"I asked you to come up with a plan focused on how to deal with that reckless bastard who is disrupting Tokyo's order!"
"Not to stand here and analyze what he cares about. Do you think I don't already know those things?"
"Do you really think what you just said can accomplish our goal? Or have you still not realized just how terrifying that man's strength truly is?"
Faced with Kikunojou Tendo's series of harsh questions, the middle-aged man felt cold sweat continuously slide down his forehead, dripping along his cheeks and soaking into his expensive suit, leaving behind small dark stains.
He gripped the report tightly in his hands, his knuckles turning pale. His legs trembled slightly, and he did not dare raise his head. All he could do was lower his gaze and hold his breath.
He knew exactly what kind of person Kikunojou Tendo was.
The old man appeared gentle and composed on the surface, but beneath that calm exterior was someone ruthless and merciless. Once he displeased him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Compared to the countless ordinary people living at the bottom of Tokyo, his own life was already incomparably better. He had a respectable job, a generous income, and a certain level of social status.
But in front of Kikunojou Tendo, he was still nothing more than an insignificant ant. With a single sentence, the old man could strip him of everything he possessed, turning him into a homeless wanderer in the 39th Area, or even erase him from this world entirely.
"Council Chairman, please let me explain. I haven't finished yet."
The middle-aged man hurriedly spoke, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremble. He was afraid that Kikunojou Tendo would not even give him the chance to explain himself.
"Targeting those Cursed Children is only the first step. I have further arrangements prepared."
"Scorpio is about to arrive, and according to our observations, the strength of this Stage 5 Gastrea is far greater than the two that were previously killed."
"When Tokyo faces a disaster that threatens its very existence, Seitenshi will definitely appear personally and ask Satoru Gojo to help fight Scorpio."
"That will be our opportunity. At that time, we will designate both Scorpio and Satoru Gojo as our targets."
The man took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His speech became faster as he tried to fully present his plan to Kikunojou Tendo.
"We all know ordinary firearms are useless against him. But what about missiles? What about those special weapons with far greater destructive power?"
"I refuse to believe that a bombardment with all of those weapons combined would have no effect on him."
"At that time, we will first make him and Scorpio weaken each other. Then we will eliminate both of them at once. Even if that still fails and he survives the attack, after fighting a battle of that scale, he will definitely be exhausted!"
"Once that happens, we can use those Cursed Children and Betty, the person beside him, to threaten him. No matter what, he will have no choice but to obey us, and our plan will succeed!"
The middle-aged man finished explaining his entire plan in one breath. His face was filled with urgency, and his eyes held a trace of anticipation as he waited for Kikunojou Tendo's approval.
After hearing the complete plan, Kikunojou Tendo narrowed his aged eyes slightly. A faint cold glint flashed within them as his fingers began tapping against the desk again.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The entire office fell silent. The only sound remaining was the rhythmic tapping against the desk, which seemed especially sharp in the quiet room.
To be fair, the plan sounded flawless.
Starting from Gojo's weaknesses, using Scorpio as a natural "ally" to gradually wear down his strength, then using the people he cared about to threaten him afterward, every step connected perfectly. Almost every possible problem had been considered.
However...
Kikunojou Tendo's fingers stopped.
His mind involuntarily returned to the last time he had seen Satoru Gojo.
That man wearing sunglasses, the one who always carried a carefree smile on his face.
Although he looked like someone who treated everything as a joke, the overwhelming pressure radiating from him had left a deep impression on Kikunojou Tendo that he still remembered clearly.
Whenever he thought about that moment, he always felt like something was missing.
The plan seemed incomplete, as if they had overlooked something important.
"How do you plan to deal with those Cursed Children?"
Kikunojou Tendo finally spoke.
His voice remained cold, but compared to before, the questioning tone had disappeared and been replaced by curiosity.
The middle-aged man felt delighted.
He knew Kikunojou Tendo was seriously considering his plan now, so he quickly answered.
"Council Chairman, please rest assured. I already made preparations."
"When you arranged for people to renovate that school for the Cursed Children, I secretly had explosives installed throughout the entire facility."
"And they are all extremely powerful high-grade explosives."
"With the press of a button, the entire school can be blown into the sky in an instant. Not even a single piece of debris will remain."
"I can guarantee that none of the Cursed Children inside will escape. They will all die there!"
As he spoke, the man's tone became increasingly vicious. A cruel expression appeared on his face, as if he could already see the school being destroyed.
Hearing this, Kikunojou Tendo let out two cold laughs.
There was disdain within those laughs, but also a hint of satisfaction.
The missing piece of the puzzle in his mind had finally been added.
With explosives as a backup measure, even if Satoru Gojo was overwhelmingly powerful, he would not dare act recklessly.
After all, the people Gojo cared about most were those Cursed Children.
"However, this still isn't enough."
Kikunojou Tendo's gaze became colder, and his voice grew even more ruthless.
"Have people find every other Cursed Child currently wandering outside and send them all to that school."
"Whether they are wandering alone or being hidden by someone else, as long as they are Cursed Children, not a single one can be spared. Send every last one of them there."
"The more Cursed Children there are, the less likely that man will dare to act. That means we will have more leverage in our hands."
For Kikunojou Tendo to reach his current position, he naturally was not an ordinary person.
His cruelty and ruthlessness far exceeded what most people could imagine.
With only a few sentences, he had decided the fate of countless Cursed Children. Yet to him, it seemed there was nothing worth feeling moved about, even though the lives of countless innocent children were involved.
In his eyes, the Cursed Children were nothing more than tools to restrain Satoru Gojo.
As long as his goal could be achieved, sacrificing any number of them was meaningless.
"Yes, Council Chairman."
The middle-aged man immediately answered respectfully, his face filled with joy. He knew his plan had finally received Kikunojou Tendo's approval.
"I understand. I will make the arrangements immediately. I will handle this matter properly and guarantee that I won't disappoint you."
After saying that, the man immediately turned around to leave, afraid that wasting even a moment longer would anger Kikunojou Tendo.
"Kazumitsu."
Kikunojou Tendo looked at the man's back and spoke in a deep voice.
His tone carried both warning and expectation.
"I hope you won't disappoint me."
"If anything goes wrong with this matter, you know the consequences."
The man named Kazumitsu stopped walking.
His body stiffened slightly before he quickly turned around and bowed deeply toward Kikunojou Tendo.
"Yes, Council Chairman. I will do everything within my power. There will be no mistakes!"
After saying that, he no longer lingered. He quickly left the office, his footsteps hurried as if he feared that staying another second would bring Kikunojou Tendo's anger down upon him.
If Kisara Tendo had been here, she would have immediately recognized the identity of the middle-aged man.
Tendo Kazumitsu.
He was Kikunojou Tendo's grandson, and also Kisara Tendo's half-brother.
More importantly, he was one of the people responsible for the deaths of Kisara's parents years ago.
He was the source of one of the deepest wounds in Kisara's heart, and the target of the revenge she had always sought.
However, to Kikunojou Tendo, even his own grandson was nothing before his ambitions.
Watching his grandson leave, Kikunojou Tendo lowered his eyes slightly. A complicated expression appeared on his face, containing both satisfaction and coldness.
He reached out and pressed several keys on the keyboard.
The image on the computer screen instantly changed from the surveillance footage of the research institute to Seitenshi's office.
On the screen, Seitenshi was sitting behind her desk with her brows tightly furrowed. She held a Magic staff in her hand and continuously practiced casting Magic, her expression focused and serious.
Her movements were still somewhat unfamiliar. Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead, showing that she had already been practicing for a long time, yet she had no intention of stopping.
Kikunojou Tendo stared at the image of Seitenshi on the screen and muttered in a low voice.
"I will assist you and ensure everything returns to the proper path."
"Tokyo can only exist under my control. No one is allowed to disrupt it, not even Satoru Gojo."
His voice was firm, and a trace of determination flashed through his eyes.
It was as if he had already decided that he would eliminate Satoru Gojo completely and protect his own rule.
No one knew what had happened inside the Holy Residence except Kikunojou Tendo and Tendo Kazumitsu themselves.
The outside world still believed that Kikunojou Tendo was helpless against Satoru Gojo and had no choice but to compromise.
They had no idea that a conspiracy targeting Gojo had already begun quietly taking shape.
Meanwhile, Satoru Gojo was inside the laboratory of the school where the Cursed Children had been relocated.
A carefree smile still hung on his face, and he looked completely relaxed.
Standing before him were several small figures.
They were all young Cursed Children, their eyes filled with both caution and curiosity as they carefully observed their surroundings.
Leading them was Rentaro Satomi's senior martial brother, Shouma Nagisawa.
Standing beside him was his Initiator, Midori Fuse.
The young girl timidly hid behind Shouma, revealing only a pair of large eyes as she curiously looked at Gojo.
Behind them stood the tall and imposing Shogen Ikuma.
He remained as silent as ever, his arms crossed over his chest while his vigilant gaze swept across the surroundings, as if he were protecting the children behind him.
Beside him stood Kayo Senju.
The young girl wore a simple white dress, and despite her age, her expression carried a maturity beyond her years. Her eyes were clear and determined.
Aside from them, there were also several lonely figures.
They were Cursed Children who had been sent here during this period of time without Initiators accompanying them. They looked somewhat lonely, huddling together with uneasy expressions.
"Summer, come over here and help me. I need to test Midori's Corrosion Rate."
A clear yet slightly hoarse voice sounded.
The speaker was Sumire Muroto.
She was sitting in front of a computer, with various experimental equipment and test tubes spread out around her. Her hair was slightly messy, and faint dark circles could be seen beneath her eyes, showing that she had not rested properly for a long time.
Kayo Senju had been specifically called over by Sumire to assist her.
Of course, the real reason was that Sumire had taken notice of Kayo's intelligence and wanted to teach her, allowing her to gradually participate in research.
In a sense, it could be considered child labor.
However, Kayo herself was willing.
She wanted to find a way to reduce the Corrosion Rate, not only for herself but also for all the other Cursed Children like her.
"There will be a lot of work during this period. As more and more Cursed Children are sent here, our workload will continue increasing."
Sumire typed rapidly on the keyboard while speaking to Kayo without turning around.
Her fingers moved across the keys at an astonishing speed. Lines of code continuously scrolled across the screen, making it difficult for ordinary people to follow.
"More children will arrive in the future. We need to test their Corrosion Rates, record their physical data, and provide treatment. There will be so much work that you might not even have time to rest."
"Besides those basic tasks, you also need to study many other things whenever you have free time. Your intelligence score is 210. That is both your talent and your advantage."
"If your learning progress is slow, then it won't be because of your talent. It will be because you aren't putting in enough effort. I don't have time to waste on someone who isn't serious."
Sumire's tone was strict, but there was also a hint of expectation within it.
She genuinely believed in Kayo Senju's potential and hoped that she could grow quickly, help share the workload, and eventually assist in finding a way to completely control the Gastrea Virus.
While continuing to type away at the keyboard, seemingly writing some kind of program, Sumire gave Kayo one instruction after another without pause.
"I understand."
Kayo's small face was filled with determination as she answered.
Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness.
Since she had chosen to come here, she had already thought everything through and prepared herself mentally.
She would do her best, not disappoint Sumire's expectations, and not disappoint herself.