Opinions varied widely, but none held up under scrutiny.
"The Gastrea Virus."
"was never some extraterrestrial entity or an ancient curse."
"It was—"
"created by humanity itself."!!!
Tendou Kisara's pupils contracted sharply to the size of pinpoints.
"So—"
"everything you've suffered has nothing to do with the gods."
"None of it has anything to do with the gods."
"Because this series of disasters."
"is humanity's own doing, the consequences of its own actions."
These words exploded in Tendou Kisara's ears like thunderclaps.
Before she could react, Heimer fired off three more questions.
"Did you think Gastrea fell from the sky?"
"Did you think those Stage V monsters, capable of destroying cities, were random products of nature?"
"Did you think those girls you call Cursed Children were truly malicious jokes played by fate?"
With each question Heimer asked, Tendou Kisara's face grew paler.
By the end, her body was trembling uncontrollably.
"And do you think whatever could create something so contrary to the laws of nature would be some ordinary, third-rate organization?"
"What kind of power could orchestrate a near-simultaneous global outbreak and then perfectly cover up all traces afterward, making everyone believe it was a natural disaster?"
"It's precisely because—"
"the original Gastrea Virus was created by humanity itself, for war, for slaughter, for so-called power."
"In pursuit of the ultimate bioweapon capable of overturning the existing paradigm of warfare, the governments, militaries, and corporate conglomerates of your world behaved like a pack of rabid dogs that had caught the scent of blood."
"They conducted numerous inhumane human experiments in secret."
"As for the test subjects—"
"what could be more suitable, cheaper, safer, and less troublesome than orphans—unattended, unnoticed, and whose deaths would go unmourned?"
"Through repeated research on these socially discarded children."
"your human scientists made a startling discovery—"
"the bodies of human girls within a specific age range could miraculously adapt to and coexist with a particular virus."
"And so."
"Pandora's box was flung wide open."
"They began frantically gathering girls of the right age, imprisoning them in sunless underground laboratories, injecting them with the virus like lab rats, observing their reactions, and recording data."
"The result—"
"you've probably already realized."
"The experiment spiraled out of control."
"The virus mutated far faster than they anticipated."
"The virus within those little girls breached a critical threshold. Their bodies underwent irreversible mutations. The virus, intended to create super-soldiers, turned on its creators."
"They were no longer human."
"They became monsters."
"Ultimately becoming what you fearfully call Stage V—creatures capable of destroying a city overnight."
"Do you know of the Seven Stars Relics?"
"!"
"Those are items that can summon Stage V monsters."
"But do you want to know why they can summon Stage V monsters?"
"The consciousness of those children who became Stage V is no longer clear; even their human memories have faded."
"But they remember one thing."
"They remember the toys they clutched tightly in their hands when they were still human."
"Those were the only things that truly belonged to them before they were taken to the laboratories and stripped of everything."
"So—"
"whenever a Seven Stars Relic appears, the Stage V creatures wandering the world—those former little girls—are drawn to it."
"Not because of any summoning ritual."
"Not because of any monster's instinct."
"Simply because—"
"it's the only memento of their existence as humans before they became monsters."
Heimer's words fell.
The office instantly plunged into dead silence.
As if even the air had frozen.
Tendou Kisara just sat there on the floor, stunned.
Gastrea—those monsters that destroyed human civilization and tore her family apart—
were actually created by humanity itself?
Those Cursed Children who were scorned, abused, and seen as omens of misfortune on the streets—
were actually the deliberate products of human governments?
"You're probably wondering, if this is true, why hasn't it been made public? Why doesn't anyone know?"
Heimer seemed to see through Tendou Kisara's thoughts, answering his own question.
"It's simple."
"Because if it were made public, those governments, those powers, those who participated in the experiments or even tacitly allowed it all—"
"would instantly become enemies of all humanity."
"An enraged populace would tear them to pieces."
"Such internal strife would be far more terrifying than the disaster brought by Gastrea. Human civilization would collapse from within."
"So, they chose silence."
"They chose to weave lies."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't seriously believe that girls born carrying the Gastrea Virus are just random natural mutations, would you?"
"Why is it that in the dire straits of near-extinction, humanity suddenly possessed weapons capable of fighting Gastrea?"
"All these coincidences are just too perfect."
"So perfect that—"
"it's as if they were meticulously designed by someone."
Tendou Kisara's body began to tremble violently.
Deep in her memory, those unreasonable details she had once overlooked were now being forcibly pieced together by an invisible hand, like fragments of a puzzle.
Pieced together into a nauseating truth.
"The catastrophe ten years ago did indeed bring humanity to the brink of extinction."
"But precisely because of that."
"the experimental results hidden in the dark corners finally found their great use."
"Cursed Children were pushed to the front lines of humanity's war against Gastrea, using their lives to atone for a sin that was never theirs."
"As for those who truly caused this disaster."
"They have not received the punishment they deserve."
"Instead, they continue to exploit these children and this disaster to consolidate their power and enjoy their privileged status."
This is the most ironic part.
Those children with red eyes who are usually stoned, cursed, and driven away on the streets.
They are not just innocent victims.
They are even forced into the role of being a 'victim'.
From the moment they were born, they were designed to be scapegoats.
—To take the blame for the real culprits.
Find a scapegoat, blame it for all the wrongs, and then continue to do evil with a clear conscience.
From ancient human sacrifices to the witch hunts of the Middle Ages, to the ethnic cleansing of modern times.
Only the form has changed.
The essence remains the same.
As long as there is an object of hatred, the group's anger has an outlet.
The real culprits can hide behind the torrent of anger, unscathed.
The room was eerily quiet.
Outside the window, the last glow of the setting sun had completely faded.
Is this the truth of the world?
Tendou Kisara felt as if something was tightly gripping her chest.
"But..."
"What you just said..."
"I can't fully believe it..."
"I'm not some stupid woman waiting for a prince to save me."
"You saved me and told me these secrets, so you must have your reasons."
"But if you really want me to go with you..."
"I... I still have things I need to do..."
She said.
Tendou Kisara lowered her head.
"Miss Tendo."
But.
Who would have thought.
Suddenly, Heimer called out this name.
Tendou Kisara instantly looked up.
She had never given her name to this man.
"I know many things."
"Such as the cause of your parents' death."
"Such as what happened that night."
"Such as..."
Heimer paused.
"Such as who is on that list."
The list of murderers who killed her parents.
It was her sole reason for living.
However.
Before Tendou Kisara could ask.
"Snap!"
Heimer slowly raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
In that instant.
Tendou Kisara felt as if the air around her suddenly froze.
Immediately afterward.
The next second.
Everything in her sight began to distort and stretch endlessly!
——!
Then.
Before Tendou Kisara could react, a sudden gust of wind overwhelmed her thoughts.
Whoosh——!!!
The wind howled.
When Tendou Kisara could see her surroundings clearly.
Her body stiffened, and she was speechless.
She saw.
Beneath her feet.
Was a height of ten thousand meters!
Below was a city glittering with lights!
-------------------------
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