The whole world seemed to fall silent.
Outside the edge of space, Asahi hovered in the void, his gaze fixed on the rising sunlight from the other side of the hemisphere. The sunlight pierced the vastness of space, shining onto the Dragon Form, making the silver light from the armor even more glorious and divine.
He knew that, at this moment, perhaps the whole world was watching.
Although nearly all civilization had collapsed after the Gastrea War, some important scientific and technical achievements were still well preserved. Most notably, through the satellites currently observing him. Through gathered intelligence, the civilization here had previously even planned to build military bases on the moon to fight the Gastrea.
Though the Gastrea Zodiac were powerful, their immense size meant they were almost impossible to hide. And of course, they didn't need to hide; they still roamed the world. These satellites were the means to monitor them, to provide time for evacuation should they approach any human Area.
That being said, moving the population and supplies of an entire living area like Tokyo was ten times harder than destroying Tokyo. So, in almost all cases where a Gastrea Zodiac wandered close to a human survival area, nearly everyone died, with only a small fraction successfully escaping.
But now, all of that seemed meaningless.
In the past, there had been two recorded instances of a Gastrea Zodiac being annihilated worldwide. But those "victories" were understandable, achieved by nearly exhausting humanity's potential to create and utilize certain specialized weapons.
Weapons are dead; as long as they cannot be used by anyone, they pose no threat, even if that person is the world's strongest Initiator. They are nothing compared to a civilization, let alone the wave of Gastrea that destroyed that civilization.
But... this was different.
When the mysterious person from the Five Wings Syndicate saw the Silver King, he called the Silver King the incarnation of the most perfect human-shaped weapon. Absolute strength coupled with self-awareness.
The mighty Gastrea Zodiac was "killed" by him using a method that could be physically explained, yet no one wanted to explain. Just ask: a child could understand his method, but who could comprehend where the Silver King got the power to push over half a billion tons of high-density matter from sea level into outer space?
Because they didn't understand, the scientists felt as if their fundamental truths were being shattered.
Because they didn't understand, the devout considered him a manifestation of a deity.
Because they didn't understand, they were all afraid.
The world was in an uproar, at least within the circles of the top leaders.
"Withdraw."
"Acknowledged."
"Acknowledged."
"Acknowledged."
"Acknowledged."
The five members of the Five Wings Syndicate held an emergency meeting and quickly decided to pull all spies out of the Silver King's Area. There was no alternative; if they accidentally provoked the existence up there, their headquarters might end up flying in space to keep that Gastrea company.
Meanwhile, in the command center, Seitenshi sighed. So the one who killed Scorpion earlier was indeed the Silver King; in that case, everything was logical.
Seitenshi thought further. To others, the appearance of someone who overwhelmingly surpassed all others was nothing short of a catastrophe, but Seitenshi saw it as an opportunity. Because she fundamentally knew that those individuals conflicted with the Silver King over benefits, while she did not.
As long as that goal was achieved, Seitenshi would even be willing to give up her position as the head of Tokyo.
Thinking was acting. She made a decisive move without hesitation. Seitenshi secretly contacted someone.
...
Feeling that he had stood long enough, Asahi was satisfied and descended. Watching the sunrise from this altitude was still a fairly new experience for Asahi.
But when he turned around, Asahi could clearly feel that his arm was slightly trembling.
He frowned, staring intently at his arm until it completely stabilized.
This was not a good sign. Because trembling was a sign of losing control.
Especially for someone who controlled their body to such a supreme degree as Asahi, it was critical. It was an affirmation that this instability had somewhat surpassed his control.
Faced with all these negative changes, Asahi could only sigh.
There was no way around it.
He had been in Dragon Form for too long. With every passing second and minute, his stamina and mental energy were depleting, even when he stood completely still. The fact that he could hold out until now was entirely thanks to the astonishing regenerative ability of his physique and sheer will.
The Dragon Form's starting point was an extremely draining weapon, to the extent that each person could only use one type. The Dragon Form was not just one type, but seven different types enhanced and fused. A normal person who dared to do what he did would certainly die inside the armor.
"I... still have time..."
Asahi clenched his fist, slowly descending to the Area, landing exactly where he had taken off earlier. A moment of silence ensued, finally erupting into cheers that reached the sky.
The sunrise appeared, seemingly representing hope for the near future.
...
"Hey, Kisara..."
"What is it?"
"What is this event about?!"
Rentaro complained.
One day had passed since the event involving Gastrea Zodiac - Leon and Kagetane.
Believing he would finally get a well-deserved rest after risking his life on the battlefield, Rentaro was instead dragged to this celebration party by Kisara. Although this place was a luxurious residence, he was truly exhausted. Furthermore, he had to stuff himself into a tight, hastily bought white suit that hadn't even been sized properly.
"Didn't I tell you? You're about to have an audience with Seitenshi."
"You never told me, mother!"
Seeing Kisara cover her mouth and laugh in her purple evening gown, Rentaro stopped making a long face. At least he'd gotten a feast for his eyes, so he wouldn't hold a grudge.
Afterward, the two of them walked into the ballroom side by side. To Kisara's surprise, Rentaro seemed to transform into a different person at this moment, fully revealing his sharpness. He responded to the guests' greetings without arrogance or awkwardness, behaving extremely courteously.
Kisara's heart hammered.
"What, is there something on my face?"
Seeing Kisara look at him for a bit too long, Rentaro felt awkward and blurted out the question.
"It's nothing... I just very rarely see Satomi like this."
"It's nothing. If you had personally experienced the events of that day, you wouldn't be surprised by almost anything anymore."
Rentaro sighed.
The guests here, despite greeting him warmly, were miles apart in social status. He was just a lowly Civil Security agent, while any random person here was a boss's boss. The old Rentaro might have been flustered, but this Rentaro only saw them for what they were.
After a while, the two stood before a large door. The two doorkeepers pushed the door open, and Kisara patted Rentaro's shoulder.
"Don't do anything stupid."
"Can't promise that."
Rentaro scratched his head and stepped inside.