The rhinoceros beetle didn't even look at the helicopter that was falling with black smoke, and used his thin wings flying in the air to skillfully make artificial sounds.
"'Unreal matter' has nothing to do with the subject of consciousness. Indeed, this characteristic was used to restrict my actions."
That's right.
At this moment, the key-ring-like "white rhinoceros beetle" in Fremea's pocket was still trembling. And that was undoubtedly the individual that served as the main element in the entire "unrealized matter".
At this moment, the scene in the video is undoubtedly full of a sense of difference, and the second person has never appeared.
What is going on?
Could it be that the pure white rhinoceros beetle in front of him is the second most powerful person in Academy City!?
Chapter 172. Flanda's Rejoicing
No one knows how the second place felt when he saw this scene.
No one knows what happened before that caused the always unruly second place to become such a living being.
"This guy is, poof - it's hilarious!"
The fourth place winner of the Dark Side of Academy City, Mai Ye Shenli, could not help but sneer: "What a joke, the result is actually like this, I was wondering... how could this guy not even have such a thing happen, it turns out that he... oh, it was 'it' that would make a move at this time!"
It's hard to imagine.
Mai Ye Shenli, who always appears decadent and has an attitude like a queen, suddenly shows this side of her.
Was she stimulated by something?
Could it be that he has gone crazy?
Seeing this scene, the young boy Hamazura, who had just joined the gang not long ago, was so shocked that his eyelids almost fell off.
In the end, it was Flanda, who was drinking sparkling water and making cute purring sounds, who told the truth.
"This is the second one in Academy City. His name is Kakine Teitoku. He has the ability of supernatural power and is also a member of another Anbu in this Academy City."
"Number...Number two?"
"That's right. He is said to be extremely cruel~ and..."
For some reason, Flanders voice became lower as she spoke:
"Anyway, seeing that this kid has such a good backup makes me feel much more at ease."
"Huh, kid? What did you say?"
Hamazura didn't hear clearly what Frenda was complaining about.
Flanda also waved her hand, indicating that there was no need to listen too carefully to this matter.
"Ah, no...no, it's nothing. Hehe, I'll tell you about this later. I guess it's not my turn yet, so I won't talk about it for now!"
The blonde, doll-like girl blinked her eyes, trying to be clever and keep the secret.
Even though the people in front of her were her Anbu tool partners, she still didn't want to reveal these things for the time being. The information about her sister... just like her private base, she thought it was top secret that should be kept secret for the time being.
Even though I really admire and respect Mai Ye Shen Li, the fourth super power user, it is better not to talk about such private matters!
"By the way, why is Fremea involved in this kind of problem?"
"Hmm...Should I take this opportunity to sneak out of the room and find a place to call her and ask how she is?"
Thinking that her only relative might have suffered such a disaster in the video, Frenda was filled with endless worries, not even thinking about why she, as a member of the Anbu, had never appeared from beginning to end.
This made her usually sweet appearance become like a silent iceberg. Without any emotion, she just stared at the video screen intently, clenched her teeth, hoping that everything could be calmed down.
Of course, she was the only one who thought she had hidden her worried look well. In fact, the other Anbu members had already seen what was on her mind from her tense expression.
At this moment, the scenes in the video continued to move forward, and everyone's attention was completely focused back on the video.
Watching countless white rhinoceros beetles gather together, watching these carriers of unrealized matter condense and fuse...
In front of the screen, Kakine Teito, who couldn't hold back his emotions and wanted to make a scene, stared at the video screen with a grim face.
"…."
"really!"
A sound like the roar of a wild beast, full of anxiety and irritability, came out of his throat. He looked at the face in the video that was condensed by white rhinoceros beetles, which could not belong to anyone else.
Kakine Teito knew that something must have gone wrong in a certain step in the future, which led to an unexpected situation for him.
He couldn't understand.
There wasn't much shock either.
I just feel an irritability inside that I have nowhere to vent.
[Bang!]
Hitting the table hard with his palm, Academy City's second-place student's face was fierce and cold, and he almost squeezed out words from the corners of his mouth to express his inner confusion.
"What on earth is going on? What kind of emotions did I have in the video when I did such a weird thing?"
"No, I should even ask whether this thing is me, or another material substance that appeared after my death and took control of my life?"
He had no idea about this matter and could only watch the second fight unfold in the video.
The pure white Kakine Teito who was resurrected spread his wings and fought a desperate duel with the cloned Rencha clone with super powers.
He joins hands with Kamijou Touma to fight to protect the little girl he doesn't even know.
However, this battle did not end in the blink of an eye as the audience expected. Instead, the two sides were evenly matched in the battle.
Kamijou Touma, Emperor Kakine, and Rencha.
The first to clash were the two men with wings on their backs.
In other words, Kakine and Rencha are fighting at supersonic speed.
"Boom!" The loud noise came a step later than what could be seen. The dinosaur that runs through the hollow part of the museum area
The skeleton specimens collapsed instantly, and the reinforced glass display cases placed in various places in the museum shattered one after another. Fremea shrank back in panic.
It is unknown whether the second-place "Unreal Matter" has a countermeasure or not, and it fearlessly attacks Rencha, who has the same "reflection" ability as the first-place.
Despite this, Rencha still seems to have the upper hand.
"Hehehe, I'm different from 'the previous Rencha'. I'm not afraid of stepping into a realm where my senses can't catch up. To be honest, I should be a calculationist. As long as the theory is complete, I dare to gamble my life even if it's just theory! So at this speed, I won't hesitate. As expected, this is what a level 5 esper should be like!"
Rencha moved at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, so her words were blurred and difficult to make out.
"It doesn't matter if it's two against one. No one can keep up with this speed anyway. We just need to start with the troublesome ones and deal with them one by one!"
It was not known whether Kakine and Rencha had kicked the walls and ceiling, or whether the shockwaves from their movement had hit the building.
In every corner, there were strong sounds that sounded like blows.
Indeed, once it reaches this level, Kamijou, a mere high school student, will most likely be useless.
Even if he swung his punches randomly, there was a high probability that he wouldn't be able to scratch his opponent's skin.
But--
(Even so, we must move forward!)
Boom! Kamijou took a big step forward and jumped into the conflict between Kakine and Rencha without hesitation.
At first glance, this might seem like suicide, but Kakine and Rencha both use their "ability" to maintain their incredible speed. If Kamijou's right hand touches them, they will lose their strength and their balance will collapse.
If Rencha loses control, Kakine can take advantage of the opportunity to strike him, which would be enough to cause fatal damage.
There would be no point in doing so.
This was true even though Kamijou's fist would never hit him.
(You will be aware of my fist, so the range of choices will be narrowed. That's all. The so-called teamwork does not only count as direct damage!)
"Tsk!"
I heard Rencha smacking his lips.
In order to guard against Kamijou's sudden intrusion, she slowed down a little, just a little. But Kakine did not miss this opportunity.
He opened his huge wings and grabbed Rencha's body, and from the perspective of others it looked like he was extending his wings towards Kamijou.
Liancha blocked the attack as if he was going to sacrifice his own arm.
"Oh."
Not only that, she also grabbed the wings with five fingers.
"You know what, second place? My vector control ability can change the 'direction' of anything I touch. In other words—"
"…? This is bad, hide quickly…!"
"It means that even 'Unreal Matter' can be manipulated! You idiot!"
Boom! The white wings stretched out like a piece of sugar art, twisting unnaturally.
It traced an irregular and unpredictable trajectory, hitting Kamijou's upper body mercilessly.
"Uh... huh?"
Kamijou felt a shock as if he had been hit by a blunt object... no, it should be said that he had been hit by a car. In an instant, all the oxygen in his lungs disappeared. He fell heavily to the ground and rolled all the way to Fremea behind him.
At this time, Liancha in the air attacked further like a bird of prey.
"Hehehe, let's start by destroying the unpredictable factors that are in the way, shall we?"
"...!"
Kakine Teiguchi tried to stop him.
Clang clang clang! Heavy sounds continued, and the White Wings and Tornado Wings clashed fiercely. This scene was more like an electric meat grinder fighting a machine gun than a fight.
"Ah—so cool—but how long can you hold out? If just one of those bullets gets through, the guys behind you will be turned into minced meat you know? Block it, block it, block it, block it, block it, block it, block it, block it, block it—!"
Kamijou stood up with his body covered in wounds.
He shouted at Kakine's back:
"Cut it off!"
Knowing what this meant, Kakine immediately cut off the wings on his back, separating it from its "main body".
Kamijou took the opportunity to attack.
As if he wanted to pull the wings that were still in the air in, he punched Rencha in the face with his right fist.
"Oops?"
Rencha quickly protected her face with her arms, but at this time, Kakine used his newly grown wings to hit her lower abdomen hard.
There was a heavy sound, and Liancha's slender body flew out and hit the display cabinet with shattered glass.
"It's settled…?"
Kakine Teigu said softly.
Liancha was half buried under the scattered rubble, motionless.
Kamijou wiped the corners of his mouth that smelled of rust with the back of his hand and said:
"...Defeating that guy doesn't mean the end. To be on the safe side, it's better to leave here as soon as possible. Can you turn into that huge rhinoceros beetle just now? If you can, carry Fremea away..."
Kamijou stopped talking here.
Because he saw something bad.
"Don't worry."
Rencha stood up from the rubble with a nonchalant attitude.
"Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry. The fun is just about to begin. 'The old Rencha' couldn't do this, but I'm different. To be honest, to use that trick, you have to push yourself to this extent. 'The old Rencha' was addicted to the safe zone, so the fight was too logical. That guy didn't know what gambling was, so he had never been hurt this badly."
"What--?"
"You still don't understand? Academy City's number one secret weapon always comes out at the last minute!"
boom!
Pitch-black wings burst forth from her back.
"...this..."Aizen Sosuke lowered his head with a gentle and interested smile on his lips.
After a moment of thinking, he raised his head in vain, his clear and sincere eyes had a starlight that others could not see through.
He smiled and said, "I seem to be beginning to look forward to whether these plots and emotions can help this young man defeat more powerful enemies whose strength is beyond his reach."
How powerful are the powers of emotions and bonds, and how far can they lead a determined teenager? For a powerful god of death who advocates science, these are interesting academic topics.
Of course, it's a pity that in this world, apart from him, no one else is interested in thinking about such a profound issue that is worth worrying about.
The appearance of these scenes not only aroused comments from audiences from all over the world.
The super-powered people themselves were all very happy about this, except for the second one who couldn't control the contraction and movement of his facial muscles.
After this duel, the unearthed substance Emperor Kakine found that his figure still could not appear in front of everyone.
At this moment, he understood.
The self in the video is definitely dead. Even if he still exists, he has probably completely lost the right to move freely due to many things.
This made this gloomy and irritable superpower user want to find the guy who defeated him to take revenge and defeat him.
However, in this Academy City, there is actually no one who can be said to have a fighting power that surpasses his own.
The reason why the fourth-place Atomic Disintegration ranks below himself is precisely because its ability is a lower-level substitute for himself, while the third-place psychic ability, the Railgun, is too boring, and the remaining abilities do not have the ability to harm him.
Maybe the seventh-place rough stone has a chance? However... Hengguangdi feels that the only person who can really cause his failure is the first-place guy.
Thinking of this, Kakine Teito's face was gloomy with a hint of a playful smile. After all, Accelerator, who was ranked first, was essentially the obstacle he had always wanted to eliminate, and in the current video, his motivation to fight against him had already appeared.
Of course, it is not ruled out that other members of the Anbu took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and defeat him, but it seems that the biggest possibility is this guy.
"It might not be a good idea to rush into a fight. This guy can't even fight me head-on."
"However, unlike me, this guy has a weak spot. As long as I can threaten him, no matter how much he resists, he will have to fight with me."
Thinking of this, Kakine Teito prepared the things he would bring with him on this trip. He...had a heart that could not suppress his emotions.
However, he didn't know that.
In the near future, he will officially appear in the content of this video with a brand new attitude.
But now, he desperately wants to repeat the same mistake and fight another despicable and vigorous battle in a situation that was not shown in the video.
Just at this moment, Kamijou Touma in the video has already found Fremea, the target of this mission, and is watching the new scene gradually evolving in the video.
The cruel and gloomy second one was stunned for a moment. For some reason, an inexplicable feeling of discomfort accompanied the appearance of this little girl and the white beetle on her body... No, should it be said that it was a rhinoceros beetle? In any case, there was some inexplicable feeling of discomfort accompanying their appearance.
"What's going on?"
The young man frowned and looked at Liancha who appeared again in the video, the despicable man who stole his abilities.
In the video, Kamijou Touma is undoubtedly still running for his life.
The people in front of him were probably the security guards of the facility. The man and woman, wearing the same uniform, turned pale and raised their hands when they saw Kamijou. They might be using a surveillance camera to monitor what was going on outside. The boy quickly shook his head and denied it:
"I'm not a thug! Instead, was there a little blonde girl about eight years old running in here?"
"No, I don't know. But if you're talking about suspicious alerts..."
"?"
"The garbage collection area facing East-2 is a little suspicious. Although it is a 'garbage full' alarm, there shouldn't be any garbage after closing time.
People throw garbage."
"She used her small size to get in?"
Kamijou clicked his tongue and turned toward the stairs leading upstairs.
The female facility guard quickly asked:
"But how did you get in? Did you find the emergency escape route..."
"Now that you know, find a way to deal with it! Since I can do it, it means others can do it too!"
The male and female guards ran towards the entrance, probably thinking, "I'll just block the entrance with furniture first." Kamijou passed by them and walked into the small room where the two had been waiting.
(…Fremea came in through the garbage chute, which means she doesn't have the key. Once the shutter is lowered, she won't be able to move freely in the building.)
He checked the location map and found that it seemed that only the museum area in the building could be moved.
Kamijou glanced outside the small room to make sure that the facility guards weren't paying attention to him, then he took the keychain hanging on the wall.
"...Feel sorry."
After he apologized, he left the small room and headed upstairs. In this emergency, if he used the key without permission, the alarm would probably be triggered immediately, but as long as he could reunite with Fremea, it would be fine. He ran up the emergency ladder and reached the ground floor. He followed the instructions on the guide board to the museum area, thinking:
(What would I do if I were the enemy? If I really wanted to hurt Fremea, would I just leave it to the out-of-control "heroes" and walk away? They would definitely use more direct means. If that were the case, what would it be?)
He ran up the stationary escalator and saw the entrance to the museum area. Whether it was due to the museum's closing regulations or the current emergency, there was a heavy metal fire door blocking the way.
Kamijou took out the corresponding key from his keychain and unlocked the fire door.
The lock looks old-fashioned, but you don't actually need to turn the key. I think it uses electronics, magnetism, and other methods combined with expert technology to improve accuracy.
The museum area was a large hollow space with a huge carnivorous dinosaur skeleton running through it. This was the lowest floor of the museum area, and there were at least five floors above. If the petite girl hid in a narrow gap that was beyond common sense, Kamijou might miss it.
He hesitated for a moment whether he should speak up to find someone.
However, instead of worrying about whether there are enemies present, it is better to meet up with Fremea first.
"Fremea! Where are you? If you are here please respond to me!"
Kamijou shouted, but received no response. There was only a silence that made her doubt whether the girl was really here. However, if she thought about it carefully, it might be natural. The people chasing Fremea were a group of "heroes" whose faces she didn't even recognize. From her point of view, Kamijou who suddenly appeared was probably no different from those people.
She needs evidence that will convince her.
If nothing is done, it might affect Fremea's life.
Kamijou thought about it for a while and came up with an idea, but he was still a little hesitant. After a while, he spoke again:
(…Ah, damn it. This method is no different from that of a kidnapper!)
"Hamazura Shiage asked me to come here! If you're here, please come out now!"
A sharp "meow..." sound was heard.
The girl with blonde hair quietly poked her head out.
She happened to be hiding in the mouth of the dinosaur skeleton. The skeleton, supported by steel wire, was not designed to bear extra weight, so it should be different from its appearance, thin and unstable. Although he knew where Fremea was, if he accidentally stepped on it, the whole specimen would probably collapse on the spot.
Although hiding there was a good idea, it was not a good idea to risk your life on it.
Anyway, Kamijou ran all the way up the stationary escalator in the building and successfully met up with Fremea.
He spoke to the girl:
"Are you injured? If you are fine, please leave. This place is already uneasy..."
Just at this moment.
Gasha——!
One side of the museum area suddenly shattered like glass.
I'm afraid that the windows there were covered with wallpaper with low light transmittance instead of walls, just like in general department stores and home appliance stores. And someone broke it from the outside, and the blinding white light shone in from there.
The light came from the helicopter's searchlight, but Kamijou didn't have time to pay attention to the flash above his head.
Someone rolled in through the broken glass.
He had seen this figure before.
The person who came was a cyborg with a red and purple metal body.
"Hey. Hehehe! Since Liancha is here, you guys can only give up! I will start with the guys who have given up and make them suffer. But your fate is already determined, hehehe girl."
...But, is this guy really the same person I met before?
The feeling given is far from what is said.
"Why are you hunting down Fremea Severon to this extent?"
"Ah? How much do you know, anyway? Never mind. You're getting in my way. Although the Human Resources Project was completed safely, my master seems to want to see what comes next. It's like cutting the string after inflating a balloon.
It's troublesome to let the old plan settle like that. In order to move to the next level, what has been completed must be completely destroyed."
This doesn't make sense.
To be honest, Kamijou didn't even know what the standard for "moving to a higher level" was.
"And, and, and. If you think you can save something by clenching your fists and fighting now, it's too late. The reason I came here is simply to "witness". Not to fight with you, nor to kill Fremea with my own hands." "W-what...?"
"Don't you understand? I led you here from the very beginning!"
The sound did not come from the cyborg named Rencha.
Instead, it came from Fremea Severin's pocket - an artificial voice made by a little white rhinoceros beetle with its thin wings.
"Hehehe, it's good to trust your friends, but sometimes you have to be suspicious. That guy kept yelling in his mind, 'Don't listen', 'Don't go over there', 'Please listen to me', 'I might as well just destroy this body' and so on, trying to stop me!"
The rhinoceros beetle that stuck its head out of the pocket kept trembling.
Is this his last act of resistance? Or is it just an act of manipulation by a third party?
Kamijou felt a surge of anger in his heart.
"You bastard…"
"Don't be impatient! So Rencha said he didn't plan to fight you? In fact, it was over a long time ago."
Liancha jokingly spread his hands forward, then bent down and bowed.
"This building has been rigged with a bomb. Once the switch is pressed, the whole building will collapse with a loud bang! From the moment you enter here, everything is over! Hehehe☆"
This didn't sound like a joke or a bluff.
An uncomfortable feeling ran through my spine.
Since Liancha didn't have a switch or something like that, then the modified human body probably had the ability to send wireless detonation signals. If that was the case, even if he wanted to take the switch away, he couldn't do it.
(hateful...!)
Kamijou hastily tried to shield Fremea with his body, but it was too late and there was no point in doing so. If it had exploded right in front of him, it would have been fine, but if the main beam of the complex building was damaged, causing the entire massive building to collapse, then it would have been useless even if he had blocked it.
"So! As for me! I just need to 'witness' your death!"
then.
The moment of explosion came without delay.
"Safety device released, password input completed. Everyone, welcome to this explosion show without any tricks or mechanisms! The explosion begins—!"
The cyborg's body emits weak electronic signals.
The detonation signal razed a corner of Academy City to the ground.
It was silent.
There was silence.
—A blank space.
Even though he knew it was useless, Kamijou still blocked Fremea's body and temporarily surrendered himself to the ear-piercing silence. However, after a while, he noticed something was wrong.
"…What…is going on?"
It wasn't Kamijou who was speaking.
But it is a cyborg named Rencha.
"Why didn't the fireworks explode? It's impossible that none of them would explode. How much effort do you think I put into putting it on?"
This is no accident.
Someone somewhere has solved the problem. But who could that person be? There are indeed several monsters with superhuman strength outside the building, but the "bomb" card cannot be dealt with without prior awareness. Will they have a chance to discover this?
If not, it means...
A "boom!" sound was heard due to the huge mass collision.
A white rhinoceros beetle, about the same size as the helicopter waiting outside the broken window, crashed into the belly of the helicopter.
"Damn it..."
Rencha's eyes widened.
"You must be kidding! My interference should have completely rendered you useless!"