The storm that swept across the entire world ended with the defeat of the Silver King and the ascension of the Black Emperor.
The Black Emperor, the God Slayer, Satomi Rentaro.
People hailed the Black Emperor as the savior, and the Silver King as the destroyer. Yet, who knew what both of them ultimately shouldered, what they paid.
But perhaps that was fate.
Ultimately, someone had to step forward, someone had to be immersed in the darkness, and someone had to quietly sacrifice themselves.
Because they were heroes in the end.
It's not just loving the world because it is good. But even if it is rotten and ugly, still loving it, still striving to save it.
The Silver King was like that, and the Black Emperor, Rentaro, would probably be like that in the future.
Like a cycle of reincarnation.
…
Some rejoiced, and some mourned.
The Dominion, Central Area.
Luke stared intently at the electronic screen. His eyes gradually blurred, as if covered by a layer of glass.
Luke quickly brushed it away, trying to make his eyes see a little clearer.
"I am the Silver King. If anyone is watching this footage, I am probably no longer here."
The Silver King's calm voice came from the screen.
He began to recount the truth of this world, little by little.
From the origin of the Gastrea to the Gastrea War ten years ago.
It's worth noting that the Gastrea War was not like Luke imagined. Humanity was not as overwhelmed as he thought. In the early period, humanity even dominated the Gastrea side.
It makes sense, after all, the technology at that time was not bad at all, and the Gastrea had only erupted from Japan.
This wasn't a movie; the acting capability of the ruling class was not that weak, and many nations were collaborating. If it weren't for Gastrea being too stubborn and tenacious, the Gastrea disaster might have been strangled again.
In that situation, the Gastrea needed a very long time to win. The war could have lasted ten, twenty years, perhaps even a lifetime.
Humans are also an extremely fast-adapting species. It only took a few decades from the first airplane to rockets flying into space. And because of the war, the rate of development would even increase to a terrifying level. It was not impossible for Genesis to be defeated.
Therefore, Genesis used a different approach. If it couldn't attack from the outside, then it would break from the inside.
Absorbing through human memory, it knew that humanity was not as solid as steel. There were factions, struggles, and conflicts of interest. Gradually, traitors appeared in the leadership ranks.
And the Gastrea War finally turned into a civil war. Humanity destroyed itself, leading to the collapse of an entire civilization.
Those traitors became the leaders of the "remaining" areas, becoming the sheepdogs of Genesis. They finally achieved the supreme power they wanted, exchanging it for almost pushing humanity to extinction.
The world also turned into a farm because of this. A place where Genesis allowed continued existence only because it wanted to wring out every last bit of the planet's value.
But variables also appeared, not just one, but two.
The first variable was the Stage Five Gastrea. Scientists had studied them and found that Stage Four was the limit of the Gastrea species. That was not wrong, because almost everything called "Gastrea" that humanity had faced was just an incomplete type, formed through infection. While a form like Genesis, which possesses a biological network with unlimited development potential, is the "pure-blooded Gastrea."
As for the Stage Five Gastrea, they were Stage Four Gastrea who had accidentally absorbed the precious genes of Genesis, causing them to develop beyond the limits of their incompleteness. Becoming a kind of semi-purebred, no longer subject to Genesis's control.
That is also the reason why most Stage Five Gastrea are extremely chaotic due to the combination of many genes, because the characteristic of gene collection is deeply ingrained in their nature. Unfortunately, because they only swallowed a portion, they do not have a biological network, or more accurately, a complete biological network. Therefore, the biological system of the Stage Five Gastrea is extremely messy.
As for the second variable, it was the Cursed Children.
Seriously, all Cursed Children can be considered a form of semi-purebred. Because Cursed Children are individuals who carry the Gastrea virus naturally from birth.
Because they are semi-purebreds, Genesis cannot control the Cursed Children either. Although the possibility of threat is not very great, Genesis still carefully suppressed the Cursed Children to the lowest level.
Killing them all is impossible, because as long as humanity exists, Cursed Children will still be born. Killing too many might even cause a backlash. So Genesis cleverly allowed humanity to kill its own descendants.
This is all of it.
"This device, if perfected, can absorb the Gastrea virus within the body. And because of the Gastrea virus's recovery characteristic, this is nothing short of an eternal energy source. At the same time, it makes the erosion rate zero."
"Through the conversion device, the children can obtain armor that belongs to them. Because this is entirely drawn from the genes within their bodies, they can adapt and use it perfectly."
"This is my gift, the gift that releases everyone's potential."
"Of course, ordinary people can also use this thing, but because there is no readily available supply like those children, they need to capture another supply and put it into the device. Naturally, that supply is a Gastrea."
Luke witnessed the Silver King explaining all of this. Even with his short-term vision, he could see that if this technology to harness Gastrea power were widely spread, the Cursed Children would no longer be Cursed Children, and the Gastrea would no longer be a simple disaster.
This is the kind of technology that can change the world!
But similarly, this is also a terrifying war tool. There will be another arms race, another war, and new hatred will continue.
At this moment, Luke finally understood why the Silver King elevated the Black Emperor. And why that decagonal device, which holds half the power of Genesis, fell into Rentaro's hands.
The existence of the Black Emperor is a reminder to those who are restless that a pair of eyes is still watching above their heads. Just as the Silver King suppressed the whole world.
The cycle of hatred and war will never end, but at least they can cut it down to the lowest level.
The screen turned off. Luke stood up, walked to the window, looked up at the sky, and muttered.
"You are always watching over us, aren't you?"
There was no answer, but Luke was content. He smiled, turning back inside.
…
Three months passed. The world was still in a turbulent phase. The old government was overthrown, and the new government took its place. The coordination of the Territories was indispensable in this.
Although they were disconnected from the Silver King, these Territories still had a very strong self-governance. All eight Territories combined were even more superior than a single separate power, but they were also separated. Playing the role of a balancing force in the world.
Although the Silver King was gone, everyone still carefully adhered to what he taught.
Japan was unified, needless to say. Of course, this was because the four old men had fled when the Silver King proclaimed world destruction. Leaving the messy situation for Seitenshi to resolve. She also investigated and found that the two previous bombings, and even the previous assassination attempts on her and the head of Hokkaido, were all orchestrated by an organization pulling the strings behind the scenes. And this organization was connected to all four of those old men; they might even be the leaders.
It was the Five Wings Guild.
Their goal was to detonate the relationship between the Silver King and Tokyo. Even if it was salvaged afterward, a crack would inevitably form between the two sides.
Too bad the Silver King fundamentally didn't play by their rules. A single flip of the table nearly destroyed the whole world.
Those guys must have been scared out of their wits. They ran faster than mice.
And because Genesis was weakened, the Silver King disappeared, and the Black Emperor was not yet mature enough. The Stage Five Gastrea that had always lurked around the world finally emerged. They were not foolish, because the foolish ones had all been eliminated.
It can be said that this world is still far from the word "peace."
In fact, a danger that no one expected had silently appeared.
The Middle East, inside a small local shrine.
Rehema, the girl the Silver King once rescued, was now wearing a noble silver brocade dress, walking in the middle of the shrine. Around her, followers knelt as if greeting a deity, their faces filled with fanaticism.
Rehema walked forward. She looked toward the Silver King's portrait and also respectfully knelt down.
His three portraits represent his three aspects.
The Silver King. The familiar image of him with an invisible crown on his head.
The Savior. A vague shape immersed in silver light.
The Broken God. His final moment, when he shattered and disappeared.
"The world thinks you were cruel, thinks you were wrong. But you were and always will be right."
"This world does not need to exist..."
…
Kisara finally walked the path of annihilating the Tendou Clan of the past.
The reason was that Kisara had always been suspicious of why Aldebaran could break through the Monolith's force field when it was only a Stage Four Gastrea. If the problem was not with Aldebaran, then it lay with the Monolith.
It turned out to be Tendou Kazumitsu, Tendou Kisara's cousin. The person who was also the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation. And the one who managed the materials for building Monolith #32.
This person diluted the Varanium to lower the construction cost of the Monolith, thereby pocketing the difference.
That was also the cause of the Third Kanto War. How ridiculous it was that it was exactly like in the past. Just because of a little greed, an entire city was almost buried.
It was also because of this that Rentaro nearly died.
Love is the most twisted emotion. It was the love for Rentaro that drove Kisara mad, turning into the hatred that swept through the Tendou family.
By the time Rentaro received the news and rushed to the scene, it was too late.
Tendou Kazumitsu was chopped in half. Kisara calmly drew her sword and ran towards him.
"Satomi, look, I killed the one who harmed you. I took my revenge."
"What's wrong, aren't you happy?"
Kisara's mental state was extremely unstable. Rentaro felt that this was the last time he could stop her. But... stopping Kisara meant killing her.
…
Rentaro sat in the waiting room, quietly looking at the decagonal device in his hand. This was the hope of this world that the Silver King had given him, and also the thing that would lead Genesis to him.
The two would eventually have a decisive battle one day.
But not today.
"Rentaro, it's your turn to speak."
Hearing Seitenshi's call, Rentaro stood up and stepped outside.
This place was not the Holy Residence, but a newly built school.
Spacious, well-equipped; these were people's first impressions when entering this place.
The schoolyard was filled with people: Cursed Children, ordinary citizens, officials, and press. However, the scene was utterly harmonious, completely different from the past when facing the Cursed Children.
After Seitenshi yielded the spot, Rentaro stepped up. He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"After all that has happened, we once again enjoy peace. But we cannot forget, and we are not allowed to forget, the lessons and the people who have fallen so that each of us can stand here."
"I believe that the enforcement of the new Gastrea bill, along with the establishment of this school, will help those who sacrificed themselves rest in peace."
"The Hope Children will study and live here, for a brighter future."
"Perhaps we are placing too heavy a responsibility on these young girls. Perhaps this is the best choice right now. But in the future, you may be able to shed this burden."
"No, that will definitely come true!"
"And I will tirelessly strive for that."
Amidst the enthusiastic cheers below. Rentaro moved aside, then pulled down the tarpaulin covering the statue in the middle of the schoolyard. Hidden beneath the tarpaulin was a three-meter-high statue, shaped like a diagonally placed silver bullet.
A silver bullet signifies the destruction of demons. It is also a memorial to the person everyone knows. He is the silver bullet that flew through this world.
…
Late Afternoon.
After finishing work, Rentaro and Enju took the electric train home together. The two entered an empty car, and the train started rolling.
"Oh, right! Rentaro!"
"Huh?"
Enju suddenly held a piece of paper in front of him.
"This... a commitment agreement?"
He asked suspiciously. Enju nodded vigorously, urging Rentaro to read quickly.
"One, do not face the enemy alone."
"Two, we will do everything together."
"Three, do not leave me."
"Is that all three points?"
"Yes, Rentaro definitely has to agree to them!"
Seeing Enju puffing out her cheeks in annoyance, Rentaro knew the little girl was still angry. His arm went up, gently petting her head.
"Alright, from now on, we will fight together, and always be by each other's side."
"Promise? Pinky swear."
"Promise. But no bathing together."
"Naughty Rentaro!"
"That's not called naughty; that's called preserving a child's innocence, you know?"
"..."
In the golden sunlight, the laughter in the train car gradually lessened, finally sinking into silence.
Rentaro sat on the seat, his gaze blank, looking out the window. Only when Enju called out did his eyes regain their focus, returning to his usual bright appearance.
"Rentaro, does it hurt a lot?"
Enju said idly.
Rentaro seemed to turn to stone.
Before his eyes, countless cold corpses appeared, and finally, the scene of the Silver King vanishing.
His tears, he didn't know when, had started to fall.
It turned out that so many people had died.
"Rentaro, what's wrong?"
He hugged Enju tightly, whimpering.
The further he went, the less he showed his emotions, because he was the bearer of the burden, the hope, the hero... he couldn't be weak, he couldn't fall down, but he was still Satomi Rentaro.
"I'm afraid that... one day I will become numb to the death of others..."
"Enju."
"Please stay by my side forever..."
Rentaro was sobbing, and Enju also gently wrapped her small arms around him.
"Yes, I will always be by Rentaro's side... forever..."