The Magic Called a Miracle (5.2K)

"... Mr Mahiro?"

Kayo turned his head in surprise and delight. There was no one else but Yotsuba Mahiro who could do this.

"My familiar!!!"

Rika also noticed that her toy had been destroyed, and immediately looked down, just in time to Mahiro Mahiro's cold gaze.

Immediately afterwards, she saw Yotsuba Mahiro slowly open her mouth, mimicking the shape of her lips—

"Goodbye."

Psion Light flickered, "Hummingbird" Kurume Rika suddenly followed in the footsteps of "Swordtail" Shikadake Jugo.

The mechanically modified prosthetic body parts then fell from mid-air.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mahiro, I've held you back because of me."

Emerging from behind cover, Kayo, looking somewhat disheveled, still wore his usual blank expression, but his dejection was still evident.

Mahiro reached out and ruffled Kayo's hair, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? You've done very well against an opponent like that, little Kayo."

It is indeed outstanding.

Kayo is not the type of combat-oriented factor. Even though the Gastrea Virus gives her a natural physical advantage, she is only at the level of an ordinary Cursed Children in terms of speed and strength. Not to mention that she is not as good as Kohina and Aihara Enju, she is not even as good as Asaka.

However, those two were definitely modified soldiers.

Aside from the self-introduction about fried fish, which was a modification of Arthur Shanak's scheme, another Cursed Children likely utilized Ayn Rand's work on developing the thought-driven interface.

The mechanical parts they left behind have been taken into Mahiro's possession.

Finally, what remains is a masterpiece that imitates and surpasses Sumire Muroto's work—

"It's your turn, Mitsugi Yuuga."

Snap, snap, snap...

Mitsugi Yuuga leaped down from the top of Shogen Ikuma's greatsword, waving his hands as he walked towards them.

"What a magnificent performance, Yotsuba Clan. That ability rivals our New World Transformation Project... No wonder our organization's supreme leader is so fond of you. Too bad, you're going to die by my hand."

"You talk as much nonsense as that dead fish."

Yotsuba Mahiro had no intention of wasting words with the other party, and directly raised "Night Demon" and pulled the trigger.

"It's useless, it's useless. I've seen through everything about you!"

Mitsugi Yuuga laughed wildly, and suddenly geometric patterns appeared in his eyes. The CPU installed inside the black pupils started up and then rotated. These two prosthetic eyes were an improved version of the "Type 21 Varanium Prosthetic Eyes" used by Satomi Rentaro. It was a model with greatly improved basic performance, a kind of calculation device that could slow down and accelerate thinking.

After his prosthetic eye was activated, his thought rate increased by more than a hundred times per minute, causing the flow of time around him to appear as if in slow motion within Mitsugi Yuuga's field of vision.

The movement of all things in the universe slowed down, and similarly, in Mitsugi Yuuga's eyes, Mahiro's speed was also slowed down.

"Technology changes the future. I am the pinnacle of technology. I can predict your attack trajectory by observing your muscle reactions and movements. No matter how fast you are, you can't possibly beat me. If you ask why..."

The dirt beneath his feet flew up as Mitsugi Yuuga at a Mahiro speed, his movements almost identical to Rentaro Satomi's!

"--Because I can see the future! Die!!"

His fist aimed straight for Mahiro's face.

However.

Even though he had accelerated his thinking and entered a state of observing the future, he saw Yotsuba Mahiro's lips curl into a smile at this moment.

It was as if they were mocking him.

Why?!

Why can this guy still move even within my territory?!

Immediately afterwards, he heard a detached voice ring out in his ear—

"Did you see yourself being Decomposition in the future?"

It felt like a flame was igniting inside my body.

With his thoughts racing at a hundred times faster, Mitsugi Yuuga clearly felt that every nerve, every blood vessel, every drop of blood, and even every DNA molecule in his body was being destroyed by some invisible force.

It is gradually Decomposition into the most basic elements of the world.

The heat released ignited his body and his soul.

The burning, scorching heat made him want to plunge into ice water.

But the next instant, he was met with coldness, an endless coldness. His prosthetic eye was still functioning, but for some reason, his vision suddenly disappeared, leaving only darkness.

Think?

It's impossible to do that anymore.

He had even forgotten who he was.

The only thing certain is that one's soul seems to be leaving the body, gradually drifting away...

Like a gentle breeze, the existence of Mitsugi Yuuga has vanished.

The remaining holmium prosthetic limb is proof of his existence, but Yotsuba Mahiro has already put this proof into his ring.

As for leaving a will, that's even less likely.

After all, he was too lazy to listen, and the other party wasn't qualified to speak.

"Let's go see the so-called Seven Stars' Legacy."

He took Kayo with him and first buried Shogen Ikuma. Then Kayo picked up the greatsword and used it as her own weapon. The petite loli holding a sword twice her height looked rather comical, to be honest.

But Kayo was still able to wield this greatsword.

He decided not to try to persuade her any further, and instead led her into the dilapidated, abandoned church.

I could vaguely sense someone watching me from above. A flashing drone was hovering in the sky. I knew without a doubt that it was sent by the Seitenshi and his men.

Strangely, the drone didn't follow him when he entered the church.

He quickly understood the reason.

The white aluminum suitcase that was placed on the long table at the far end of the church had been opened.

These guys really are here to destroy the Tokyo Area.

What was inside wasn't some high-tech device, nor some extremely rare mineral, but rather a red object... clearly broken.

"A children's tricycle...?"

"Yes, that's right." Mahiro sighed, "This is the Seven Stars' Legacy, and also the medium for summoning the Gastrea Zodiac. Kayo, you're so smart, you should have already guessed it, right?"

Upon hearing this, Kayo was slightly taken aback, then fell silent, speechless.

A broken children's tricycle, the Seven Stars' Legacy, the medium that summons the Zodiac Gastrea.

These three words seem unrelated, but when combined, they reveal a frightening truth.

Kayo's first thought was of Cursed Children like himself... no, more like a child even younger than himself, riding on this tricycle, a naive smile on their face...

Later, it was infected with Gastrea Virus and transformed into a stage-five Zodiac organism...

This is just the most rudimentary conjecture and hypothesis; further, more in-depth conjectures are beyond what Senju Kayo dares to imagine.

She raised her head, her eyes, now devoid of red, staring Mahiro.

"Hey, Mr. Mahiro, what exactly are we fighting for?"

She didn't know why she asked that question.

When she was partnered with Mr. Ikuma, she fought for his interests; after Shogen Ikuma's death, she felt she needed to do something, so she chose to fight for the Tokyo Area and to protect her homeland.

But now, after witnessing the truth about the Seven Stars' Legacy, she is confused.

A terrible thought lingered in her mind, prompting her to ask the strange older brother a question, hoping for an answer.

"I don't know either."

Yotsuba Mahiro smiled and subconsciously patted her head, "I'm just a passerby. If I had to say what I'm fighting for, I'm fighting for you children, for the people I want to protect, and for you, Kayo."

"..."

Kayo was stunned when she heard the answer. She stared at him blankly, her small hands clutching the front of her clothes. His handsome smile kept flashing through her mind, and she involuntarily lowered her head slowly.

"That's a really despicable statement..."

"Mr. Mahiro, you really are an incurable loli-con."

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, but for the first time, it revealed an emotion she herself couldn't comprehend.

Just then, a phone call broke the silence between the two.

It was the Seitenshi calling, and he was informed of some information in an unprecedentedly serious tone—

"Mr. Mahiro, I'm sorry to call you at this time, but there's something I absolutely need to let you know—"

Scorpio, one of the Zodiac, has arrived.

Chapter 76: The Magic of Miracles (5.2K)

"Scorpio, one of the Zodiac, has arrived. You should have an Initiator with you, right? Take her and escape from here immediately. The Tokyo Area is... beyond saving."

A calm and steady voice came from the phone, and at the end, a clear sigh of resignation could be heard.

One can imagine how much courage the Seitenshi mustered, and how desperate he must have been, when he made that phone call.

The Seitenshi is probably watching the scene on the screen right now, pale-faced, biting her lower lip in resentment, her hands clenched into fists under her white silk gloves, her delicate body trembling slightly.

However, the moment she finished speaking...

The battle had already begun in the distance over Tokyo Bay, and even from such a great distance, the sounds of artillery fire could still be clearly heard.

Missiles, poison gas bombs, torpedoes, bunker buster bombs...

Almost every available weapon fired in unison at that moment, but it couldn't even slow down the enemy's advance, let alone cause any damage.

Even if a bunker buster manages to break through the hard protective shell and cause negligible damage, it will be restored to its original state in the next second.

In the darkness before dawn, a colossal beast was vaguely visible on the sea, slowly moving towards Tokyo Bay.

That was Scorpio in Phase Five, its body resembling a mutated flea magnified countless times. No one knew exactly how many biological genetic factors that body had absorbed to ultimately become like this.

Its enormous body, as large as a mountain, was covered with cracked, dark brown skin, which looked like it had smallpox, covered with bumps of all sizes. On each bump were raised, red eyes. Numerous tentacles, like snake heads, burst out from the skin of its neck, head, eyes, and other parts. The number of tentacles was too many to count in a short time as they swung around wildly.

This fifth-stage Scorpio has a small head, a concave mouth that looks like it has no teeth, and numerous alternating flashing light bands all over its body.

And that towering, enormous body was a hundred meters taller than Planet Godzilla, a terrifying four hundred meters in size!

Just standing there is enough to be a synonym for terror.

A single glance from afar is enough to clearly feel the fear that comes from one's biological instincts.

As Scorpio glides forward on the sea surface, it impatiently swats away missiles that tear through the night sky with its tentacles.

The explosive flames from the missile evaporated the surrounding seawater, yet it showed no obvious damage. Even if one of its tentacles was unfortunately blown off, it would quickly regenerate, completely unfazed by the continuous artillery fire from the fleet.

"Mr. Mahiro, you should have seen Scorpio by now, right? That's something that no human can fight against, so hurry up and run away while there's still time."

The Seitenshi offered his advice once again over the phone.

And what about you?

"I... I want to stay in the Tokyo Area. As the head of the Tokyo Area, I have the responsibility and obligation to accompany my supporters to the very end."

"You're as stubborn as ever, Your Seitenshi. But I love that seriousness in you."

"Don't joke around at a time like this..."

"I'm not joking," Mahiro interrupted. "I really like you, and I won't run away, because there are still many people in the Tokyo Area who are worth protecting, like those children, President Kisara, and you, Seitenshi."

"... Mr Mahiro, thank you for saying that, but we are powerless against Scorpio."

"That can't be right, can it? Where's the Sky Ladder?"

The object he was referring to was a relic from the end of the Gastrea Wars.

Although it was completed, it was ultimately abandoned along with the site before it could even undergo a single trial run. This colossal weapon, known as Sky Ladder "Heaven's Ladder," witnessed the day of defeat for the Gastrea.

Two 1,500-meter-long parallel tracks pierce the sky at a 70-degree angle and extend into the thin clouds. Due to the obscuration of clouds and fog, their tops are often not visible.

It is the pinnacle of human killing weapons in this world, also known as the "linear electromagnetic projection device", a railgun module capable of accelerating metal missiles with a diameter of less than 800 millimeters to sub-light speed for firing.