Satoru Gojo had never expected to see results after only two days. He understood better than anyone that scientific research required patience and time. It was not something that could be rushed.
With everyone's combined efforts, the school grew livelier with each passing day.
Every day, large numbers of Cursed Children were brought there. Some were discovered by kind-hearted people and sent over, some found their own way there, and others were "invited" by people working under Kazumitsu Tendo. However, those children had no idea that they were being used as bargaining chips to restrain Gojo.
Once they arrived, they were given proper places to live, warm meals to eat, and clean clothes to wear. They no longer had to endure the wandering, starving lives they had experienced before.
Here, they could feel warmth and care. They could play with other children their age, and the smiles on their faces became more frequent with every passing day. The fear and unease in their eyes slowly faded, replaced by happiness and contentment.
Watching all of this, especially the innocent smiles on the children's faces, gave Rentaro Satomi, Gojo, Kisara Tendo, and the others a deep sense of accomplishment.
It was a feeling that ordinary achievements could never provide. It was the kind of satisfaction that warmed the heart from within.
Everyone was working hard, doing everything they could so that these children could have a better future, escape the shadow of the Gastrea Virus, and live a normal life.
But this peaceful and warm atmosphere only lasted for two days.
Because a massive crisis had already arrived.
The Stage 5 Gastrea, Scorpio, had come.
"Mr. Gojo, Scorpio is almost at the Monolith. Could you come to the Holy Residence now?"
While Gojo was inside the research room, lowering the Corrosion Rate of a Cursed Child, he suddenly received a call from Seitenshi.
Her voice carried urgency, along with a faint trace of panic that she could not completely hide. Clearly, Scorpio's arrival had already left her at a loss.
"Already?"
Gojo paused for a moment before raising his eyebrows in surprise.
For the past two days, he had remained at the school, spending time with the adorable children, helping lower their Corrosion Rates, and enjoying this rare moment of peace. He had completely forgotten about other matters.
If Seitenshi had not called to remind him, he probably would have forgotten that Scorpio was approaching.
"Yes."
Seitenshi's voice remained heavy as she quickly explained, "According to our monitoring, Scorpio is moving extremely fast. It is expected to launch an attack on the Monolith in three hours."
Her tone grew increasingly serious, and even her voice trembled slightly.
She understood better than anyone what the Monolith represented.
It was the barrier protecting Tokyo, the only line of defense against Gastrea invasions. If the Monolith was breached or destroyed, Tokyo would be completely exposed to the attacks of Gastrea. When that happened, the entire city would face a catastrophe, and countless people would lose their lives.
That was something she absolutely could not allow to happen.
Therefore, she needed to find Gojo as quickly as possible and ask him to help defend Tokyo, protect the city, and protect its people.
Gojo smiled.
"Got it. I'll be there soon."
He answered without hesitation.
After hanging up, he briefly informed Betty and Sumire Muroto about the situation before turning around and heading toward the Holy Residence.
Gojo's speed was astonishing.
The moment he left the school gates, he moved so quickly that he almost became a blurred black shadow. The force of his movement created a brief gust of wind, causing the leaves along the roadside to rustle loudly.
He did not bother hiding his presence, nor did he use any vehicle. Relying solely on his Cursed Technique, he freely traveled through the skies above Tokyo.
The buildings and streets beneath him rapidly disappeared from view, becoming fleeting images that vanished in an instant.
Only a few minutes after leaving the school, the Holy Residence, the solemn symbol of Tokyo's highest authority, appeared clearly before his eyes.
The Holy Residence was heavily guarded. Layer upon layer of security measures that would have been an impenetrable fortress to ordinary people were meaningless before Gojo.
Without alerting a single guard, he silently passed through every defensive line and walked directly into Seitenshi's office.
The office was spacious and bright. Outside the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows was a neatly maintained garden, while the interior decoration was simple yet elegant.
The most eye-catching object in the room was the massive display screen occupying most of one wall.
And on that screen, Gojo finally saw the creature that had caused fear throughout Tokyo and even among many nations.
The Stage 5 Gastrea, Scorpio.
The image on the screen was incredibly clear, displaying every detail of the enormous monster.
Gojo stood with his hands in his pockets, slightly tilting his head as he stared at the screen. A look of undisguised disgust appeared on his face.
"Seriously, this Scorpio looks even uglier on video than it did in the reports."
His tone was casual, as if he were commenting on some insignificant object rather than a terrifying creature capable of destroying all of Tokyo.
After all, from Gojo's experience, Cursed Spirits, beings born from humanity's negative emotions and hatred, were already ugly and disturbing enough.
Their forms varied wildly. Most were twisted and grotesque, their bodies covered in disgusting miasma. Some did not even possess complete bodies, existing only as vague shadows or piles of rotting flesh.
But these Gastrea...
Gojo could not understand how they had evolved into such forms.
Compared to Cursed Spirits, they were even worse.
They completely ignored aesthetics, as if nature itself had created its most failed experiments. Every part of their bodies radiated distortion and brutality.
Scorpio was the perfect example.
Its hundreds-of-meters-long body was covered with countless eyes, scars, and strange growths. Those eyes were cloudy and empty, lacking any trace of emotion, yet they seemed capable of seeing straight through a person's soul as they stared toward the camera.
Eight enormous tentacles extended from its body. Each one was incredibly thick, covered with countless small spikes along the surface. Their dark color made them look like a mixture of solid stone and decaying vines.
Scorpio's entire body was covered in a deep, almost black color. A thin layer of mucus coated its surface, reflecting a strange sheen under the light.
At first glance, it looked like some kind of black tentacled creature that had crawled out from the deepest depths of the ocean.
Ugly.
Disturbing.
The first feeling it gave people was not fear or intimidation, but disgust.
A deep, instinctive discomfort that made their stomachs churn.
"Mr. Gojo..."
Hearing his casual evaluation, even Seitenshi, whose emotions had been suppressed by Scorpio's arrival and whose face had turned slightly pale, could only helplessly call out to him.
She sat behind her desk with both hands resting lightly on the surface, her fingers slightly curled. Her brows were filled with worry, and the gentle eyes that usually carried warmth now held only anxiety and helplessness.
She knew Gojo was incredibly powerful. She also knew that he had a carefree personality and disliked being restricted.
But the current situation was far too serious for jokes.
"Hahaha, don't mind it, don't mind it."
Gojo immediately laughed, still maintaining his relaxed tone.
"I was only making a casual comment. Though, to be fair, this thing really is uglier than it has any right to be."
After laughing, he put away some of his joking expression and changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, I remember Tokyo has some kind of weapon that can deal massive damage to Gastrea. Why haven't I seen it used yet?"
His eyes returned to the screen. Although his tone remained casual, there was a hint of seriousness hidden within his gaze.
Seitenshi took a deep breath and suppressed her worries before explaining.
"The Tenzai deployed in Tokyo can fire special Varanium bullets. They can cause enormous damage to Gastrea, and if they strike a vital point, they can even kill them instantly."
She paused, her expression becoming heavier.
"However, hitting Scorpio's weak point is not easy. Someone needs to restrain it first, draw its attention, and prevent it from moving freely. Only then will the Tenzai have a chance to aim and fire."
"But Scorpio's arrival has also attracted countless lower-stage Gastrea. They are surrounding it like a tide. Forget restraining Scorpio, even getting close to it is extremely difficult..."
Seitenshi frowned, her voice filled with helplessness. Every word seemed to drain more of her strength.
She understood better than anyone why Stage 5 Gastrea were regarded as disasters by countless nations and cities.
The reason was simple.
They were incredibly difficult to kill.
So difficult that victory required paying a terrible price, and sometimes, even after paying that price, success was not guaranteed.
According to Seitenshi's explanation, before launching a killing blow against Scorpio, they would need to sacrifice countless lives. They would have to use those lives to buy time, exhaust Scorpio's strength, and create the brief opportunity needed for the Tenzai to fire.
During that process, the slightest mistake would make everything meaningless. All those sacrifices would become worthless.
The United States and Germany had both succeeded in killing Stage 5 Gastrea before, but they had paid devastating prices. Countless soldiers had died, entire cities had been destroyed, and what remained were ruined landscapes filled with people who had lost their homes and loved ones.
That was why they would never want the same tragedy to happen again.
Even when facing the threat of a Stage 5 Gastrea, they had to proceed with extreme caution.
With their terrifying regenerative abilities, Stage 5 Gastrea could recover from almost any injury as long as their vital point was not struck. Even wounds caused by Varanium Weapons could regenerate rapidly.
Furthermore, saying that Gastrea lacked intelligence was only true when comparing them to humans capable of advanced research and complex thought.
They were not completely mindless.
They possessed basic instincts, such as avoiding danger, protecting themselves, and retaliating against enemies that harmed them.
Otherwise, there would have been no incident where Sagittarius used long-range attacks to destroy satellites in space.
That alone proved that Stage 5 Gastrea possessed powerful instincts and combat awareness.
If the Tenzai failed to kill Scorpio in one strike and missed its vital point, the creature would undoubtedly become enraged and focus all of its attention on destroying the weapon.
And once the Tenzai was destroyed, defeating Scorpio afterward would be nothing more than a fantasy.
At that point, all of Tokyo would face complete destruction.
Gojo quietly listened to Seitenshi's explanation.
The smile on his face gradually faded as he nodded slightly, understanding the key point.
His tone remained relaxed, but there was absolute confidence behind his words.
"So it sounds pretty troublesome. But basically, all we need to do is immobilize that thing, stop it from moving, then let the Tenzai hit it with a fatal shot, right?"
"Snap."
The moment he finished speaking, Gojo lightly snapped his fingers.
A faint white glow appeared at his fingertip.
The relaxed smile returned to his face, as if the seemingly impossible task they had just discussed was nothing more than a trivial matter.
"Seems pretty simple. Alright, don't look so worried. Come on, smile a little."
As he spoke, Gojo walked toward Seitenshi's desk.
He leaned forward slightly and gently used his slender index finger to lift the corners of her mouth.
The motion was soft, carrying a faint trace of tenderness.
Seitenshi's body stiffened slightly.
A faint blush immediately appeared on her cheeks, and her tightly pressed lips unconsciously curved into a small smile under his touch.
She raised her head and looked at Gojo's eyes hidden behind his black blindfold. The anxiety in her heart seemed to fade slightly, leaving behind only a strange fluttering sensation.
"I'll leave this matter to me. Have your people prepare the Tenzai. Once you receive my signal, fire."
Gojo withdrew his hand and straightened up, his voice casual yet filled with absolute certainty.
There was no hesitation.
No fear.
To him, dealing with Scorpio was no different from going out to buy a cup of bubble tea.