MHGA Chapter 295: Paranoia Incoming, Military Uniform Princess!
"Anomaly?"
Kairo Retsu scratched his head. "But… don't Gore Magala and Shagaru Magala always release scale dust? What's so abnormal about this?"
"If it were just normal dust dispersal, symptoms like these wouldn't appear," Granny Felyne explained patiently. "From his condition, we've confirmed this—right now, the source of the Frenzy Virus is actively releasing scale dust in abnormally high quantities. It's intentionally spreading the Frenzy Virus, just like it's spreading dust."
"Intentional spreading…?"
Kairo finally sensed something was wrong.
Shagaru Magala, an Elder Dragon with migratory instincts like a sturgeon, might release more dust during its return to its territory. But even so, it wouldn't spread the Frenzy Virus indiscriminately.
And Gore Magala's virus was part of its growth cycle, not a contagious behavior on this scale…
"Could it be Chaotic Gore Magala? But no… Chaotic Gore Magala isn't known to spread the Frenzy Virus so broadly…" Kairo scratched his head in frustration, unable to make sense of it.
What exactly was the source currently dispersing Frenzy Virus everywhere?
"Maybe the virus source mutated after being triggered by some ecosystem element in these new worlds," Granny Felyne suggested. "After all, the worlds of our new Hunters have many foreign factors that don't match monster ecology."
"..."
Kairo fell silent for a long while, then took a bunch of Nulberries out of his pack and left them in Touya's room.
He also slipped one into Touya's mouth to suppress the virus and poured a few gulps of Potion into him to restore his stamina.
"Guildmaster, will Gore Magala really appear in our world?" Sakura asked, nervously tugging at Kairo's lab coat, a trace of fear on her face.
If it were just some monster or creature, she wouldn't worry too much.
But having witnessed her own brother fall sick from the virus, the thought of Gore Magala emerging filled her with dread.
"No worries. Hunting monsters is what we Hunters do," Kairo said, ruffling Sakura's hair. "By our own will as Hunters."
"How should I put it…" Kairo knelt down and grinned. "Whether you choose to join our Assembly or not, we Hunters must never let others down."
"Then…" Sakura paused. "If I become a Hunter, can I help with the virus—and also help the other worlds too?"
"..."
Kairo remained silent, making Sakura anxious.
Finally, Kairo let out a long sigh. "It's really great… that my childhood had Cardcaptor Sakura."
"Sakura," Kairo said with solemn conviction, "In the name of the Guildmaster of the Monster Hunter Assembly, I formally welcome you as one of our Hunters. As long as you uphold the will of the Hunter, no matter what happens, the Assembly will stand behind you."
"And now…"
Kairo broke into a grin, this time speaking as himself: "Wanna take a look at your future? Oh, and—"
"Wanna cosplay yourself in another world?"
"Wuh—eh!?"
——————————
"This place is amazing, Sakura!!!" Keroberos clung to Sakura's face, shaking her with excitement.
When Sakura mentioned she had visited a place called the Monster Hunter Assembly, Kero-chan had his doubts.
But after coming himself, he realized it really was another world—and their way of getting there had nothing to do with magic!
That wyvern-looking creature! How did it cross dimensions without any magic?! It was bizarre! It didn't feel magical at all! This wasn't magic!
And now, at the central Assembly gathering place…
The Hunters were… putting on costumes.
Sakura had just arrived and immediately saw Rakuro Hizutome—wearing only a pair of shorts—drawing ink patterns all over his body.
"Wuh—EH!?" Sakura instantly covered her face. "What are you doing!?"
"Yikes! She saw me!" Rakuro crossed his Dual Blades in front of his chest bashfully.
"Why are you acting shy!?" Joseph (currently applying old-man makeup) looked totally done: "It's your own fault for always running around your series half-naked with just a bird-head helmet!"
"Too bad I can't use my Heavy Bowgun this time." Naofumi Iwatani adjusted his shield with a sigh of regret.
"Guildmaster, what exactly is going on!?" Sakura was visibly panicking.
Watching everything unfold, Mamika Kirameki also fell into temporary confusion.
Because… just moments ago, she had seen these Hunters' stories with her own eyes.
And now…
They were cosplaying themselves.
"What are we doing? We're enacting Step One of our plan." Kairo scratched his head and pulled out a hard drive. "In Mamika's world, there's a distinction between Creators and Creations, right? No debate there."
"We know Altair caused a disturbance, which led to Creations that had received 'Recognition' starting to appear in reality. But Altair herself can't control exactly who manifests…" Kairo tapped the hard drive. "So we need a proper identity to operate in that world."
"I still think cosplaying myself is kinda sketchy…" Joseph now had his face covered in white beard makeup. When he stood up, he really did look like an elderly version of himself. "Why do I have to cosplay the old version!?"
"Be thankful. You've got it better than me and Rakuro." Kazuma, carrying his part-time job hoe, walked by. "I have to drag Aqua with me to that world just to fulfill Mamika's resurrection plotline! I don't want to bring Aqua!"
"I've already got the timeline figured out. Next, I'll covertly upload everyone's anime, novels, manga, and whatnot onto that world's internet—timed and efficient…" Kairo grinned broadly. "Let's confuse Altair!"
"Just imagine: she triggers a surge in Creations, and then suddenly, some mysterious person starts uploading new titles online. Characters from those works begin appearing one after another—out of her control…"
"Let's drive her into full-blown paranoia!!!"
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