Chapter Fifteen: Are You Sure That's Scorpio and Not Barbatos? / Chapter Sixteen: Whoever Made Tamamo Cry, I'll Make Sure They Can't Cry Again

"You're so stupid! Master must be really angry right now. Maybe he'll punish you. You should run away first, then come back after Master has calmed down. He won't remember anymore."

Gretel earnestly offered Jack advice. If Yuxian had heard that, he would definitely have thought she was the one who needed educating.

Jack did not listen to Gretel's advice. In her mind, she had done nothing wrong, and Yuxian would never punish her.

She skipped over to Yuxian and happily called out, "Mommy!"

Yuxian picked her up and softly asked, "Did Jack go out last night?"

"Mm! Last night, we found bad people who wanted to hurt Mommy, so we went and got rid of all of them." Jack nodded happily. "Jack will protect Mommy."

Yuxian immediately understood what had happened. Someone had wanted to harm them in secret, but Jack had keenly noticed it, followed the trail, and found Kikunojo Tendo behind it all.

Yuxian gently stroked Jack's hair and said kindly, "Jack was very good. But if something like this happens again, you have to tell me first, understand?"

"But Mommy was asleep."

"Then wake me up. It's dangerous for you to go out alone. And what if other bad people come while Jack isn't beside me?"

Yuxian taught her in a way Jack could understand, so that she would not act rashly again in the future.

"Oh! Jack didn't think of that. We'll stay beside Mommy and protect Mommy from now on." Jack readily accepted Yuxian's explanation. To her, Yuxian was the most important.

"Jack must never do dangerous things again." Yuxian set her back down and let her continue playing.

Jack nodded happily and returned to her companions.

Gretel grabbed her and quietly asked, "What did Master say to you? He wasn't angry?"

She was very curious. Yuxian had let Jack come back so easily; she had thought Jack would get a thorough scolding.

"Why would Mommy be angry?" Jack found Gretel's words baffling.

Seeing that Jack still acted as though nothing had happened, Gretel sighed in an old-fashioned tone, "Master is really good at fooling children!"

Yuxian had long noticed Gretel muttering to herself over there, and he happened to walk over to them at that moment.

Hearing Gretel's words, he gave her a sharp chop on the head. "Alice, I think I heard you talking bad about me."

Gretel clutched her head with both hands and looked tearfully at the others, blaming them for not warning her in time.

Yuxian seriously reminded them, "If anything happens in the future, you must discuss it with me. Never act alone. Everyone will worry about you."

"Okay!"

The little ones obediently nodded in agreement.

Are You Sure This Is Scorpio and Not Barbatos?

Atalanta was sulking at Yuxian and ignoring him, while the city was in a state of panic. It was not a good time to go there.

For a while, Yuxian was completely free.

But that leisure did not last long before a phone call shattered it.

It was a call from Kisaragi Tendo. In an extremely solemn tone, she said, "Yuxian, there's very bad news. The Seven Stars' Relic has gone missing again. Hiruko Kagetane took it once more."

"Huh?"

Yuxian thought he had misheard. He had only just managed to intercept the Seven Stars' Relic from Hiruko Kagetane not long ago. How had it returned to Kagetane's hands after only a few days?

"I can't explain the details to you right now, but we have to stop him. The Seven Stars' Relic is the medium capable of summoning the Stage V Gastrea Scorpio. If it is abused, the entire Tokyo Area will face annihilation."

Kisaragi Tendo's words made Yuxian frown. He understood the seriousness of the situation and could not help despising Kikunojo Tendo once again.

That old man would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Even in death, he refused to rest. He had done this solely to prevent Seitenshi's New Gastrea Law.

He hated the Cursed Children. To prevent them from receiving the human rights they deserved, he was even willing to summon Scorpio and plunge all the people of the Tokyo Area into terror.

Was Kikunojo Tendo really not afraid of losing control and having the Tokyo Area destroyed by Scorpio in the end?

Even with the Sky Ladder—the Linear Electromagnetic Projector—there was no guarantee it could kill Scorpio.

Hatred drove people mad. Kikunojo Tendo's hatred for the Cursed Children had already made him lose all reason.

He said seriously to Kisaragi Tendo, "We need to act immediately to retrieve the Seven Stars' Relic. At the same time, we need a second plan prepared. If Scorpio—"

Woooo—

Before Yuxian could finish speaking, a tremendous wail rang out, its distant sound spreading throughout the Tokyo Area.

"Prepare to welcome Scorpio..."

Yuxian hung up, took a deep breath, and looked toward the source of the sound. A gigantic Gastrea had appeared in the offshore waters and was slowly approaching the coast. It was the Stage V Gastrea Scorpio.

Among the eleven Zodiac Gastrea that had existed from the very beginning, the Varanium monoliths had no effect on them. They had once destroyed the world.

Scorpio was one of them.

The Tokyo Area had fallen into an unprecedented crisis. Everyone could only tremble helplessly before it.

Yuxian clenched his fists and rapidly considered a response. Unlike Kikunojo Tendo, he would not place all his hopes on Rentaro and the Sky Ladder. He had to think of another way.

What should he do?

As Yuxian racked his brains, a hand gently rested on his shoulder.

He turned around and discovered that Chiron had somehow appeared behind him.

Chiron smiled and asked, "I heard that Gastrea is called Scorpio?"

Yuxian nodded and looked at Chiron questioningly. Could this Great Sage have a way to deal with it?

"Has Master forgotten my identity?" Chiron smiled and pointed at himself. "As the embodiment of Sagittarius, protecting humanity from Scorpio is my duty."

"But that isn't the real Scorpio. It's only a powerful Gastrea."

Of course Yuxian knew Chiron's identity as Sagittarius and knew his legend—the Sagittarius eternally drawing its bow in the sky and aiming it at Scorpio. But the so-called Scorpio before them was merely a Stage V Gastrea. It had simply been named Scorpio.

Chiron asked in return, "What does Master think Scorpio is? A constellation in the sky? Or the giant scorpion that killed Orion?"

He then shook his head and explained to Yuxian, answering his own question. "Since the Gastrea before us is called Scorpio and is widely known as such, then it is Scorpio. And since it is Scorpio, I will not allow it to run rampant!"

Chiron slowly took a few steps forward. An unimaginably vast amount of magical energy surged from his entire body as he burned himself away.

Eternal Dedication!

He had once given up his immortal divinity and ascended into Sagittarius. This was the skill born from his legend.

Having become a constellation, he became one who protected humanity from Scorpio.

Yuxian was only a few steps away from legend itself. Remembering his identity as Master, he hurriedly strengthened Chiron with Command Spells. It was the only thing he could do now.

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

Yuxian's Level 2 enhancement gave Chiron a greater boost than before. A gratified look appeared in his eyes, as though he were seeing his student finally mature.

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

In the night sky, where the stars had once competed in brilliance, every star dimmed. Only Sagittarius shone especially bright, becoming the most dazzling presence in the entire sky.

O scorpion of calamity, my arrow has already been fired.

This is the strike that pierces the scorpion of the stars. Vanish alongside the stars!

Scorpio Shot!!!

At that instant, the brilliant Sagittarius erupted with incomparably dazzling light. A meteor-like beam descended from the heavens and struck the sea, hitting Scorpio directly.

That beam seemed like an arrow fired by Sagittarius in the sky, traveling through time and space from the distant starry heavens.

Boom!

The tremendous impact caused the entire sea surface to sink. Scorpio let out a huge cry of agony as its body slowly disintegrated into stardust, scattering across the water before gradually sinking to the seafloor.

Crash!

Waves formed from seawater slammed against the coastal buildings, then slowly receded.

Such overwhelming destructive power completely overturned Yuxian's understanding of Chiron. He had always believed Chiron's strengths lay in his wisdom, his immensely broad knowledge, and his superb skills.

Yet Chiron's strike was practically comparable to an Orbital Weapon—and one that never missed.

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

Yuxian hurried forward to support him. He was deeply shocked. Honestly, he had truly underestimated the Heroic Spirits around him.

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

Chiron being able to kill the Stage V Gastrea Scorpio in one blow was precisely because of the blessing of his own legend.

Yuxian had reminded himself more than once that this was not a game, yet his perspective still could not break free from his old assumptions.

Chiron's words reminded him once again that those around him were living beings. Whether it was Jack, Gretel, or even a Servant like Little Jeanne who had only appeared because of Christmas, they were all real, flesh and blood—not false.

Whoever Made Ata Cry, I'll Make Them Unable to Cry

Scorpio had come suddenly and left just as suddenly, as though it had merely made a brief appearance before vanishing.

The people of the Tokyo Area were still in panic and had not even had time to hide before it was destroyed.

That beam descending from the sky had saved everyone like a miracle.

The higher-ups searched everywhere for the source of that attack. Before Seitenshi could even order someone to activate the Sky Ladder, Scorpio had been destroyed by an unknown existence.

Such a powerful force being outside their control both astonished and frightened them.

The public, however, was encouraged by that strike. Such a powerful Gastrea had been so easily defeated, greatly boosting their confidence.

Yuxian helped Chiron rest. With no one to supervise them, the children in the Outer District became chaotic.

"Where's Atalanta?" Yuxian did not see Atalanta and did not know where she had gone. She normally would not leave this place casually. Now that Chiron needed rest, this was precisely when he needed her, yet she was nowhere to be found.

"Big Sister Atalanta went that way!"

A child pointed outside the monoliths. She had seen Atalanta rush away alone.

Yuxian blinked. That direction was where Hiruko Kagetane was. Atalanta must have gone to settle the score with him in anger. He just did not know whether she had received some information or was simply following a hunter's instincts.

Given Atalanta's abilities, Yuxian was not worried that anything would happen to her. Hiruko Kagetane was not enough to threaten her, especially in the forest. Ordinary people could not compare to a legendary hunter like her at all.

The commotion just now had been rather great, and some timid children had been frightened. He and Mash were busy comforting them, so he stopped paying attention to Atalanta's movements.

After finally calming the children down, Yuxian was exhausted. It was fortunate Atalanta had been able to care for so many children with such dedication all this time. An ordinary person truly would not have been able to keep it up.

He sprawled back in a chair to rest. At that moment, Atalanta entered from outside. Her head was lowered, making her expression impossible to see, but the strange aura around her was so dense it made people tremble.

Yuxian's heart skipped a beat. The fatigue in his body instantly vanished, and he sprang up from the chair.

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

Seeing Atalanta like this, Yuxian was extremely worried. She had a history of falling into darkness. He prayed that nothing had happened.

Atalanta slowly raised her head. Her face was covered in tears, and her helpless eyes looked at Yuxian as she murmured, "Why..."

"What happened?" Yuxian hurriedly asked, not knowing what Atalanta had encountered or what had affected her so deeply.

"Why did that child become like this?"

Atalanta was heartbroken. At that moment, she felt utterly helpless and could not accept such a reality.

"What child..." Yuxian did not quite understand what she meant, but in the next moment, he saw a box placed outside the door—the Seven Stars' Relic.

He instantly understood. Atalanta must have opened it and seen the Seven Stars' Relic's true form.

How could someone as intelligent as her fail to guess the truth? A worn-out toy tricycle had become the medium for summoning the Stage V Gastrea Scorpio.

What could be the reason?

The true nature of the eleven Stage V Gastrea that had existed from the beginning was becoming obvious.

"Atalanta! You have to be strong!" Yuxian tightly gripped her arms, raising his voice as he tried 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..."

Atalanta became self-destructive. She began doubting herself. At that moment, she had entered a dead end and could not find her way out.

Yuxian also hated this world deeply, but at this moment, he had to bring Atalanta back to her senses.

He held her tightly and gently comforted her. "You have to believe in yourself. You've already done more than enough. Every child here loves you. They all see you as family. You can't abandon them like this."