"It appears my plans this time ended in failure."
Hiruko Kagetane helplessly adjusted his top hat and, after casting a long glance toward Scorpio, elegantly bowed toward the gathered Civil Security officers.
"Count yourselves lucky to have survived... As a loser, I believe it's time for me to make an unseemly exit."
No one stopped him. They merely watched silently as Hiruko Kagetane took Kohina and left. They had no choice; their main fighting force, the Initiators, hadn't recovered yet, and the only combat-ready Promoter, Ikuma Shougen, was still unconscious. Hiruko Kagetane, on the other hand, remained in peak condition. If a battle broke out now, their chances of victory were negligible.
Most importantly, the "Legacy of Seven Stars" was no longer with Kagetane, but with the suddenly appeared Nursery Rhyme and Scorpio.
The reward for safely retrieving this Sealing Designation item, capable of attracting a Stage V Gastrea powerful enough to destroy the Tokyo Area, was a full billion yen! Even split among everyone, it would still be a massive sum.
But how to retrieve it posed a real problem.
Forcing the issue was definitely impossible. They couldn't even handle Kagetane at the moment, let alone Scorpio, who was clearly even stronger.
"Satomi, it's truly a shame. Your Enju almost defeated Hiruko Kagetane's Initiator."
Turning around, Satomi Rentaro saw a male Civil Security officer approaching with a smile. Rentaro recognized him, though barely—they'd only spoken a handful of times.
Rentaro didn't resist the man's attempt at friendliness—after all, you don't slap a smiling face—but merely replied jokingly.
"Come on, you saw it too, didn't you? Enju wasn't able to fight at her best on a kite—the terrain was too limiting for her... And even if she'd beaten Kohina, Scorpio would've still won in the end."
"Yeah, the difference was too great..." the officer said, shaking his head bitterly. "Just what type of Initiator is that girl called Scorpio, anyway? Her hair transformed into scythes? Can an Initiator really do something like that without turning into a Gastrea?"
"Hey, don't look at me for answers—I'm just Civil Security, not a scientist." Rentaro shrugged helplessly.
After a moment of silence, the officer suddenly asked,
"You… how close are you to those two little girls?"
The man's true intention finally revealed itself. He clearly wasn't chatting with Rentaro for no reason; he'd been nearby when Nursery Rhyme had greeted Rentaro.
Rentaro, who'd guessed this motive already, shook his head. "Unfortunately, I've only met Nursery Rhyme once before. And as for Scorpio… I met her for the first time today, just like the rest of you."
Hearing this, the man frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied.
"...But you're still our best bet to persuade them, Satomi Rentaro."
At that moment, three officers quietly approached Nursery Rhyme and Scorpio, forcing smiles they hoped appeared kind.
"Hey, little girls, could you hand over that suitcase to us uncles?"
Nursery Rhyme blinked her clear, innocent eyes curiously at the three men, displaying an adorable, puzzled expression, while Scorpio instinctively hugged the suitcase tighter, openly guarded and protective.
"But…" Nursery Rhyme tilted her head slightly, "this suitcase is the prize we won by playing the game. Why should we give it to you uncles?"
"Oh, we're not trying to take your things..."
"That suitcase contains something very important and dangerous—it's not a toy."
"We can trade you something else for it—like toys, candy, or whatever you want."
The three officers each took turns speaking, hoping to gently convince the two girls in front of them.
"Eh?" Nursery Rhyme paused, looking surprised. "But… isn't this already a toy?"
Her words momentarily stunned the three officers. Before they could react, there was a sharp click—the girl named Scorpio had actually opened the suitcase without hesitation?!
"What have you done—?!"
The officers immediately roared in panic.
The suitcase held something capable of attracting a Stage V Gastrea! How could she just open it so casually? What right did she have?!
However, their angry questioning had barely left their lips before all eyes fell on the suitcase's contents. Instantly, everyone froze in shock, brains completely shutting down.
When Seitenshi, leader of the Tokyo Area, had informed them that the "Legacy of Seven Stars" had fallen into Hiruko Kagetane's hands, she said it contained a catalyst capable of summoning a Stage V Gastrea. Hearing that had nearly stopped their hearts.
However, while Seitenshi had explained its effects, she'd refused to reveal precisely what it looked like. Thus, the officers imagined various frightening possibilities: perhaps a sophisticated device emitting strange frequencies, or even a nauseating, writhing mass of flesh.
Yet, when the suitcase was opened, what appeared before them was something they'd never imagined, something they never could've imagined:
An old, broken-down bicycle.
It rested quietly inside the suitcase, absurdly at odds with its terrifying title of "forbidden catalyst capable of summoning a Stage V Gastrea."
In stark contrast to the surrounding crowd's utter shock and confusion, Scorpio stared at the battered bicycle, her lips curving upward imperceptibly—a tiny but clear shift, as if finally reunited with something she'd long been awaiting.
"That's wonderful! You finally found your important thing," Nursery Rhyme cheerfully clapped. "Make sure you don't lose it again this time, okay?"
Scorpio didn't respond verbally, but solemnly nodded. Her calm crimson eyes gazed deeply at Nursery Rhyme, as if silently expressing gratitude.
Having finished everything she intended, Nursery Rhyme lightly spun around, facing the officers still dazed and bewildered. With a voice as clear as a flowing stream, she said goodbye:
"Thank you, onii-chans and uncles, for playing with us! Today, Scorpio and I had a super great time~! Let's promise to play again together next time!"
Without waiting for the stunned group to recover from the shock, Nursery Rhyme cheerfully bounced off, skipping toward the distant, dark, and dangerous forest with the steps of a carefree fawn.
Scorpio silently followed behind, riding the broken bicycle. Before the Civil Security officers' very eyes, the damaged bicycle seemed to rewind through time: rust faded piece by piece, damage silently repaired itself, until it became brand new.
Only after both girls were fully swallowed by the dark, shifting shadows deep within the forest, vanishing completely from view, did the Civil Security officers finally snap awake from their trance-like stupor.
For a moment, everyone stood frozen, unsure what to do next.
Was that really the "Legacy of Seven Stars"? The catalyst capable of summoning a Stage V Gastrea was actually just an old, worn-out bicycle?
If they could contact Seitenshi, they'd verify the truth immediately. To support the retrieval of the "Legacy," Seitenshi and several high-ranking officials had long since gathered at the strategic HQ in Tokyo Area's First District to monitor the situation. However, from the moment Captain Tomborg appeared, all communication with headquarters had inexplicably been cut off.
"Hurry up and chase them! We can't let them escape!"
One Civil Security officer suddenly shouted, snapping everyone out of their daze.
"Is this really the time to hesitate? If that bicycle truly is the 'Legacy of Seven Stars'—a catalyst capable of attracting a Stage V—Tokyo Area will be destroyed! We have to get it back!"
"But… that thing really doesn't look like something capable of attracting a Stage V, does it?" another officer said, clearly conflicted.
At that moment, Satomi Rentaro stepped forward, eyes flickering slightly, and spoke in a low voice. "If that bicycle isn't the real one, then the actual 'Legacy of Seven Stars' might still be with Hiruko Kagetane!"
"Yeah! Maybe we got tricked by Kagetane! He might've hidden the real 'Legacy' before we even found him!"
Apparently, more people preferred to believe that the real "Legacy" wasn't the bicycle but something else entirely.
Or perhaps, they'd rather confront Hiruko Kagetane than risk angering Scorpio.
Thus, after a brief but efficient discussion, the Civil Security forces quickly split into two groups. The main group continued chasing in the direction Hiruko Kagetane had fled, while a smaller team pursued Nursery Rhyme and Scorpio into the forest. Meanwhile, both groups would try restoring contact with HQ, reporting their situation to Seitenshi and hoping to learn more about the "Legacy of Seven Stars." At the very least, they needed to confirm whether or not that bicycle was really it.
Komura Gorou joined the group chasing Nursery Rhyme and Scorpio—he had zero interest in fighting lunatics like Hiruko Kagetane.
Compared to the ruthless murderers Kagetane and Kohina, Scorpio might've clearly been stronger, but she seemed much gentler—probably the obedient type too soft-hearted to actually kill someone.
"Move faster, you worthless brat!"
Komura Gorou viciously kicked his Initiator. Although she'd healed from the fall, the deep wound left by Hiruko Kohina's Varanium blade still throbbed painfully, greatly hindering her movements.
Caught off guard, the Initiator stumbled and fell to the ground. Pain flared through her unhealed injuries, twisting her expression in agony. Yet, gritting her teeth, she refused to let out even the smallest whimper.
Instead of feeling any pity, Komura's face grew even more twisted and grim.
"Why'd I get stuck with trash like you? If you'd won that match, we wouldn't be in this mess! Even an Initiator ranked 12,000-something held out longer than you—why couldn't you last even a single second?! Huh? I'm ranked in the top 5,000, but you made me look like an idiot out there! You worthless piece of trash!"
As if still unsatisfied, Komura stared coldly at his partner, who was struggling to rise from the muddy ground, and mercilessly delivered several more kicks—aimed directly at her head, with no restraint. The little girl's face slammed into the dirt, caking her with mud.
Most of their teammates watched coldly, seemingly numb to this kind of brutality, but two officers' gazes gradually hardened like blades, their expressions turning dark and menacing.
One clenched his fists tightly behind his back, knuckles whitening and veins protruding, forcibly restraining his burning rage and the urge to intervene.
The other angry officer coldly reminded Komura, "Keep wasting our time and we'll leave you and your Initiator behind."
Only then did Komura finally stop beating his partner—not out of remorse, but simply because of necessity. His rage and resentment hadn't faded in the slightest.
When we get back, I'll kill this useless trash and force ISO to assign me a stronger Initiator... The only reason I haven't cracked the top 5,000 yet is because my partner's too weak. If only I'd gotten that low-ranked Initiator instead...
Komura cast a cold glance at his Initiator, who was now silently standing up, expressionless. His gaze held no warmth at all, only pure disdain.
Of course, if he was going to kill her, he'd have to wait until they returned. Who knew how many Gastrea were lurking in this forest? Without his Initiator's protection, he wouldn't last five minutes.
Seeing Komura stop the violence, the officer who'd intervened averted his eyes.
He had clearly seen the ruthless intent deep in Komura's eyes but chose to ignore it. In this world, most people had long abandoned morality and basic decency to survive. Those naive, meddling fools had long since been devoured by the very Gastrea they'd tried to oppose.
If he intervened, he too would eventually be consumed, leaving no one to protect his own Initiator partner.
At times like these, all he could do was look away and say, voice heavy with complicated feelings, "Let's move. Those two girls shouldn't be too far ahead—"
Before he finished, a heavy, ominous rumbling shook through the ground beneath their feet—the unmistakable vibration of something enormous approaching.
The earth trembled, echoing in all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint its source.
"Watch out!"
With that warning shout, a giant tree nearby—thick enough for three people to wrap their arms around—crashed down without warning! It narrowly missed everyone but left them covered in a cold sweat.
In the next instant, an oppressive, suffocating stillness overtook them, stealing their breath and freezing them in place—
It was the Jabberwock, a creature whose every attribute ranked EX! Its mere presence radiated such overwhelming menace that everyone's vision blurred, nearly vomiting from the unbearable pressure crushing down on their insides.
---
T/N: bastard