The failure of the Osaka Area served as a wake-up call for powers across the globe. People were reminded once again of the strength of the Stage V Gastrea and the terror they once commanded.
For other factions, it was a meaningful lesson. For the Osaka Area, however, this failure was a complete catastrophe.
To lure Scorpio, they had even used the Legacy of the Seven Stars to control its movements. Now, their ambush had failed, but the lured Zodiac was not about to leave.
The Varanium Monoliths surrounding the city could only discourage a Zodiac from approaching. If it was determined, this layer of defense was essentially meaningless.
With the city's millions of inhabitants on the brink of annihilation, the Osaka Area sent out a global request for aid.
If no one extended a helping hand with all their might, the Osaka Area might be wiped from history that very day.
In the past few years, more than one city had been destroyed simply by being in a Zodiac's path of movement.
Faced with this request, most powers remained silent. Only a few verbally expressed their willingness to help.
It wasn't that they were unwilling to help each other; in this post-war world dominated by Gastrea, travel was inherently dangerous.
To provide meaningful assistance to the current Osaka Area, ordinary supplies wouldn't suffice. An entire area would have to pour in all its resources just to provide some relief. Any rational leader, whether for their own benefit or for the sake of their people, had no reason to do so.
Except for one person: Satomi Rentarō.
When it came to defeating the Zodiacs and saving humanity, Rentarō did not hesitate for a moment.
Even though the Osaka Area had brought this upon themselves, rushing to attack without proper preparation, he could not stand by and watch its people suffer a devastating fate.
Thus, he went against the popular opinion and, as the Aide, forced the aid agreement through. Not only that, but he also personally led a team, traveling by helicopter to provide support.
Faced with Rentarō's life-saving aid, the President of the Osaka Area, Kibutsu Muneshige, expressed his profound gratitude. Then, he made an audacious request.
The Osaka Area no longer had the means to fight Scorpio. Even with more supplies, they couldn't avoid the fate of destruction.
Under these circumstances, he hoped that Rentarō would bear the responsibility of a savior and slay Scorpio here and now.
"Slay Scorpio? Me?" Rentarō was naturally baffled.
Being designated a savior by a god didn't mean he possessed a power that surpassed everything. With his current individual combat strength, he could at most defeat Stage III or IV Gastrea.
It was impossible for a human to defeat a Zodiac.
Seeing his expression, Kibutsu Muneshige immediately explained his true purpose. "Our Osaka Area may not have a weapon to kill Scorpio, but your Tokyo Area does!"
"What do you mean?" Rentarō was confused.
The Tokyo Area's linear super-electromagnetic projection device, the "Ladder of Heaven," did indeed have the power to fire a sub-light speed railgun capable of killing a Stage V Gastrea.
But putting aside the fact that this weapon was in a Gastrea-controlled territory and in disrepair, its range couldn't even reach the Osaka Area! It was unusable.
"What I mean is, if Mr. Rentarō doesn't mind, you could lure Scorpio in the direction of your Tokyo Area and then use your weapon to deal with it," Kibutsu Muneshige revealed his true colors.
As he finished, he waved his hand, and a subordinate brought over a box containing a child's bicycle.
"This is?" Rentarō recalled the confidential documents he had read and froze for a moment.
"The Legacy of the Seven Stars. It can be used as a bait to attract Scorpio," Kibutsu Muneshige said.
"You mean, you want our Tokyo Area to risk destruction, help you lure Scorpio, and then defeat the monster you enraged?"
Having fully understood his meaning, and realizing that this had been his plan all along, Rentarō became furious.
This was nothing short of pushing their disaster onto their neighbors! He had come here with good intentions, and they were trying to divert the calamity to the Tokyo Area? How could this guy say something so shameless?
Faced with Rentarō's disgusted expression, Kibutsu Muneshige retorted righteously, "As a leader, one must naturally consider the people under their command. You want to be a savior, don't you? This is your responsibility, isn't it?"
After the moral blackmail, he added, "Besides, this is the only solution right now. Satomi Rentarō, you don't want to see the people of Osaka die because of your decision, do you? We're talking about millions of people!"
Looking at his sinister eyes, Rentarō knew that this guy didn't care about the people at all; they were just pawns to him.
So, should he accept this coercive proposal?
Hearing this news, all the leaders of the various factions in the Tokyo Area began to persuade Rentarō to refuse. This was only natural.
The lives of the people in the Osaka Area had nothing to do with them, but if Rentarō accepted this plan, the Tokyo Area would face the risk of destruction.
Under their persuasion, Rentarō understood Kibutsu Muneshige's scheme.
So, he clenched his fist in anger... and then agreed to his proposal.
He had no choice. Faced with the lives of millions of people, Rentarō could only compromise.
In the name of the god, he did his utmost to suppress the opposition within the Tokyo Area, brought back the Legacy of the Seven Stars, and chose to execute the plan.
Scorpio moved quickly, but not faster than a helicopter. They still had a week to prepare before it arrived.
Despite the complaints about Rentarō's decision, since their own lives were at stake, everyone put in their best effort in the ambush against Scorpio.
Rentarō also personally took risks, repeatedly inspecting the Ladder of Heaven to ensure the weapon could be used and that they could kill Scorpio without fail.
After Rentarō had made all the necessary preparations, the battle that would be known as the Third Kantō Battle officially began.
Compared to the Osaka Area, the Tokyo Area's troops were more elite, their command more professional, and their determination was on another level.
Rentarō had thought he wouldn't have to worry too much.
However, in the first minute of the battle, an accident occurred.
The Monolith barrier that enveloped the entire Tokyo Area had a problem!
To kill Scorpio, it wasn't necessary to draw its hatred to the Tokyo Area itself, only within the range of the Ladder of Heaven. In the original plan, the Tokyo Area would only be slightly affected, not a direct target.
But no one had expected that the Monoliths, which were supposed to be made of high-concentration Varanium, were actually shoddy, corner-cutting projects.
With insufficient Varanium concentration, not only would the barrier's duration be shortened, but it would also fail to repel the Gastrea it was supposed to.
Seeing this, the members of the chat group stared wide-eyed.
Rin Tohsaka: "In the apocalypse, they're actually cutting corners on the barrier protecting the city for the sake of corruption?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Does this kind of thing really happen?"
Wasn't that like knowing the world was ending in 2012, knowing you had to rely on Noah's Ark to survive, and still tampering with the Ark?
Not only did Rin not understand, but even Erica couldn't comprehend it. She had only heard of crazily adding materials, never crazily reducing them on life-saving items.
Shiroyasha: "The more important the project, the greater the profit from corruption."
Shiroyasha, on the other hand, was not surprised by this. After all, there would always be people with the mentality of, Everyone else is doing it, so what's the harm in me taking a little?
Of course, more importantly, once greed becomes a habit, it's hard to change. Perhaps the corruption on the Monolith project was already a restrained result.
Rentarō also had a rough idea of what these people were thinking. So, after hearing the bad news, he didn't dwell on the bad start. He put aside the matter of accountability and decided to deal with Scorpio first.
Rushing to the front lines, Rentarō barely managed to quell the panic. After boosting morale with his charisma, Scorpio appeared.
Rentarō led the charge, preparing to lead the army to complete the plan.
And then, he encountered his nemesis, another product of the Mechanized Soldier Project: Hiruko Kagekane.
"Rentarō-kun, a savior can't be so impulsive! This is a trial from God!" shouting crazed words, Kagekane directly attacked Rentarō's vehicle, executing a decapitation strike on the newly united army.
The battle had barely begun, and the leader was attacked and his whereabouts unknown.
With morale suffering a devastating blow and Scorpio approaching, panic began to spread. Anyone seeing this situation would think that humanity had reached its limit.
Could it be that, with humanity's strength, they couldn't even defeat one Zodiac?
However, at this moment, the missing Rentarō suddenly appeared.
After awakening people's fighting spirit with impassioned words, he risked his life to break through layers of obstacles, personally acting as a decoy with the Legacy of the Seven Stars.
Finally, using the "Ladder of Heaven," he slew the Stage V Gastrea, Scorpio.
Now, humanity faced only one last apocalyptic disaster.
Only one Zodiac Gastrea remained.
The hope of victory and salvation seemed to be just a moment away.