Kagetane Hiruko had never experienced anything like this before.
He didn't hesitate.
His hand swept across his wrist, and a pistol snapped into his grip.
"Bang!"
The gunshot rang out in the cramped room, echoing off the walls.
The bullet shot straight toward Gojo.
Then stopped.
Just like before, it froze in midair, suspended as if time itself had stalled around it.
Kagetane knew this phenomenon well.
His Repulsion Shield could produce a similar effect.
But this was the first time he had seen it manifested by someone else.
"Impossible."
"Even if you're part of the 787th Mechanized Special Forces, the Repulsion Shield is something only I possess…"
"Oh?"
"Repulsion Shield? That actually sounds pretty fitting."
Gojo reached out, plucked the suspended bullet from the air, and flicked it back.
As it neared Kagetane, a faint blue barrier shimmered around him, intercepting the projectile.
"Interesting," Gojo murmured. "It does resemble my Cursed Technique… but…"
He studied the man with growing curiosity and extended his hand again.
This time, Kagetane saw it clearly.
At the tip of Gojo's finger, a small blue sphere glowed, pulsing faintly.
Gojo slowly brought Blue closer.
The moment it approached, the pale blue barrier began to ripple.
The distortion grew more violent with each passing second.
Kagetane's pupils shrank.
That barrier, which could repel level-four Gastrea and even deflect anti-tank rifle fire, was on the verge of collapse under the pressure of that tiny sphere.
How is this possible?
As someone with extensive knowledge of mechanized enhancements, Kagetane understood their limits better than anyone.
Before the discovery of the Cursed Children, people like him, half-mechanical, half-human, had been humanity's strongest weapons against the Gastrea.
And yet—
No modification could achieve what this boy was doing.
There were no signs of cybernetic alteration on his body. No seams, no mechanical joints. Just ordinary human flesh.
Is this some new technology? A classified project?
His thoughts raced.
The strain pushed his body to its limits. Heat surged through him as the Repulsion Shield operated far beyond its capacity.
Blood trickled from his nose. From the corners of his eyes.
Even so, the blue sphere continued its steady advance.
Calm. Relentless.
He couldn't stop it.
He could only watch as it drew closer.
And the closer it came, the clearer he understood.
That strange force dragging him backward earlier, it had come from this very sphere.
It made no sense.
Everything he knew about the world failed to explain what was happening.
Then, with a sharp crack, the Repulsion Shield shattered.
For the first time in his life, it had been broken.
Without it, he was exposed.
He tried to strike, to take advantage of his suspended position, but his attacks couldn't even reach Gojo.
They meant nothing.
"Hey, Betty, come take a look," Gojo called. "I think we found something interesting."
Kagetane was pulled closer, locked in place by the invisible force, unable to move at all.
Like a fish laid out on a cutting board.
Gojo lifted his sleeve, inspecting him closely.
"I thought something felt off earlier. I couldn't sense any energy from you."
"And yet you can do all this. That power too."
He tilted his head, eyes lighting up.
"So that's it. Mechanical modification?"
Beneath the torn fabric, a mechanical arm gleamed.
Betty stepped forward, her gaze fixed on it with open curiosity.
"This person… fused with machinery?"
"Not entirely," Gojo said. "Looks like partial modification."
He flicked his finger lightly.
The man's upper clothing shredded instantly, revealing the truth beneath.
Black metal intertwined seamlessly with flesh.
The sight made both of them pause.
"Wow," Gojo muttered. "To reach this level… your world's technology is way ahead of mine."
Betty leaned in and tapped the arm with her knuckle.
"Impressive," she said. "To combine machine and human like this…"
Her expression turned thoughtful.
"These people are more extreme than witches. Turning themselves into this…"
She tilted her head.
"But what's the point?"
"Is it just for those abilities?"
"For something so weak, you'd change your body like this?"
She sounded genuinely puzzled.
From her perspective, his strength barely matched an average knight from Lugunica, not even one of the Royal Guard Knights.
Mercenaries could reach similar levels.
As for the Repulsion Shield, it worked against weaker attacks, but that was all.
Even she could break through it without much effort.
"Who knows," Gojo said with a shrug. "People have strange ideas."
If Kagetane hadn't honed his mind through years of hardship, he might have snapped right then.
Weak?
For ordinary people, someone like him was practically superhuman.
Just moments ago, he had crushed two armed officers with ease.
And now…
He wanted to argue, but in his current state, restrained and helpless, he had no ground to stand on.
"Mr. Hiruko," Gojo said, smiling, "mind satisfying our curiosity?"
"You mentioned the mechanized special forces."
"How many people are in it? And do they all have abilities like yours?"
Kagetane took a slow breath, a faint sneer in his voice.
"If you want answers, shouldn't you answer mine first?"
"What would you like to ask?" Gojo replied lightly.
"What exactly are you?" Kagetane said. "Or which organization created you?"
His gaze shifted between Gojo and Betty.
It was the only explanation he could think of.
Otherwise, nothing about this made sense.
"Well," Gojo said, smiling, "you already asked one question earlier, so I'll generously answer your second."
He shook his head.
"We don't belong to any organization. We're just travelers."
"Just happened to show up here and run into you."
He spread his hands.
"Now it's your turn."
"…When I left, there were just over five hundred of us," Kagetane said after a moment. "And I'm the only one who can use the Repulsion Shield."
"And the Gastrea?"
Gojo leaned forward, interested.
"The Gastrea Virus has been around for over a decade," Kagetane said, his tone turning sharp. "Eighty percent of the land is gone."
"And you don't know what Gastrea are?"
He studied them closely.
"Or have you been locked away in some research facility your whole lives?"
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became.
There was no other explanation.
This was a world where ignorance like theirs shouldn't exist.
And yet, their confusion had seemed genuine.
"Sigh."
Gojo shook his head.
"Can't people trust each other a little more?"
"If you don't believe me, I can't really help that."
He waved it off.
"Still, thanks. You told us enough."
He had no intention of pressing further.
If Gastrea were common knowledge, finding more information would be easy.
As for the man in front of him, Gojo had already lost interest.
Someone who killed without hesitation, probably responsible for more deaths than most Cursed Spirits.
Getting rid of him would count as a good deed.
Kagetane felt it.
The killing intent.
Just as Gojo prepared to dismantle the half-mechanical body in front of him—
A sharp sound tore through the air.
"Don't touch my daddy!"
Something shot toward Betty.
She looked up instinctively.
A small girl in a blue dress, no older than herself, leapt through the air with a blade in hand, striking downward.
Gojo tilted his head back, watching her against the sunlight.
"Is that really human jumping ability? That's insane."
They were on the sixth floor.
Nearly twenty meters high.
And she had reached them in a single leap.
"How touching," Betty said flatly.
She raised a hand.
No spell.
Just a burst of mana.
The impact slammed into the girl, sending her flying back out the window.
"Let's leave," Betty said, not even glancing at her. "This place smells awful."
"Yeah," Gojo replied, still watching Kagetane with interest. "Let me deal with him first."
He looked at the man the way one might look at an intriguing machine, ready to take it apart piece by piece.
Just as he moved to act—
Footsteps thundered in the hallway.
Both of them turned toward the door.
A boy in a black uniform burst in, gun in hand.
The moment he saw them, Kagetane, and the corpses, he fired without hesitation.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Bullets streaked toward Gojo.
Through the Six Eyes, Gojo saw everything clearly.
This boy was also modified.
But far less extensively.
Only his eyes, his right leg, and his foot.
"Stop!"
The boy shouted, charging forward.
At the same time, the girl from earlier reappeared outside the window, unharmed except for a bit of dust on her dress.
In an instant, Gojo and Betty were caught between them.
Kagetane's eyes flashed behind his mask.
For the first time, a faint mechanical clicking echoed from his body.
Then—
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion tore through the room.
Flames and smoke swallowed everything in an instant.