Without any unnecessary buildup, right there in full view of everyone, deep within the dim forest where branches intertwined and dappled shadows stretched across the ground, a clear blue glow quietly appeared at Satoru Gojo's fingertips.
The light was so pure that it seemed completely free of impurities, like a sapphire chilled in ice. Against the darkness of the forest, it was painfully bright.
The blue glow did not linger. It expanded outward at astonishing speed, transforming from a faint point of light into a smooth blue sphere in the blink of an eye.
The sphere was roughly the size of two or three eggs. Its surface glowed with a lustrous blue radiance, and the swirling light within it carried an unsettling sense of power.
The moment the blue sphere fully took shape, everything around it began to change.
Dead branches by the roadside, scattered leaves, and even loose stones on the ground were instantly drawn toward it by an invisible force. They slowly slid across the earth, producing faint rustling sounds as they were pulled closer and closer.
Even the wind in the forest seemed to come to a standstill.
The Civil Security contractors stared wide-eyed at the strange phenomenon, instinctively holding their breath. Shock and confusion filled their faces, and even their breathing became cautious.
Before they could figure out what was happening, the blue sphere suddenly erupted with a dazzling flash and shot toward the nearby spider-like Gastrea like an arrow released from a bow.
The small blue sphere blazed brilliantly as it rapidly closed the distance.
Its trajectory was perfectly steady, without the slightest deviation. The air along its path warped under the invisible gravitational force, forming faint blue ripples that spread outward.
The heavily wounded Gastrea was lying on the ground, slowly recovering.
Its body writhed faintly as dark green bodily fluid seeped from its wounds before being rapidly reabsorbed. The broken edges of its exoskeleton were visibly knitting themselves back together, producing faint creaking sounds as they regenerated.
Then, in that very instant, it seemed to sense something.
The Gastrea abruptly raised itself and turned toward a certain direction.
Its two enormous compound eyes contracted sharply. The dull red light within them instantly became razor-sharp, while all eight of its thick legs tensed at once, supporting its massive body as it prepared to move.
And with that single glance, the blue light completely filled its field of vision.
The blue was terrifyingly pure, like a frozen star deep within an abyss, carrying enough power to devour everything in its path. In an instant, it occupied the entirety of the Gastrea's sight.
The Gastrea let out a shrill cry.
The sound was sharp and mournful, filled with overwhelming terror. It was completely different from the low growls it had made before, resembling the final howl of a dying beast.
Its instincts told it to flee.
Otherwise, that blue sphere would certainly kill it.
Its body trembled uncontrollably, every muscle screaming at it to escape as its instinct for survival reached its absolute limit.
Gastrea were still living creatures, and they possessed the instinct to seek safety and avoid danger.
Even though the Gastrea Virus had robbed them of most of their reason, they could still experience the most primitive form of fear when confronted with genuine mortal danger.
Unfortunately, realizing the danger did not mean it could escape.
Its brain had already issued the command to flee, but its body felt as though it had been filled with lead. It could not move even an inch.
Even if it had been uninjured, it would have been utterly helpless before Satoru Gojo. In its current wounded state, it had even less chance of resisting.
The injuries Kagetane Hiruko had inflicted on it had already weakened its strength and reaction speed considerably. Now that it was facing Gojo's Cursed Technique, it did not even have the slightest opportunity to fight back.
The Gastrea had only just begun to move when the blue sphere was already in front of it.
The distance between them was only a few meters, and to Blue's speed, covering that distance took no more than the blink of an eye.
At this point, no matter how desperately it wanted to escape, it was already too late.
The shadow of death had completely enveloped it. No matter how violently it struggled, it could not escape the fate awaiting it.
It could not even shift its body by the slightest amount.
Its eight legs desperately clawed against the ground. The hard earth was torn apart, leaving eight deep holes as stones scattered in every direction, yet its massive body remained completely motionless.
The gravitational force released by Blue left its primary target without even the slightest ability to move.
The immense force was like an invisible hand clamped tightly around its entire body. From its bones to its flesh, every cell was firmly controlled by that overwhelming power.
It was as though it had been nailed to the ground.
It could not move.
The Gastrea could only wave its sharp forelimbs helplessly and let out desperate cries, yet it could not even stir the air around it.
All it could do was watch helplessly as the blue sphere drew closer and closer until it finally struck its body.
The moment the blue sphere made contact, there was no sound at all.
Everything around them seemed to freeze.
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted.
The sound was like thunder crashing from the heavens, violently assaulting everyone's ears. Several Civil Security contractors standing nearby instinctively covered their ears, their faces twisting in pain.
A violent shockwave exploded outward from the Stage 4 Gastrea at its center, spreading in every direction.
Wherever the shockwave passed, dirt and stones were ripped from the ground, forming an enormous wall of dust that swept outward.
The surrounding trees bent beneath the force of the blast.
Trees as thick as bowls were blown into bow-like curves, their trunks creaking under the strain as though they might snap at any moment.
Branches thrashed violently, and countless leaves were torn from them.
Yellowing leaves and fresh green ones became mixed together, fluttering through the air like countless butterflies as the shockwave carried them into the distance.
It took no more than a blink.
The forest that had been lush and thick only moments ago suddenly looked as though autumn had arrived.
Every leaf had been blown away, leaving only bare branches swaying faintly in the wind. The sight was desolate.
A thick layer of leaves covered the ground, rustling beneath their feet, while the air was filled with the smell of dust and shattered vegetation.
With the leaves gone, everyone's view became much clearer.
The area where the Gastrea had been hidden behind layers of foliage was now completely exposed to everyone's sight.
And because of that, once the violent airflow finally subsided, the numerous Civil Security contractors could clearly see that the Gastrea that had been lying on the ground only moments ago had completely disappeared.
Not a single intact limb remained. There was not even a piece of flesh large enough to recognize.
In its place was nothing but shattered earth and splashes of strangely colored Gastrea bodily fluid scattered throughout the area.
A crater several meters in diameter had appeared in the ground. The soil at its bottom had been compressed until it was as hard as iron, while countless cracks covered the walls of the crater.
Dark green Gastrea bodily fluid had splattered everywhere, leaving vicious-looking streaks across the crater walls and surrounding tree trunks. Thin wisps of white smoke continued to rise from the fluid as it corroded everything around it.
The enormous Gastrea from moments ago had vanished completely.
It was as though it had never existed at all, utterly annihilated by that tiny blue sphere.
"Th-That's it? It's already over?"
Shouma Nagisawa stared dumbfounded at what had just happened and rubbed his eyes vigorously.
His movements were almost rough, his fingers pressing hard against his eyelids as though he could somehow prove that what he had witnessed was nothing more than an illusion.
Yet even after rubbing his eyes until they turned red, nothing before him had changed.
The enormous crater was still there. The splattered bodily fluid was still there. The bare branches were still there.
The only thing missing was the terrifying Stage 4 Gastrea.
It had vanished without a trace.
Facts were facts. Nothing he did could change what had happened.
He slowly lowered his hands, his eyes still vacant as his mind remained completely blank. For a long time, he could not recover from the shock.
"That Gastrea was so huge..."
His Initiator, Midori Fuse, leaned against his leg and timidly spoke while clutching the edge of his clothes.
Her voice was soft and trembling slightly. Beneath the brim of her wide-brimmed hat, her eyes were opened wide with disbelief.
She held tightly onto Shouma's clothes as though doing so was the only way she could find even a little security after the terrifying explosion.
The other Civil Security contractors were no different from Shouma. They stood frozen in place, shock written across their faces.
Someone's weapon slipped from his hand with a loud clatter and struck the ground, yet nobody bothered to pick it up.
Someone else stood there with his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg, but not a single word came out.
Another person instinctively stumbled backward several steps before his back struck a tree trunk, finally jolting him back to reality. He immediately began gasping for breath.
They had witnessed Gastrea dying countless times and had personally killed more than a few of them.
But they had never seen anyone annihilate a Stage 4 Gastrea so effortlessly and so completely.
This wasn't a battle.
It was overwhelming domination.
An absolute display of superior strength.
"Oh, you mean that? It was easy."
Satoru Gojo pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and spoke with a cheerful smile.
His tone was relaxed and casual, as though he had merely crushed an ant beneath his fingers instead of eliminating a Stage 4 Gastrea powerful enough to destroy an entire town.
He dusted off his hands despite there being no dirt on them, the same carefree smile still on his face. To him, what had just happened had been nothing more than a trivial task.
"Come to think of it, maybe I killed it a little too quickly. Stage 4 Gastrea are pretty rare, and I've never had a chance to see one before. I should've studied it first."
He shook his head with a hint of regret, sounding as though he had missed out on something interesting.
"There's nothing worth studying."
Sumire Muroto shook her head and answered calmly.
She folded her arms across her chest, showing not the slightest trace of surprise, as though she had known from the beginning that this would be the result.
To her, Gojo accomplishing something like this was only natural.
"Forget Stage 4 Gastrea. Strictly speaking, even Stage 5 Gastrea aren't all that different. The main difference is the concentration of Gastrea Virus within their bodies."
She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, the lenses reflecting a cold glint as a professional seriousness entered her eyes.
"Stage 4 Gastrea need to accumulate enough biological gene fragments and combine their strengths to reinforce themselves. Other lower-stage Gastrea can also potentially reach that level through this process."
"But Stage 5 Gastrea are already Stage 5 from the moment they appear."
"The virus within their bodies is on an entirely different level from that found in the Gastrea that come afterward."
"Their genes are more stable, their strength is far more terrifying, and their regenerative abilities have reached an almost incomprehensible level."
"Ordinary Varanium Weapons can't inflict fatal injuries on them at all. Even if you completely smash their bodies apart, they can recover in a short period of time."
"Hm. You mean the Progenitor Virus?"
Gojo stroked his chin, looking thoughtful.
A trace of curiosity flashed through his eyes. He was somewhat interested in a virus capable of destroying humanity.
"We can't confirm that yet. When the United States and Germany killed their respective Stage 5 Gastrea, they didn't provide us with any samples for research, so all we can do is make deductions."
Sumire helplessly shrugged, a trace of regret in her voice.
For a scientist, being unable to study the highest-level specimens was undoubtedly a tremendous disappointment.
"That is the most likely possibility. After all, Stage 5 Gastrea have existed since the Gastrea Virus was first discovered."
"They're like the ultimate products born directly from the virus itself, the most perfect hosts for the Gastrea Virus."
"Listening to you, it sounds like you aren't interested in Stage 5 Gastrea either. I was actually thinking that if we managed to get a sample later, I'd let you study it..."
Gojo deliberately drew out his words, teasing her and leaving the rest hanging.
A mischievous smile curled across his lips, and there was an unmistakable hint of amusement in his eyes. He was clearly enjoying himself at her expense.
"I'm interested! Please, by all means, let me study it thoroughly!"
Sumire, who had just said there was nothing worth studying, instantly changed her tune.
She took a quick step forward, grabbed Gojo's arm, and looked at him with feverish excitement.
She looked like a collector who had just discovered a priceless treasure, practically unable to wait to get her hands on a Stage 5 Gastrea sample and examine it herself.
If anyone else had said something like that, she would have dismissed it without a second thought, assuming they were merely boasting or joking.
After all, the terrifying power of Stage 5 Gastrea was universally acknowledged. Killing one required an enormous sacrifice.
But Satoru Gojo genuinely possessed the strength to do it.
The United States and Germany had each managed to eliminate a Stage 5 Gastrea. With Gojo's help, why couldn't they do the same?
As long as Gojo was there, it wasn't just one Stage 5 Gastrea they could potentially eliminate. Even two or three weren't necessarily impossible.
And if that happened, she would finally obtain the Stage 5 Gastrea samples she had dreamed of, allowing her to uncover the ultimate secrets of the Gastrea Virus.