This proclamation of destruction echoed in the ears of every person within this parallel reality known as the present world.

Very few people in the world actually knew Haruto.

Those who did included certain Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers who once participated in the recovery mission for the Seven Stars relic…

…as well as high-ranking Tokyo officials who had commanded the defense during the Monolith War.

These select few—

As they gazed at the figure they had once feared, dreaded, or even ridiculed—

And heard that calm yet bone-chilling declaration—

All felt their vision go dark.

They had seen just the tip of the iceberg of Haruto's power.

And now, with this unknown method on display, their minds jumped to even more horrifying possibilities.

They knew this was no empty threat.

At the very least, if Haruto truly went mad, he would absolutely bring unprecedented catastrophe to the world.

Just look at Kagetane Hiruko—he was a single individual who nearly brought about the fall of Tokyo Area.

And Haruto?

He was far stronger, had once forced Kagetane Hiruko into retreat with ease.

He wielded a power leagues above his.

Those powerful Cursed Children who had fought so brilliantly during the Monolith War—

They were all under Haruto's command.

And after the war ended…

Countless forces had tried to get their hands on those Cursed Children. But no matter how many connections or informants they used—

They found that the Cursed Children had vanished—as if erased from the world.

That made them even more terrified.

It was like a madman with hundreds of nuclear bombs in his hands.

As for the rest of the world—

They didn't know Haruto.

In fact, for over 99% of people, this projection was their first time seeing him.

These people mainly had three emotional responses:

Scorn and ridicule

Fear and anxiety

Overwhelming anger

They couldn't understand Haruto or his existence. So in response to this inexplicable proclamation—

While scoffing and mocking…

They also felt an inexplicable sense of unease and dread.

That unease soon evolved into hysterical fury.

"What the hell is this lunatic talking about? Destroying the world? Is he insane?!"

"This is hilarious—is this supposed to be a joke during tense times? Seeking attention much?!"

"Disgusting. Talking about destroying civilization—who does he think he is?! Who gave him the right?!"

"Where is this bastard?! If I don't slap him in the face twice, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Voices like this echoed across the world.

But they quickly realized—

It was pointless.

Haruto, within the projection, didn't seem to hear them at all.

Or rather, he heard them, but didn't care.

Though he claimed to "respect civilization"—

That respect ended there.

He was simply making an announcement.

Any emotions anyone had because of it— Had nothing to do with Haruto.

His job was simple: proclaim, then execute.

[First, the reason for destroying this civilization—it's simple. By the standards of civilization…]

Haruto's face revealed a slight expression of disgust.

[…you are nothing but parasites.]

Those words instantly stirred an uproar of furious curses and chaos across the world.

Even the location where this projection was made—

The front courtyard of the Crystal Palace in the Tokyo Area—

Was now packed with people.

Tokyo's officials, elites of powerful families, the Saintess's guards—

All stared at Haruto with exaggerated expressions.

If not for the fact that they had already tried and confirmed that attacking Haruto was useless—

They would've rushed forward and torn him apart.

But the noisy chaos did not affect Haruto in the slightest.

[The majority of this world's so-called civilization is no longer human—but something else entirely.]

[You inherited the legacy of humanity… and now leech off the very few true humans left.]

[You can only survive by relying on them—parasites in the most literal sense.]

[And if you lack the ability to survive on your own, then being destroyed is only natural.]

Haruto calmly spoke such terrifying words.

"You bastard—!"

Someone nearby finally couldn't hold back and roared out.

But their voice abruptly stopped.

Because the projection in the sky had been split in two.

On one side, Haruto.

On the other side—a sequence of video clips began to play.

It was the full record of the "Civilization Qualification Game." From the relic recovery war involving the Seven Stars—

To the defense of the Monoliths.

From the slaughter of Promoters and the Tokyo Area's Self-Defense Forces by Gastrea—

To how the situation was salvaged only thanks to the Cursed Children.

Numerous clips flashed by rapidly.

But even at that speed, the majority of people understood.

And suddenly—

Silence.

Because they finally began to understand what Haruto meant.

He wasn't simply calling them non-human.

He was saying the Cursed Children were the only real humans. While this interpretation might be shallow and surface-level—

It was roughly accurate.

And the silence—

It was because the facts seemed to support it.

Modern "humans" could only survive behind Monoliths.

And though they might argue that they built those Monoliths—

The truth was, they didn't.

The Monoliths were made by the previous generation during the early outbreak of the Gastrea Virus.

While they might be loosely connected to those creators—

No one today could truly claim the same.

And whenever a Gastrea managed to break into the Monolith zone—

What did the people do?

They left it to the Civil Security teams.

And Civil Security—

Was, in essence, a Cursed Child and someone tasked with monitoring her. Aside from rare exceptions—Promoters were leagues behind Initiators in power.

After the first Gastrea War—Ninety percent of all eliminated Gastrea had been slain by Cursed Children.

The remaining ten percent was thanks to Varanium weapons.

So after a brief silence—

Most people erupted into screams and curses.

But now, their words had nothing to do with Haruto's proclamation.

They were just personal attacks directed at him.

Not surprising.

When someone realizes they're truly a parasite—They usually respond with shame-fueled rage. Especially these people, who had already lost all the virtues of humanity.

Then—

A gunshot rang out from within the projection.

The entire world fell silent.

Then—

People cheered madly, their eyes locked onto Haruto.

They waited, eager to see a gaping wound, blood splattering—

Or perhaps for Haruto to collapse, dead and disbelieving.

But of course—

Things didn't go the way they hoped.

Haruto stood there unmoving.

Instead, in a corner of the projection—

A man collapsed.

That poor soul had been standing behind Haruto.

Someone else had pulled the trigger.

The bullet passed through Haruto's intangible body—

And struck that man instead.

As reality set in—Terror began to spread across the world.

In the projection, the shooter had been very close to Haruto.

At that distance—even someone with minimal training—

As long as they understood basic shooting principles, like sight alignment—

Could easily hit the torso.

Missing would be highly unlikely.

Yet they had missed.

Because—

Perhaps bullets and guns simply couldn't kill this man who had declared the end of the world.

That thought took root in countless minds.

Panic began to spread.

And as if timed perfectly—

The projection footage reached its conclusion.

It wasn't a scene of battle—

But rather a vote, and the contents of a proposed law.

The New Gastrea Law.

A bill that sought to earn the Cursed Children basic human rights—

To ensure they had at least the bare minimum conditions to survive.

And the result?

Alongside scenes of the Cursed Children being bullied, cursed at, and even hunted in mob violence—

The screen displayed a bright red number.

1.32%.

Bitterly ironic.

Especially since the previous clip had just shown the Cursed Children risking their lives to defend Tokyo Area.

Haruto waved his hand, and the split-screen footage vanished.

[Well then—]

[As you can see, I do not believe this civilization deserves to continue existing/]