On the Siberian land of today, Izaya's understanding of the area already surpassed that of the Clock Tower. On one hand, the level of magecraft in this era has risen dramatically; on the other hand… he himself now counts as one of this land's owners, at least in part.
That was why, the very first time he walked along this stretch of river, even though early morning fog still clung to the water ahead, he immediately noticed the presence of that black-haired man.
The black-haired man sitting by the riverside also looked Izaya up and down, then smiled and said:
"Looks like my 'disguise' is still not good enough. You saw through me right away."
He added, a faintly meaningful tone creeping into his voice:
"Even so… you're human, yet the 'beast's' aura on you is really strong."
Izaya approached calmly, walked up to the riverbank, and met those peerlessly deep eyes head-on.
"Who are you?"
He had already guessed the other party's identity, but he still opened his mouth to confirm it just in case.
"Taigong Wang."
The black-haired man answered lazily, yawning as he looked out at the unmoving river.
"Of course, I have another name I'm better known by…"
Under Izaya's youthful gaze, he continued:
"Jiang Ziya."
So it was him, just as expected…
He did have some knowledge of this especially particular Heroic Spirit.
Taigong Wang isn't a Heroic Spirit summoned by someone, but a Counter Force envoy—an expert dispatched specifically to deal with crises that threaten humanity. His true mission is to suppress the "Beast" class—those great disasters in human history, akin to man-eating monsters, that threaten mankind itself.
Izaya had imagined that there might be a Heroic Spirit who would appear to attack the Beast later, but he never expected that the first person to appear at the Tunguska explosion site would actually be this Beast Hunter.
"Relax. I'm not planning on doing anything that troublesome to the Beast of this area myself… As for whether we'll even need a Crusade…"
Taigong Wang smiled.
"That's still uncertain."
Izaya's eyes flickered slightly, as though he'd vaguely realized something. From his words just now, it sounded as if Taigong Wang had already seen through Izaya's connection to this land…?
Without giving him time to think further, Taigong Wang kept gazing at the still surface of the river, then let out a quick sigh.
"Looks like today too, I'll be going back empty-handed."
Izaya said evenly:
"If you can't even catch fish, then there really might not be any living creatures left here."
Taigong Wang gave him a long, searching look and said quietly:
"Not necessarily… Until I met you, I never thought a human could appear in a place where life has already gone extinct."
[You didn't chat with Taigong Wang for long. Seeing that he soon refocused on fishing by the river, you bowed politely to show respect and took your leave.]
[Just before you left, he stared at you for a moment. Back in your tent, you still kept some attention on his presence and his purpose, so the next morning you went to the river again and saw Taigong Wang sitting there in the mist.]
[He sat as still as a statue on a bluestone rock, motionless.]
[He didn't seem to notice your presence at all, as if he'd fallen asleep sitting there.]
[You went to see him nearly every morning, day after day, trying to puzzle out what he was here for.]
[One day, he suddenly invited you to fish together, and you agreed without hesitation. In the mornings you fished with Taigong Wang by the river; in the afternoons you calmed the resentment of the beings that lived in this land.]
A week later, just after dawn, the river's surface suddenly rippled, and the fish began to bite eagerly.
"So there really are living creatures in this land…?"
Izaya could hardly believe it.
"Perhaps it's due to a 'miracle.'"
Taigong Wang smiled faintly and said slowly:
"I can feel the strong miasma over this land gradually weakening… One day, even if it no longer needs me, this place might regain its former aura."
He looked at the fish wriggling in the boy's hands and smiled.
"Won't you give that to me as a souvenir?"
As Taigong Wang spoke, a special interface quietly popped up in Izaya's field of vision.
[Your existence has already become a major variable for this land that once had no life. Taigong Wang, watching you, has developed a strong interest. Now he's asked you for the fish you finally caught. Your choice is…]
[A: Firmly refuse and insist that you caught it, so why should you hand it over?
B: Give him the fish as a farewell gift.
C: (Rubs hands together) If he wants this fish, then he can trade me a treasure for it!]
Although it looked like there were many options, in reality, "B" was the safest and most accurate choice.
So Izaya didn't hesitate and chose option "B."
[You hand the fish to Taigong Wang. He nods in satisfaction. Under your surprised gaze, he slowly dips his hand, along with the fish, into the clear river water.]
[The fish flicks its tail and, as if carrying some lingering nostalgia, circles his hand a few times before quickly swimming into the river's depths and disappearing.]
"Izaya-kun, what do you think is the most powerful thing on this scorched land of Tunguska? Is it the power of the BEAST? Or is it that weapon?"
Taigong Wang suddenly asked.
Izaya looked stunned. Before he could answer, the man slowly shook his head.
"In truth, what's really powerful and dangerous here is the hundreds of millions of 'resentments' that pervade this land."
"What you just caught could be regarded as one strand among those countless grudges. It merely longed to be able to catch a fish. So one thread of resentment transformed into a fish… because there are more and more dead souls in this land that have begun to recognize your existence."
"Anger and hatred can only be resolved through 'empathy.' This is your method—and it's also the path by which you'll obtain your true victory in the future."
"Look carefully, and let your eyes see through this land's sorrow."
[When you raise your head, an immense yet peaceful phantasm floods your mind, as if you're hearing the countless roars of beasts from before their deaths. At the same time, you also see the path that can lead them back to peace.]
[When you return to your senses, Taigong Wang has already taken one step back. He's wearing that same lazy smile, but this time there's a special kind of satisfaction in it.]
"Congratulations. You've found your own 'fishing rod.'"
As his words fell, a hint quietly surfaced.
[Under Taigong Wang's guidance, you've gained a new understanding of the essence of 'resentment' and obtained a special power—One Thread of Fate.
When this skill activates, no matter how complex the enemy's attack, everything will become a torrent of chaos. Only a single, shimmering 'thread' will stand out, clearly indicating the uniquely optimal solution.]
This ability seemed quite interesting.
Bluntly put, it was a kind of "see-through" power. As long as an enemy was using magecraft on Izaya, he could use the One Thread of Fate to find a way to break it.
…
[Day by day, your life grows fuller.]
[In the mornings, you fish by the riverside. From time to time, Taigong Wang speaks to you and points out one or two. You can feel that he has high expectations for you, hoping that you'll resolve the resentments of this land peacefully. In the afternoons, you use empathy magecraft to convert the grudges inside Koyanskaya's body into pure energy.]
[And as your magical power grows, the efficiency of your resentment purification rises sharply. Koyanskaya's rate of absorbing purified grudges far surpasses that of the Dark Koyanskaya. This land grows increasingly attuned to you, and eventually she can no longer tolerate it, killing intent brewing in her heart.]
[However, when she trails you all the way to the river, she notices Taigong Wang's presence. She can only watch from a distance and doesn't act immediately.]
[You remember Taigong Wang once warning you he'd been tailed, but you keep your composure and pretend to know nothing.]
[You talk to him about this land, about the coexistence of a Light Beast and a Dark Beast. He asks whether you support the Beast more, but you answer with empathy: that they're all 'victims,' and as a human you simply want to help them and make amends.]
[Whether it's the Dark Koyanskaya or the other Beast, you actually find them both very cute.]
[Hearing your heartfelt reply, the Beast looks at you with complicated eyes. She's silent for a long time, then quietly leaves… Only, her departing back looks slightly embarrassed, as if she's afraid you'll see through her.]
[Taigong Wang gives you a meaningful look, then suddenly smiles.]
"You seem to be a very dangerous existence as well."
[He sets down his fishing rod. After spending some time in the Tunguska region and seeing the land gradually 'improve,' he decides to leave and bids you farewell.]
[You bow respectfully to him and watch him go, then return alone to your tent.]
[That night, you receive your usual magecraft lesson from Koyanskaya, but the lessons aren't so 'serious' anymore…]
[She possessed an easy, mature feminine allure, her body modeled off the mental framework of Tamamo no Mae. Compared to ordinary women, there was simply no comparison. That night, you're unable to sleep under her seduction, and then she suddenly murmurs:
"After you finish tonight's magecraft course, I'll give you a little reward."]
[After you successfully complete the magecraft course, she embraces you from behind. Her full, soft chest presses against your back. Her white, slender, jade-like hands slide—perhaps purposely, perhaps unconsciously—down across your chest. When her red lips part slightly, you can faintly feel her sweet voice and quiet, fragrant breath against your ear.]
[With the faint scratching of her nails, after a while you lose any desire to do anything. Your mind drifts off to ponder the meaning of life, how humans might coexist with Beasts, the formation of the universe…]
…
Early the next morning.
Because the resentments in this region had been completely absorbed by Koyanskaya, she had already begun moving farther away during the daytime. That morning, Izaya had just stepped out of the tent when he suddenly felt a chill, as if it were blowing from the deepest layer of the Siberian ice sheet.
It wasn't a simple drop in temperature. It was the feeling that life itself, ranked by order of existence, was being compressed under an overwhelming presence that could freeze one's soul.
Thump. Thump.
In that moment, Izaya could hear his own heartbeat, followed by an eerie, oppressive breath steeped in the power of restraint.
He turned his head sharply—and saw a figure standing quietly in the shadows.
She looked like condensed darkness itself, wearing a black close-combat suit that fit her like a second skin. The material did not look like leather or cloth; it was some unknown, biomass-like substance that flawlessly wrapped her mature, voluptuous frame.
Her proud, upright chest; that slender, alluring waist; those long, toned legs… every curve radiated the fatal charm of a fully grown woman, and combined, they exuded the dangerous aura of an apex predator.
There was no doubt that this woman, this perfect body, was the ultimate weapon born to slaughter humans and destroy rationality—
The Dark Koyanskaya.
Her long, soft pink hair cascaded down like a waterfall, the tips swaying in the wind. Golden, beast-like eyes stared at the boy with an icy gaze.
If the Light Koyanskaya was a corporate queen shaped by human civilization—refined, luxurious, never hesitating to crush enemies under her high heels—
Then the Dark Koyanskaya was the most primal and pure beast.
She needed no strategy. The combination of her beastly strength and mature feminine allure made her body the very embodiment of terror and power.
The instant he saw her, Izaya's heart thumped violently.
But at that very moment, the Dark Koyanskaya sneered.
"Don't tense up. If I really wanted to kill you, I'd have done it the moment you stepped out of the tent."
Izaya didn't say a word.
In fact, he had already sensed her presence before leaving the tent—because just now, his One Thread of Fate had already begun to react in warning.
It was just that, compared to before, her hostility this time didn't feel particularly strong.
With that thought, Izaya carefully asked:
"Do you need something from me?"
Under Izaya's gaze, the Dark Koyanskaya, who'd just looked so cold, suddenly hesitated. After a while, she began to speak slowly, her voice a bit unnaturally stiff:
"Sajyou Izaya… I want you to cooperate with me."
"…Cooperate?"
Izaya was blank for a moment.
Right then, a warning interface popped up before his eyes, a red exclamation point flashing.
[The next choice will have a major impact on the Tunguska region. Please choose carefully!]
…