I just hope to live a leisurely life in the world of anime.

"Want to join me?" Hiruko Kagetane spread out his other hand, the one not holding a gun. "Do you know why we were created? Have you ever thought about the meaning of our existence as mechanical soldiers?"

"what?"

He paused, staring intently at Rentaro, his other hand clenched into a fist. "Fight! Why... won't you join me?"

He stretched out his clenched fist, as if to give Rentaro a hug.

"What would I do if I joined you?" Rentaro played along, stalling for time while searching for a way to call for help or escape. He had no confidence in defeating the man in front of him.

"Do you know why the country is looking for the Seven Stars' legacy?" The topic was changed.

"The legacy of the Seven Stars?"

"Oh? You don't know? It's that box that was swallowed by the source of infection. As a police officer, you should know about what happened yesterday, right?"

What is the purpose of the Seven Stars' legacy?

“Summoning Phase V!” His eyes grew even sharper.

Rentaro was completely stunned! Stage V?! The eleven that destroyed the world in the past?!

"You want to summon Phase V in Tokyo? Are you crazy?" Rentaro shouted in shock and anger.

I thought he was just a psychopathic killer, but I never expected him to be so ruthless!

"Join me, Rentaro Rima!"

"Please leave!" Now that he knew, Rentaro no longer hid. He opened his left eye, which had been "closed" all along, and his right hand and right foot suddenly emitted high temperatures that evaporated the skin. He sensed danger! Hiruko Kagetane seemed to be getting impatient!

"Oh?" His tone remained high-pitched, revealing a mixture of excitement and surprise as he exclaimed, "A floral prosthetic limb with blue patterns, it's really beautiful!"

"But is Rima-kun rejecting me?"

Without saying another word, Rentaro felt his momentum gradually weakening. Without warning, he took the initiative, leaping backward and firing his gun instantly.

boom--

Just like that day, the bullets were still stuck in the invisible wall.

Hiruko Kagetane snapped his fingers, his expression hidden behind a mask.

A katana was thrust out, its target none other than Aihara Enju, who had just jumped up!

Mid-air, Enju Aihara quickly turned her body, changed her target, and kicked out.

Clang—the sound of boots colliding with a blade.

Two small figures landed at the same time.

"Didn't hit him!"

"Didn't hit it!"

"Oh?" Hiruko Kagetane spoke up again, surprised that the other party's originator was also so outstanding.

"Hey, little one, I know you. You're the one who knocked me out that day! What's your name?" The blue-haired loli raised the knife in her hand and pointed it at Aihara Enju.

“You’re the little one! I am Lan Yuan Enju, the Rabbit Type Initiator!” Lan Yuan Enju puffed out her chest and shouted at her.

"Enju? I'll remember that. Mantis-type Initiator, Hiruko Kohina!" As she spoke, she raised another sword, assuming an attack stance.

"Enju!" Rentaro called out from behind.

Without answering him, Aihara Enju also lowered her body slightly, ready to jump at any moment.

Rentaro stepped forward to help her, but Hiruko Kagetane blocked his way.

"Rima-kun, there aren't many people my daughter can remember by name. Maybe she and Enju will become good friends! Why not let them have a good chat?" No sooner had he finished speaking than a gunshot rang out!

The electronic prosthetic eye spun rapidly, and Rentaro dodged the bullet by turning his body to the side. Knowing that the guns couldn't penetrate his protective shield, he simply put it away, took a breath, and said, "Tendo Battle Technique, Hundred Years of Infinite Power."

He assumed a horse stance, his muscles tense, and chanted, "The Deer-drawn Wheel Subdues the Ghost!"

He twisted his body in place, using the momentum to charge towards Hiruko Kagetane, and threw a punch.

"Hmph—" Hiruko Kagetane snapped his fingers, releasing a repulsive force field. Rentaro's fist still missed him, as if it had hit steel, producing intense sparks.

"What?" Rentaro didn't understand the principle behind the other's ability. Seeing that he could not get any closer, he increased his strength.

Bang—the gun in Hiruko Kagetane's hand rang out.

"Wh-what?"

Before Rentaro could react, Hiruko Kagetane immediately released the repulsive force field and struck the spot where the bullet had hit him with a palm strike.

The mask obscured his expression, but Rentaro always felt that he seemed to be smiling mockingly.

"Rentaro—" Aihara Enju screamed, stepping on the knife Hiruko Kohina thrust at her, and using the other's strength, jumped to Rentaro's side.

"Cough..." Rentaro knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach with his left hand, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Rentaro, are you...are you alright? Rentaro..." Aihara Enju shook his body, her big eyes filled with tears again, and the red light that was originally there dimmed.

"Go...go quickly...go find someone..." Rentaro's voice trembled slightly due to the intense pain.

"No... I won't leave..."

"Go!" Rentaro roared, grabbed Aihara Enju, and threw him upwards with all his might. Then, he used all his strength to slam the prosthetic arm into the ground, kicking up a lot of dust.

Watching Lan Yuan Yanzhu land steadily on the house, glance back at herself, and then disappear from sight with a few leaps, she was completely out of sight.

Rentaro closed his eyes, finally collapsing to the ground, exhausted.

Knowing full well that Hiruko Kagetane was very strong, why was he still careless? Had his life become too comfortable? A bitter smile appeared on his lips. Was he going to die here today?

Many faces flashed through my mind, including my beloved Kisaragi-nee...

He always referred to her as his fiancée, Yeonju...

The doctor who gave him a new life...

An Shu, who always jokes about herself...

And there's also Kikunojo, who adopted him...

"Dad! Enju ran away!" The blue-haired loli was startled by the dust and couldn't stop him in time. She yelled at her father and looked at the unconscious Rentaro with dissatisfaction.

"That's a real pity, daughter, but we'll see each other again in the future." Hiruko Kagetane lowered his hat slightly.

"Daddy, I'm going to kill him!" The blue-haired loli angrily pointed her knife at Rentaro.

“No.” Hiruko Kagetane said as he walked toward Rentaro.

The blue-haired little girl didn't ask why, she just muttered in dissatisfaction, "Daddy—"

After a fumbling around, I found his phone, dialed an emergency number for him, and then put the phone on him.

"It seems that Rima-kun has already found the meaning of his existence..." someone muttered to himself, "But I haven't yet!" The eyes behind the mask revealed a determined look.

"Time to go, Hina." She greeted the blue-haired loli and jumped up first.

“Okay, Dad!” The blue-haired girl glanced at Rentaro, who was still lying on the ground, and followed closely behind.

……

The next morning.

"Something's wrong! An Shu-kun! Ri-jian-kun is injured!" Sima Wei-zhi's urgent voice came from the phone.

"What's going on?!" An Shu asked in surprise, her sweet dreams disturbed by a phone call early in the morning. Wasn't everything fine last night?

……

###Chapter 20 Mission Begins###

"You mean, you were inexplicably beaten up by Hiruko Kagetane last night?"

An Shu sat in a chair holding the little girl and yawned at Rentaro on the hospital bed.

Rentaro's lips twitched violently, his dead fish eyes still rolling, "Could you please not put it so harshly?"

"They were both modified, so why is there such a huge difference? I was instantly killed the moment I met them..."

"Dr. Sumire Muroto, did you secretly remove some part of him or something because you didn't like him five years ago?"

Ignoring Rentaro, Anshu pinched the little girl's cheek and turned to ask the person leaning against the wall with messy hair and wearing a white coat.

"Who knows what happened five years ago?" She yawned, seemingly a little sleepy.

"Hey, hey!" Rentaro muttered in dissatisfaction.

"So, why did Hiruko Kagetane come looking for you?" Tendo Kisara asked, sitting on the other side of the hospital bed, opposite Anshu, as she touched the scabbard lying across her thigh.

"I don't know, it's inexplicable, but it doesn't seem to have any ill intentions towards me..." As she said this, she glanced at the bandages wrapped around her body, and her lips twitched again. "Never mind, forget I said anything."

“They really didn’t mean you any harm. If they wanted to kill you, Yeonju-chan wouldn’t have been able to escape, not to mention they even called an ambulance for you. By the way, where’s Yeonju-chan?” Anshu shook her head and said with a smile.

“Look…” Rentaro sat up and leaned against the headboard, lifting a corner of the blanket to reveal the sleeping Aihara Enju.

The girl was fast asleep, tears still glistening in her eyes. Rentaro looked at her profile and gently smiled.

"What is Hiruko Kagetane's purpose in looking for that box?" Tendo Kisara muttered to himself, resting his chin on his hand, looking somewhat puzzled.

"It's for summoning Phase V!" Rentaro turned to look at her, his face serious.

"Stage V?!" Tendo Kisara exclaimed in surprise, losing his voice as he realized that Aihara Enju was still asleep. He quickly covered his mouth and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"That box is the legacy of the Seven Stars. I don't know what it is. According to the information he revealed yesterday, it seems he wants to use that thing to summon Phase V in the Tokyo area!"

"He's gone mad?!"

"I asked that question yesterday too..." He gave a wry smile, feeling helpless.

“If that’s the case, then we’re in big trouble…” The usually quiet Sumire Muroto yawned lazily again. “Around midnight, my lab received the carcass of a spider-like gastrulator. I compared it to the remains of infected individuals and found that their cellular structures were almost identical. That means…”

“In other words, Hiruko Kagetane has probably already obtained the Seven Stars’ inheritance! And by now, he may have already fled into an area we haven’t explored…” Tendo Kisara continued her words, his face full of worry.

Has the plot started ahead of schedule? An Shu nodded thoughtfully.

drop--

"Hmm?" Sima Miori looked at the text message on her phone with some confusion, her expression changing slightly. "An Shu-kun, the government has found out Hiruko Kagetane's whereabouts. He seems to be lurking near the Boso Peninsula in the former Chiba Prefecture!"

His Majesty the Emperor has mobilized air power to deploy police officers for the search, and is currently giving a briefing at the Ministry of Defense.

The meaning is clear: it's time to go on a mission.