The location for this ambush was set outside the Monolith area, not just in the outskirts of the city.
Through observation, the command center had pinpointed Kagetane's location to a church in a small, riverside harbor town. Kagetane had not moved yet, and his activities were unknown. However, to ensure he couldn't escape, all Civil Security agents were deployed and spread out in an arc formation, gradually encircling the area. Everyone was equipped with emergency communicators; if one person was attacked or killed, it would alert everyone else.
To be honest, those in the know couldn't understand why Kagetane deliberately revealed himself at this time. If he had truly activated the Seven Stars Legacy immediately after seizing it from Rentaro, Tokyo would have been difficult to save.
Some speculated that this madman, Kagetane, didn't just want to destroy Tokyo; he wanted to destroy people's spirit. Giving them hope only to cruelly crush it was one such method.
But Seitenshi had a different view. A short time before the operation began, the Silver King had left his dominion following an invitation from the IISO.
She suspected that all of this had been staged, waiting until the Silver King left the dominion to proceed to a place even she couldn't clearly investigate. Was it out of fear of him?
Because this was still too subjective, Seitenshi only investigated secretly herself and told no one.
"I hope everything goes smoothly."
The leader of Tokyo silently prayed.
...
The journey forward was smooth, even more so than Rentaro had expected.
He thought the outer area would be very dangerous, filled with Gastrea since it lacked the protection of the Monoliths.
Rentaro wasn't wrong; this place used to be infested with Gastrea. But since Asahi arrived, they had been hunted almost to extinction. After all, bearing the expenses for an entire dominion was a huge sum, and Asahi didn't miss a single scrap, even if it was just mosquito meat.
Even so, Rentaro reminded Enju to move carefully, ready to respond to any situation.
"Reached assembly point. Kagetane has not moved. End."
The sound came through the communicator.
"It looks like someone has reached that town already."
"Rentaro, we have to speed up."
Hearing Enju, he nodded slightly. They needed to quickly concentrate their forces to stand a chance against Kagetane. Any Promoter-Initiator pair confronting him would be in mortal danger.
But before they could move, a gunshot rang out in the earpiece, followed by a miserable scream, and finally, silence.
Amid Rentaro's confusion, Kagetane's high, singsong voice echoed.
"Welcome, Civil Security agents, to my game. In one minute, I want at least one Civil Security pair to appear before me. Otherwise, I will activate the Seven Stars Legacy. You don't need to worry about me running away; I won't miss this fun."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
His arrogant laughter was the last thing anyone heard. At the command center, Seitenshi's face turned ashen.
The Civil Security pairs dispatched for this operation were almost all high-ranking and highly experienced. With battle plans prepared in advance, the person who had just been killed had no reason to risk approaching Kagetane alone. This person must have been hidden from afar, secretly monitoring him and waiting for backup.
Seitenshi didn't believe Kagetane was so omniscient that he could detect someone from a long distance, especially someone deliberately hiding.
The only possibility was that he had placed surveillance methods all over the town area, allowing him to know every shift in the wind and blade of grass, and intercept them beforehand.
In that case, the plan to separate and form an encirclement not only failed but actively led their forces one by one to their deaths.
This plan was initially set up to minimize damage if Kagetane set up large-scale traps. Spreading out was intended to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket. Unfortunately, it had been exploited, resulting in the current predicament.
To be able to do this, there must have been a traitor within the organization who revealed the campaign details to Kagetane.
Everyone in the command room started to buzz. Kisara, standing nearby, had an utterly cold expression, even faintly showing killing intent.
She knew who the traitor was.
But this was only the beginning.
The signal was jammed. The command center could no longer communicate with the operation members, only observe from afar. This meant they couldn't warn the Civil Security agents. And the agents could no longer use the communicators to gather together.
And so, people were going to their deaths, one by one, just to buy minute after minute.
...
When Rentaro and Enju arrived, the town before them was unusually quiet.
However, he could acutely spot hidden bloodstains on the walls, along with unmistakable signs of battle.
"Who won?"
He wondered, quickly running inside. Passing an alley, a gun barrel suddenly jutted out, pointing at him.
"Rentaro, watch out!"
"It's an ally!"
He raised his hand to reassure the girl.
From the shadows, a small figure stepped out. A diagonal cut marked the girl's face, and blood was still dripping down.
Rentaro recognized her; she was the Initiator accompanying Shougen.
"Where is Shougen? Why are you like this?"
"Follow... me..."
The girl replied with difficulty.
Moving deeper inside, Rentaro and Enju found Shougen leaning against a wall. His sleeveless shirt was completely stained red, and the arm that held his sword was gone, leaving a vague puddle of blood.
"Why... did you... come late..."
"That weird... clown... beat... us to a pulp..."
Shougen's chest was rising and falling, every word he managed to utter seemed to consume boundless energy, showing how terrible his condition was.
"Kagetane destroyed Shougen's body directly. If he isn't given first aid immediately, he will die."
The Initiator girl tried to speak calmly, but her trembling voice proved how panicked she truly was.
"Kayo."
Shougen called the girl's name.
"Take... me... to... that guy's... location... This time... I won't... lose..."
"After all... fighting... was great..."
"For a man who always acts before he thinks, it's only when I fight that I feel I exist in this world."
"You feel the same, don't you, Kayo?"
"You're always rambling about your hopeless dream, but whenever I hear it, I can't bring myself to cut you off, even though chasing after a hopeless thing is tiring."
"But that's because... we are alive... Kayo."
Shougen's eyes lost focus, and Kayo nearby was sobbing uncontrollably.
Rentaro suddenly understood. Shougen was just another pitiful soul caught in the brutal vortex of this decaying world. His past actions were just to prevent his Initiator from becoming too attached to him, so she wouldn't grieve after his death, because Shougen understood better than anyone how painful it was for a Cursed Child to lose their spiritual pillar.
But he didn't realize that some of his subconscious actions had already given him away.
Enju tugged at Rentaro's sleeve. He gently shook his head. Shougen had already stepped through the gate of death; there was no way to save him...
Wait, there might be a way?
Rentaro stepped forward, taking out the five metal syringes in the stunned gaze of the two Initiators. He took four of the syringes and injected them into Shougen.
"Wait, what are you doing!"
Kayo rushed forward to stop him but was held back by Enju. Rentaro calmly replied:
"Saving this boorish oaf."
"This is the Artificial Gastrea Virus. If Shougen is lucky, he will fully recover from his injuries. If not, please run away."
"No."
"I will stay here and finish him."
Kayo said with a resolute voice.
"Shougen wouldn't want to turn into that kind of monster."