Chapter 344: Chaos and Celestials
"I… though I call myself the Sapphire Star here," Kairo Retsu paused before continuing, "In truth, I know very well that my actions have yet to fully live up to the weight of that name."
"Five dragons gathered at the heart of the ocean, turning their bodies into islands. One sank into the sea and became land. One gazed toward the heavens and became a mountain. One curled into itself and became a lake, its scales becoming rain. One fell into slumber and became a forest." Kairo Retsu spoke softly of the legend of the Five Dragons. "And the last one flew up into the sky and became the Sapphire Star, hanging above the islands."
"The Sapphire Star is a guiding light. I am a hunter... If I take up this name, then I must carry out the meaning it represents."
Kairo Retsu lifted his head. "First."
"Altair, you are an incomplete character."
"Your story has yet to begin. All that defines you has been stained in the sorrow of misunderstanding and malice."
"Humanity shows compassion for the world because we are bound to it by our tales, our colors, and our future."
"If you continue like this, you'll become a monster divorced from nature. And before that happens—I'll stop you."
"Second." Kairo turned his gaze to Setsuna Shimazaki. "Setsuna… the contradiction and meaning you embody gave birth to Altair. But at its core… it was a tragedy born in the illusion that is the internet."
"Unprovoked malice… Altair wasn't wrong in saying that. Online accusations—baseless by nature."
"I won't blame you for choosing to take your own life. But now… you must take responsibility for Altair."
"If we had met sooner, perhaps we could've changed your mind. But had we not met under these circumstances—we never would have met at all."
"And now, you've been given a second chance."
"Give Altair a story. Don't let her drift alone, outside of all narrative."
"Third…" Kairo sighed, drawing his Great Sword and pointing it toward the Chaotic Gore Magala. "The third is the destiny shared by hunters and monsters."
"Altair, the one you protect… is a highly dangerous Elder Dragon species, the Chaotic Gore Magala."
Kairo stared directly at Altair. "I know it possesses intelligence. But in this ecosystem… it can never coexist with other lifeforms."
"As long as it exists, it is the source of the terrifying Frenzy Virus! Every appearance brings disaster!"
"To sense the world around it, it must scatter its scale-dust… but that dust also spreads the Frenzy Virus. As long as it lives, this horrifying pathogen will persist!"
"If it stops spreading the dust—it loses all means to live. It can't see. It can't hear. It can't smell… For its entire life, it would remain this way!"
"It clings to survival like any other being, yet its very existence is a threat to the balance of nature…" Kairo fixed his glare on Altair. "Other creatures have the right to live! Other beings have the right to meaning!"
"Now that Setsuna Shimazaki has been revived, she has the right to continue living in this world—and you no longer have a reason to destroy it."
Kairo let out another sigh. He knew convincing her would be difficult, but still, he spoke. "Let me end its suffering. Don't let this pain go on."
He looked at Altair—and at the wounded, battered dragon behind her.
"..."
Altair was silent. Her gaze was filled with reluctance as she stared at Setsuna.
This world had hurt Setsuna—so she had wanted it to feel that pain in return. But now… Setsuna had been brought back. Although the ones who tormented her still remained unpunished, Setsuna's presence now shattered Altair's resolve.
What more could she cling to? Should she still trigger the Grand Collapse, even if it meant destroying the revived Setsuna as well?
But this resentment…
"It… it still has the potential to grow." Altair finally spoke, staring at Kairo Retsu. "With its intellect—if it can just grow stronger, it could control itself! It wouldn't—"
Kairo interrupted her. "That possibility is gone."
"Whether you speak of its intelligence, or its instability—none of that matters anymore." Pity filled his voice, yet his Great Sword still pointed at the Gore Magala.
The Gore Magala now lay draped atop a ruined building behind Altair. Though unmoving, its body trembled faintly… wracked by agony.
Beneath its wounds, streaks of gold began to show. Especially on its wounded right brow—the shell had cracked open, revealing an eye that shimmered gold beneath…
But that eye… had no light. It could see nothing. It was blind.
"There is no hope left." Kairo said with deep pity, "Its metamorphosis was interrupted… by the true Shagaru Magala."
"This… is what I meant by a disdain for life."
"It fled Shagaru Magala's territory, seeking a chance to molt and evolve."
"Had it escaped fully—or never fled at all—it might've avoided this fate…"
"But as it attempted its final transformation, Shagaru Magala forcibly cut it short. Its future… its possibility… all turned to ash."
"It can no longer revert to a Gore Magala. It cannot become Shagaru Magala either. It will die in this grotesque, twisted form—this was its fate from the start."
"I don't want to slay it because I reject its existence," Kairo said gravely. "I only want to grant it peace. End its torment. Only then can we finally confront the true source of this cataclysm…"
As Kairo finished speaking—the Gore Magala… no—this abomination on the brink of chaos—let out a thunderous, deafening roar aimed at the sky.
The sheer force of it caused even Setsuna, standing some distance away, to clutch her ears in anguish.
Kairo suddenly looked up, shadow crossing his face. "It's coming…"
From high above the clouds, a golden form began descending swiftly—
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