They had lost all their allies, and only one syringe of the Artificial Gastrea Virus remained, but Rentaro had no regrets.
After saying goodbye to the Promoter-Initiator pair, Shougen and Kayo, Rentaro and Enju followed the signs of battle—mangled body parts scattered everywhere—which led them straight to the port area. There, Kagetane, along with his Initiator, Kohina, armed with two swords, was waiting.
"The last one is you, is it? How disappointing."
"If you've escaped death once, I thought you should value your life more."
Kagetane spoke casually, making no effort to hide his contempt for Rentaro. But the younger man was unmoved, taking a stance with Enju.
"Where is the briefcase?!"
"You want to know? Then entertain me for a bit."
"Maximum Pain!"
The force field surrounding Kagetane suddenly compressed and burst outward. Rentaro knew the danger of this move well. He and Enju quickly jumped backward, making sure there were no obstacles behind them. If they were blocked by an obstacle like a rock or a wall, with the force field pressing against them, they would be severely injured, if not killed.
Kagetane seemed to have anticipated this. Kohina, ready with her twin swords, lunged toward Enju, forcing the girl to move away from Rentaro to avoid implicating him.
"Enju!"
"Tsk, Kohina is off playing with that girl. Little girls never fail to cause worry, do they?"
"Shut your mouth!"
Bang!
The Springfield XD in Rentaro's hand fired the first shots at Kagetane. The latter was equally quick, shooting back with a gun in each hand while provoking Rentaro with words.
Rentaro outwardly displayed explosive rage, but inside, he was completely calm. He forced himself to stay composed, to pretend to be led around by the nose by the madman in front of him, only then could he conceal his trump card and strike Kagetane with a fatal surprise attack.
Thanks to his match with the Silver King, he understood his own weakness: sometimes he got too distracted by countless other things and forgot the main purpose of his actions.
The goal this time was to find the briefcase containing the Seven Stars Legacy, not to determine superiority over Kagetane.
Enju, who was running from Kohina's pursuit, also recalled Rentaro's earlier instructions.
"Enju, once the fight starts, Kagetane will definitely try to turn this into a one-on-one. I need you to use your speed to scout the entire town to find where the briefcase is hidden."
"But how will I find it?"
"As Kagetane's Initiator, if she prevents you from advancing in a certain direction during a chase, that direction is where the briefcase is hidden."
"In the worst-case scenario, if we lose, I'll stall for time, and you must quickly get there and take the briefcase away, no matter the cost."
Thud!
Rentaro was knocked to the ground, his gun skittering away. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his body was filthy with sweat and dirt.
Kagetane remained calm and unhurried, standing in place, his clothes spotless. He even had the audacity to pick up Rentaro's gun and toss it to him, like throwing a dog a bone.
"How boring. You Civil Security agents truly don't know your own limitations, do you?"
"Yeah, sorry to disappoint you."
Rentaro spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Tch, I'm bored now. I'll spare your life this time. I'll give you a ticket to witness the magnificent destruction of Tokyo."
Kagetane pulled down his hat, turning as if to leave. And then, Rentaro began to laugh, confusing the man.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I know, I'm very weak."
Snap!
"I don't even deserve for you to turn your back."
Snap!
"But Kagetane."
Snap!
"I will stop you at any cost, even if it means sacrificing my life!"
Snap!
A deafening explosion rang out, and Rentaro vanished from his spot.
Kagetane suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He widened his eyes, the force field activating just as he glanced backward, seeing Rentaro approaching at incredible speed. One of Rentaro's eyes seemed to glow, revealing the artificial pupil mechanism.
A mechanical eye?
The thought flashed through Kagetane's mind just as Rentaro swung his fist.
Boom!!!
The force field blocked the punch, but the massive pressure emanating from Rentaro's arm seemed to tear at the invisible shield. His sleeve was ripped into countless shreds, as was the bio-skin underneath, revealing a black metallic arm.
His ten-year-old experiment was not simply an experiment in fitting prosthetic limbs.
Crack!
Coordinated with the Tendou martial arts style, the terrifying force focused entirely on one point, punching straight through Kagetane's force field and sending him flying dozens of meters away.
He trembled, touching his bloodied abdomen, looking back at Rentaro in astonishment.
"At this point, there's no need to hide it anymore."
"I am the former Eastern Army Self-Defense Force, 787th Mechanized Unit, directly involved in the New Human Creation Project—Satomi Rentaro!"
The air momentarily froze. For the first time, Rentaro saw Kagetane display surprise, even... joy? Kagetane covered his face, laughing out loud, so loudly that Rentaro felt he was forcing tears out.
"What are you laughing at?"
"That's it! That's it! Now I understand! It turns out that's the connection between us! Satomi Rentaro, you and I are the same!"
"I am not like you!"
Rentaro retorted. He had no time for further verbal sparring with Kagetane and intended to charge again to punch him in the face. However, a panicked voice behind him made him freeze.
"Rentaro!"
It was Enju.
"You said you didn't want to use that thing!"
Enju knew what this meant, and how significant it was to Rentaro. She knew that cold, mechanical arm was the most painful memory Rentaro had carried until now.
But...
"This thing is my strength, to protect you, to protect Kisara, to protect everyone."
"I truly am very weak, so I won't hold back."
"Enju, you just need to trust this Rentaro."
Rentaro smirked, his eyes locked on Kagetane, and he dashed forward again.
Dash!
Kagetane activated his force field to press him back, but Rentaro punched straight through it, to Kagetane's horror.
Though he hadn't fully reached Kagetane, the terrifying pressure created by the Tendou style's explosive technique caved in Kagetane's chest. From behind his mask, he coughed up a mouthful of blood that ran down his clothes.
"Impossible..."
Seeing her father injured, Kohina ignored her pursuit of Enju and turned to attack Rentaro. Seeing the opponent expose an opening, Enju immediately switched from defense to offense, kicking Kohina sideways. Rentaro also suddenly shifted his attack, sending a punch toward Kohina.
Crack! Bang!
The twin swords crossed over her chest to block the blow were shattered into pieces. Seizing the moment before Kagetane could intervene, Rentaro followed up with a final kick, sending Kohina flying and rendering her unconscious.
"You're not the only one who researched us."
Rentaro spoke in a low voice, standing parallel with Enju, facing Kagetane.
Even before the operation began, Rentaro had researched some of the obtained intelligence, not just recent materials, but also records from the time before Kagetane resigned from his Civil Security position.
He was a veteran, his experience in fighting, or rather, killing, was superlative. Coupled with the force field weapon strong enough to easily counter a Rank Four Gastrea, making him formidable in both offense and defense, defeating him required meeting force with force.
But Kohina was different. Although strong, her temperament was too unstable. Once provoked, she easily lost her composure, creating an opportunity for a decisive strike.
Now, the situation was two against one!