"Mr. Haruto… how did you—no, what are you doing here?"

Rentaro Satomi stared intently at Haruto, trying to glean some information from his reaction.

But Haruto didn't even spare him a glance.

Instead, he looked toward Seitenshi, who was slumped over the desk.

He had to admit—Seitenshi truly lived up to her reputation as the most beautiful among all previous Saintesses.

Even in her current disheveled state, she was still stunning.

Still, this wasn't the time to admire a beautiful girl.

Haruto walked forward.

"Stop right there!"

A ghostly blue flame erupted from Rentaro's body. The metallic sheen of his mechanical limbs shimmered in the air.

Rentaro had already taken the starting stance of the Tendo-style martial arts, ready to strike with all his might.

"It's fine, Rentaro-kun. Let him come."

Seitenshi, still resting on the desk, spoke weakly.

"But, Your Majesty—"

Rentaro wanted to protest.

But ultimately, he fell silent.

Because Haruto never stopped walking in the first place.

While the two exchanged words, Haruto had already reached the Saintess's side. Thanks to her command, Rentaro had lost his chance to make a move.

There was no opportunity left to act.

The Saintess grabbed a document from the table and handed it to Haruto without looking at him, as if pouting.

Her silent resistance was honestly kind of cute.

Haruto took the document and skimmed through it.

"Wow…"

He let out a soft whistle.

The New Gastrea Law.

Public support rate: 1.32%Opposition rate: 98.68%

A fun fact:

The first version of the New Gastrea Law had about 10% support.

The second version reached 17% support.

But the third version—ironically—had the lowest approval rate.

And this was after the Cursed Children had played a crucial role in defending the Monoliths and saving the Tokyo Area.

When they should've been celebrated as heroes, support for them plummeted.

Even the clauses in the third version that were clearly designed to favor the public, almost to the point of cheating, couldn't raise approval.

How interesting.

Haruto chuckled.

Perhaps someone had been stirring up hatred behind the scenes, spreading fear of the Cursed Children.

Or perhaps, seeing their strength during the Monolith defense had terrified people instead of earning their respect.

In the end, it didn't matter.

The result was clear.

"Well then, Miss Saintess—our game is over. According to the rules, you've lost. From here on, I will begin destroying this world's civilization, as per our wager."

Haruto said it as if he were discussing something mundane and casual.

Seitenshi buried her face in her arms, ignoring him.

But Rentaro—

"Wait, Mr. Haruto—what do you mean by that?! Destroy human civilization?!"

He stared in disbelief.

Who would want to destroy human civilization?!

Haruto shook his finger.

"Rentaro Satomi, you're mistaken."

Rentarou sighed with relief.

So he had misunderstood?

Unfortunately—

"This world's civilization is no longer human. Those people out there no longer qualify as human beings."

Rentaro's eyes widened.

"That's ridiculous…"

He tried to say more.

But Haruto didn't want to continue the conversation.

He turned and walked toward the exit.

He needed a proper place to make his announcement.

"Stop right there and explain yourself!"

A thunderous noise erupted behind him.

Rentaro attacked.

Like the crack of a gunshot, a bullet casing ejected from his mechanical arm. What followed was power and speed that exceeded human limits.

With his cybernetic limbs boosting him, Rentaro's capabilities far exceeded the norm—more than even top-ranked Initiators and Promoters.

There weren't many in the world who could take a full-force attack from Rentaro Satomi.

But unfortunately—

Haruto didn't even turn his head.

Rentarou's strike passed right through him—

As if striking thin air.

Though Haruto could've tanked the hit, he didn't want to dirty his clothes.

So he chose to use Kamui.

The effect was instant.

Rentaro, missing his target, slammed hard into the wall.

Meanwhile, Haruto continued walking, completely unaffected.

At that moment—

Several of the Saintess's guards, having heard the loud commotion, rushed inside with weapons ready.

The moment they saw Haruto—

They all froze in shock.

Then, as if on instinct, they raised their guns.

"Hey! You there! How did you get in?!"

"Stop right now! One more step and we shoot!"

Haruto ignored them completely.

A hail of gunfire followed.

As before—

The bullets passed straight through him, embedding in the wall behind. Even as the guards stared in disbelief, Haruto kept walking.

After leaving the Crystal Palace, Haruto encountered a few familiar faces in the corridor.

Well—not quite "familiar."

He had seen these Tokyo officials twice.

Once during a meeting.

Once atop Tokyo Tower.

The moment they saw Haruto, they froze.

Then their expressions turned mocking.

They believed Haruto wouldn't do anything to them.

After all, even when they had insulted him to his face at Tokyo Tower—

Haruto didn't retaliate.

He didn't even order the Cursed Children to stop defending the Monolith or apply pressure.

To them—

No matter how powerful he was, Haruto was just a pushover.

"Well, if it isn't Lord Haruto. What brings you here? Reporting to Her Majesty?"

"Haha, I bet he's here begging for the Cursed Children again. How pathetic."

"Hahaha! I heard the new Gastrea Law didn't even break 3% support. Hilarious!"

They laughed openly.

Perhaps they themselves had helped tank the support rate for the bill.

And just as they expected—Haruto didn't say a word to them.

He walked past in silence.

This only made them laugh louder.

But their laughter didn't last long.

A squad of royal guards, fully armed, came bursting out of the Crystal Palace.

Seeing their aggressive posture, those same officials went pale. One even fell to his knees, begging not to be killed.

But like Haruto—

The guards ignored them completely.

They were chasing Haruto.

And just as the officials stood there confused—

A massive projection appeared in the sky.

It showed Haruto.

The officials' eyes widened in shock.

A chilling fear crept down their spines—Like plunging into an ice-cold river after breaking through a frozen lake.

The terror was inexplicable.

But all of them collapsed, some even wetting themselves.

The stench spread.

But no one paid them any attention.

No, it was as if they had been ignored from the beginning.

Haruto had reached an open space.

It seemed to be the front garden of the Crystal Palace.

A field of carefully tended flowers.

Probably the work of the palace's gardeners.

Sadly, Seitenshi had always been too busy with politics to enjoy the view.

Haruto reached into his Kamui space and pulled out a small, silver sphere.

He pressed a button and tossed it into the air.

It was a projection device developed by the Foundation—large coverage, high resolution. Haruto's current location appeared as a massive image over the Tokyo Area.

No—over every habitable region on Earth.

All across the world, people stared upward, dumbfounded.

And before they could react—

Haruto spoke words that shook the globe.

[From this moment on, I will begin the destruction of civilization as it exists today.]

[As members of that civilization, perhaps you deserve to know why.]

[In the spirit of humanitarian transparency, I will now explain the reason and method behind this destruction.]

[After all, silence is the ultimate form of contempt. While I have no interest in your civilization…]

[…I will at least extend the courtesy of respect—though you are entirely undeserving of it.]