After the successful defeat of Scorpio, congratulatory messages poured in from powers all over the world. Rentarō himself, however, spent a week in the hospital.
"Your Gastrea virus erosion rate has stabilized at eleven percent. It's not a major issue for now, but don't take any more risks," said Muroto Sumire, one of the Four Sages, after examining him.
"Even if God granted you the same affinity as the Cursed Children, that doesn't mean you can squander this gift. If you continue to push yourself, you'll risk losing control."
Rentarō's survival had come at a price.
In a moment of crisis, he had injected himself with three doses of the AGV experimental drug, which boosted the Gastrea virus erosion rate.
This enhanced his body's recovery ability, allowing him to survive the attack and last until Scorpio was defeated.
The short-term burst of power came with the risk of being consumed by the virus. If he continued this, the risk would escalate to a critical level.
"Don't worry, I won't!" Rentarō immediately promised. In reality, his thoughts were simple. Defeating one Zodiac had only raised his erosion rate by ten percent. Even if he pushed himself to the limit once more, doubling it would only bring it to around thirty. It was enough to last until the end.
With this mindset, he was discharged and received a formal invitation and thanks from the Osaka Area. However, the people of Osaka were surprisingly cold towards the hero who had saved their city.
Only a very small number expressed their gratitude.
Rentarō didn't mind, but he found it strange. After some investigation, he discovered the reason.
It turned out that Kibutsu Muneshige had taken all the credit for saving Osaka, relentlessly building a cult of personality around himself.
Not only that, but he had also shifted the blame for the initial incident onto Rentarō, implying that the Osaka Area's provocation of Scorpio was the result of the savior's orders.
In the city's narrative, Rentarō became the reckless one who, for the sake of glory, had forced Osaka to attack Scorpio, leading to the crisis.
President Muneshige, on the other hand, was the hero who had reprimanded Rentarō in the nick of time. It was his words that made Rentarō "come to his senses" and clean up his own mess, while Muneshige took all the credit.
This blatant reversal of truth, through constant indoctrination, had become common knowledge among the people of Osaka.
Naturally, they had no good impression of Rentarō. Even if he had defeated Scorpio, it was just him cleaning up his own mess.
The fact that they weren't holding him responsible for their losses was already considered generous!
Discovering this ingratitude, Rentarō was speechless, but he didn't say much. As a leader, strengthening one's own rule wasn't exactly a condemnable act.
Kibutsu Muneshige dragged him into various staged performances, and Rentarō, not one to make a scene, practically confirmed the conspiracy theories in the public's eyes. His reputation hit rock bottom.
Faced with this situation, even he couldn't take it anymore and wanted to leave immediately.
However, before he could, while playing along with Muneshige's political theater, he witnessed a Gastrea attack. As chaos erupted, Muneshige was surrounded by layers of security and immediately retreated into his car.
Rentarō, on the other hand, stepped forward to help.
And then, he discovered a problem. The super-Varanium bullets in his pistol had no effect on the Gastrea.
Although the creature was eventually killed by troops with flamethrowers, Rentarō remained suspicious. How could a Gastrea be immune to Varanium?
To investigate, he had to force himself to stay in the disgusting Osaka Area. A week later, he finally found a clue.
It seemed an organization called the "Five Wings Association" was conducting experiments on anti-Varanium Gastrea.
Realizing the danger of this experiment, he immediately launched a deep investigation and was ambushed.
Seeing the standard military-issue weapons of his enemies, Rentarō realized that the Five Wings Association had infiltrated the high-ranking officials of the Osaka Area.
They had even dared to make a move on him, the Aide of the Tokyo Area!
With his strength, he was no match for an organized army. To escape, he had to use three doses of the AGV agent, barely managing to slip away.
However, the Osaka Area was unfamiliar territory, seemingly crawling with Five Wings members.
While being relentlessly pursued, Rentarō found himself nearing the presidential palace and felt a surge of hope.
Surely, the Five Wings Association, no matter how powerful, wouldn't dare to show their faces in front of a strong leader like Kibutsu Muneshige.
With this thought, he barged into the palace, seeking his protection. Just as he thought he had made the right choice and escaped, after hearing his story, Muneshige's expression turned terrifyingly dark.
In that moment, Rentarō finally understood. The president before him was also a high-ranking member of the Five Wings Association. He had a hand in the anti-Varanium Gastrea experiments!
But by then, it was too late. Alone, he was captured and sent to a basement to become a test subject.
In this desperate situation, with no one to call for help, just as he was about to die... reinforcements arrived.
Unexpectedly, the one who came to save him was none other than Hiruko Kagekane, the very person who had attacked him before.
Setting aside the strange camaraderie between hero and villain, with Kagekane's help, Rentarō, now implanted with the anti-Varanium Gastrea virus, recovered his strength with the AGV agent.
The two of them, through repeated injections exceeding the limit, finally escaped the Five Wings' control and the Osaka army's suppression, returning to the Tokyo Area.
After the ordeal, his erosion rate had risen to thirty-nine percent. Against Scorpio, he had used only three doses. But against his fellow humans, he had used a total of nine.
And his losses didn't end there. As mentioned before, the people of Osaka despised him due to Muneshige's propaganda.
In fact, the people of Tokyo also resented him. Although the Third Kantō Battle was a success, many had died. And if Rentarō hadn't taken on that responsibility, they wouldn't have had to.
Killing Scorpio was a great achievement, but the price was paid by soldiers who shouldn't have had to die, which was enough to anger the bereaved families.
Not to mention, during that time, the entire Tokyo Area had been at risk of being breached. The Monolith scandal had also erupted under his watch.
These reasons were enough for them to believe he was not a competent leader.
And it wasn't just them. The officials and families of the Tokyo Area were also dissatisfied with his actions.
His unauthorized provocation of Scorpio was one thing, but his subsequent sweeping investigations into officials had caused strong dissatisfaction even among his own faction, the Tendō family.
After all, the Tendō family had been responsible for the Monolith construction, and Rentarō's accountability measures were a deep cut into his own support base.
Originally, after his escape, Rentarō had planned to announce Muneshige's crimes to the world and expose the Five Wings Association's evil plan.
But upon his return, he found himself alienated and on the verge of being impeached from his position as Aide.
To this, Rentarō couldn't really argue. At least now, his genetic report was almost identical to that of a Cursed Child.
Muneshige seized this point, relentlessly demanding that he submit a physical examination report to prove his "purity."
In this state, the Five Wings Association made their move. Their pawns hidden in the Tokyo Area began to act.
Shigeno Senichi, the Tendō family's butler, an old man who had cared for Rentarō since he was a child; Masatsugu Ketsuma, the Tokyo Area police chief; Yuga Mitsugi, a mechanized soldier even more outstanding than Rentarō...
The global organization began to exert its influence, uniting all the citizens, officials, and subordinates who were dissatisfied with Rentarō.
Finally, with the betrayal of the Tendō family, public misunderstanding and resentment, and the undercurrents of various forces, the hero who had once defeated Scorpio was suspended from his position.
Though not imprisoned, he was essentially placed under house arrest, unable to exercise his authority.
Rentarō, who highly valued the rules of human society, did not resist. He knew that although the Five Wings Association had fanned the flames, the public's anger and the officials' opposition were understandable.
During this period, he was alone, no different from being in prison. The only one he could talk to was Hiruko Kagekane, who cared nothing for human rules.
This situation lasted for several months until finally, a change came. The last Zodiac, Libra, appeared.
The Zodiac's movement path usually ignored the distinction between land and sea. This monster, originally in Moscow, was now approaching the Sendai Area in its periodic movement. No one dared to provoke a Zodiac anymore, but you couldn't stop it from moving on its own.
Judging by Libra's trajectory, if nothing unexpected happened, it would pass directly through the Sendai Area and destroy it.
Faced with this level of crisis, the people of the Sendai Area finally remembered Rentarō. Although the Tokyo Area had no intention of helping, they secretly sent special agents to request his aid.
After the agents left, under the full moon, the masked Hiruko Kagekane appeared. "You want to help them?" the chaos-loving terrorist asked.
"Yes," Rentarō nodded firmly.
"Your erosion rate has reached forty-five percent. Honestly, their decision to confine you was correct. Even if left alone, you are very dangerous."
"I know."
"If you push yourself again, you'll die."
"I know."
Seeing Rentarō's unchanging expression, Kagekane was puzzled. "Are these ungrateful little people worth it?" No matter how Rentarō saw it, the betrayal, misunderstanding, and framing he had suffered were real.
After receiving such treatment, what was the point of risking his life for these people?
"I believe they will eventually trust me," Rentarō replied.
"...You're the crazy one, but I like it," Kagekane sighed, standing beside him.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I mean I'll help you, just this once."
The one who believed in humanity and the one who despised it, under Rentarō's influence, walked the same path.
One month later, in the Sendai Area, Libra was defeated. All eleven Zodiac Gastrea had been successfully defeated.
People began to celebrate the victory that had already arrived. The whole world danced and sang, celebrating the return of the world to human rule.
Only Hiruko Kagekane, watching the comatose Rentarō, ran around like an ant on a hot pan, seeking medical aid.
And, as per Rentarō's last instructions before his final battle, he used the hero's prestige to expose the dark side of the Five Wings Association.
As a villain, Kagekane had done more than enough, practically becoming a workhorse. He had thought these things would be simple. He was the hero; couldn't he get at least that much resource and trust?
Rentarō had said that after this battle, people would finally trust him, and Kagekane had believed it.
However, it was only when he tried it himself that he realized the difficulty.
People were indeed willing to give the savior enough trust. But who was the savior? Was it the lone, vegetative Rentarō, or the excellent leader of the Sendai Area?
Even if Rentarō was the savior, who could represent his will? Hiruko Kagekane? He was just a criminal. How could a great savior associate with a terrorist?
With his influence diluted, Kagekane found that he could do very little.
In the end, he could only put aside the matter of exposing the Five Wings' plot and barely manage to invite two of the Four Sages to save Rentarō, whose erosion rate had surpassed fifty percent and who was only holding on through sheer willpower.
To be honest, Kagekane didn't trust the Four Sages either. But they were the most brilliant scientific researchers on the planet. They couldn't be members of the Five Wings Association, right?
Besides, there was no one else who could save him.
Three days later, he paid the price for his wishful thinking.
The Sendai Area was destroyed.
The last Zodiac Gastrea was born.
The Stage V Gastrea, Cancer. Host body: Satomi Rentarō.