CA [174]: Cataclysm

The colossal black dragon unfurled its wings, eclipsing the moonlight in the absence of a sun to shroud.

Beneath its shadow, Hiruko Kagetane spread his arms, his expression behind the mask turning frenzied.

"Hahaha! To think such a being exists in this world! Truly marvelous! Compared to you, my body is mere scrap metal!"

"Not quite. For a human, your combat prowess is impressive. I'd need a bit of effort to crush you."

Nidhoggr lowered its head, offering Kagetane a patronizing consolation that left him speechless, wishing the dragon hadn't bothered.

"So, you intend to fight the Zodiac?"

"Fight? If you can call it that."

In terms of size, Altair knew he couldn't match a Zodiac. Each Stage V Zodiac, like the Scorpio summoned by Kagetane, was a behemoth measured in kilometers.

This Scorpio, a Stage V Gastrea towering at least a kilometer, could bypass the holmium magnetic field and invade Tokyo. Once it breached the city, lesser Gastrea would swarm in, spelling Tokyo's doom.

Even standing, Altair's dragon form barely reached 100 meters, shorter than Scorpio's legs. Size-wise, he was outclassed. But he wasn't plan to brawl.

"Before that, I need to handle something."

"Oh?"

Under Kagetane's puzzled stare, Altair's menacing head reared high, scanning the moonlit forest. In the distance stood a towering machine, the electromagnetic railgun, designed to counter Zodiacs. Altair intended to dismantle it.

A low hum resonated.

Blue light flared from Altair's tail, coursing along his spine to his head.

RAAAH!

A blue energy beam erupted from his maw, striking the railgun. The holmium-crafted weapon melted instantly. The beam seared the ground, its heat and force melting a massive crater.

Altair ceased his assault, the gathered energy coalescing into a blue orb.

BOOM!

The orb detonated, sending a blue pillar skyward. The shockwave leveled the surrounding, uprooting nearby trees and hurling them into the air.

"This!!"

"Kohina, get behind me!"

"Yes, Daddy!"

Kagetane, stunned by the approaching shockwave, urgently called Kohina to his side. He crouched, shielding his hat and activating his repulsive force field to brace against the weakened blast, nearly toppled despite his efforts.

Having obliterated the railgun, Altair bared his massive, razor-sharp teeth in a human-like grin.

"Now, let's see how Tokyo deals with the Zodiac."

"This is…"

Kagetane gazed at the distant pillar of light, awestruck.

"A disaster beyond despair."

…

In Tokyo, Kikunojō Tendō stood with Seitenshi, monitoring the outer regions.

Satellites, though scarce after the Gastrea War, still allowed Tokyo to observe the periphery.

Altair's existence had gone unnoticed due to his presence-lowering ability, rendering him invisible even on camera. They only saw him when he revealed himself to Kagetane.

Kikunojō instantly recognized the blonde as the man who'd assaulted the Holy Residence, suspecting a link to Kagetane's assassination attempt.

Seitenshi, however, was intrigued, wondering how Altair would confront the Zodiac now that the Legacy of the Seven Stars was activated and it was drawing near.

Then, they, like Kagetane, witnessed a reality-shattering spectacle. Before their eyes, Altair transformed into a massive black dragon.

A human becoming a dragon, spanning at least 400 meters from snout to tail! Such a size surpassed Stage IV Gastrea, hovering between Stages IV and V.

Their disbelief deepened as blue light emanated from the dragon's body.

The command center flashed red, alarms blaring.

"High-energy reaction on the dragon! Energy levels exceed detection thresholds!"

Amid the technicians' cries, the dragon unleashed a beam, annihilating the railgun.

The immense energy left the command center speechless, mouths agape.

A technician reported satellite data.

"Lady Seitenshi, Lord Tendōgen, the explosion's yield exceeded 500 kilotons of TNT."

"A nuclear bomb? That creature's attack matches a nuclear blast?"

"Yes, it's inexplicable, but its energy spiked during preparation, reaching megaton levels."

"Impossible! How can such a creature exist on Earth?"

The data plunged the room into despair. In a nation uniquely scarred by such weapons, the presence of a mobile nuclear threat just outside Tokyo, demonstrated by its recent blast, was harrowing.

At that moment, another technician delivered a perfectly timed update.

"Activity detected in the eastern Pacific! Stage V Zodiac, Scorpio! It's here!"

A dragon with nuclear-grade attacks and Scorpio's Zodiac, Tokyo teetered on the brink.

Kikunojō Tendō, the mastermind, stood paralyzed. He'd orchestrated Kagetane's theft of the Legacy, but he hadn't foreseen this catastrophe.

***

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