Eto gazed at the colossal figure sprawled among the ruins, her voice betraying her awe. "Spectacular, isn't it?"
Amano Hiro nodded slightly. "Indeed." He looked at the pale body stretching like a mountain range and thought to himself:
This thing has been dormant for over a hundred years... not sure if it's even alive anymore.
If we can't awaken it in the end, then... we'll have to figure out a way to create a new 'Dragon.'
"Let's get closer," he said. Behind him, his dark crimson wings unfurled with a whoosh. He surged into the air, heading straight toward the massive dragon in the distance.
He didn't bring Eto, her abilities made it unnecessary.
Eto watched his unwavering flight with a faint pout, muttering under her breath, "Hmph, no sense of style... doesn't even think to take me along."
Before the words had left her mouth, kagune wings extended from beneath the bandages on her shoulders. In an instant, she took flight, closing the distance effortlessly.
What seemed far away was reached in a heartbeat.
Soon, they hovered beside a massive section of the dragon's body, ridge-like and covered with a brown exoskeleton, landing steadily on its surface.
Amano Hiro stomped his foot, and a heavy, resonant thud echoed beneath him, confirming the incredible hardness.
"No wonder it can withstand missiles," he commented. Then he bent down, pressing his palm against the cold, rough surface, closing his eyes to sense whether any signs of life lingered inside.
After a long while, he detected a faint, almost imperceptible pulse of activity.
He opened his eyes, uncertain. "Can this thing... still be awakened?" He tapped the hard shell with the back of his hand.
Eto, unusually serious, replied, "I don't know. But theoretically... it should still be possible."
Amano Hiro's gaze swept across the seemingly endless body. His voice was low. "If it truly cannot be awakened, we'll need to adjust our plan."
Eto was silent for a moment, then spoke again, her tone resolute and calm. "If it really can't awaken... then I'll become the 'Dragon.' Sacrificing myself can achieve the same goal."
Amano Hiro turned sharply toward her. The bandages concealed her expression, but he could feel the unshakable seriousness behind her words.
He shook his head, firm. "That's unnecessary. If it ever comes to that, there are others who could become the 'Dragon.' You don't need to be the sacrifice."
He couldn't help but reflect on her unwavering resolve to change the world. Eto, like Arima Kishou, already considered herself a cornerstone for building a new world, ready at any time to pave the way with her own life. The weight of such awareness was deeply moving.
Hands in his pockets, Amano Hiro walked aimlessly through the silent ruins. Broken concrete and twisted steel groaned softly beneath his steps.
He recalled that in the original story, this underground world was still home to some "natives", humans transformed into ghouls under the lingering radiation of the first One-Eyed King, the Dragon.
He wondered if they would encounter any of them this time.
Eto followed quietly behind him, her bandaged face unreadable.
After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, her voice unusually clear in the open space: "Hiro... just now, when you mentioned that potential 'Dragon candidate,' who exactly is it?"
Amano Hiro didn't stop walking. Without turning, he replied, "You'll find out when the time comes."
He paused, then continued, his tone coldly pragmatic: "Honestly, the 'suicide' plan you and Arima Kishou devised? It can be executed differently."
"Oh?" Eto's tone carried genuine interest. "How would you change it?"
Amano Hiro stopped, turning to face her. "There's no need to create a so-called 'One-Eyed King.'"
His voice was calm, yet piercing. "We just need to do a few more direct things:
Destroy the Washuu Clan, eradicating the root of the problem; crush the stubborn CCG system as it stands; and clear out the unruly, uncontrolled ghouls."
He pointed toward the massive sleeping creature. "Then awaken it. Let the 'Dragon' play the role of the world-destroying monster, instilling humanity with fear and despair they cannot ignore."
"After that," he continued, slowing slightly, "we work with the remaining CCG forces willing to face reality.
Force humans and ghouls to confront survival together.
Centuries of blood feuds and mistrust will need even longer to erase, using cold, pragmatic methods."
Eto sighed softly, her voice tinged with a mixture of resignation and relief. "I understand what you're saying, Hiro. But... in the past, with just Arima Kishou and me, we simply didn't have the strength to enforce such a harsh plan."
She paused, a glimmer of hope entering her tone. "Now, with you involved... perhaps our plan can finally be adjusted."
Amano Hiro shrugged lightly, confident as if stating an undeniable truth. "Don't worry. The plan will succeed."
"Oh?" Eto's curiosity was piqued. "Why are you so sure?"
Amano Hiro stopped, turning to her with uncharacteristic seriousness. He spoke deliberately, word by word: "Because, I'm the protagonist."
Eto froze at his statement, then a soft "pfft" laugh escaped beneath the bandages. "Hiro... you really are an interesting person."
Amano Hiro grinned smugly, half-joking, half-serious. "Don't fall for me. I'm the man you'll never have."
The remark made Eto laugh out loud, the heaviness of the past days momentarily lifting.
But before her laughter fully faded,
Something sudden occurred.
Amano Hiro's eyes hardened, and without warning, he swung his hand violently.
Dozens of dark crimson, razor-sharp spikes instantly formed, shooting like a storm, not toward Eto, but toward the area directly behind her.
Eto's smile vanished, replaced by shock and fear. Instinctively, she raised her arms in defense.
But the barrage of spikes wasn't aimed at her, they whistled past both sides of her body with precision, tearing the air as they slammed into a distant collapsed wall behind her with a thunderous impact.
Boom!
Debris scattered and dust billowed into the air.
"Show yourself!" Amano Hiro shouted, his gaze locking onto the smoky area like a hawk.
Eto snapped back to focus, immediately deploying her kagune, entering a combat stance, still shaken.
She realized she had been startled by Amano Hiro's sudden action. The real target was the hidden intruder lurking behind her.