Xiao Feng's gaze remained fixed on Cook, who was now caught in the monstrous bat's claws, suspended high in the air. Without hesitation, he suddenly turned and sprinted toward White.
"Uncle! Throw me up there!"
White's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. He flung aside his weapon, gripped Xiao Feng by the extended leg, spun once in place with a low grunt, and hurled the young man skyward with all his might.
To White, who possessed superhuman strength, Xiao Feng's weight was negligible. The youth soared nearly twenty meters into the air—still short of reaching the beast.
The mercenaries looked on with bated breath, unsure of what this seemingly unarmed boy could possibly achieve midair.
At the apex of his ascent, as gravity reclaimed him, Xiao Feng raised both hands. In an instant, twin arcs of electricity burst forth, searing the night sky with radiant streaks like twin bolts of divine lightning.
Gasps filled the air as the arcs dissipated, awe and disbelief freezing every onlooker.
"Electrokinetic ability?" Rice swallowed hard. That meant Xiao Feng had ascended to the rank of a Level Three Esper.
Even White stood stunned, utterly unaware that Xiao Feng possessed such a formidable power. The image of those two resplendent arcs played over and over in his mind's eye. He could not fathom how the boy had concealed such a gift.
As Xiao Feng began his descent, his heart seized—he had clearly seen the bat sink its fangs into Cook's throat.
The electric arcs struck the creature, causing both it and Cook to tremble violently in unison.
Xiao Feng fell, but White caught him deftly, sparing him from harm. Together, they watched as the monstrous bat and the limp form of Cook plummeted from the sky.
With a thunderous crash, they landed before them. Cook's lifeless eyes stared blankly into the void.
"Cook!"
"Cook!"
Turner and Brian rushed to the fallen comrade, the stalwart black warrior who had braved death alongside them for years.
But Cook could never answer them again.
Turner placed trembling fingers on the artery in Cook's neck. No pulse. A sob caught in his throat as he pounded the earth with a clenched fist, grief surging like a tide.
Silence fell. Death had come so swiftly, so cruelly, with nothing more than the closing of a predator's jaws.
But even as sorrow enveloped them, the enormous bat beast twitched its wings and began to rise once more.
Xiao Feng's attack had not been enough. The monster lived.
Turner stood just meters away, tears glistening in his eyes. With a savage cry, he opened fire with his assault rifle, aiming directly at the beast's head.
The creature raised its forelimbs to shield its face. The bullets struck with metallic clangs, embedding harmlessly in its tough hide.
The skin of an E-Class beast was impervious to ordinary firepower. Even an entire magazine from Turner's rifle failed to leave a mark.
With a shriek of rage, the bat monster lashed out, its massive wing striking Turner with devastating force. He was flung through the air like a ragdoll, crashing into the ranks of the mercenary team with bone-shattering impact.
It surged forward and swiped at Brian with a razor-sharp claw. Brian dropped low, dodging the fatal blow, but three deep gashes tore through his back, exposing bone. Gritting his teeth, he rolled to safety.
"Don't just stand there—open fire!" Rice roared.
His command was followed by a pair of deep, thunderous booms. Two rocket launchers discharged simultaneously, their flaming payloads streaking toward the beast.
The missiles struck its chest with cataclysmic force, detonating in twin bursts that forced the monster back several paces.
Unlike rifle fire, the rockets tore through flesh. Two gaping wounds now marred its torso, and the creature howled in agony, its scream piercing the heavens.
Xiao Feng seized the moment. He lunged forward, grabbing the Blood Ghost where it lay discarded. In a blur of movement, he charged the beast and rammed the weapon deep into its chest.
With a muffled blast, the weapon fired point-blank, the bullet piercing the monster's exposed heart.
Devoid of its armored hide, the heart was vulnerable—and it ruptured under the impact.
Xiao Feng racked the slide and fired again.
He emptied the entire clip into the beast's chest, relentless and unyielding. At last, breathing heavily, he stared at the fallen monstrosity.
The giant bat beast slowly collapsed onto its back, a titanic form brought low at last by fury and precision. Silence reclaimed the night.
Above them, the full moon shone cold and silver, bathing the world in mournful light.
Bleak. Beautiful. Deathly still.
Far away, in the second-tier city of Black Whale within the Planetary Alliance, one office still glowed beneath the perfect moon.
Within the headquarters of the Alliance Esper Authority's First Division, two figures stood rigid before a wide desk—Kelly and Kerry, brother and sister.
Seated behind the desk was a stern, blue-eyed man with tightly drawn brows and a grave expression. His uniform bore the insignia of a colonel. He was Colonel Henry, director of the First Division.
Colonel Henry had the air of a hardened soldier from the Federation: golden hair cropped short, a chiseled jawline, and an unyielding gaze.
"Kelly," he said coldly, "you have gravely disappointed me. The two of you returned empty-handed, without the Class One Esper."
"Sir, we accept full responsibility and await your disciplinary action."
"Hmph. If it weren't for your father's reputation, I would not be so lenient. But since you failed in your mission, consider yourselves confined to quarters for three days. Now go and submit a full report. I want every detail about that Esper. If even both of you couldn't subdue him, he must possess extraordinary power. I'll need to reconsider who I send next. Dismissed."
Kelly and Kerry exchanged a glance, then saluted crisply.
"Yes, Colonel."