Deep within the Tokyo Area existed a luxurious and magnificent residence—no, the word "residence" even somewhat diminishes its level of extravagance.
If a more suitable term were to be used, it should be called a "Grand Estate".
This was not inaccurate. Since the Gastrea War and humanity's defeat, the social structure, though nominally maintained as before, seemed to have lost its essence, or rather, had regressed historically.
This place was the dwelling of the Supreme Warlord, the one who governed the Tokyo Area.
Right now, inside it, a woman was walking slowly—though perhaps calling her a woman was an overstatement. Her appearance was extremely youthful, like a maiden in her twenties, but the steady and serious demeanor she possessed was hard to find at that age.
Seitenshi, the Holy Maiden, was what everyone called her.
This also meant she was the "Warlord" of the Tokyo Area.
Seitenshi stopped, turning to admire the nearby green garden and the lawn swaying gently in a light breeze. She delicately removed her hat, viewing the scene before her with eyes that gradually softened, losing some of the coldness and loneliness they held moments before.
But at that moment, the sound of other footsteps echoed, approaching Seitenshi. The newcomer was an elderly man. Although aged, with stark white hair and a face full of wrinkles, his imposing and massive presence was difficult to conceal by old age.
If Seitenshi was a still pond—calm, deep, yet profound—then he was a General, a valiant lion.
"Your Highness, the meeting is about to begin."
"I know."
Seitenshi put her hat back on, restoring her calm and reserved aura.
The place she intended to go was down a long corridor, which was slightly chilly and damp from evaporated water. At the end of the path, it was separated by a wall of cascading water. When she approached close enough, the recognition system automatically activated, and the waterfall wall would lead Seitenshi into the entrance of a white building called the Akasaka Palace, the council reception room.
To be honest, every time she passed this ingenious structure, Seitenshi couldn't help but wonder what purpose it was built for, especially the waterfall. It provided no defensive capabilities, nor any concealment; it was merely a decorative tool intentionally created, nothing more—made only to gild the surface.
The cost of building that waterfall and the sensors could have entirely been used to repair an abandoned architectural complex, yielding far more practical benefits.
However, that thought was only fleeting. Seitenshi quickly stepped into the council room, passing the black-clad guards and entering the exquisite structure, which looked like it was lifted straight out of a painting.
In the center of the council room was a pentagonal table, representing the five remaining autonomous territories of Japan. Seitenshi walked forward, and the imposing elderly man who had been following her pulled out the Tokyo Area representative's chair for her to sit down.
The other four seats were already occupied by four men, all middle-aged or older. All significantly older than Seitenshi.
The five leaders of the Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai, Hakata, and Hokkaido areas had all gathered here.
Such a precedent was unheard of.
The reason was that although they nominally shared the same nation, "Japan," since the government collapsed, all that remained was the name. These five areas had essentially become five separate mini-states.
Because of this, relations could not be amicable. A simple handshake and smile was a luxury; not insulting each other was considered relatively polite. Since everyone wanted themselves to be the true "Japan," the five areas secretly competed with each other. In this competition, the Tokyo Area was definitely the most targeted. After all, Tokyo held the title of "most legitimate."
And what was the reason for this unprecedented conference?
"A few days ago, one of the eleven Zodiac Gastrea—Scorpion—was eliminated at sea near this area."
"We are all here because of it, aren't we?"
Seitenshi spoke calmly.
The others remained silent, even though this wasn't the first time they had heard the information. They still couldn't help but feel a sense of unreality.
The elimination of a Zodiac Gastrea, or a Level 5 Gastrea that had evolved beyond the normal limits of its species, was not unprecedented.
The second strongest person in the world had destroyed Virgo, and the strongest had even destroyed Taurus—the Zodiac Gastrea so powerful it far surpassed the other ten, and had ravaged the entirety of Asia during the Gastrea War. Even after its destruction, the remnants of Taurus's forces still posed a huge threat to the surviving areas.
Compared to Taurus, Scorpion had no notable advantages, if not to say it was inferior. So why did all five leaders sit here with such serious expressions?
"This is a rare piece of footage that captured the battle."
A projector screen was cast in mid-air. The content was a very blurry clip, seemingly due to excessive enlargement that compromised the original resolution. Nevertheless, viewers could faintly witness a massive monster walking on the sea; it was undeniably Scorpion.
The sequence that followed was not drawn out: something silver flashed out of the void, incinerating the Level 5 Gastrea until not a single piece of flesh remained.
Low-resolution, indistinct, unclear, and too fleeting.
But this very fact heightened the anxiety of the powerful figures seated here.
Battling a Zodiac Gastrea was terrifying and heart-stopping, but precisely because of this, one could perceive its limits—it could be seen, understood, and touched. Unlike this, which fundamentally couldn't be called a battle; it was an outright slaughter from one side.
It was exactly like... something just passing by, coincidentally found Scorpion annoying, and placed it over a fire to roast. And just like that, one of the eleven Level 5 Gastrea vanished from existence. It was as easy as crushing an ant.
Everyone held their breath simultaneously and unbidden.
The commoners, the lower strata, did not think deeply and only grasped the surface of the issue. They cheered for Scorpion's demise but failed to realize that its destruction might be the prelude to something even more horrific than all the Zodiac Gastrea that had ever appeared.
A new Gastrea King.
No one here concluded that the thing which destroyed Scorpion was not a Gastrea. Only such a thing could achieve this, much like how the Gastrea virus suddenly appeared ten years ago and nearly obliterated the entire world.
"So, what shall we call this thing?"
"Aries, the last vacant zodiac position."
Seitenshi spoke gravely, then fell silent. Her beautiful, pale blue eyes still reflected the scene of the silver flame burning everything to ashes. Who knew when that fire would spread to the Tokyo Area?