"Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh."
Kihara Amata let out a discouraged voice while staring at the retreating black van.
He held out his right hand.
"Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh! Bring it out! You know what I mean! Just give it to me!!"
It was a confusing command, but one of his men carried it out. With quick movements, the man pulled a shoulder-fired anti-tank missile launcher from one of the remaining vans and handed it to Kihara.
Even so, Kihara shouted "Hurry it up, you idiot!" and knocked the man to the ground. Kihara then assembled the launcher and turned off the safety with the speed and accuracy of a professional operator typing on a keyboard.
No hint of hesitation could be seen in his movements.
It was one of his men in Hound Dog that seemed flustered.
"Wh-what about the driver!?"
"Who cares!? Yahahh! Deserters need to be immediately executed! Goodbye, puppy! I won't forget you for at least a second or two!!"
Kihara rested the 1 meter long and 30 cm wide launcher on his shoulder and peered through the scope.
He lined up the sight.
He placed his finger on the trigger for the homing missile.
The van had travelled a few dozen meters and was just about to turn around a corner. Kihara smiled. He would make it in time. Even if the automobile made it completely around the corner, the missile would follow them diagonally and strike the corner of the building. That would create a storm of concrete fragments that would flip the van over.
That would not be enough to kill Accelerator but it would definitely deprive him of his transportation. Kihara could then take his time as he dealt with Accelerator and the other two who would be injured.
(You're too naïve, Accelerator! By using that van, you might as well be announcing that you can no longer perform the delicate control needed for the wind!!)
"Farewell, you fucker! I'll roast that white body of yours black!!"
With an elated smile on his face, Kihara Amata began to pull the trigger.
But…
"?"
His view through the scope was suddenly filled with the color yellow.
Kihara assumed something of the wrong scale was blocking his view, so he removed the scope from his eye. He found a strange woman standing a mere 10 meters away.
Cold raindrops fell on the roadway. No other vehicles or pedestrians were on the large road. That woman stood alone on the wet road that reflected the traffic lights and the bright white lights coming from building windows.
Kihara had not noticed her at all up until that moment.
The countless piercings on her face ruined its symmetry. She wore heavy emphasizing makeup around her eyes. To anyone else, it seemed a completely unthinkable look. She wore something like a dress that was primarily yellow, but it seemed somehow outdated or of a bygone era. She looked like someone from Medieval Europe.
But Kihara did not care about any of that.
What mattered to him was that the van had turned around the corner and disappeared thanks to that stupid woman distracting him.
"…"
All expression left Kihara's face.
With that blank look on his face that could also be seen as dumbfounded, he casually pulled the trigger.
This fired the anti-tank missile.
A straight trail of smoke shot out and the missile stabbed at the center of the woman's chest. Before anyone could see if her expression changed, the missile exploded and shockwaves and explosive flames were scattered throughout the area.
A roar that shook the asphalt rang out.
The rainwater that had covered the wide roadway like a film was completely blown away and the signs on the surrounding buildings rattled. A large number of leaves were blown from the branches of the trees lining the road.
Perhaps due to the close proximity of the explosion, the men in black surrounding Kihara were all knocked away by the blast.
Red flames and black smoke blocked Kihara's view like cotton candy.
But…
After only about 5 seconds, a violent wind blew it all away.
The flames and smoke completely disappeared in this new storm that had come from the center of the blast.
In the center of the scorched, smashed, and scattered asphalt stood the woman as if nothing had happened.
Both her clothes and her hair showed no sign of having been damaged or burned.
"What an excellent city," said the yellow woman suddenly.
She was not looking at Kihara Amata or the others.
"I thought my erosion would progress faster than this, but I guess it won't. It really isn't fair for most of your people to be teachers and students. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that my erosion is slower against those kinds of people." The woman with the piercings in her face turned toward Kihara. "But you seem to be exceptionally dark."
Kihara finally opened his mouth to speak.
"Who are you?"
"A rival killer." The woman turned to face the corner the van had disappeared around. "I had a target in there as well. It doesn't really matter who kills her, but I don't like having a kill stolen from me."
"That's enough," said Kihara with a sigh. "Kill her."
As soon as he gave the order, a group of the men in black around him held up their guns.
But…
"You should stop that."
Not even one of them managed to pull the trigger.
Before they could, the men let out groans and collapsed to the ground. They had met no resistance. The attack was carried out so easily, that seemed the strangest thing about it.
Most fell onto the wet roadway, but some fell directly on top of wreckage from the van Accelerator had destroyed. And yet they did not stir. They had been completely incapacitated.
What exactly had happened to them?
Kihara tapped a finger on the missile launcher barrel.
No one else there could understand it, but that woman at least seemed to trust that power. In that situation, a single misstep could get her filled with holes, but her expression showed no change.
Looking disinterested, she said, "So you tell them to kill me without showing any change of expression. You may have killer intent, but no hostility. You do not even think of your enemy as an enemy, so you feel no guilt. Do you view it the same as pulling up some weeds? First that missile and now this. You really are rotten to the core. At least as much as I am."
Kihara did not respond.
He waved his hand in annoyance at one of the men in black still standing around him.
"Split into two teams," he tossed the empty anti-tank missile launcher casually to the ground. "Gather the 10 most useless of you to hold her back. Meanwhile, the other team and I will head to the villa headquarters. Understand?"
It was a horribly rough order, but the men knew they would be filled with bullets if they did not obey. And it was true they could not crush Accelerator without Kihara.
The suspicious woman before their eyes, Kihara Amata, or Accelerator.
If they had to choose which one seemed least frightening, they would choose the woman. She may have been creepy, but she seemed the least difficult opponent.
Having given his orders, Kihara climbed into one of the vans.
The woman called out to his back.
"You really hold no hostility, do you?"
"If you want me to point some in your direction, you'll need to show more ability than that."
With that parting comment, Kihara smacked the back of the driver's head and the van drove off.
The woman and the decoy men were all that were left.
"Well, I would like to know who that was, but he would probably die before I could ask. Honestly, I'm really not suited for gathering information. Doing too much damage can be a problem."
The woman audibly cracked her neck and stuck out her tongue.
A chain fell from her mouth, making a jangling noise.
"Now then. You seem to be taking me much too lightly, but let's see if you can be of any use."