Altair didn't join the girls on the Somersault Cloud. Standing on the ground, he drew curse power from the earth, sustaining the cloud indefinitely. On the ground, he could also trail Hiruko Kagetane more easily, ready to snatch Initiators during Kagetane's battles.
Kagetane was a walking magnet for conflict, drawing Civil Security agents and their Initiator girls. This allowed Altair to swoop in and grab the girls the moment they appeared.
Kagetane faced three skirmishes along the way. Starting with three agents, he was later surrounded by over a dozen. The agents, realizing solo fights were futile, teamed up, hoping to overwhelm him.
But they didn't anticipate their Initiators being taken before the battles began. The armed girls would suddenly float upward, whisked into the sky. At the peak of their ascent, a cloud swooped in to catch them, collecting each one until none remained.
This left the agents bewildered and helpless, only to be swiftly killed by Kagetane.
Kohina Hiruko, meanwhile, barely had a chance to fight. Tasked with eliminating enemy Initiators, she found them all whisked away, leaving her to swing her blades at air in frustration mounting.
Kagetane dispatched the Initiator-less agents, then glanced at the sky with a bemused smile. "It's grown larger to hold more people, hasn't it? What a fascinating thing. I wonder who's controlling it."
In every fight, the cloud appeared at the outset, stealing his opponents' Initiators like a vulture trailing a lion, ready to scavenge. Kagetane grew accustomed to it. As long as it didn't interfere with his mission, he didn't care.
With a final glance at the Somersault Cloud, Kagetane led Kohina deeper into the forest, aiming for the Legacy of the Seven Stars.
His goal wasn't to kill agents but to secure the Legacy and summon a Stage V Zodiac. Whether it destroyed Tokyo afterward was irrelevant to him.
Like Kikunojō Tendō, Kagetane's thinking was warped. He believed Cursed Children suffered due to human stupidity, so his solution was brutal: destroy the world, Cursed Children included.
Altair, controlling the enlarged Somershi's Cloud carrying the snatched girls, trailed Kagetane on foot, poised to seize more opportunities.
Then, he encountered the world's protagonist.
Rentarō Satomi, a 16-year-old high schooler, was accompanied by his Initiator, Enju Aihara, a rabbit-type Initiator. Affiliated with the Tendō Civil Security Company, he'd joined the mission to intercept Kagetane and recover the Legacy of the Seven Stars.
Unlike the original plot, Rentarō hadn't met Natsume. She'd already been snatched by Altair and was now among the girls on the cloud, peering nervously over the edge. The captured Initiators were confused but felt little grief over their Promoters' deaths. As Initiators, they'd be reclaimed by the IISO and reassigned, uncertain if their new partners would treat them well.
On the ground, Rentarō and Enju prepared to face Kagetane.
Unlike other agents, Kagetane genuinely admired Rentarō. They'd clashed once in Tokyo, with Rentarō landing a kick that twisted Kagetane's head, earning his respect and sparking anticipation for this rematch.
"Satomi-kun, we meet again! To think we'd see each other three times in a single day, what a curious twist of fate." Kagetane said, arms spread theatrically, his smiling mask and eerie tone suggesting a sinister grin beneath.
"Hiruko Kagetane, where's the Legacy of the Seven Stars?" Rentarō demanded, uninterested in banter, focused on retrieving the item.
"So impatient, Satomi-kun. The Legacy is in the woods behind me. The Gastrea carrying it is injured and immobile. Defeat me, and it's yours."
Kagetane revealed the Legacy's location with surprising candor.
"But before we fight, there's something you should know."
"What is it?"
Rentarō remained wary.
"If you face me, you'll be on your own. Your Initiator won't be able to help."
"I planned to handle you myself. Enju will deal with your Initiator!"
"No, no, Satomi-kun, that's not what I mean."
Kagetane glanced at the Somersault Cloud overhead. Having trailed him so long, he'd deduced its purpose: to snatch every Initiator from the agents, and Rentarō's would be no exception.
"What I mean is, your Initiator will soon be taken from you!"
"Huh?"
Rentarō was baffled. Was Kagetane planning to kill Enju first?
"Rentarō!"
Before he could process, Enju's cry came from behind. Turning, he saw her feet lift off the ground, as if an invisible force had grabbed her waist, hoisting her into the air, her face etched with panic.
"Enju!"
"Just as I thought!" Kagetane nodded, his suspicion confirmed.
"You did this!"
Rentarō pinned the blame on Kagetane, lunging toward Enju to save her.
But Altair, holding Enju, wasn't about to let that happen.
"Off you go!"
With a mighty heave, Altair hurled Enju skyward like a cannonball. His immense strength sent her soaring, and at the peak of her arc, the Somersault Cloud swooped in to catch her.
Perfect. Another girl secured.
***
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