned into a tornado, instantly dissipating.
And what accomplished this was precisely that eerie tire!
The high-speed spinning blades had blocked all damage!
"It's no use. This kind of attack can't hurt my 'Strider' at all. GO!"
Rika raised her hand, pointing at Sasha in mid-air, and unleashed the 'Strider' again.
With sound as a signal, the impact wave engine mounted on the 'Strider' roared once more, charging out at a fierce speed.
Sasha, meanwhile, continuously fired her gun in mid-air, using the shotgun's recoil to constantly shift her position, dodging the attacks again and again.
But those spinning tires crashed around like pinballs between walls, abandoned car frames, and huge rocks.
Their violent paths of arbitrary movement left deep, ravaged marks.
Once the ability was activated, nothing alive and breathing could escape; this was the origin of the nickname 'City of Annihilation'.
"Over the Rainbow."
The girl, engrossed in the music of slaughter, hugged her stuffed toy, humming a fairy-tale-like song while swinging her white-stockinged legs.
Although Sasha tried her best to remain calm, she couldn't think of any strategy against something like these autonomous weapons.
Move closer to the church, making the wheels fly towards the girl on top?
She had tried that, but the wheels seemed to be controlled by something, and they wouldn't harm the girl at all.
What to do?
Just as she was at a loss, those flying blade-tires attacked again.
But this time, they suddenly turned into dust in mid-air.
"...Mr. Mahiro?"
Sasha turned her head, surprised and delighted. No one else but Yotsuba Mahiro could have accomplished something to this extent.
"My familiar!!!"
Rika also discovered that her toy had been destroyed. She then lowered her head, meeting Mahiro's cold gaze.
Immediately after, she saw Yotsuba Mahiro slowly opening his mouth, mouthing the words—
"Goodbye."
Psion light flashed, and 'Hummingbird' Kurumi Rika immediately followed in the footsteps of 'Swordtail' Shishigatake Juugo.
The mechanical prosthetic parts then fell from mid-air.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mahiro, I held you back because of myself."
Coming out from behind cover, Sasha, though somewhat disheveled, still wore her usual emotionless expression, but he could still discern the dejected look on her face.
Mahiro reached out and ruffled Sasha's small head, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? Against an opponent like that, little Sasha, you did very well."
Indeed, she was excellent.
Sasha was not a combat-type factor. Even though the gastrula virus gave her innate physical advantages, in terms of speed and strength, she was only at the level of an ordinary Cursed Child. Not to mention she couldn't compare to Kohina and Enju, she couldn't even compare to Asaka.
However, those two people just now were indeed modified soldiers.
Besides the one who introduced himself as a fried fish, who was modified using Arthur Sanark's plan, the other Cursed Child likely utilized the thought-driven interface developed by An Rand.
The mechanical parts they left behind had already been taken by Mahiro and put into his ring.
So finally, there was only one left, a crystallization that mimicked and surpassed Sumire Muroto—
"It's your turn, Yiji Youhe."
Clap, clap, clap....
Yiji Youhe leaped down from the tip of Igaruma Shoukan's greatsword, clapping his hands as he walked towards them.
"That was quite a spectacular performance, Mr. Yotsuba. That ability, comparable to our New World modification plan... No wonder the supreme leader of our organization is so fond of you. It's a pity, you're going to die by my hand."
"You talk as much nonsense as that dead fish."
Yotsuba Mahiro had no intention of wasting words with the other party. He directly raised 'Nightmare' and pulled the trigger.
"It's useless, useless! I've seen through everything about you!"
Yiji Youhe laughed wildly, geometric patterns suddenly appearing in his eyes. The CPU installed inside his black eyeballs activated and then spun. These prosthetic eyes were an improved version of the 'Type 21 Black Iron Prosthetic Eye' used by Rentaro Satomi, a model with greatly enhanced basic performance, a computational device that could slow down time and accelerate thought.
After his prosthetic eyes activated, his thought frequency increased to over a hundred times per minute, causing the flow of time around him to appear in slow motion within Yiji Youhe's field of vision.
The speed of all things in the universe slowed down, and similarly, in Yiji Youhe's eyes, Mahiro's speed was also slowed down.
"Technology changes the future. I am the crystallization of the highest technology. I can predict your attack trajectory by observing human muscle reactions, by the undulations of your muscles. No matter how fast you are, you can't defeat me, and if you ask why....."
The dirt beneath his feet instantly splattered as Yiji Youhe rushed towards Mahiro at an extremely fast speed, his movements almost identical to Rentaro's!
"—Because I can see the future! Die!!"
His fist went straight for Mahiro's face.
However.
Even though he had accelerated his thoughts, even though he had entered a state of observing the future, he saw Yotsuba Mahiro curling the corner of his mouth at that moment.
As if mocking him.
Why?!
Why can this guy still move within my domain?!
Immediately after, he heard a faint, indifferent voice leisurely resounding in his ear—
"Then did you see your own decomposition in the future?"
It was as if a flame ignited within his body.
At a hundredfold accelerated thought frequency, Yiji Youhe clearly felt every nerve, every blood vessel, even every drop of blood, and every single DNA, being destroyed by some invisible force.
Gradually decomposing into the most basic elements of the world.
The released heat ignited his body, and it ignited his soul.
The scorching sensation made him wish he could plunge into ice water.
But the next moment, he was met with coldness, boundless coldness. His prosthetic eyes were still functioning, but for some reason, his vision suddenly disappeared, leaving only a pitch-black void.
Thinking?
He could no longer do it.
He no longer even remembered who he was.
The only thing he knew was that his soul seemed to be detaching from his body, gradually drifting away.....
Like a gentle breeze, the existence named Yiji Youhe had passed away.
The remaining Super Vibranium prosthetic limbs were proof of his former existence, but this proof had already been tossed into the ring by Yotsuba Mahiro.
As for leaving a dying message, that was even more impossible.
After all, he was too lazy to listen, and the other party wasn't worthy of speaking.
"Let's go, let's see the so-called legacy of the Seven Stars."
He took Sasha, first buried Igaruma Shoukan, and then Sasha picked up the greatsword as her weapon.
A petite loli carrying a sword twice her height was, to be honest, quite comical.
Yet, Sasha could still wield this greatsword.
He didn't intend to persuade her further, but instead led her into the dilapidated, abandoned church.
He vaguely felt a sense of being watched from above; a flickering drone was circling in the sky, and he knew without a doubt that it must have been sent by the Saitenshi and her people.
But strangely, when he stepped into the church, the drone didn't follow.
Soon, he understood why.
The white aluminum alloy briefcase placed on the long table at the end of the church was open.
These guys truly aimed to destroy the Tokyo Area.
And what was inside was not some high-tech device, nor some super rare ore, but a main body that was red… and clearly broken—
"A child's tricycle…?"
"Yes, that's right." Mahiro sighed slightly, "This is the legacy of the Seven Stars, and also the medium for summoning the Zodiac Gastrea. Sasha, you're so smart, you must have already guessed, right?"
Hearing this, Sasha was slightly stunned at first, then fell silent, a wordless silence.
A broken child's tricycle, the legacy of the Seven Stars, the medium for summoning the Zodiac Gastrea.
These three seemingly unrelated words, once combined, revealed a terrifying truth.
Sasha first thought of the Cursed Children like herself… No, it should be children even smaller than herself, riding on this tricycle, showing innocent smiles…
Then infected with the gastrula virus, turning into a Stage Five Zodiac creature…
This was just the most superficial guess; Chisato Fuse already dared not imagine the deeper implications.
She raised her head, her eyes, which had lost their reddish hue, gazed emotionlessly at Mahiro.
"Hey, Mahiro-kun, what exactly are we fighting for?"
She didn't know why she would ask such a question.
In the past, when she partnered with Mr. Shoukan, she fought for Mr. Shoukan's interests; after Igaruma Shoukan's death, she felt she needed to do something, so she chose to fight for the Tokyo Area, to protect her home.
But now, after witnessing the truth of the Seven Stars' legacy, she was lost.
A terrifying thought constantly lingered in her mind, unable to dissipate, making her, as if possessed, ask this strange Da gege, hoping for an answer.
"I don't know either."
Yotsuba Mahiro smiled, subconsciously stroking her head, "I'm merely a passerby. If I had to say what I'm fighting for, currently it's for you children, for the people I want to protect, and also for you, little Sasha."
"..."
Sasha was stunned by the answer, staring blankly at him.
Her small hand clutched the lapel of her clothes, the handsome smile constantly appearing in her mind, and she involuntarily slowly lowered her head.
"This way of speaking… is truly despicable…
Mahiro-kun, you really are a hopeless loli-con."
Her voice was barely audible, but it was the first time an emotion she herself found hard to understand appeared in her tone.
Just then, a phone call broke the atmosphere between them.
It was a call from the Saitenshi, who informed him of a piece of intelligence with an unprecedentedly serious tone—
"Mahiro-kun, I apologize for calling you at such a time, but there is something you absolutely must know—
Scorpio, one of the Zodiac, has arrived."