"Genesis..."
Sumire was astonished by Asahi's assertion, yet she quickly regained her composure. After all, in the past, others had similar hypotheses to Asahi's, but no one had successfully proven them.
"So, do you have any clues yet?"
"Not yet, but I will try my luck at Seven Stars Village first."
Asahi said in a low voice.
In truth, Genesis was only a secondary goal he had set. His main goal for his upcoming departure from the area was much grander.
Now, the entire Tokyo Area was in his hands. His Area had firmly established itself, and the defense system was complete. Even if Asahi wasn't present, security wouldn't be an issue.
Therefore, he would reach out to other places.
After seeing Sumire off, Asahi proceeded to the deepest level of the research area.
This place was deserted; the only person authorized to enter was Asahi.
It was just an empty room, where a single device was displayed. The central part of the device turned out to be the octagonal device seen earlier. Or rather, the octagonal device was just one part of a complete system.
This was still merely an incomplete prototype. But Asahi could perfectly imagine the future of this object.
With this device, the Cursed Children could not only be cured of the viral erosion but the Gastrea Virus within their bodies could also be cyclically absorbed into the device.
In the best-case scenario, this thing could both enhance the host's power and permanently prevent the Gastrea-transformation percentage from ever exceeding 50%.
With the near-indestructible regenerative capability of the Gastrea Virus, this was nothing short of a semi-perpetual energy source for the Cursed Children to use.
And it unlocked the greatest potential of the Gastrea Virus and the Cursed Children.
But besides the potential, Asahi had also imagined one more thing.
That was war.
Never challenge the limits of humanity.
Everything was not yet resolved; announcing this would only be futile.
He could suppress everything, but he couldn't suppress everything eternally.
"Wait for me..."
"Soon... everyone can continue to look at the blue sky, basking in the golden sunlight..."
"I promise."
Asahi murmured, his voice echoing softly in the empty room, making his figure look isolated, yet utterly resolute.
...
The Dojo.
The cool morning air filled the room where two people stood facing each other.
Tendou Kisara, the young woman wearing a black sailor uniform, stood on one side in a sword-drawing stance. On the opposite side was the young man named Satomi Rentaro, in a combat stance, like a hunting leopard about to pounce.
The morning sunlight gently brushed past the girl's raven hair, making it shine brilliantly. It also swept across the sweat trickling down the young man, as if to prove the invisible pressure hidden beneath this idyllic scene.
They had maintained this posture for a full ten minutes.
It wasn't that they hadn't fought; the fight had already begun.
Kisara's sword style was the Tendou-style Sword Art, a comprehensive style of offense and defense, with countless variations.
It looked ordinary, but Kisara's current posture had reached a state of utter perfection, making Rentaro feel that no matter how an enemy attacked, merely stepping into her domain would result in being ripped to shreds.
"Luckily, it's a wooden sword."
He thought to himself.
A second later, a change occurred.
Kisara exhaled lightly, her clear voice ringing throughout the dojo.
"Satomi, why did you request this match?"
"Because I want to be stronger."
Facing Rentaro's near-instantaneous and resolute answer, Kisara still found it hard to hide her surprise.
"Are you serious? The old Satomi... you know."
"I haven't changed. I still hate this power. But compared to hatred, there are more important things I need to protect."
"Satomi..."
The old Rentaro could only be described with two words: "wasted."
Living day by day, merely existing in a state of numbness, because deep down, he wished everyone would just die; this life no longer held any hope.
But...
"Hope always exists."
Satomi Rentaro had once again picked up his resolve.
Thinking of this, Kisara unconsciously smiled. A determined Rentaro? Somehow, it was strangely endearing.
"Tendou Style Sword Technique, First Form!"
The katana was drawn out lightning-fast, creating a whistling sound that cut the air. Kisara had attacked.
It was a single slash, and all Rentaro registered was an extremely soft sound passing by. However, the air directly in front of Kisara exploded, and he felt something like an invisible blade slice over his head as he ducked to evade.
Rentaro swallowed hard. The position of that invisible wind blade was exactly where his neck had been.
Even if it didn't kill him, getting hit by that wouldn't be pleasant.
The previous stroke utilized the momentum from the scabbard to increase the speed and swing the blade to a distance equivalent to the combined length of the sword, the attacker's arm, and their step.
That was only one of countless moves of the Tendou Sword Style.
Rentaro had witnessed all the moves, and he knew she could strike three times as far, and that was three years ago.
Therefore, he knew the Second Form was coming.
"Tendou Style Sword Technique, Second Form!"
"Tendou Style Combat Technique, Phoenix Dance!"
Rentaro instantly dashed forward, closing the distance in a flash. Kisara's sword had also cut out.
Finally, they halted.
The young man's fist stopped right before the girl's abdomen, while the girl's sword was held right against the young man's neck.
This could be considered a draw.
"A draw my butt..."
Rentaro groaned, collapsing onto the tatami mat. If this were a real fight, his head would have likely left his body. Although his "opponent" would eventually die from internal organ damage, he still died first, meaning he lost.
"Is this kind of training effective, Satomi?"
"... To be honest..."
"What?"
"Not really..."
Rentaro sighed.
Because Kisara's kidneys were damaged, prolonged training was impossible. And these flash-match sessions, besides increasing Rentaro's reflexes, had no other real effect.
This didn't fundamentally make Rentaro stronger.
"Actually, I've been thinking about someone who might be able to help me..."
"The Silver King?"
Kisara guessed, and the answer made Rentaro nod.
He had a strong feeling that if he could find help from the master of the Silver King's Area, he could improve himself.
"But I'm not sure yet..."
Rentaro sighed once more.
Kisara also found it difficult to offer advice. Although both belonged to the Tendou lineage, their martial and sword styles were completely different. Moreover, Rentaro had only learned the basics, and after years of working solo, he had deviated from the original Tendou Style Combat Technique, so Kisara couldn't offer appropriate counsel.
"That was wonderful sword work, President. You've mastered every technique."
Kisara gently lifted her head, her cheeks slightly puffed out in a pout.
"Don't call me President when we're off the clock, understood, Satomi Rentaro."
"I... I'll be careful, Kisara."
Rentaro broke out in a sweat.