Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

"You're so silly! Master must be really angry right now, maybe he'll punish you. You should run away first, and then come back after Master's anger has passed, he won't remember it then."

Gretel offered serious advice to Jack, and if Yu Xian heard this, he would definitely think she was the one who needed educating.

Jack didn't follow Gretel's suggestion. In her mind, she hadn't done anything wrong, and Yu Xian would absolutely not punish her.

She hopped happily in front of Yu Xian and called out cheerfully, "Mama!"

Yu Xian picked her up and asked softly, "Jack, did you go out last night?"

"Mhm! We found bad people trying to hurt Mama last night, so we went and took care of them all," Jack nodded happily. "Jack will protect Mama."

Yu Xian immediately understood the reason. It turned out someone had tried to harm them in secret, and Jack had keenly detected it, leading them to the mastermind, Kikunojo Tendo.

Yu Xian gently stroked Jack's hair and said kindly, "Jack, you're such a good girl. Next time something like this happens, you must tell me first, okay?"

"But Mama was asleep."

"Then wake me up. It's very dangerous for you to go out alone. And what if another bad person comes and Jack isn't around?"

Yu Xian educated her in a way Jack could understand, so she wouldn't act rashly again.

"Oh! Jack didn't think of that. We'll always be by Mama's side to protect Mama from now on." Jack accepted Yu Xian's words. To her, Yu Xian was the most important.

"Jack, you must not do anything dangerous from now on," Yu Xian put her down again, letting her go back to playing.

Jack nodded happily and returned to her companions.

Gretel grabbed her and asked in a low voice, "What did Master say to you? Isn't he angry?"

She was very curious. She thought Yu Xian would scold Jack severely for letting her return so easily.

"Why would Mama be angry?" Jack looked at Gretel, bewildered by her question.

Seeing that Jack was still acting as if nothing had happened, Gretel sighed with a knowing air, "Master is really good at tricking children!"

Yu Xian had noticed Gretel muttering there for a while and walked over to them.

Hearing Gretel's words, he snapped his hand down on the top of her head: "Alice, I think I heard you bad-mouthing me."

Gretel held her head with both hands, looking tearfully at the others, blaming them for not warning her in time.

Yu Xian said to them earnestly, "From now on, you must discuss everything with me. You absolutely cannot act alone, it will make everyone worry."

"Mhm!"

The little ones nodded obediently.

Section 35 Chapter Fifteen Are You Sure This Is Scorpio, Not Barbatos?

Atalanta was sulking with Yu Xian and ignoring him. The city was in turmoil, and it wasn't a good time to go.

Yu Xian found himself completely idle for a while.

But this leisure didn't last long, as it was broken by a phone call.

It was from Kisaragi Tendo. Her voice was very serious as she said, "Yu Xian, I have very bad news. The Seven Stars' Relic has gone missing again. Hiruko Kage胤 has taken it back."

"Huh?"

Yu Xian thought he had misheard. He had only managed to retrieve the Seven Stars' Relic from Hiruko Kage胤 not long ago, and now, after only a few days, it was back in Kage胤's hands?

"I can't explain the details right now, but we must stop him. The Seven Stars' Relic is the medium used to summon the Stage V Gastrea, Scorpio. If it's misused, the entire Tokyo Area will face extinction."

Kisaragi Tendo's words made Yu Xian frown. He understood the gravity of the situation and couldn't help but curse Kikunojo Tendo again in his heart.

That old man, who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, was causing trouble even in death. He was doing this merely to prevent Seitenshi's New Gastrea Law.

He hated the Cursed Children and, in order not to grant them their due human rights, he was willing to summon Scorpio, causing immense fear among the citizens of the Tokyo Area.

Was Kikunojo Tendo really not afraid of things spiraling out of control and the Tokyo Area being destroyed by Scorpio in the end?

Even with the Sky Ladder, the Linear Electromagnetic Projector, it might not be a 100% guarantee to kill Scorpio.

Hatred drove him to madness. Kikunojo Tendo's hatred for the Cursed Children had made him lose all reason.

He said seriously to Kisaragi Tendo, "We need to act immediately to retrieve the Seven Stars' Relic, and we also need to prepare a backup plan. If Scorpio..."

Woooo—

Before Yu Xian could finish speaking, a massive roar echoed through the entire Tokyo Area.

"Prepare to welcome Scorpio..."

Yu Xian hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and looked in the direction of the sound. A giant Gastrea appeared off the coast, slowly approaching the shore. It was the Stage V Gastrea, Scorpio.

The eleven Zodiac Gastrea that existed when the Gastrea first appeared, the giant stone tablets made of Varanium had no effect on them. They had once destroyed the world.

Scorpio was one of them.

The Tokyo Area was plunged into an unprecedented crisis, and everyone could only tremble helplessly before it.

Yu Xian clenched his fist, quickly calculating countermeasures in his mind. Unlike Kikunojo Tendo, he wouldn't place all his hopes on Rentaro and the Sky Ladder; he had to come up with other solutions.

What should he do?

As Yu Xian racked his brain, a hand gently rested on his shoulder.

He turned his head and saw Chiron, who had appeared behind him at some point.

He smiled and asked, "I heard that Gastrea was called Scorpio?"

Yuxian nodded, looking at Chiron with a questioning gaze. Did this great sage have a way to deal with it?

"Master, have you forgotten who I am?" Chiron smiled and pointed to himself. "As the embodiment of Sagittarius, it is my duty to protect humanity from the harm of Scorpio."

"But that's not the real Scorpio, it's just a powerful Gastrea."

Yuxian naturally knew Chiron's identity as Sagittarius, knew his legend – Sagittarius, forever aiming his bow at Scorpio in the sky. But the so-called Scorpio before him was just a Stage V Gastrea, merely named Scorpio.

Chiron retorted, "Master, what do you think Scorpio is? The constellation in the sky? Or the giant scorpion that killed Orion?"

He then shook his head and answered Yuxian's unspoken question himself, "This Gastrea before us, since it is called Scorpio and is widely known, then it is Scorpio. And since it is Scorpio, I will certainly not let it run rampant!"

Chiron slowly took a few steps forward, his entire body emitting an immense magical power. He was burning himself.

Eternal Dedication!

He had once given up his immortal divinity to ascend as Sagittarius, and this was the skill born from his legend.

Having transformed into a constellation, he became the being who protected humanity from Scorpio.

Yuxian was only a few steps away from the legend at this moment. He remembered his identity as Master and quickly used a Command Spell to strengthen Chiron. This was the only thing he could do now.

"Oh? It seems Master has grown quite a bit."

Yuxian's Level 2 reinforcement made Chiron feel a greater enhancement than ever before. His eyes showed a look of relief, as if seeing his student finally grow.

When Chiron's aura reached its peak, he raised his right hand high and pointed to the starry sky above.

In the night sky, where stars had previously shone together, all the stars dimmed, and only Sagittarius shone exceptionally bright, becoming the most dazzling existence in the entire sky.

O, scorpion of disaster, my arrow has been loosed.

This is a strike that pierces the star scorpion, vanish with the stars!

Scorpio Shot!!!

Sagittarius, shining brightly, erupted with an incredibly brilliant light at this moment. A meteor-like beam of light descended from the heavens and landed on the sea, striking Scorpio directly.

This beam of light was like an arrow shot by Sagittarius from the sky, traversing time and space from the distant starry heavens.

Boom!

The immense impact caused the entire sea surface to sink, and Scorpio let out a great cry. Its body slowly disintegrated, turning into stardust that sprinkled onto the sea and slowly sank to the bottom.

Splash!

Waves formed by the seawater crashed against the buildings along the coast before slowly receding.

Such powerful offensive capability completely overturned Yuxian's perception of Chiron. He had always believed Chiron's strengths lay in his wisdom, his incredibly vast knowledge, and his exquisite skills.

He never imagined that Chiron's strike could rival a space-based weapon, and a perfectly accurate one at that.

Chiron, having completed this strike, became extremely weak. Facing Yuxian's look of disbelief, he still fulfilled his duty as a teacher and explained, "The power of legends is very strong. Gretel and Jack exist because of it, and I can unleash such a powerful strike because of it. Master need not be surprised."

Yuxian quickly stepped forward to support him. He was deeply shocked. To be honest, he had indeed underestimated the Heroic Spirits around him.

Each of these Heroic Spirits had their own stories, and in those stories, they possessed their own powerful aspects.

Chiron was able to kill the Stage V Gastrea, Scorpio, in one blow precisely because of the legend that empowered him.

Yuxian had reminded himself more than once that this was not a game, yet his perspective could not escape his ingrained perceptions.

Chiron's words reminded him once again that the beings beside him were living, breathing individuals. Whether it was Jack, Gretel, or even a Servant like little Jeanne d'Arc who only appeared because of Christmas, they were all real, flesh and blood, not illusions.

Section 36 Chapter Sixteen Whoever makes Cat-tan cry, I'll make them cry until they can't anymore

Scorpio came suddenly and left just as suddenly, disappearing as if it were merely a transition.

The entire Tokyo Area was still in a state of panic, not even having time to take cover, when it was destroyed.

The beam of light that descended from the heavens had saved everyone like a miracle.

The higher-ups were searching everywhere for the source of that attack. Seitenshi had not yet had time to order the activation of the Sky Ladder before Scorpio was eliminated by an unknown entity.

Such powerful strength was no longer under their control, filling them with both surprise and fear.

The public, however, was inspired by this strike. Such a powerful Gastrea being so easily eliminated greatly boosted their confidence.

Yuxian helped Chiron to rest. The children in the outer districts, left unsupervised, became chaotic.

"Where is Atalanta?" Yuxian hadn't seen Atalanta and didn't know where she had gone. She usually wouldn't leave easily, and now, when Chiron needed rest and her presence was crucial, she was nowhere to be found.

"Sister Atalanta went that way!"

A child pointed in the direction outside the giant stone monument. She had seen Atalanta rushing off alone.

Yuxian blinked. That direction was where Hiruko Kage胤 was. Was Atalanta going to confront him in anger? He wondered where she got her information, or if it was simply a hunter's intuition?

With Atalanta's abilities, Yuxian wasn't worried about her safety. Hiruko Kage胤 was not enough to threaten her, especially in the forest. Ordinary individuals could not compare to a legendary hunter like her.

The commotion just now had been quite significant, and some of the timid children had been frightened. He and Mash were busy comforting these children, so they no longer paid attention to Atalanta's movements.

After finally managing to calm the children down, Yuxian was utterly exhausted. It was a testament to Atalanta's dedication in taking care of so many children; an ordinary person would have given up long ago.

He sprawled on a chair, utterly spent, resting. Just then, Atalanta entered from outside. Her head was bowed, making it impossible to discern her expression, but an unusual aura emanated from her, so potent it made one tremble.

Yuxian's heart skipped a beat, and his fatigue vanished instantly. He leaped up from the chair with a whoosh.

He ran to Atalanta's side and called out breathlessly, "Atalanta! Atalanta!"

Seeing Atalanta in this state, Yu Xian was very worried. She had a history of going berserk, and he prayed silently that nothing would happen.

Atalanta slowly raised her head, her face streaked with tears. Her helpless gaze turned to Yu Xian as she murmured, "Why..."

"What happened?" Yu Xian asked urgently, not knowing what Atalanta had encountered or what had stimulated her.

"Why did that child become like this?"

Atalanta was heartbroken and felt utterly helpless at that moment. She couldn't accept this reality.

"What child..." Yu Xian didn't quite understand what she meant, but the next moment he saw a box left outside the door, the Seven Stars' Relic.

He instantly understood the reason. Atalanta must have opened it and seen the true nature of the Seven Stars' Relic.

Being clever, how could she not guess the truth? A broken toy tricycle could become the medium to summon a Stage V Gastrea, Scorpio.

What was the reason?

The true identities of the eleven Stage V Gastrea that existed from the beginning were about to be revealed.

"Atalanta! You have to be strong!" Yu Xian tightly gripped her arms, his voice becoming very loud, trying to snap her out of it. "There are still many children here who need you!"

"I can't save anyone, I can't do it... I can't do it..."

Atalanta became self-destructive and began to doubt herself. At this moment, she had walked into a dead end and couldn't find her way out.

Yu Xian also hated this world deeply, but at this moment, he had to make Atalanta sober up.

He hugged her tightly and gently comforted her, "You have to believe in yourself. You've already done enough. Every child here likes you very much. They all see you as family. You can't just abandon them like this."