"You shouldn't be worrying about any of that," Nanashi said coldly. "You should be worrying about yourself."
He sneered.
"I'm not going to kill you. Not yet. I'm going to control you. I'll make you help Seitenshi rebuild the world after this mess—make you spread the good word about the Cursed Children."
"And then, I'll let Kisara be the one to kill you."
"What…?"
Kikunojou Tendo's expression finally cracked.
Make him—him—praise the Cursed Children?
Unthinkable!
Impossible!
And yet… he felt his mind slipping.
Nanashi's eyes sparkled—bright, celestial stars glowing within his gaze.
Kikunojou's panic vanished in an instant.
Calm returned.
Nanashi grinned.
"So… What do you think of the Cursed Children?"
Fanaticism overtook Kikunojou's expression.
"The Cursed Children… They're angels! They're children of angels!"
His sudden outburst sent a chill down Kayo's spine.
Seitenshi remained silent—still lost in the ruins of her shattered worldview.
Nanashi sighed. Drastic times, drastic measures.
He adjusted his grip and gave a firm pinch to a particularly soft spot.
"Ah!"
Seitenshi jumped up, clutching her backside with both hands, her face red with shame and fury.
Nanashi looked utterly unbothered, savoring the moment.
Then, with a relaxed voice, he said:
"Come on, no time for daydreaming. Focus. We've got real work to do, Seitenshi."
He added with a smirk:
"Check the news."
What he didn't mention aloud—was the incoming message from the Doomsday Chat Group.
Lemuel: "Nanashi, wow! A huge monster is crawling out of the sea!"
Shinobu: "Here's a picture—it's that thing."
Kisara: "That's the Zodiac-class Gastrea—Scorpio!"
Aqua: "Ugh, it looks so gross. I want to purify it."
March 7th: "It's really ugly... Is it strong?"
Nanashi: "In short, it's one of the strongest proto-gastrea in the world. But to me, it's far weaker than Doommon."
March 7th: "Oh, then it's not that scary."
Saeko: "Still, something about its appearance is deeply unsettling."
Lemuel: "Yeah… I don't know why, but it feels like that monster is crying out in pain. Like it's… angry."
Reinhard: "I sense it too."
Nanashi: "Maybe it is—a tragedy created by humans."
He paused, then added with a somber tone:
"The original Gastrea virus… was born from human experimentation."
The so-called "legacy of the Seven Stars" was nothing more than a child's bicycle—yet it was the medium that summoned Scorpio.
That connection made Nanashi think of one thing.
Scorpio was once a child.
And that was truly sad.
Gastrea were created by human hands, yet humanity cast all blame onto the Cursed Children.
Perhaps the world did need a full reset.
Momonga: "Humans always seem to create their own downfall…"
In his world, there was no blue sky. No drifting white clouds. No sun-dappled trees.
Only haze. Poisoned air. And endless ruin.
Reinhard: "Shall I go defeat it?"
Nanashi: "No… I may have a better plan to change the world."
He turned to Seitenshi, who was visibly panicking.
"Could you prepare a live broadcast… for the entire world?"
"Mmm!"
[Emergency Broadcast!]
A Zodiac-class Gastrea—Scorpio—has appeared outside the Tokyo District's Monolith perimeter!
Panic spread like wildfire.
"We're going to die! Tokyo's doomed!"
"Don't be stupid! Can't you see the Monolith is still intact?!"
"Can it stop Scorpio, though?"
"Quick—send the Cursed Children! Make them fight it!"
The city was consumed by fear and rage. Chaos reigned.
But the threat wasn't just Scorpio.
Countless other proto-gastrea were gathering as well.
Far above the chaos, atop the massive Monolith, a group of figures stood.
Nanashi was there—alongside Cai, Yun, Red, Enju, Kayo, and a few terrified camera operators.
These cameramen were shaking, not just from the height or the monster in the distance—but from Nanashi himself.
They had seen the impossible: carried to the top of the Monolith by some invisible force at Nanashi's command.
And now… directly above them, dozens of kilometers in the sky, loomed Scorpio—the grotesque monster, slowly approaching.
Surrounding it were hordes of other Gastrea.
Dear God… Are we supposed to face these things?
Enju looked up at Nanashi, her expression firm.
"Brother Nanashi, do you need my help?"
Despite knowing how terrifying the Zodiac-class was, she still wanted to fight.
Nanashi smiled gently.
"I appreciate your bravery, Enju. But this part is up to me."
"I'll leave protecting the others to you."
Lemuel: "Don't worry. My guns are deployed in every direction!"
At her word, hundreds of floating guns surrounded the group, rotating in a protective formation.
"Gun Weapon Field!"
The sheer absurdity of the scene made Kisara and the others twitch involuntarily.
But Nanashi was calm—confident.
With Lemuel here, there was nothing to fear of an accident.
He took off—rising into the sky.
"!!! W-What? Are we flying too?!"
The photographers screamed in confusion as they floated into the air alongside Nanashi.
As they rose higher, drawing closer to Scorpio's towering form, the camera crew turned pleading eyes toward Seitenshi.
Your Majesty… Please save us!
But she could only pray silently—for Nanashi to win.
Nanashi: "Keep filming. Don't worry—the Gastrea can't touch you."
He waved his hand, and the four photographers were positioned at cardinal points to capture everything.
Below them swarmed the smaller proto-gastrea.
Before them loomed Scorpio—a nightmarish figure towering four to five hundred feet tall.
Just one look sent shivers through their spines.
Its dark, cracked muscles were riddled with scar-like protrusions—like pox scars gone monstrous.
Eight scythe-like, barbed appendages pierced its flesh from its head, neck, and even its right eye.
Its skull was grotesquely enlarged, with a sickle-shaped beak twisting out of the corner of its mouth.
Its lone remaining eye was pitifully small.
"It's horrifying…!"
One cameraman burst into tears.
"Mom! I wanna go home!"
Unfortunately, his crying drew attention.
A massive flying Gastrea lunged toward him.
"No!!"
He screamed in terror as the others froze in place.
But what happened next stunned them all.
The creature halted mid-air—then, with a shriek of pain, was ripped apart by an invisible force.
Not even its regenerative powers could save it.
Nanashi: "Didn't I tell you? You're safe with me. Now get back to filming."
His calm voice cut through their panic like a balm.
They finally understood—there was something protecting them.
Swallowing their fear, hands trembling, they turned on their cameras… and began to film.
"What's going on? Why did the emergency news turn into a live broadcast?"
Everyone who had been hiding now stared at their TVs in shock as the emergency warning abruptly shifted into a live transmission.
At first, they were confused—then they were utterly captivated.
Thousands of Gastrea.
The massive, horrifying Scorpio.
And a man glowing gold, floating mid-air.
What is this?
A man—bathed in golden light—hovered in the sky, facing Scorpio head-on.
Is that… real?
Right in front of Scorpio? That's impossible!
Some viewers even suspected it was fake—clever editing or CGI.
But then, without warning, a voice echoed in the minds of everyone across the globe.
[To all people of the world, listen well.]
At first, many thought they were hallucinating. But as they glanced at those around them, they saw the same stunned expressions.
The voice continued:
[I will eliminate the Gastrea. I will erase the virus. I will bring peace to this world.]
[Humanity will witness a new reshuffling.]
[The distortion… the darkness… will be cleansed.]
[New rules shall be established. A new humanity will be chosen.]
[Those who hate the Cursed Children…]
[Those who bully them…]
[Those who abuse them…]
[All will face judgment.]
"!!!"
The entire world heard it.
Some trembled in fear.
"Is this divine punishment?"
Others sneered.
"Tch. Just a showman playing god."
Some were enraged.
"Who the hell are you to decide our fate?!"
And others spat venom.
"The Cursed Children should be wiped out!"
Voices of defiance, disbelief, fear, and fury filled the air across nations.
But among them—the Cursed Children heard it too.
Eyes wide in disbelief, they listened to a voice that spoke on their behalf.
A voice willing to make the whole world its enemy—for them.
Some felt their hearts bloom with warmth.
Tears welled up, unbidden.
Others clenched their fists.
"Idiot…"
You'll be killed for this.
Broadcasting something like that to the entire world...
[If you don't believe me, then watch with your own eyes.]
[I am right here. Witness my power.]
Back in Tokyo, eyes turned to the live feed.
"That's him!!!"
Rentaro Satomi stared at the screen, stunned.
It was him—the man he had met that day.
Nanashi, now clad in radiant golden imperial robes, slowly raised his hand.
On screen, a violent wind swirled.
Countless strands of green energy—like ribbons—rushed toward Nanashi from every direction, converging into his palm.
In an instant, a blinding blue-white sphere of light formed.
The very air shimmered and distorted around it.
Then—Nanashi brought his hand down.
The orb of light shot downward—straight into Scorpio's chest.
The screen went white.
A massive BOOM echoed, drowning everything in a roar of light and destruction.
At that exact moment—
All of Tokyo shook.
The blast resounded just outside the Monolith.
When the white light finally faded…
A shaky camera picked up the aftermath.
Someone gulped audibly.
"G-God… That's God…"
The voice belonged to the cameraman.
The lens trembled for a moment, then stabilized.
The image revealed the earth below—
A crater.
Wider than a lake.
A massive sinkhole stretching tens of kilometers.
Everything—gone.
The Gastrea horde.
Scorpio.
Annihilated.
Nanashi lowered his hand slowly, calmly.
He looked directly into the camera.
His golden eyes blazed with celestial might.
It was as if Heaven itself stared through the screen at the entire world.
His lips parted.
A voice—cold and absolute—echoed once more in every mind.
[The world has only four days.]
[Four days until judgment begins.]
BANG!
The broadcast was abruptly cut off.
The screen went black.
The voice disappeared.