The Journey's Sudden End
Higashino Makoto stood in the strategic conference room of Novas Etier's Seventh Floor, with a huge light mirror floating in front of him.
The mirror reflects Black Bullet.
"Grown ups."
Shinano stood behind him, her nine fox tails swaying gently in the still room, her long silver hair falling from her shoulders, and her purple eyes half-open and half-closed.
"The last batch of Cursed Children have been settled."
How many are there now?
"The number exceeds two million."
Higashino Makoto nodded.
He turned around, walked to the window, and looked out at the artificial blue sky.
With these 12,300 added, he took away more than two million Cursed Children.
Those children are now in the first tier of Novas Etier, in those white and gray tents, under the care of Rem and Akeno, eating sweets, wearing new clothes, and learning to read.
How much is left?
"According to the final intelligence statistics, the total number of Cursed Children worldwide is approximately two million. The adults took two million, leaving only about one hundred thousand. Among them are those who are with the Facilitators and unwilling to leave, and others whose guardians don't care about their identities, so they don't want to leave..."
"That's settled then."
Higashino Makoto's voice was calm.
He walked back to the mirror, his golden eyes gazing at the blue planet.
"Next, we need to deal with the rest."
He closed his eyes and opened his arms.
A purple-gold light surged from his palm and spread in all directions.
This is a projection of a small world.
Light surged from the small world, passing through the deep purple light gate, through spatial rifts, through the gaps between dimensions, and covering the blue planet.
The entire Earth unfolded within his perception.
Earth, ocean, sky, city, forest, desert.
Everything unfolded in his consciousness.
Those humans living in the city, those Cursed Children huddled in the corners, those Gastrea wandering outside the Monolith.
He found them.
Those children with red eyes, whose veins flow with gastrulation factors.
My current self-control is insufficient, and I am unable to perform very precise operations.
However, those children had already been marked by the mercenary monsters.
In this situation, he can perform some operations that he cannot normally do.
"The Tree of Life."
He whispered the name.
Emerald green light separated from the purplish-gold light, like fine threads, passing through the gaps between dimensions and falling onto Earth.
Each thread precisely targeted a Cursed Children, seeping into the mutated cells within their bodies.
The gastrulators were suppressed, sealed, and tamed within the emerald green light.
It will not grow anymore.
Gastrin levels will not exceed 50% again.
Therefore, it will not revert to Gastrea.
Higashino Makoto opened his eyes and withdrew his hands.
A purple-gold light surged back into his palm from all directions and then dissipated.
"Sir, what have you done?"
"I modified their genes. For the remaining children who didn't want to leave, and whose families were still around, I decided to give them a gift so they wouldn't have to worry about becoming Gastrea anymore."
Shinano looked at him, her purple eyes flashing with a complex light.
"What about Gastrea? Without the Cursed Children, how can humans deal with Gastrea?"
In this world, although technology has developed quite well.
However, almost all of the satellites were shot down by the five stages of Gastrea, known as the Zodiac, and with the loss of more than 80% of the territory, some long-range weapons could no longer be used properly.
Therefore, the Cursed Children are the first choice to fight against the Gastrea.
"It's none of my business."
He turned around and walked out of the meeting room.
"That's their own problem. They have flowers, they have Monolith, they possess human Wisdom. They've been fighting for so many years, so many people have died, it's time they learned how to fight. If they don't learn, then they'll be eaten."
He paused, recalling the nausea he felt when he first watched anime.
The fact that I didn't follow God's example and launch a massive purge is already a testament to my self-restraint!
Therefore, he chose to remain aloof, even though he could easily deal with the Gastrea.
"The strong prey on the weak, only the fittest survive; that's just how the world is."
Not to mention--
He looked up at the "god" in the sky.
He did not ask for help.
The gods of this world may not consider the emergence of Gastrea a disaster; they might even view Gastrea as a form of evolution.
Human civilization is on the verge of collapse, yet it has taken no action.
He took away a large number of the Cursed Children, and He did nothing else.
Perhaps, He doesn't care.
Perhaps this world, led by the original protagonist, will take a completely different path?
Indeed, I still know too little about God.
Hopefully, the gods in the One Punch Man- Punch Man world will give me some surprises!
He walked out of the conference room with a sense of anticipation in his heart.
Shinano followed behind him, her nine fox tails swaying gently behind her.
"My lord, I've heard that the one you left behind to protect the Seitenshi is a Hanzo."
Higashino Makoto nodded in agreement.
"Yes, but I didn't give her control. I only protected and monitored her. If anyone tried to kill her, Hanzo would intervene. After all, she's a flower I've set my sights on; I can't let her wither away prematurely."
He actually quite liked the Seitenshi.
She is of noble birth, kind-hearted, and beautiful.
Although he's not very bright, Higashino Makoto doesn't really care about that.
He stopped walking, but didn't turn around.
"Let's keep it healthy for now, and eat it when we have time."
He continued walking forward, his footsteps echoing in the corridor.
Shinano watched his retreating figure, a soft light flashing in her purple eyes, then lifted her skirt and followed him.
"Sir, what are your plans next?"
"I'm planning to go check out the world of One Punch Man- Punch Man. If I can break my limiter, my chances of defeating the Nine Luminaries World Devourer will be much better."
With my current strength, I shouldn't have any problem protecting myself in the world of One Punch Man- Punch Man, right?
Therefore, he decided to restart the exploration of this world that he himself had suspended.
Given my current state, surviving in that world shouldn't be a problem.