"Alright, let's deal with this girl."
Kagetane said in a tired voice. For the first time in many years, he had to exert so much effort in a single battle.
Kagetane raised his gun and aimed at Enju's forehead, but just as he was about to pull the trigger, a fierce sense of danger suddenly erupted behind his back. It sent a shiver down his spine.
For anyone else, this situation would cause confusion, but Kagetane did not hesitate and aimed his gun backward, toward the spot where Rentaro's "corpse" had vanished.
"It's overhead!"
Kagetane looked up, simultaneously raising his hand to defend himself, blocking the black fist slamming down.
Boom!!!
Rentaro was not actually intending to attack; he merely used the explosive force from the collision to launch himself toward Enju.
"Rentaro!"
"I'm here now."
Rentaro smiled toward the girl.
A reunion between life and death would normally bring endless emotional turmoil. But it was quickly interrupted by the grotesque man with the shattered mask.
"Satomi Rentaro, you..."
He looked at Rentaro's perfectly regenerated body parts, utterly speechless. Because it truly was a miracle. In a sense, Rentaro had actually crawled back from hell to return.
"Kagetane, we will definitely win this fight!"
Rentaro turned and took his stance, his tone resolute.
And the battle resumed. This time, there was no contempt, and no longer any doubt.
Once again, Kohina was taken out of the fight. Although Kohina was not weak, she had no hope against the current level of Kagetane and Rentaro. She was directly swept aside, watching the battle from the sidelines like Enju.
The entire exchange was almost entirely close-quarters combat.
Kagetane fired until he was completely out of bullets, aiming to deplete Rentaro's short-term recovery ability from the Gastrea Virus. Rentaro, in turn, exhausted all the explosive charges in his prosthetics to force Kagetane to exhaust his concentrated Force Field strength.
Finally, both fighters pulled apart. Each felt every cell in their body utterly drained. Rentaro was drenched in sweat, dry, bitter adrenaline had long since flooded his entire body, blocking the pain from every muscle fiber. His clothes, mixed with all kinds of blood, water, and sweat, were crumpled and ruined, making him look no different from a beggar. Kagetane was no better; his face was covered in tears, his eyes bloodshot, and there was not a single intact spot on his body.
"Satomi, I believe we finally understand each other."
"No. The world in your ideals... I will not let it happen."
This battle existed not only on a physical level but also on the level of ideals.
Two opposing ideals clashing with each other, like an invincible shield that can block everything pitted against a spear that can pierce everything.
There was no room for compromise. Both could only advance resolutely for their ideals, fighting until the other side shattered.
"Endless Scream!"
"Tendou Combat Style, First Form, No. 15: Unebiko-Ryu Burst!"
Both men shouted loudly, unleashing their strongest attack. It created a dazzling light that illuminated the entire port.
"Kagetane, perhaps you were right."
"You and I are the same, sufferers existing in this world."
"But, if... if there is the slightest difference between us..."
"Then..."
Thud!!!
Rentaro's fist pierced Kagetane's Endless Scream. It directly smashed him against the side of the ship.
In the end, the mask was utterly shattered, revealing Kagetane's true face.
It was just a very ordinary-looking middle-aged face. There was no sign of madness, nor any indication that this was the atrocious murderer who had committed countless crimes.
Perhaps, at this moment, he had accepted himself as the loser.
"Satomi Rentaro, the change in this plan was instigated by the Five Wings Syndicate. I did not keep the Seven Stars Legacy; I handed it over to them. Right now, the Seven Stars Legacy is likely inside the Silver King's Area and has been activated."
Before Rentaro could react in shock, Kagetane let himself drop into the water below.
Only now did Rentaro understand. Looking over at Kohina, it seemed that Kagetane's final act of revealing the information was to protect Kohina's life.
He had committed too many atrocities and was the mastermind, but Kohina was not.
However, after seeing her father jump down, Kohina became agitated, crying loudly and leaping after him. Rentaro was powerless to stop her, as he too was completely exhausted.
Watching his daughter dive in after him, a look of sadness and helplessness flashed across Kagetane's face, followed by a bitter smile.
"She really is like you..."
Everyone is Rentaro in their own story, and Kagetane in their own story.
Finally, both father and daughter sank into the dark water, never to resurface.
"Enju, can you move now?"
Enju nodded. Although her leg was shot with a Varanium bullet, it would only affect her if she fought, but not her walking.
Immediately after, Enju carried Rentaro on her back and returned to the town area near the port. There, they met Kayo, who was supporting Shougen.
"Looks like you weren't as useless as I thought, kid."
"Haha, just lucky."
Rentaro smiled, but then his expression turned serious, as he explained the information he had just acquired to Kayo and Shougen.
After hearing this, Kayo couldn't help but sigh.
"What a waste."
The waste was that so many high-level Civil Security agents had been expended, only to gain a single piece of intelligence, stating that the object they sought was back at the starting point.
But now was not the time for lamentation.
Although Rentaro didn't know what he could do, he still had to go to the Silver King's Area.
Unsurprisingly, the group was once again hauled off to the interrogation room. Even a reckless man like Shougen had to behave when faced with dozens of gun barrels pointed at him. There was no choice; he liked to fight, not to seek death.
The two young girls received better treatment, being placed in a waiting room instead of an interrogation room. Kayo was quite worried, but Enju reassured her, saying that this place was very good.
Rentaro was greeted by his friend Suibara once again.
"Rentaro, do you realize this is a sensitive time? You could've ended up as a corpse full of holes."
Suibara couldn't help but get a headache, but seeing Rentaro's miserable and disheveled appearance, he sighed, unwilling to speak harshly.
After listening to Suibara's explanation, Rentaro learned that the Silver King had left the Area a few hours ago and had not returned yet. Before leaving, the Silver King had warned them that there was a high probability of a great disaster descending upon the entire Area, and they must maintain a twelve-fold level of vigilance. Because of this, Suibara's group was currently restless with worry.
Considering the timing coincidence, as well as the warning from the Silver King, Rentaro finally pieced all the clues together.
"Suibara, the disaster that the Silver King mentioned is very likely the Seven Stars Legacy, because it's an object used to summon a Rank Five Gastrea! And what's more, it's located within the Area's boundary!"
"What... what the hell..."
At that moment, a red alert sounded throughout the entire Area. Considering the seriousness of the issue, Suibara could only override protocol, leading Rentaro inside to meet with the other management staff.
The inner zone was no better. Although the children were reassured by the adults, the agitated and oppressive atmosphere still spread everywhere. Having been educated for a long time, most of the children knew what a red alert meant: the Area faced a life-or-death threat to its existence.
"Suibara! Why did you bring a stranger here?"
"That's my friend. More importantly, he knows what's going on."
The others could only overlook it and began to exchange information.
Rentaro told them everything he knew, and they, in turn, showed him the danger that triggered the red alert.
In the projected image, he saw an entity of ultimate horror and immensity, seeming like a mobile mountain. Compared to this monster, a building-sized Rank Four Gastrea was nothing more than a small child before it.
All around, numerous military forces were firing and shelling, but the weapons they unleashed couldn't even breach its tough shell.
"Gastrea Zodiac - Leon, is what is heading straight toward us."
"Estimated time... ten minutes."
The narrator finished speaking, despair etched onto his face.
As the "stolen generation," having lived through the Gastrea War, no one understood the terror of these entities called Gastrea Zodiac more than them.
Rentaro fell silent, despair also engulfing him. He looked at his hand, then at Leon's massive body on the screen. The colossal disparity was nearly impossible to bridge.
Right in the moment of deepest despair, the sound of steady, powerful footsteps echoed. It was the return of the Silver King.
No explanation was needed; a simple glance was enough for him to understand the situation. The Silver King looked at Rentaro, and with a meaningful tone, he said,
"It's been a tiring day, hasn't it?"
Rentaro was caught off guard and didn't know how to respond, only scratching his head. The Silver King paid him no mind. He looked at everyone around him, from old to young. He smiled faintly, and the aura around him began to change.
Rentaro's eyes widened.
For the first time, he witnessed something like this.
That person, who had been unremarkable before, suddenly soared to an unimaginable height. Like the sun hanging high above, he was powerful and magnificent to the extreme. Even the aura the Silver King had previously unleashed to intimidate the entire Civil Security force paled in comparison.
Moreover, the nature of it was completely different.
Rentaro saw an unyielding back, seemingly unmovable even if the entire world were to collapse.
"Even if there's a god in front of me, I will kill it for all of you to see!"
The Silver King's voice transmitted to the souls of everyone in the Area.
Note: the chronological order between the Silver King and Rentaro storylines is as follows:
- Events from Chapter 25 to Chapter 33
- Events from Chapter 18 to Chapter 24
- Events from Chapter 34 to the present