* * * “Papa, I think he’s the guy that was with Enju.” “Oh my.” There was the sound of a bell, and first, a white-gloved hand grasping the tree trunk firmly appeared from out of the pitch-black darkness. Next, a face with a white mask and silk hat was revealed, reflecting the orange light of the bonfire. In his crimson red tailcoat were the double guns, Spanking Sodomy and Psychedelic Gospel. Next to him, with short swords in both hands wearing a frilly black dress, was a young girl. Goodness. “Fancy meeting you here—my dear friend.” “Kagetane…Hiruko……!” The strongest magician whom Rentaro had ever fought in a life-or-death contest appeared. 6 To think that he would one day sit around a fire with this man… Rentaro held his gun at the ready as he used his teeth and left hand to wrap a bandage around his stomach, never letting his guard down. The bleeding at his side had stopped at least, but if he tried to do too much, it was possible that the wound would open up again, so his movements would be limited for a while. Rentaro’s gun was trained at the people sitting on the other side of the fire facing him. Kagetane gave a forced shrug. “I wonder if you might put that gun down soon.” “No,” said Rentaro. The man threw a dry branch into the fire. “Have you already forgotten who provided you with the bandages and antibiotics?” “What about you? Have you already forgotten what you two did?” Kagetane and Kohina Hiruko. They were the terrorists who had summoned the Zodiac Scorpion, driving Tokyo Area to the brink of destruction. Rentaro had used the railgun called the Stairway to Heaven to end the matter before anything happened, but one wrong step and it could have turned into Tokyo Area’s Great Extinction. “If I get serious, your little toy gun’s not going to work, you know.” Rentaro was at a loss for words. He had experienced firsthand the despair-inducing defensive ability of the repulsion force field Kagetane used; the thing could repel antitank rifles. Yet after all this time, Rentaro still didn’t know what the man was after. In their encounter earlier, while Kohina had asked enthusiastically, “Papa, can I kill him?” Kagetane had made her be quiet and threw over bandages and antibiotics himself. Their relationship had once been one where they were after each other’s lives. There were a lot of reasons for Kagetane to hate him, and no reason for Kagetane to help him. Rentaro’s nervousness didn’t go away as he gently put the gun down. “Why are you here in the Unexplored Territory? Are you helping old Kikunojo with more of his conspiracies and doing some secret maneuvering?” “Oh dear, can you please not ask any leading questions? No comment,” said Kagetane. “You were the ones who killed that civil officer pair on the street in the frontline base three days ago, weren’t you?” “Let’s see.” Kagetane put a hand on his chin and looked at the girl. “Do you remember, Kohina?” The Initiator beside him, Kohina Hiruko, hugged both arms around her knees and covered her face, staring at Rentaro with upturned eyes. “You must be an idiot. How can I remember every little ant that I trample?” Rentaro was speechless. He realized again the difference between his values and those of these killers. Explaining morals to these two was likely to be more futile an endeavor than preaching to aliens. Kohina looked next to Rentaro for a second and then at him with upturned eyes. “Where’s Enju? Is she dead?” “She’s alive. She’s doing something else.” “I see.” She spoke curtly, but her mouth smiled happily. “Enju…I want to see her, I want to kill her. I want to see her, I want to kill her. I want to see her, I want to kill her.” Just then, Rentaro noticed that there were now four short sword scabbards on Kohina’s back. “Satomi, what about you? Why are you in a place like this?” Kagetane asked. Rentaro couldn’t decide whether or not to tell the truth. Would it be safer for him to bluff and say that his friends were close by? “I’m here to defeat Pleiades.” “Pleiades?” “The unidentified Gastrea that can shoot mercury at long distances. Apparently, it’s in this forest.” “Yeah, apparently it is.” That response was suspicious as hell. “Don’t tell me you guys were also in the line of battle yesterday fighting against Aldebaran?” Kagetane laughed so hard he held down his mask, as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. “Of course not. I climbed the tallest tree in the area to get a better view. Why should we have to fight? What good would it do us?” “If we don’t fight, everyone will die.” “So fight, and then what lies ahead of that?” “Peace.” “I have never desired that.” Kagetane looked at Rentaro with pity in his eyes. “I can bear an eternal hell. I can bear this body being half-carved open and dissected. But you know, if peace and joy were to continue forever, I would scream and plead for someone to kill me.” “You’re crazy.” “Are you saying I wasn’t until today?” Rentaro and Kagetane glared at each other wordlessly as the bonfire sent up flames and started burning stronger. Rentaro shifted his gaze first. He couldn’t suppress his anger at everything the man did, but even if he threw himself on Kagetane now, he would most likely be swiftly murdered. Kagetane sprinkled what looked like seasoning into the camp pot that was set over the bonfire and stirred the contents with a spoon. Finally, salted-plum rice gruel was served on a plastic tray. It wasn’t a dish that sounded very appetizing, but Kagetane had probably made rice gruel on purpose out of consideration for the injured Rentaro, offering him something easier to eat. Since his backpack had been washed away by the river, Rentaro had exactly zero food rations on him. And there was no chance that he would be able to get any in the future. There’s no way he poisoned this, right? Rentaro thought as he waited for the two of them to eat theirs, before timidly slurping a spoonful himself. It was salty, and there was some kind of soup stock in it as well, so it tasted less like gruel and more like chazuke, but it didn’t seem like the taste was being covered up by salt like many store-bought versions; rather, it left a curious aftertaste. Rentaro was surprised to find that it was an understatement to call it delicious. Kagetane himself flipped up his mask and slurped the gruel with neither relish nor disgust, but the flames of the bonfire threw up intricate shadows. Unfortunately, from where Rentaro was sitting, the other man’s face was a shadow and Rentaro couldn’t see what it looked like. Rentaro finished eating in no time and helped clean up since he had nothing better to do, continuing to stare at the man’s creepy face cover. “Why do you wear a mask?” he asked finally. Kagetane seemed to also be done eating and had put the mask back on. “Satomi, do you not wear a mask?” There was a short pause before Rentaro replied, “What are you talking about?” “I can see the mask you wear, you know. The guardian mask you wear when interacting with your Initiator, the Tendo Civil Security Agency Employee mask you wear when you work as an employee of that female boss of yours, and the facing the enemy mask you’re wearing now with me. Aren’t they all different ‘Rentaro Satomis’?” Was this man talking about psychological personas? “Satomi, did you see my real face just now?” “No.” “You were right not to try. I’m sure you’ll regret seeing my real face.” “You saying you’re disfigured or something?” Kagetane shook his head scornfully as he tapped on his mask. “What’s under this mask—is your face, Rentaro Satomi.” “Stop messing around, you bastard.” “You and I are the remnants of the New Humanity Creation Project. Twins, so to speak. I’m sure you’ve also noticed, right? We’re human, yet we have power greater than that of other humans. Have you ever wanted to kill someone you couldn’t stand? Have you ever wanted to violate a woman by force? That artificial arm could make all of that happen easily. “I’m sure you’ve had the thought before, when you were exposed to outrageous violence, ‘I have enough power inside me to make you all into mincemeat.’ I was able to make that a reality. That’s why you hate me. Because you’re jealous.” “Shut up!” “But you know, Satomi, just like the honor student hates the delinquent, the delinquent hates the honor student, too. Do you know why? It’s because each person can do what the other cannot. Just like you envy me in the bottom of your heart for being able to kill as I please, I also envy and hate you. Even though you are as inhuman as I am, you live comfortably in the world of light. I detest you so much I can’t stand it.” Kagetane’s white mask suddenly came toward Rentaro and whispered into his ear. “Come with me, friend. We’re both survivors of the New Humanity Creation Project. We’re special beings. I’ll teach you the pleasures of killing as much as you like. Kidnap a woman, and after you rape her, pluck her arms and legs off and kill her. I’ll teach you how to use money, too. You can buy everything but poverty. You can buy love, and respect.” “I’m not going to change how I use my power.” A fat piece of firewood broke apart in the flames and fell, sending a shower of sparks into the sky and making Rentaro’s and Kagetane’s profiles dazzle for a second. Kagetane wore his silk hat low over his eyes and hid his gaze. “Let me make a prediction, Satomi. You will definitely come over to my side. Without a doubt.” “Give it up. There’s no way that’d happen.” Next to them, Kohina didn’t seem the least bit concerned about their conversation and silently got another helping of the rice gruel, polishing off most of it by herself. They ran out of things to say to each other, and when the firewood burned out, they used that as a sign to retire for the night. Rentaro’s body had already reached its limit with exhaustion, and his whole body felt heavy and slow. Even now, his eyelids felt like they were about to close. But there was no way he would fall asleep before the other two. Rentaro pretended to sleep and didn’t let his guard down until he saw that Kagetane and Kohina had truly fallen asleep. The bonfire smelled like burnt embers. His body clock told him that about an hour had passed, and when he heard Kohina’s regular breathing that meant she was asleep, his eyes popped open, he grabbed his XD gun, and snuck over to where Kagetane and Kohina were sleeping, crouching. They seemed carefree, sleeping on their sides while holding each other and sharing a blanket. Rentaro silently aimed his gun at Kagetane’s head. “What do you think you’re doing?” Kagetane asked without moving a muscle. “You were awake?” said Rentaro. “What a fine way to treat us.” “You don’t seem worried, Kagetane. Is your barrier one that you can pull up faster than I can pull a point-blank trigger?” Kagetane didn’t say anything. Rentaro glared at Kagetane with hatred. “Did you think that if you were nice to me, that I would cry with joy and be your friend? Did you think to bury the hatchet by putting me in your debt? Too bad. You’re dangerous. As long as you’re alive, you’ll definitely cause another disaster. I have a duty to kill you to maintain public order as a civil security officer.” “Will you kill my daughter, as well?” Rentaro took a fleeting glance at the soundly sleeping Kohina. “Is she really your daughter?” “Of course. Satomi, do you know about the jar of poison? A large number of insects and snakes are put in a large jar and made to eat each other until the last one left is said to be the strongest, the one with the most cursing power. Long ago, when I was still young, I kidnapped five women and artificially inseminated them. At the same time, I also gave the embryos a large dose of the Gastrea virus.” Rentaro was at a loss for words. In other words, Kagetane had created artificial Cursed Children. “Then, I locked my five daughters into separate underground rooms for six years, training them to kill and brainwashing them. And then one day, I had them meet for the first time and try to kill each other. The one who survived was Kohina.” “Why did you do such a thing…?” “You’ve gotta be kidding.” “That must be a joke.”—To be able to reject Kagetane’s madness with empty words like that, to preserve his own peace of mind, was something that could have been done only by the Rentaro that existed before he had known what kind of person Kagetane Hiruko really was. Now, Rentaro imagined that Kagetane probably really did conduct that devil’s experiment. Kagetane continued. “I wanted to know everything about this world. I wanted to rule over everything and discover the truth. I wanted to know what those girls who were the future of the humans species really were.” “You demon. What do you think a human life is?” “I didn’t know. That’s why I tried conducting the experiment.” “Children are innocent beings! They can be raised to be angels or devils. It’s your fault, Kagetane! It’s your fault that this girl turned into a devil.” “Aye, I wanted to try making a devil. But I failed. What was born was an angel that just got in the way.” Kagetane softly stroked the sleeping Kohina’s hair and quietly lifted her chin. “Look at this. This adorable sleeping face. My unsightly, repulsive, sweet little monstress. These girls are strong as a biological species, but they also have an unfixable weakness.” Just then, Kohina stirred and made a small sound in her sleep, and then whispered something that seemed completely out of place. “I love you, Papa.” The muzzle of the XD shook with a start, and Rentaro was astonished. Why? Why? He wanted to shake Kohina’s shoulder to wake her up and then scream at her, “You’re being tricked! Your dad is brainwashing you!” Kagetane looked sideways at Rentaro’s reaction and sneered inside the depths of his mask. “Satomi, what is the happiness of a human? I made this child live for six years confined like a frog at the bottom of a well. But she just kept looking up at the blue sky from the bottom of that well.” “Stop screwing around! How many people do you think have died because of you two? Just how many people have you killed up till now?!” His gun hand shook with anger. “Please stop, comrade. Even if you could kill either me or Kohina, you’d surely die before you managed to kill the other.” Do it, Rentaro Satomi. If you don’t kill this man today, he will continue to spread death like an epidemic. You won’t get a better chance than this to stop him. Kagetane is bluffing. Don’t be tricked. Abandon your reason. To hell with thinking calmly. Fulfill your duty. But no matter how much he thought it, his trigger finger was frozen and would not move. Rentaro squeezed his eyes shut. “Damn it!” He put his gun away and went to a fallen tree in desperation, sitting down angrily. “I’m grateful for your help with my wound. But I can’t trust you two.” Saying only that, Rentaro watched Kagetane and Kohina as they sprawled on the other side of the fire, his trigger guard still on his gun. The flames of the bonfire seemed to sneer at him as they moved. It was the perfect chance. And you just wasted it. 7 It smelled like dirt. And grass. Rentaro could sense just the slightest bit of light on the other side of his eyelids. His shoulder felt cold, so he tried to pull up his blanket, but he couldn’t feel the familiar smoothness on his shoulder, and his hand waved in the air a few times until his consciousness suddenly awakened. He stood up with a start and looked around. He had fallen asleep without realizing. Before him sat the smoky remains of a bonfire with just the faintest warmth still remaining. Realizing that his clothes were tinged with moisture, he looked around and understood why: There was a thin layer of morning mist, and the sky was cloudy. There was still no sign of the sky returning to normal from its covering of Varanium ash. There was no trace of Kagetane and Kohina in the spot where they had been sleeping. Rentaro was silent at that—it looked like they left without doing anything to his person, even though they had had plenty of chances. He checked the time. It was 8 a.m. He had fallen asleep around 3 or 4 a.m., so he was not fully recharged, but considering the situation, it wasn’t too bad. Allowing his feet to go where they wanted, he pushed through the place that had been too dark to see last night. There was almost no undergrowth; instead, it was a mysterious scene with enormous, giant sequoialike trees continuing all around him. As if territorial in their own way, after a while, the stand of trees turned into different kinds of vegetation. The prehistoric Jōmon cedar, sitting in the middle of a nest of roots sticking out of the ground, was where Rentaro had tripped while being chased by the large pack of wolves the day before and thus gotten into trouble. Lichens, too, grew thick between the countless bumps of the fat tree’s bark, and there were smashed cars stuck to the trunks, lifted up as if purposefully surrounded. Rentaro gazed at the sight for a while. If he had woken up next to this scene without reference, he would have succumbed to loneliness and despair, believing himself to have been thrown into the distant future where material civilization had collapsed, and he was cut off from returning to his own time. It still was not completely clear what effect the Gastrea virus had on plants, but even so, it was hard to separate it from how big they had grown in the ten years since the war. Of course, the plants had gotten better at surviving their environment. There were even absurd instances where there were forests like the Amazon inside Japan, such as during the Kagetane Hiruko terrorist incident. The area where Rentaro found himself was part of the Unexplored Territory near the Monolith, so this was still not as bad as other places. There were two days until the replacement Monolith arrived. “So you were in a place like this, huh?” Rentaro was surprised by the sudden voice and turned around. “Why are you here?” The owner of the voice was who Rentaro thought it was. There was a girl looking at him sullenly with undisguised wariness, holding four short swords; and a mysterious man with a mask and silk hat. “There was one thing I forgot to tell you yesterday,” said Kagetane, holding down his mask. “We encountered that Gastrea you call Pleiades yesterday, once.” “Where?!” As Rentaro braced himself to take a step toward Kagetane, the man suddenly raised an arm. “Just follow the river upstream. There’s a big Gastrea campground there. I didn’t see where the compressed mercury was being fired from, but that’s probably Pleiades.” Campground. Even Gastrea have campgrounds, huh? That was something Rentaro had been wondering about since he entered the forest the day before. He’d been sure that the instant he entered the forest, there would be Gastrea concealed all over the place and had readied himself for that, but in the end, the only Gastrea he had encountered were the wolf ones. In other words, the two thousand Gastrea of Gado’s estimates were gathered in one place resting—like a human company of troops. “Why are you telling me this?” Rentaro demanded. In the past, the man in front of him had tried to summon the Zodiac Scorpion in order to break down the Monoliths. And his motivation for committing the crime was to restart the Gastrea War to give the New Humanity Creation Project a reason for existing—in other words, he had fervently wished to be needed. From Kagetane’s point of view, the current Tokyo Area where the Monolith had collapsed by chance should have been his ideal. Even though Kagetane had saved Rentaro last night, the biggest reason he couldn’t trust Kagetane was because of the worst-case scenario: that Kagetane was on the side of the Gastrea. Kagetane narrowed his eyes behind the mask and laughed. “Now, I wonder why? I don’t really think about things like that much.” How serious is he? Rentaro wondered. “If I had to say, it’s because I like you. But unfortunately, if you continue like this, you will definitely die.” Rentaro couldn’t help but be at a loss for words. Kagetane continued. “You’ve been strange since yesterday. You said you were working separately from your Initiator, but you don’t seem worried about her at all. You seem to be prepared for the special mission of defeating Pleiades, but there is no sign of your adjuvant around at all. If this was an official mission, then it would be a little hard to think that they would send a lone Promoter out to assassinate a Gastrea. In other words, it is reasonable to assume that you left your squad because of your own justice or were banished for some reason.” He couldn’t make a single strangled sound because it was exactly as Kagetane had said. Rentaro wanted to retort with something sarcastic, but he reconsidered, thinking that he couldn’t buy the location of Pleiades for all the money in the world. Honestly, thanking Kagetane would be offensive, so he snorted and walked past them, starting to walk toward the river for now. But with the sound of his boots stepping on dirt, Rentaro noticed that there were other shoes mixed in. “Hey, what are you doing?” Stopping and looking back partway, he saw that Kagetane and Kohina also stopped short, as he suspected, about ten paces behind him. Kagetane shrugged and spread out his arms. “I wonder what? You just happen to be in the path upon which we are also heading.” “Do what you want.” Rentaro snorted in desperation and hurried forward quickly, but he soon heard footsteps behind him again. Rentaro succumbed to the mysterious feeling of annoyance mixed with bewilderment. After the wolves in sheep’s clothing came Kagetane in sheep’s clothing… It was such an unfunny joke that he felt his cheek spasm. “You bastards walk in front.” “No thank you. I do not want to suddenly be attacked from behind.” Rentaro scratched his head. Damn it, what the hell is this? After following the river for a while, Rentaro left its banks and climbed up a small mountain to check the time. As morning turned to afternoon, the temperature rose, and with the warming air, their body scents would be lifted higher; it was safer to gain altitude to keep the Gastrea from sensing them before climbing down again at night. Rentaro looked sideways at Kagetane and Kohina next to him, not letting down his guard. He couldn’t calm down with them there, but Kagetane said he didn’t want to walk in front either, so that was the compromise. His bizarre companions traveled with him, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Next to him, Kohina was loudly—intentionally so—breaking the bar of chocolate Kagetane had given her while continuing to check Rentaro’s movements. She seemed to be saying, Papa said I can’t kill you, so I won’t kill you…just yet. Because chocolate bars were a lightweight, high-calorie food that didn’t take up much space, they were fitting for survival supplies, and Rentaro had heard that the self-defense force and other military organizations gave it to their soldiers as portable provisions. He had thought this since watching the food preparation process yesterday, but Kagetane seemed to be even more of an expert at survival than Rentaro had ever imagined. It was nice to have someone like that in his party—of course, that was if he was an ally and not an enemy. “Satomi, look at that.” After they had climbed up a steep protruding rock face for a while, Kagetane handed Rentaro a pair of digital binoculars. Rentaro checked the state of his wound where the wolf had bitten him and kneeled down, looking through the binoculars in the direction Kagetane indicated. He got chills like someone had put a block of ice down his back and ducked reflexively, looking at Kagetane. “Did you see it?” Kagetane asked. “Below that?” said Rentaro. “If it’s in the same place as it was yesterday, then probably, yes.” Rentaro looked hesitatingly through the binoculars again. In the optically enlarged world, there was a large flock of bird-shaped Gastrea flying in a circle over a fixed spot, and underneath were trees densely woven together, their thick canopy spread out such that it blocked even sunlight. Suddenly, a dull noise echoed and a titanic tree shook hard; the birds it housed hurriedly took flight en masse. The leaves at the tops of trees rustled, and he could tell that a large being was moving through the forest. Rentaro’s heart thrummed with nerves. It was there. There was some kind of land-dwelling Gastrea in that area. “Good timing. It’s going to rain soon,” said Kagetane. Surprised, Rentaro lifted his face and saw the man looking up with a hand stretched out over his head. Following Kagetane’s gaze, Rentaro also looked up. The weather had been cloudy since the morning, and it didn’t look like there had been much change to it. As if understanding Rentaro’s misgivings, Kagetane continued. “The sound is echoing pretty far. That’s because the temperature is rising, and there’s more moisture in the air.” Just then, there was a rumble of thunder from the clouds, as if backing up Kagetane’s words. He’s like a prophet, Rentaro thought in awe. In any case, the rain was welcome. Their smell would be washed away by the rain so canine Gastrea wouldn’t be able to track them, and the noise from the rain would also make it harder to hear their movements. However— “It’s that black rain again…?” Rentaro had learned the main points of World War II in history class, and he couldn’t help but connect the black rain to the atomic bomb and felt a physical aversion to it. There were no adverse effects to humans being rained on by the ashes from Special Varanium; in fact, if the bleached Monolith had even a little magnetic field left to give off, the rain could possibly even restrain the Gastrea’s movements a little. However, yesterday, when the black rain first poured down, the citizens who wanted to protect the home front became panicked, and the radio and news incessantly repeated “Don’t worry” to calm the panic. Suddenly, Rentaro thought about how Enju and the others were doing. Half a day had passed since he had fled into the night. Everyone in the adjuvant had probably already figured out that Rentaro was gone. He wondered how Kisara had broken the truth to Enju. Did she tell Enju straight-out that he had left on a mission from which he had no hope of returning alive? Or did she try to give Enju hope by telling her that he would be back eventually? It was probably the latter. If Enju had known that Rentaro was in danger, she was likely to follow him and rush into the forest to cause a small disaster. There was no way Kisara would not realize that. Suddenly, he had the urge to hold Enju tight and just breathe in the smell of her hair. In any case, he had to defeat Pleiades first. If he safely completed his mission, then Gado probably wouldn’t lump any more blame on him. He would defeat Pleiades and boldly return to Enju’s side. Rentaro glared straight at the Gastrea campground. 8 The sky soon began to cry. Like the day before, there was a large amount of rain. In a bad mood, the sky rumbled, but there was still no lightning yet. As Rentaro climbed upstream, he wiped the raindrops from his face and looked at the palm of his hand. The raindrops coiled about like diluted ink. After a while, a three-tiered waterfall spread out in front of their eyes. It was as wide as the river itself, and the top tier had a drop of about three meters, the middle tier about two meters, and the bottom tier about three meters again. Normally, it might have been a beautiful scenic spot, but currently, the river was a dark reddish-brown, muddied from the dirt, sand, and rain, and the fact that it was about to overflow. Yesterday, Rentaro had jumped into such a fearsome muddy current. “We should probably jump to the other side now, while we can,” said Kagetane. “Yeah.” Rentaro immediately nodded at the suggestion. The Gastrea campground they looked down on from the top of the slope was probably on the other side of the river. “Kohina.” “Yes, Papa.” Kohina released her power, and her eyes turned a bright red. Kagetane offered her a shoulder, and they got to the other side in one jump. Rentaro watched them jump and then went to the bottom of the waterfall. There, he found a thin path at the back of the basin and walked across. He didn’t feel like being at the mercy of Kohina. The waterfall roared as it splashed down with impressive force, and there were no sure places to put his feet. In addition, there was slippery moss covering the path, so he had to be extremely cautious as he crossed. Just then, he noticed a small hollow in the back of the basin. He tried sticking his hand in but felt the cool, slimy rock face and pulled his hand back quickly. It wasn’t like in a movie, where the back of the hollow continued on; it simply ended presently. It wasn’t that interesting, so he hurried forward, but then there was a slick sound as his feet slipped on the rock and kicked forward. Wagh— His whole body pitched forward. He was only able to stop himself and stand up again by sticking his hand on a sudden protrusion on the wall. He caught his breath after the shock. This time, Rentaro walked deliberately and carefully across to the other side. The moment he took his last step, he heaved an involuntary sigh of relief. Seeing that Rentaro had safely crossed, Kohina clicked her tongue. They continued north, checking the compass to confirm. On the way, they finally stopped following the river and entered the thick, luxuriant forest. Compared to the forest with the giant trees where Rentaro and the others had spent a night, the tops of these trees weren’t that impressive, but there was no comparing how much denser the plants grew here. Rentaro took the lead, followed by Kagetane and then Kohina. Rentaro crouched as he marched, quietly taking out the Varanium survival knife from his hip. In a close-combat fight, it would be faster than sighting his gun and pulling the trigger. In the Unexplored Territory, it was a hard-and-fast rule to move without making any noise. Rentaro’s XD gun had lost its silencer when he had been washed away in the river, so since they were nearing the crowd of enemy Gastrea, he definitely couldn’t make use of it. There were many ferns at their feet; Rentaro spotted gingko and Adiantum. Bearing with the black rain in his eyes, Rentaro used his survival knife to move the intricate tripe-shaped leaves, and his field of view widened unexpectedly. There, he saw a strange scene and signaled behind him to stop. What is this? “Everything’s been bitten off, huh? What is this?” Surprised, he looked next to him and saw Kohina slip past Rentaro like she was not the least bit nervous. Rentaro checked around him to make sure there were no Gastrea around before he followed behind her. There were many trees almost two meters high growing wild, but strangely, the leaf blades of this tree had almost all been bitten off by some kind of living being. Finding a whole leaf, Rentaro saw that it was flat, like broadleaf trees. Since the leaves looked like they had been bitten off by some sort of herbivore, it was strange that all the other trees around it were unharmed. Where have I seen this leaf before…? The second understanding shot through his brain, Rentaro let out an “Ah!” “Do you know what this is, Satomi?” Rentaro nodded silently. Even someone with such extensive survival knowledge like Kagetane couldn’t be expected to distinguish between South American plants. “This is a coca leaf…” “Coca? As in…” “The plant that the raw material for the alkaloid from which cocaine can be extracted.” Kagetane put a hand to his chin. “I don’t understand. Why have these been bitten off? Of course, it was a Gastrea that bit the leaves off, right? What in the world was it after?” “The Gastrea must also be using it as a stimulant.” Alkaloid plants and their derivatives could stimulate the central nervous system and temporarily block fears. Rentaro thought back to his first fight against the Gastrea the day before yesterday. Even when they fired on them with guns, the Gastrea in the front row yelled but did not fall or stop advancing. They had probably chewed these leaves beforehand for their stimulant and painkilling properties. Rentaro had conjectured all this on his own, but he still found it hard to believe. Even if they developed intellect, chewing coca leaves before going into battle was too far beyond what ordinary insects and animals could do. Before long, it was possible that Gastrea that could speak human languages and/or something similar could appear. Of course, human and animal vocal cords were very different, so it was uncertain whether they would be able to converse like humans, but still… When Rentaro looked carefully, he saw that all the plants had been beaten down in a uniform direction, and there were a number of footprints. There was no doubt that Gastrea often came through this area. Just then, they heard a groan that was obviously inhuman, and each looked in that direction. Suddenly, they saw two vertical shadows in the curtain of rain. Rentaro gulped. They were snakes with four legs, standing upright. They did not have the long, narrow faces of lizards, but rather had flat, apelike ones. The legend of the Chinese gods with human faces and snake bodies, Nüwa and Fuxi, passed through his head. The moment seemed to last forever as both sides acknowledged their sudden encounter with the enemy, and the Gastrea took a deep breath to call others of their kind. This is bad. Before Rentaro could rush out, Kohina had thrown two of her short swords at high speed. Her aim was true, and one sword skewered the brain of the Gastrea on the right, killing it before it got a chance to call out. The Gastrea on the left twisted its body quickly to avoid the other sword, but it couldn’t get out of the way completely, and the short sword pierced its chest. Ignoring the Gastrea’s cry of anguish, Kohina pulled out another two short swords from their sheaths and ran in faster than the eye could follow. With a light sound, Kohina jumped up and landed on the short sword before jumping again. Leaping up to where their noses almost touched, she inserted her blades to destroy the brain, quickly killing the Gastrea. The two monsters fell to the ground at almost the same time, shaking the world as they did so. Rentaro looked at the scene, dumbfounded. “You’re weak. That’s why you will die.” With a cold glance, Kohina poked the corpses with her foot, looking bored. As Rentaro watched, chills shot down his spine. He bit his lip—he definitely did not want to reunite Enju with Kohina. Kohina and Enju were completely evenly matched. But added to that was Kohina’s cruelty. Seeing that this girl was not shy about it at all, it was possible that she was not even aware that killing was wrong. Rentaro suddenly remembered how Kagetane had called her an evil angel. Rentaro had definitely been saved by some crazy people—devils he met in a hell called the Unexplored Territory. So that made this…the second level of hell. “Now, Satomi. We are nearing the enemy’s inner circle.” Rentaro nodded without saying anything. They had been hearing a growl that sounded nothing like the rain from beyond the forest for a while now. And then that omen became reality. Rentaro and the others, who were going through the forest halfway up the mountain, had prepared themselves already, so no one screamed in an unsightly way even after seeing it. “So this…is the enemy’s base…,” whispered Rentaro. Beyond their vision was an open area with various types of Gastrea, big and small, as far as the eye could see. There was a large organism that looked like a platypus, complete with a wide bill and a shell on its back. There was also a mouse with the faces of two different organisms stuck together in a strange place and covered with a chitinous exoskeleton. Could the roadrunner that had gotten so big it looked like a dinosaur fly with those wings it had? It was like a parade of demons in front of his eyes, but in modern-day Japan. A putrid breath blew over to where they were and made Rentaro’s lungs feel like they were going to rot. Because Stage One Gastrea were just a larger version of animals that already existed on earth, they were able to make formations with others of the same type, but the Stage Twos and above did not fit in; they were around the edges and were all different shapes and sizes. They just ended up resting all over the place, it seemed. The camp was made up of all different sizes, from small Gastrea to some so large they could be mistaken for small mountains, and they continued as far as the eye could see. Rentaro could see a giant fly Gastrea staggering around with one wing ripped off, probably injured from fighting the civil officers and self-defense force. When he looked more carefully, he saw that some Gastrea had lost legs or had eyes that had carbonized white. Based purely on numbers, the Gastrea had an overwhelming advantage, but the Gastrea were in no condition to fight. Aldebaran should have also been there somewhere, but there were so many Gastrea that Rentaro could not find it. “Isn’t that the Gastrea you all call Pleiades?” said Kagetane. Following Kagetane’s gaze, Rentaro saw it: sixty, seventy meters distant. “That’s…” Of course, it was Rentaro’s first time seeing Pleiades, but he instinctively felt that that must be it. He roughly estimated it to be about ten meters tall and wide. It matched the report from Tina’s Shenfield. It stood out a head and shoulders above the Gastrea around it, and its mouth stuck out like a funnel just as he had imagined it would. It still kept some fish characteristics, but its eyes were set apart like those of a herbivore’s, and its mouth was more like that of a stork or pteranodon than an archerfish. The first thing to draw the eye was its swollen belly. It was inflated like a balloon, and it was so blown up that even now it seemed like it would float up into the sky. The pectoral and dorsal fins seemed to have atrophied and could not be seen, but in their place were things that looked very much like human hands and feet with five fingers and toes. Rentaro didn’t understand what was going on. Compared to its swollen belly, its arms and legs were much too short. With those, not only would it not be able to bring the prey it shot down with the compressed mercury to its mouth, but it also couldn’t even move the way it wanted to. That beast was a failure even by the warped standards of evolution of the Gastrea virus. If left alone, it would be eliminated through natural selection in no time. How in the world did it survive to see this day? His doubts were cleared up unexpectedly quickly. A Gastrea that looked like a demon monkey climbed adeptly up Pleiades’ balloon stomach. As Rentaro watched rapt with interest, the monkey Gastrea shrugged its shoulders and made its whole body tremble as it regurgitated fish from its throat to give to Pleiades. Gastrea helping each other. Rentaro felt like he was witnessing an important part of Gastrea ecology. An unhappy-looking Kohina poked him with her elbow. She seemed to be saying, “If you’re going to go, hurry up.” Rentaro looked at Kohina and then Kagetane and gave a big nod, then detoured around the forest to get closer to Pleiades. It went without saying that this was Aldebaran’s base. If they were discovered by the enemy and surrounded… Rentaro calmed his shaking breaths. This was a critical moment. He needed to calm down and do his job. He felt like he was about to slip in the muddy path, and the rain that started just then chilled the extremities of his arms and legs, so he was already numb. He hadn’t had enough sleep, either, and most of all, being in constant fear for his life was wearing on Rentaro’s nerves. He had also become part of the food chain. He had never been as aware of that fact as he was today. Just then, Rentaro took a wrong step—his boot stepped on and broke a twig that had fallen to the ground. Even in the midst of the sounds of the rainfall, the dry snap reverberated. One of the reptilian types sleeping nearby lifted its head slowly with a growl and shook its head left and right. Holding his breath, Rentaro stopped moving and closed his eyes. All he could do was pray. Finally, the Gastrea’s neck seemed to wind back into place. Rentaro heaved a massive sigh. Detouring around the forest, Rentaro cautiously drew near to Pleiades, and his neck slowly tilted more and more. The creature’s enormous body practically filled his vision, and a low, heavy growl came from what could have been its chest or its stomach, which was expanding as it breathed, blowing away rain with its breath. In the rain, white steam was coming off its hot body. This really is a huge Gastrea, he thought again. “What were you originally planning to do once you got to this point?” Kagetane asked in a low voice, frowning. “I was planning to set a plastic explosive and blow it up from a safe distance. But I lost the explosive along with the backpack when I was washed away by the river.” “Then there’s only one way to kill it.” Rentaro looked at his exposed, black-chrome right arm with mixed feelings. The original purpose of the New Humanity Creation Project was to create human weapons that could destroy the Gastrea. The tactical ideology of Section 16 that Kagetane had been affiliated with was to create the ultimate defense that could stop the attack of a Stage Four Gastrea, and Section 22, where Rentaro had undergone unexpected medical treatment, had the ideology of creating an ultimate attack that could rip through the shells of Stage Four Gastrea. In other words, both of them were designed to deal with all Gastrea besides the nonstandard Stage Fives. According to Kisara, the former Seitenshi had called Rentaro and Kagetane the ultimate spear and shield, which was a fitting name for them. If that was the case, then it was possible for him to eliminate Pleiades by using his arm the way it was meant to be used. Suddenly, a snicker came from next to him and he turned to it. Kagetane was holding his mask and giving off an air of brutality. “That’s great. I’ve always wanted to go up against something like that. I’ll kill it.” Rentaro was shocked. “Hey, wait. I’ll go.” “I don’t take orders from you.” Saying that, Kagetane left for the thicket they had seen earlier. Rentaro was dumbfounded for a moment but then soon followed him, pushing Kagetane aside with his shoulder. “You can’t do anything with your attack power. Stay back.” His shoulder was shoved back. “Injured people should stay back. That’s my prey.” “Y-you bastard…” Just then, a nearby Gastrea finally noticed them. Rentaro and Kagetane clicked their tongues at the same time and moved forward in the rain side by side. Rentaro was in a good mood, and Kagetane held down his silk hat. It was the walk of people who had given up trying to hide and had resolved themselves. Rentaro’s heart beat loudly. They had to do this in one hit. Rentaro’s explosive-style artificial limbs and Kagetane’s repulsion field were both techniques that were far from being silent, and it was not hard to imagine the fearsome counterattack that would follow upon letting off such an attack in the Gastrea base. Therefore, their plan could only be to take one attack and withdraw quickly. Pleiades noticed them. It looked at them with reddish eyes that looked like they had a film of oil over them, but it did not look like it was going to take any action. Rentaro had seen it before. Those eyes were eyes that had given up on everything. Rentaro looked beyond his own position and couldn’t help but sympathize with the monster. It had evolved only its ability to slaughter until it was unable to move freely, and was only being kept alive because it was being fed by other Gastrea. “Well then, shall we?” “Yeah.” It was a strange feeling. In the past, during the many times he had fought against this mysterious man, he could not bear the reality that they were both alive and breathing at the same time. When Rentaro’s spirit of justice mixed with hatred and clashed with Kagetane’s logical evil, Rentaro and Kagetane could only deny the other’s existence with their whole souls. That was the only way they could see to resolve their situation. But then why—how could he feel that he could rely on a man like that right now? What was this uplifting feeling he felt in his chest? The Gastrea around them screeched warnings to their comrades in response to the humans that had suddenly appeared in their base, but it was too late. There was a high sound, almost like the air itself was being cut, as Rentaro and Kagetane pulled back their arms. “Tendo Martial Arts First Style, Number 3—” “Endless—” Phosphorescence gathered around Kagetane’s hands and formed into a sharp spear. At the same time, three empty golden cartridges flew out of Rentaro’s right arm and bounced on the ground with metallic clangs. Rentaro’s and Kagetane’s eyes met. “—Rokuro Kabuto, Burst!” “—Screeeam!” The right fist with great mastery of technique in it and the shining demon spear of darkness drove into the abdomen of the Gastrea Pleiades at the same time. The sound of the impact reverberated out right afterward and blew the leaves off the tops of the trees, making the forest shake. The center of the explosion caved in, lifting up the bedrock and blowing it backward. As Rentaro’s rotating arm thrust powerfully, he felt his arm swing through. Pleiades’ skin, which had been reinforced to keep it from getting crushed by gravity, was split open and scattered in all directions. The creature was extinguished from the earth without even having a chance to scream. Under the Gastrea’s shocked gazes, Rentaro tended to his fist that had heated up and took the Infinite Stance and focused; meanwhile, Kagetane put his silk hat back into place. Rentaro realized that he had completed the mission to defeat the Gastrea Pleiades. He groaned involuntarily. There was an intense pain in his side, and he fell to his knees and coughed, unable to bear it. His wound had opened up. “Papa, hurry!” said Kohina. Kagetane did an about-face and started running. Immediately, there were angry bellows in succession behind them, and the air shook. Almost three thousand Gastrea contacted their comrades to report an enemy attack. One side of Rentaro’s face twisted with the dull pain, and he ordered his body to move, but his movements were slow, and he naturally protected his side as he ran. His vision turned hazy and his legs became tangled. He almost fell. He had used up the last of his strength with that last attack. “You’re too slow!” He was suddenly pulled so hard he felt like he would dislocate his shoulder, and his body felt like it would be torn apart with the sudden acceleration. Opening his eyes while he gritted his teeth against the assaulting wind pressure, he realized that Kohina had taken him by the shoulder and was flying through the air. “Why are you…?” Kohina pretended not to hear, and jumped off of boulders and tree trunks, making Rentaro’s vision shake. He felt like he was being shaken in all directions by her violent running, and he started to feel nauseous. Still, he held on tight so that he wouldn’t fall off. He definitely did not want to scream, so he gritted his teeth. Behind him, he could hear angry bellows here and there that seemed to bunch together into a single roar. Danger signals resounded in the back of his mind. Their restless enemies had finally started to follow them in earnest. Of course, there was the threat of the fast-moving Gastrea, but if flying Gastrea also started following them… Ignoring Rentaro’s misgivings, Kohina jumped from tree trunk to tree trunk as fast as a tornado. He grazed his cheek slightly on a giant tree, and the rough leaves cut his face. Light suddenly appeared on the opposite side. Kohina darted over with a vast leap and they continued on that road in the opposite direction, running through the forest where they could see the cloudy sky, light rain, and the swamp they were following. “Over there! There’s a small hollow in the back of that waterfall!” Rentaro pointed at the three-tiered waterfall downstream of the river. Kohina didn’t spare a single glance in his direction, but Rentaro could tell that they were on the same page by the way Kohina made her steps lighter. She silenced her footfalls and ran in the direction of the waterfall. With just two jumps, she brought them to the waterfall and let go of Rentaro without warning. He couldn’t deal with the unexpected floating feeling and awkwardly flapped his arms in midair. Immediately after, he spun over and over with sharp pain hitting all over his body. He felt like he had just jumped out of a speeding train—and decelerated like it, too. Before he knew it, he was lying facedown. The rocks along the mountain stream hit him, and he thought he would lose consciousness in another moment. His joints hurt. Just breathing made his lungs hurt. Damn it, is she trying to kill me? “Hurry!” When he looked, he saw that Kohina was beckoning him, unconcerned about the details. Behind them echoed the sound of the earth rumbling as their pursuers followed them, and he desperately used his hands to push himself up and walk through the catwalk of the basin of the waterfall, practically hurling himself into the hollow in the back to hide himself. Not five seconds passed before a soaked Kagetane also rushed in, looking like a drowned rat. “Will they really pass by us if we stay here?” he asked. “There’s nowhere else!” Rentaro snapped. “You two are both too loud!” Rentaro was taken aback by Kohina’s roar and shut his mouth. After that, they didn’t talk anymore and just holed themselves up in the crowded hollow, trying to quiet their breathing and hide. The short and shallow rise and fall of Rentaro’s shoulders quieted down, but it meant that he could more clearly hear the vibrations of Gastrea pounding on the ground, and his world shook. In front of them was a curtain of water, and because of the rain, the Gastrea were not supposed to be able to pursue them by smell. Rentaro closed his eyes and made a hard fist. After a while, the loud cries passed over them, and the large group of Gastrea went by. This didn’t feel like real life. Finally, their cries faded away with the Doppler effect. Rentaro was about to give a sigh of relief when the ground shook loudly, and just as he was about to fall into the waterfall basin, Kagetane grabbed both his arms. There was another loud vibration. Rentaro’s body floated in the air, and his feet danced. He broke into a cold sweat. This time, it was an outrageously large Gastrea walking toward them. “Last night, because of our encounter with the repulsive monster, none of us slept one wink.” Gado’s words echoed through Rentaro’s head. Could this possibly be what he had been talking about? The general over all the enemy, the Gastrea Aldebaran? The low rumble of its breath made the air vibrate, and the stink of animal attacked Rentaro’s nose. It was here. He couldn’t see it, but he could tell by its overwhelming presence. A giant Gastrea was plopped right above the hollow where Rentaro and the others were hiding. What in the world did it look like? What’s wrong? What’s it doing? Hurry up and leave. Why isn’t it moving? Rentaro started to panic. Don’t tell me it’s noticed where we are? Just then, the waterfall in front of them split open, and the earth quaked as something large poked into the waterfall basin. At first, Rentaro thought that a stone pillar had fallen from the sky. But no, it was a leg. One of the Gastrea’s gigantic legs had stepped into the waterfall basin by chance. That did not mean that they had been noticed yet. Rentaro pushed his back deep into the hollow as far as he could. Finally, the giant leg was pulled out of the waterfall basin, and the Gastrea’s steps gradually faded away. Rentaro slid down the back of the hollow. In the next two hours, Gastrea came near them intermittently, but none of them came as close as Aldebaran. Rentaro didn’t know where it had gone. Right now, all he could hear was the sound of the muddy water flowing past them. However, since they’d been spotted, the Gastrea were on guard; if they were seen again, it was less likely that they would be able to escape again. The three of them were in agreement about not moving until nightfall. After they waited another two hours, the dim, lead-colored sky had quickly turned into an indigo blue, and now, it was completely dark. It was hard to tell from the back of the waterfall basin, but it looked like the rain had also stopped. For Rentaro, having to hide himself in the hollow with a constant sheet of spray flying in was a cruel trial. Blood loss had made him pale, and he was shivering uncontrollably from the cold. Earlier, he’d injected himself with morphine, but it seemed to be wearing off, and now he was being attacked by stabbing pains. He’d sewn up his side with the needle and thread in his first-aid kit, which lay at the bottom of his survival knife under the back flap. Multiple times, he’d almost lost consciousness from the ordeal, but he was determined to survive despite it all. In the end, he covered the affected area with a pad of biological glue called fibrin and wrapped a bandage over it. When his mind was fuzzy from the morphine, various memories ran through it unchecked. He remembered how, at the Tendo Civil Security Agency lit orange by the setting sun one day, Kisara started complaining about how they didn’t have any clients, and Tina mollified Kisara as she served tea. Enju stuck her head into the fridge without permission and started rifling through the stockpile of food, and Rentaro, who had been put in charge of accounting, glared at the unforgiving finance software as he desperately grappled with the numbers. Even though the memory wasn’t that old, it seemed to be fading into sepia, slightly blurred with tears. For some reason, the casual everyday scenes had become irreplaceable. They were like an edited movie of happy endings with all the kissing scenes strung together and pressed in on his heart. “Rentaro.” A voice suddenly called his name. The outline of the person was blurry, but a clearer image slowly focused on his retina. A square face with rectangular glasses, with hair that was over half-white, and rounded cheeks with deep laugh lines that gave the impression of being overwhelmingly kind. “Dad.” Takaharu Satomi. The father who had passed away ten years ago when Rentaro was six years old. “Mom and I will be there soon, too.” Saying that, Takaharu had pushed Rentaro onto a full train and told him the name where he was to evacuate—Tendo. Don’t go. However, Rentaro knew what happened next: He knew that his father would not evacuate to Tokyo Area. The next time he saw his parents, they were in coffins. “Rentaro.” His father kept calling his name. Tears ran down Rentaro’s face. Why didn’t his parents come for him? His father said that they would be there soon… Liar. I believed you. I loved you. “…tomi…Satomi…” “Dad.” The blurry square face he had been looking at turned into a cold white mask before he realized it. The path between dream and reality was severed, and he reflexively jumped up. “Did your father wear a mask or something?” “Sh-shut up.” Rentaro turned away to hide his hot cheeks, but when he did, the pain in his side returned immediately. He shook his head as he pressed down on his eyes, rolling with pain. “Where are we?” “We’re still in the waterfall basin. However, there’s something strange going on outside. Go out and look for a second.” Rentaro’s head still felt like it had been stuffed full of mud. But he crouched and, when he got outside of the water, saw large, round footprints pressed into the ground, with tracks of something crawling in their center. It looked like Aldebaran didn’t walk upright, and had at least six legs. The wind was blowing too hard and cold. At first, he was on guard for Gastrea outside, but when he looked around, he soon noticed the strange feeling Kagetane had. It was too quiet. “There aren’t any Gastrea around here anymore, huh…?” said Rentaro. “That’s right. I had Kohina scout out their camp earlier, but it was empty,” he replied. Rentaro felt like cold water had been poured on him. “They weren’t there? Not a single one?” “That’s right. It looks like the Aldebaran troops have started to move.” Move. Where? No, it’s obvious: the civil officers’ base. That meant Aldebaran had recovered from its injury. —Enju! Rentaro sprang to his feet and started running. A voice behind him called for him to stop, but he paid it no mind. Since he’d already been seen by the enemy once, he should have moved far more cautiously, but impatience won out. There was no sight or sign of the enemy anywhere in the forest, which actually worked for the better, since he could run at full speed. He jumped from cliff to cliff, ran over mountains and through valleys. He didn’t know how much he had run. He stumbled out of the forest, out of breath, and the space in front of him widened. He squinted at the light of flames and flares. Bizarre silhouettes were clumped together and attacking fiercely, scattering the puny humans below them. In fact, there were so many fewer people by comparison that it wouldn’t have been strange for Gado’s troops to have fallen apart already. The desperate bitter fight continued, but it was as plain as day that they would not last long. Enju and the others were in the midst of that. If anything had happened— He had no time. He took out his cell phone with shaking hands, switched it to satellite mode, and pulled up a number. It rang ten times, and then the person on the other line answered in bewilderment. “Satomi, this is not the time for—” “Lady Seitenshi, please listen! I have defeated Pleiades. You can use missiles and fighter aircraft now,” said Rentaro. The Seitenshi gasped but regained herself quickly. “Please, continue.” Rentaro reported the coordinates of the enemy troops’ position verbally and then requested fire support quickly after that. “I’m counting on you, then.” “Oh, wait, Sato—” Rentaro hung up and waited impatiently, praying. Before long, an object came in at such high speeds that it was impossible to track with the naked eye. It rammed into the back of the Gastrea troops and exploded. A large number of the enemy force was caught up in the blast. It was an antiship missile. Starting with that first one, missiles inundated the enemy with second and third consecutive waves. Heat pulses from the explosion pressed toward Rentaro, and he protected his face from the splinters and dust that blew his way. When he lifted his eyes, red flames were blooming in the night sky and hot wind gusted against his cheek. The crimson tongues from hell billowed upward with a thunderous roar, and there was black smoke from the burned-up sky. Two support fighter aircraft arrived at the battlefield late. Spitting out jet fire, the single-engine turbofan planes approached the battlefield at the speed of sound, crossing over them and letting loose five-hundred-pound guided bombs used for ground attacks. Heavy tips pointing downward, they sucked up the Gastrea on the ground, and more fire and heat from the explosions scattered around them. The Gastrea troops who had been rushing in headlong slowed to a stop for the first time and gave off sounds of bewilderment and fear. Just then, there was another shower of regular bombs, demolishing the front lines. The enemy was restless, and there were even those among them who had succumbed to their fear and were running backward toward their own troops. That was fine. If it turned into a stampede, it would be better for the humans. Just then, Rentaro saw a mysterious sight and held his breath. In a corner of the enemy ranks, in a spot that was relatively well controlled, a giant Gastrea suddenly faded in. When Rentaro saw the silhouette of its rounded back with thin tentacles sprouting from it in random places, he was shocked. It was almost fifty meters in length. No way… Is this Aldebaran? With a wave of one of this giant silhouette’s arms, it swung downward at the Gastrea trying to run away. The monsters that had been pierced by the arms didn’t even know what hit them; they struggled and finally started to spasm in death throes. Aldebaran brought the bodies of its subordinates to its mouth, opened its giant mouth wide, and threw them in without hesitation. Rentaro heard the dying cries of the Gastrea as they were ground to pieces, even though he shouldn’t have been able to hear them. He resisted the urge to vomit. Aldebaran was eating the other Gastrea that were on its side. “Gahhhhhhhhhh!” Angered, Aldebaran howled into the sky. The remaining Gastrea that were just about to stampede froze in midstep. Finally, they slowly returned to their positions and once more faced the civil officer troops. Even their enemies were afraid of their commander, and were willing to struggle to the death on its orders. Aldebaran was also focused on aiming for the self-defense force’s fighter aircraft. They were under attack. The flying-type Gastrea that had come to intercept the attack formed a large cloud to strike. The two fighter aircraft released air-to-air missiles. The spears of science from the four missiles ran into the wall made by the flying Gastrea and blossomed into flames. The sight of the countless Gastrea dropping from the sky as they screamed long screams made Rentaro’s hairs stand on end, but he couldn’t take his eyes off it for a moment. However, the enemy was not to be taken lightly. The flying Gastrea had strength in numbers, and a few of them went through the middle of the flames to throw themselves at the jets with a high-pitched neigh, prepared to die. One of the aircraft couldn’t escape completely and was grazed on the edge of one wing, losing its balance and going into a tailspin as it fell. In the end, it couldn’t recover its position and crashed into the ground. The remaining aircraft charged the Gastrea. With a cross counter that did not take defense into consideration, it delivered a single courageous strike to Aldebaran. The fighter aircraft let loose a guided missile at the same time that Aldebaran stretched out a conspicuously long tentacle. The alloyed metal body was pierced by Aldebaran’s tentacle, which went straight through the cockpit as it exploded. The pilot probably didn’t even realize what had hit him as he left the world. And the five-hundred-pound guided missile that the aircraft had left used GPS guidance to make slight adjustments to its position as it fell and was sucked into Aldebaran’s torso. The next instant, there was a huge explosion, and Aldebaran’s scream rang out. When the flames from the explosion cleared and Rentaro could see again, he saw that the silhouette of Aldebaran was still, not moving an inch. It had completely lost its head and was bare to its abdomen. “All right!” But just then, Gado’s dispirited comment rang inside Rentaro’s head: “Leader Satomi, Aldebaran is an immortal Gastrea. There is no way to kill it.” Aldebaran’s body twitched and wings unfolded out of its torso, fluttering at high speed. It was moving without a head. Rentaro looked on in wonderment. Its brains had been blown out. If Aldebaran was an organism that used nucleic acids as a base to replicate DNA to form proteins, then its regenerative abilities should have been greatly reduced, what with its heart and pulse stopped and its pupillary light reflex gone. It should have just been waiting for its inevitable death. “No way…” Was there really no way to defeat this thing? His shock aside, a familiar scene repeated itself before him. The entirety of the Gastrea halted abruptly and retreated while protecting Aldebaran. The flap of its wings earlier had probably been to spread pheromones. A mass of Gastrea troops left the Monolith and came toward Rentaro. He quickly dove into a dilapidated house nearby, removed a floorboard, and let the creatures pass him by. After waiting for the right time, he rushed out and ran back toward the civil officer base. “Kisara!” Seeing her among a group of civil officers covered in wounds, he waved his hand as he ran toward her. He could see Enju next to her, too; the girl noticed him at the same time. “Rentaro!” “Enju!” They hugged with such force that they almost knocked each other over. Rentaro embraced Enju tightly and buried his face in her neck.
Chapter 49
57 min read