by <unknown>
"Hey! How many times do I need to say until it gets through your thick skull, don't stop working!"
Hitoshi clicked his tongue lightly and went back to work.
At this moment, there was a thud and heavy vibration. The light bulb instantly blinked while dirt fell and scattered from the ceiling.
The miners' unease was spreading like a ripple.
Hitoshi originally thought it was the use of mining explosives but with another thud, dirt fell from above again.
With cold sweat dripping slowly, he also felt his heart beating intensely.
Hitoshi had a very ominous feeling.
The intermittent sound was gradually getting louder. By the seventh time, it could be called a strong shaking already. Losing his balance, Hitoshi fell on the ground and sprained his back.
The noise was getting closer and closer.
Indeed, this almost felt like—
"The footsteps of something...?"
Hitoshi could not help but mutter. These words were like the seeds of unrest in his heart.
Soon, these seeds sprouted and vines of fear entangled his entire body.
"Hurry and run!"
By the time someone yelled out, people had already started taking action.
Although the foremen were roaring acutely, desperately trying to make everyone go back, having a disadvantage in numbers, they could not possibly stop the tide of men after all.
Packed full of miners almost to the point of overloading, the elevator moved sluggishly with the sound of metallic friction.
Crushed by the fear of the ceiling that might collapse any moment, the burly men working in the mines kept shaking nonstop.
What was happening? What the heck was going on?
Finally reaching the surface, the group violently pushed the fence's door open.
They hastily climbed up and looked out from the windows of tower cranes.
The harsh sunlight made them groan. It was apparently daytime right now.
However, in the next instant, the sun was blotted out and the sky suddenly grew dark.
Unable to understand what was going on, they looked up in the sky.
—Then they saw that.
A size on a scale that would make people go crazy—That was the only way to describe it.
Looking out at that thing from a tower crane, it could see a writhing mass of flesh with slow and gentle undulations. The two sides of its body were lined with countless bristled legs with shiny surfaces.
Hitoshi's view was dominated by that thing to such an extent that it was meaningless to describe how enormous its appearance was exactly.
That thing's long body was enough to mistake for the Great Wall of China, an annelid looking like a leech or an earthworm at first glance. The lengthy body was raised into the air while the long limbs lowered to the ground were divided into segments, of which the longest and thickest were the scythe-like forelimbs.
This super Gastrea, climbing the mine using contracting pereiopods, just happened to step over the tower crane where Hitoshi was watching from.
Hence the sun was blotted out. The terrifying body part the miners first saw was precisely the Gastrea's belly.
Screams and roars turned into a chain reaction. The guarding CivSecs scattered and fled, unsure whether to run or simply abandon the mine completely.
With every step the Gastrea took, its underbelly would struck the ground with a thud followed by a delayed vibration, sweeping up clouds of dust while easily flattening a miniature mobile monolith.
At this moment, a large number of bag-like objects lined on the Gastrea's lower abdomen entered Hitoshi's view.
Looking like eggs at first glance, it matched his distant memories.
"Virus sacs? How could this... no way..."
Hitoshi groaned and stepped back.
A king of the Gastrea, a Zodiac Gastrea—
"—It's Libra, the King of Pestilence...!"
No mistake, this was one of the Zodiac Gastrea that had viciously ravaged the world ten years ago.
By the time the news reached the political center of the Tokyo Area's first ward—the Sacred Residence—it was already two hours after the commotion at the mine.
Seitenshi's office for handling administrative matters, located in the Residence's west tower, was filled with a tense atmosphere while staff was running around to seek confirmation reports and take appropriate countermeasures.
"Hence, Libra has halted its march at that particular mine. What is the mine's location?"
Sitting in the massive executive chair, Seitenshi tried to speak calmly while resting her elbows on the desk.
Without changing the expression on his poker face, Kikunojyo waved his hand. The room's lighting immediately dimmed and a giant holopanel appeared in midair to indicate the map.
The marker was situated in the vast "unexplored territory" between the Tokyo and Sendai Areas.
"This is the vicinity of what used to be called Nasudake in the Tochigi Prefecture ten years ago. Since there were no records of applications to the state for mining permission, it must be an illegal mine."
Seitenshi stared intently at the glowing holopanel in the dark.
"...The location where Libra surfaced happens to be right in the middle between the Areas of Tokyo and Sendai. What is its current status?"
"Currently coiled up directly above the mine, literally in a spiral."
"Has it ceased activity?"
Kikunojyo shook its head.
"That is uncertain."
"I recall Libra's ability being—"
"—Synthesizing within itself tens of thousands of lethal viruses that only make their host in humans and spreading them in the air. These viruses will invade the body not only through breathing but even just by skin contact. Hence, the only way to prevent infection by Libra's viruses is to rely on the latest protective suits. Apart from that, the lethal viruses synthesized by Libra are immune to ultraviolet light and can even pass through the magnetic fields of Monoliths. Russia was practically turned into hell when Libra passed through ten years ago. People infected with all sorts of strange diseases, never seen before, were piled up in the streets in pain, their stench reportedly reaching as far as Beijing."
"—Hence that is how he acquired the moniker of the 'King of Pestilence'... Isn't that right? What is the state of those virus sacs located on Libra's abdomen?"
"They have already activated."
"Please ask the analysis team to determine when the viruses will be released."
"Affirmative. However, considering Libra's ability, the people of the Sendai Area ought to be panicking more than us right now."
"How so?"
"A westerly wind is blowing at the moment."
Seitenshi covered her mouth in a sudden realization.
"You evidently understood. Suppose Libra were to release the viruses from that location, although it would still depend on weather conditions, but there is a 80-90% chance that the wind will blow straight into the Sendai Area."
"The chances of defeating Zodiac Gastrea with conventional weaponry is almost zero. I hope the Sendai Area won't panic to the extent of firing missiles to aggravate Libra."
Seitenshi looked at the policy secretary standing by on the side.
"Please inform Prime Minister Inou that 'The Tokyo Area expects the Sendai Area to show wise judgment.'"
"Oh no!"
At this moment, another secretary rushed in out of breath, pushing the door open with his body.
"What is the matter?"
"Prime Minister Inou has occupied the Tokyo embassy in the Sendai Area and arrested all the staff! They have also sealed the airport, stopping all flights to the Tokyo Area!"
Feeling a shock as though someone had struck the side of her face with a hammer, Seitenshi could not help but stand up forcefully, causing her chair to make a noise.
"What is... the meaning of this?"
"The other side seems to believe that the Legacy of Seven Stars i
n our hands has summoned Libra to the mine in an attempt to destroy the Sendai Area, hence they have repeatedly asked us to make Libra leave. It's on the television right now, please hurry and watch it, Your Highness!"
Waving his hands without any sense of self, the secretary called out another holopanel, without needing to change channels to show Prime Minister Inou standing on a stage, delivering an intense speech with a clenched fist:
'Citizens! Ten years ago, the Sendai Area was devastated by the Gastrea War and under everyone's efforts and sacrifice, we have revived and are currently recognized by the United Nations as an independent state, this is public knowledge. However, there is currently an enemy that threatens the perpetuity of our nation's sovereignty.'
Prime Minister Inou's eyes, hidden under bulging fat suddenly glared and widened as he punched the lectern.
'And that is the Tokyo Area! Our intelligence agency has uncovered the truth that the Tokyo Area is hiding technology to control Zodiac Gastrea arbitrarily.'
"Liar! The Legacy has no power of that sort at all."
Even knowing that this outburst was meaningless, Seitenshi could not help but cry out.
'In other words, the calamity of destruction that Libra is bringing to the Sendai Area is completely the result of the Tokyo Area's doing. No matter what the Tokyo Area's intentions may be, clearly they have crossed the line. To eliminate the threat of Libra, we have no choice but to retaliate against the Seitenshi administration. I request all citizens of the Sendai Area to—'
This too much to bear.
Waving her hand to shut off the screen, Seitenshi looked down and shook her head.
The office was plunged into deathly silence.
—Full-scale war between Areas.
She realized that these were the words surfacing in everyone's mind.
In the end, she finally looked up with a feeble expression. All staff stared at her. They were awaiting orders.
Holding the rosary in front of her chest tightly, only that solid sensation could soothe Seitenshi's soul amidst her feelings of setback.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled.
"Regarding this accusation, we should issue a denial statement immediately."
"Will the other side believe us?"
"The later it is sent out, the more it makes the Tokyo Area look culpable. Apart from that, we should still send an emissary secretly to the Sendai Area."
One of the secretaries looked fearfully at this moment.
"How about we take this opportunity to publicize the matter of the Legacy to the other states?"
"Even if we release the Legacy's information to the other four Areas completely, I am skeptical that they will use it peacefully. Furthermore, now that the situation has deteriorated to this point, it is impossible to hope for the Sendai Area's trust in us. The best solution is for us to eliminate Libra using our own power."
A very intellectual-looking secretary pushed up his glasses with a middle finger, his gaze resting on the associated documents.
"Frankly speaking, it ought to have been done ten years ago if it were possible. Gathering DNA from hundreds of thousands of species then further evolving them, Libra's layered carapace is capable of deflecting all kinds of modern weapons. If there is one effective method of attack, it would only be nuclear..."
"No."
Seitenshi rejected before the secretary finished.
"Although it has become "unexplored territory," using nuclear weapons on former Japanese soil would contravene the Shinsakai Treaty."
At this point, an analyst entered the office with an "excuse me" and whispered to one of the secretaries. After listening, the secretary nodded.
"The analysis results are out. Judging from the current maturation speed of the virus sacs, the release of viruses will be five days later. In addition, the Sendai Area has issued an ultimatum to attack the Tokyo Area if Libra is not evicted in four days."
"Four days..."
Seitenshi felt the sound of a second hand representing the countdown inside her mind.
"Immediately negotiate the path to peace with the other side and try to find a way to eliminate Libra. At this rate, the world will only fill up with hatred."
"Your Highness Seitenshi..."
She looked back to see Kikunojyo, who had remained arms crossed with eyes closed earlier, opening his eyes.
His eyes were flashing with terrifyingly cold light.
"We should immediately barricade the Sendai Area's embassy in retaliation."
Seitenshi shook her head calmly.
"No. Hatred only leads to more hatred. This chain reaction will extend all the way to hell. Besides, this incident could very well be secretly related to Solomon's Ring and the Head..."
"By this point, it is meaningless to discuss that!"
The counselor dressed in a white kimono shouted loudly. Instantly, the staff all froze and the room was shrouded in silence.
After a while, he continued talking in a low and clear voice:
"Your Highness Seitenshi, those Sendai guys are using the innocent staff at the Tokyo Area embassy as hostages and even pointing their missiles at us. I fear that the citizens of the Tokyo Area have angered too and public opinion will necessarily tilt towards war. If you don't take any measures of resistance, you will be accused of weakness by the citizens and be forced to abdicate."
"I do not care. I will gladly accept it if that is the decision of the citizens."
"Apart from you, who else can serve as the Tokyo Area's symbol? In the long run, it is actually good for the Tokyo Area if you cling desperately to the throne and refuse to let go of power sometimes. Why can't you understand this principle?"
"Only this once, I will not listen to your suggestion no matter what."
Just as Seitenshi took a breath to dismiss Kikunojyo and issue orders to the secretaries, he suddenly reached out to interrupt her.
"Absolutely not."
He raised his chin in a gesture. Two burly men dressed in black immediately barged into the room to flank Seitenshi on both sides.
For a moment, she failed to understand his intent.
"...What is this?"
"Your Highness Seitenshi, please return to your room to rest for now."
Seitenshi finally understood the meaning of the grim expression on Kikunojyo's face.
"...In other words, this is a coup d'etat?"
Kikunojyo's eyebrows drooped as he showed a sorrowful expression for the first time.
"During 1962's Cuban Missile Crisis, America and the USSR were aiming nuclear weapons at each, sufficient to destroy the world seven times over, with their hands on the launch buttons. Although the USSR's leader Khrushchev's decision to accept negotiations with the USA and avoid full-scale nuclear war was correct, the people regarded it as weakness on his part and it became the reason for his removal from power later on. Please remember this, Your Highness. Sometimes, correct decisions will be viewed as sins. The previous Seitenshi tasked me with the responsibility of never letting you fall from power. This is the only reason why I am clinging to this post as counselor with these old bones of mine."
"Shameless! Trying to solve everything with brute force!"
"No one can question whether decisiveness is good or evil, not even the history books."
"In that case, let judgment be revealed when it is time for the dead to rise from their graves, to be selected for heaven or for hell."
"I don't care. Let me be the one to go to hell. Take Her Highness away."
Faced with the men in black who were about to raise her by the arms, Seitenshi sternly declared "I can walk on my own." Then after staring into Kikunojyo's face for a long while, she finally turned around and left the office.
The light of a three-pronged candlestick wavered warmly in front of her, slowly turning the corridor occupied by darkness back into a world ruled by sanity and rationality.
She hated the Sacred Residence at night, especially the parts where there were no people.
<
br /> The only female policy secretary—Kiyomi Kase—was walking forward with stumbling footsteps.
The portrait of a beauty, done by a famous painter, looked like it was secretly holding its breath today, peering at her from behind.
Having busied for a whole week already, the policy secretaries were facing a workload today that was almost enough to overturn the entire Sacred Residence.
Looking out the window at the lighting in the west tower that was still visible, one could guess that these lights were not going to extinguish tonight.
In contrast, the corner of Seitenshi's bedroom located in the west tower felt like some kind of inviolable sanctuary. Apart from those looking after Seitenshi, very few people visited.
Kiyomi carried a tray on her left hand with steaming soup and bread. Seitenshi was currently under house arrest, even confined to her own room. Kiyomi had delivered meals a number of times but Seitenshi had shown no signs of eating at all.
Driving away notions that she must convince Her Highness to eat something, Kiyomi walked over to the door in the depths of the passage. Putting down the candlestick, she knocked a few times.
"Your Highness Seitenshi, I'm sorry for disturbing you this late at night."
Staring at the curving decorations of the door, which resembled vines, only the silence of rejection responded to Kiyomi.
Knocking again, she still received no response.
Just as she sighed and was about to turn back, she suddenly felt wind blowing out of the keyhole. Hence she placed her palm there and waved a few times.
Not her imagination.
For some reason, she had a bad feeling. After saying "pardon my intrusion," she inserted the spare key, turned anxiously and rushed inside.
The dark interior of the room was deserted. The canopy bed was also empty.
The wind was blowing in, making the silken curtains sway. The curtain on the right side of the window seemed to have been taken down. Strangely enough, the removed curtain could not be found anywhere.
When Kiyomi raised the candlestick and approached the balcony, all doubts were erased.
