The Gastrea virus was absurd even by the standards of supernatural pathogens.
When someone weighing roughly a hundred pounds was attacked and infected by a Gastrea, the speed of their mutation defied all reason.
The transformation did not happen gradually.
At first, the infected person would retain a human form, and their body would still appear normal.
Once the genetic corrosion within their body exceeded fifty percent, however, they would begin mutating at an astonishing rate.
Within mere seconds, they could transform into a Stage Two Gastrea as large as an elephant.
But how did a hundred-pound human suddenly become a creature weighing more than a ton? Where did all that additional mass come from?
Furthermore, once the body grew that large, its bones and other supporting structures would require an equally extraordinary increase in strength.
Such a drastic transformation couldn't possibly come from nothing. It completely violated the law of conservation of energy and was practically indistinguishable from magic.
If this virus existed in the Warhammer universe, Kain believed it would be classified as one of the most dangerous pathogens in existence.
Furthermore, Gastrea theoretically never aged or died after completing their transformation. Where did the nearly inexhaustible energy sustaining that ageless existence come from?
Every time a Gastrea advanced to a higher stage, its regenerative abilities also increased exponentially.
Ordinary weapons could kill a Stage One Gastrea, but a small handgun would not be enough. You would have to practically riddle it with bullets until it became completely incapable of moving.
A Stage Two Gastrea could only be killed with incendiary weapons or through complete decapitation, which meant destroying its brain or heart.
If part of a Stage Three Gastrea's body was severed, it would visibly regenerate within moments. Even separated pieces of flesh could respond to one another and reattach themselves.
To kill a Stage Four Gastrea, you had to reduce it entirely to ashes.
Of course, those were merely the requirements when using conventional weapons. A specialized weapon could kill one without literally incinerating every last part of its body.
As for the Stage Five Gastrea described in the story, even throwing one into lava thousands of degrees hot wouldn't kill it. The creature would eventually adapt and start swimming through the molten rock.
Gastrea at that stage possessed molecular-level regeneration.
According to the work Kain had seen, almost no physical method could destroy one apart from weapons made from the special material known as Varanium.
A direct missile strike would inflict only a minor wound, and the damage would regenerate almost instantly.
Even a direct hit from a high-yield nuclear weapon wouldn't kill it. Although the explosion could generate temperatures in the tens of millions of degrees and vaporize virtually anything, that still wouldn't be enough.
A Stage Five Gastrea's body was unimaginably durable. Even those temperatures could not instantly vaporize its enormous mass in its entirety.
As long as even part of it survived, its molecular regeneration would restore the rest of its body.
And there was no point in talking about hitting it with nuclear weapons one after another. After the first explosion, the body reconstructed from its remaining tissue wouldn't stupidly sit in place and wait for a second warhead to fall. It would move.
That showed just how unbelievably difficult it was to kill a Gastrea at that level.
When I leave, I should take a few samples back for Great Sage to study.
Bang!
"Mmm..."
A faint, pained moan escaped Shiba Miori's lips. Apparently awakened by what sounded like thunder, she slowly opened her eyes.
Her head hurt.
Her entire body hurt.
Her chest hurt most of all. It felt as though someone had seized it and was squeezing so hard they intended to tear it off.
Urgh...
The corner of Miori's mouth twitched.
Sure enough, a shameless hand was clutching her chest as if trying to crush it.
The person grabbing her was also someone she could never get along with. That girl was sprawled unconscious on top of her.
How could this woman still hold such a grudge against her chest even while unconscious?
The last thing Miori remembered before passing out was Kisara fighting the Gastrea attacking them from every direction.
If Kisara was now unconscious in her arms, then who was stopping the Gastrea?
Had one of the robots suddenly appeared?
Miori raised her gaze slightly and saw the mangled remains of several robots scattered around them.
She lifted her head farther and looked in the direction of the thunderous reports that sounded like a heavy sniper rifle.
She saw ten human figures.
Ah, they didn't appear to be robots.
They were people.
One of them raised a weapon and fired. Several Stage One Gastrea in the direction of the muzzle instantly exploded. The projectile continued onward and struck a tree trunk three feet thick more than sixty feet away, blasting straight through it.
What kind of gun was that?
Its design looked rugged and crude, and the weapon itself was enormous.
Miori blinked. The weapon roared again, and she saw six Stage One Gastrea along its trajectory torn apart.
Although she had heard only a single report, it had actually fired six times in incredibly rapid succession. The shots nearly overlapped, making them sound like an echo.
Her vision blurred, and the shooter vanished.
By the time Miori caught another glimpse of the figure's afterimage, more than a dozen Gastrea had been dismembered. Chunks of flesh covered the ground.
There had even been a Stage Two among them.
In the span of only a few breaths, nearly a hundred Gastrea had seemingly been slaughtered, leaving the ground buried beneath their corpses.
Then the forest suddenly fell silent.
The only remaining sound was a steady tremor.
Something enormous appeared to be approaching, shaking the earth with every step.
Miori turned her head with difficulty. Her neck seemed to have been injured, but the pain no longer mattered.
Through the rain, her eyes caught sight of a vast, blurry silhouette beneath the night sky.
Though the downpour obscured its shape, there was no mistaking what it was.
A Stage Four Gastrea!
The difference between a Stage Three and Stage Four was not merely tenfold or even several dozen times. It was far greater than that.
Worse, this creature was exceptionally large even by Stage Four standards.
It looked like a small mountain advancing through the forest.
The mere sight of it placed such suffocating pressure on Miori that she could barely breathe.
This time, they truly might be finished.
"ROOOAAAR!"
Its roar shook the atmosphere.
Miori's eardrums felt as though they were about to rupture, and her mind reeled beneath the deafening noise.
The roar itself became a shock wave. A violent gale swept through the forest, hurling sand and stones in every direction.
Thud!
A flying rock struck Miori squarely in the head, making stars explode across her vision as she cried out in pain.
Both her hands were occupied shielding Kisara in her arms. Otherwise, she might have been able to protect herself.
Her head grew heavier.
She could no longer hold on to consciousness.
Perhaps this was for the best. Being killed while unconscious was still better than facing death awake. At least she wouldn't have to endure as much fear.
With that thought, Shiba Miori's consciousness sank once more into darkness.
(End of Chapter)
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