CA [171]: Ambush

In the forest beyond Tokyo's black Monoliths, a man in a blood-red tailcoat and top hat, wearing a mask, darted ninja-like through the trees, hands clasped behind his back. Trailing closely was a small girl wielding dual blades, matching his speed.

Hiruko Kagetane, a product of the New Human Creation Project, had most of his body replaced with holmium prosthetics, designed to combat Gastrea during the war. Now, no longer with the military, he operated as an assassin, accompanied by his Initiator, Kohina Hiruko.

They were the assassins hired by Kikunojō Tendō. Their mission: sow chaos in Tokyo using Tendō's intel, infect a human with the Gastrea virus to create a monster carrying the Legacy of the Seven Stars, and escape. Tendō would then mobilize Civil Security agents to hunt it down.

In truth, Tokyo lost little beyond money. The agents, not official forces, bore the brunt of the fighting. Tendō, who despised both Cursed Children and Civil Security agents, saw this as a way to deplete both groups' strength.

The Legacy of the Seven Stars could summon a Zodiac, a Stage V Gastrea. Gastrea were ranked from Stage I to Stage V, with the twelve Stage V Zodiacs each capable of leveling a city. Current human weaponry was largely ineffective against them.

However, Tokyo possessed a weapon from the war: a super railgun that could accelerate holmium rounds to devastating speeds, capable of killing a Zodiac by hitting its core.

This was Tendō's plan to counter the Zodiac and display Tokyo's might to the world.

Altair found Tendō's logic incomprehensible and had no interest in him. After this, he'd gather evidence of Tendō's crimes, eliminate him, and consolidate power under Seitenshi. After all, he was her guide.

For now, he headed to the forest, where a battle was erupting. Kagetane would kill many agents and Initiators. Altair cared little for the agents but was determined to save the Initiators, girls captured and trained by the IISO, treated cruelly and used as cannon fodder.

Riding his Somersault Cloud, Altair swiftly left Tokyo, hovering above Kagetane's position. The agent-Initiator pairs in the outer area were competent enough to survive until a high-level Gastrea appeared, so Altair focused on Kagetane.

Using his elevated vantage point and dragon-enhanced vision, he quickly located Kagetane. The fight had already begun.

Three agent teams had surrounded Kagetane, preparing to attack. Behind them stood three Initiator girls, each gripping different weapons, eyeing Kohina Hiruko. Promoters fought Promoters, Initiators fought Initiators, a logical division of the battlefield.

But Altair had no intention of letting them fight this way. He leaped from the Somersault Cloud, landing silently like a cat, and charged toward the three Initiator girls.

He had no interest in Kohina Hiruko. Brainwashed by Kagetane, she was hard to sway, and their combined strength made them nearly invincible. The other three, however, were weaker and unbrainwashed, making them easy for Altair to persuade.

Approaching from behind with his presence-lowering passive, Altair went unnoticed. The three girls, clustered together, were perfect targets.

Spreading his arms, he scooped them up in one swift motion. The girls froze, stunned, as an unknown force pulled them together, lifting them off the ground.

The scene baffled Kohina Hiruko across the field. She'd been planning how to slice up her opponents, only to see them suddenly huddle and float upward.

"Huh? Daddy, they're flying!"

Kagetane and the three agents turned, bewildered, to see the girls suspended in midair. What was happening?

What followed was even more perplexing. A cloud descended from the sky, caught the girls, and soared back up, whisking them out of the battle.

"What!?"

The agents were dumbfounded. Their Initiators had been stolen by a cloud?

Kagetane was equally stunned, having never witnessed such a thing.

His assassin instincts kicked in, and he fired three precise shots, each hitting an agent's head, killing them instantly.

"Daddy, they're up there. I can't cut them."

Kohina stepped over the bodies to Kagetane's side, pointing at the floating cloud and complaining.

"Kohina, my dear, if we can't cut them, we'll find others to cut."

"Okay, Daddy."

Kohina nodded obediently. Kagetane glanced at the cloud, his mind racing with questions. He could see the three girls peeking over the edge, too high to jump and visibly nervous as they clung to the cloud.

A cloud that could carry people, what a peculiar thing.

"Let's go, Kohina. We'll find others."

After one last look at the cloud, Kagetane led Kohina deeper into the forest, while the cloud trailed them from a distance.

***

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