Tatsumaki, of course, knew who Sylvia was. In this world, anyone who claimed not to know Sylvia was either an idiot or a Mysterious Being. Besides, Sylvia had recently joined the Hero Association and become an adviser to the committee. As the Hero Association's ultimate weapon, how could Tatsumaki possibly not know the World-Famous Diva?
The only reason she had ignored Sylvia earlier was because she simply hadn't considered her presence worth noticing.
"I'm asking you, what exactly are you trying to do?" Tatsumaki spoke to Sylvia, looking down her nose at her. "Are you trying to stand up for Fubuki? Is the World-Famous Diva really this bored? If you've got nothing better to do, go kill some Mysterious Beings! Aren't you a hero, too?"
With her childish voice and petite frame, Tatsumaki's condescending tone wasn't strictly intimidating, but it was certainly irritating. To anyone who didn't know her, she would probably come across as nothing more than an obnoxiously arrogant little brat.
Sylvia, of course, didn't see her that way. The dignified Diva wasn't the sort of person who would get angry over something so trivial, so she merely smiled.
"You're the Tornado of Terror, right?" Sylvia said. "Just as powerful as the rumors say. No wonder Fang Li said that if I didn't have a way to counter superpowers, I might not be able to beat you."
Now Sylvia understood. The girl before her possessed power so terrifying that it was enough to make anything tremble in fear. If Tatsumaki wanted to, she could probably lift an entire city with her psychokinesis, and if she got truly serious, everything around them could be torn apart and reduced to rubble in an instant.
Honestly, Sylvia had never encountered anyone this powerful. Even Orphelia, whom Sylvia had once regarded as her greatest rival, and someone she thought she could never defeat, had never exerted anything close to the pressure Tatsumaki was radiating.
'(This girl is probably only one step away from the Second Rank, isn't she?)'
That was merely Sylvia's personal judgment, but she genuinely believed that below the Second Rank, there were very few people capable of defeating this naturally gifted Level 5 esper. Unless, like Fang Li, they possessed a method specifically suited to countering her, even Sylvia would probably have an extremely difficult time beating Tatsumaki.
Yet despite knowing all this, Sylvia remained completely composed. Looking directly at Tatsumaki, her expression grew a bit more serious.
"I'll just call you Tatsumaki. Hey, Tatsumaki... could you let Fubuki off this once?"
"Hah?" Tatsumaki frowned as if Sylvia had said something utterly ridiculous. "Why should I listen to you?"
"Because there are still a lot of things I want to talk to Fubuki about." Sylvia smiled. "I just can't bring myself to leave her alone. I'm sure you can understand that feeling, right?"
"Sylvie…" Fubuki didn't quite know how to respond.
"Hmph!" Tatsumaki snorted coldly, showing not the slightest trace of politeness. "Who do you think you are? Fubuki is 'my' little sister! She's not 'your' little sister! If anyone has the right to worry about her, that's my business! It has nothing to do with you!"
Faced with Tatsumaki's blunt hostility, Sylvia simply smiled. "How can you say it has nothing to do with me? Because Fubuki and I are already friends."
"Friends?" Tatsumaki froze.
"Sylvie…" Fubuki looked at Sylvia, a trace of emotion surfacing in her eyes.
Sylvia, however, merely smiled as though she'd said something completely obvious. To anyone watching, that smile and her radiant figure were dazzling.
But as Tatsumaki stared at Sylvia, her expression rapidly darkened.
"Friends…?" Her voice carried a strange, heavy emotion. "What a joke."
As she spoke, the air around Tatsumaki's body began to tremble.
'Rumble!'
The surrounding space seemed to shake along with it, causing everything to vibrate violently.
'Crack!' The ground split apart.
'Bang!' Windows shattered.
'Creeeak!' Steel twisted.
'Boom!' Streetlights exploded.
In that instant, the entire area quaked as a violent tremor swept through everything around them.
"Aiyaya…" Sylvia's expression grew serious.
"Elder Sister…!" Fubuki looked shocked.
But Tatsumaki ignored her completely, the green light surrounding her body intensifying dramatically. From the quaking ground below, countless stones floated into the air, gathering around her.
Tatsumaki's eyes remained fixed solely on Sylvia, filled with an unprecedented coldness.
"Friends? That sounds like something only a popular person would say. But do you really think such a stupid excuse is going to convince me?" Tatsumaki's voice echoed throughout the area. "This world is full of people like you who can't live without relying on others. That's why people keep preaching that communication and bonds between people are the strongest, most enduring things in the world. But that kind of thing is completely worthless."
Tatsumaki spoke with utter disdain. "Friends? When you're in danger, do you really think those so-called friends of yours will come and save you? Don't make me laugh. Don't assume someone will always come to save you when things get serious. In this world, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself!"
As she spoke, Tatsumaki extended one hand toward Sylvia.
"Someone as naive as you hanging around Fubuki will only be a bad influence on her. So get out of here!"
The moment her words fell, terrifying psychic power swept through the entire area.
'BOOM...!'
A building suddenly exploded.
'BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...!'
In a massive chain reaction, building after building exploded around them, shattering into countless fragments. Those enormous pieces of debris, some as large as houses, were enveloped in green light and lifted high into the air.
Seeing this, Sylvia's expression turned dead serious. Brilliant starlight began gathering around her body.
"W-Wait!" Fubuki finally realized what was happening and shouted anxiously, "Stop!"
Unfortunately, Tatsumaki wasn't listening to Fubuki at all, and Sylvia wasn't about to back down either.
The next second, countless massive building fragments shot forward like artillery shells at terrifying speed. They formed a colossal barrage that blotted out the sky and earth, sweeping straight toward Sylvia.
It was a scene straight out of an apocalypse. It was as though an entire city were being hurled at Sylvia, a sight of almost indescribable terror.
Yet faced with this catastrophic barrage, Sylvia merely raised her eyes. A beautiful, melodious song emerged from her lips.
"--------Believe in the miracle, Bring us forever beautiful--------"
Her singing transformed into invisible ripples that spread outward like waves across water, washing over the countless pieces of rubble hurtling toward her. Wherever those ripples passed, the enormous building fragments suddenly slowed, as though plunged beneath the surface of water.
At the same time, the dazzling green light surrounding them visibly began to fade.
(End Of This Chapter)
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