No transportation.
No way to escape.
If she relied on just her legs to run, there was no way she could get out of this man's hunting range.
So, even though calling Mugino Shizuri here might mean facing extremely severe punishment later, Kinuhata Saiai knew that right now she had only one option.
All she could do now was stall—drag things out until Mugino arrived.
And she believed her Nitrogen Armor could buy her that time.
"Is that so?"
Hearing this, Harumura Makoto didn't look worried at all. Instead, his mouth split into a grin.
"In that case, I guess I'll have to speed things up a bit."
The moment the words left his mouth, Harumura Makoto turned into a flash of light.
Bang—
A heavy, dull thud.
The instant that flash vanished from her sight, Kinuhata Saiai felt as if a massive blow had slammed into her—sending her flying.
Boom—
The concrete wall exploded into rubble, and Kinuhata ended up deeply embedded in the main wall of the building behind it.
"Did you really think I only had this kind of speed because of the device in my hands?"
From the start, Kinuhata's eyes had been locked on Makoto's wrists.
Her plan had been simple—to judge the direction of his grappling hook shots from the swing of his arms, then figure out where he would attack from.
But that had been her biggest mistake.
"I'm not a physical enhancement esper, but for some reason, my muscle density is about ten times that of a normal human. So, with deliberate training and development, my body strength now far exceeds the human norm. And because of that, I can use this piece of equipment that's made just for me."
Then, as if deliberately putting it on display for her, Makoto's rolled up his sleeves as he closed the distance, revealing two bracelet-like devices on his wrists, normally hidden under his clothes.
"A failed prototype by a weapons expert. Each wrist can fire a thirty-meter steel wire, retracting it at a speed of 100 meters per second. The instantaneous pulling force is enough to tear a well-trained human body in half. Even a physical enhancement esper would suffer irreversible internal damage if they used this thing continuously."
His gray tactical boots crunched on the gravel with every step, each word carrying clearly to Kinuhata's ears.
Cough cough—
The smoke around them made Kinuhata cough twice before she struggled to pry herself out of the wall.
"But me? I can use this 'failure' perfectly. As for my speed—"
Boom—
The ground beneath Makoto's feet shattered.
In the blink of an eye—just like before—he was already right in front of Kinuhata, who had only just pulled herself free.
Then, a fist the size of a sandbag came crashing down toward her wide eyes.
Bang bang bang—
Her automatic-defense Nitrogen Armor blocked his relentless barrage.
But—
Kinuhata was being pushed back step by step, retreating under the sheer weight of his blows.
"And do you know what the principle behind the 'invisible bullet' is?"
His attack was like a storm—fierce and unending.
"In the end, it's nothing more than a sword-drawing technique adapted for firearms. Using the strength of the arm to execute the sequence—draw, aim, fire—in one rapid motion."
Her retreat space was running out—she was already backed into a corner.
"So, let me ask you a question. If we strip away esper powers, and just compare normal human strength and speed—aren't those two terms essentially one and the same?"
Bang—
Another heavy punch.
Another flight through the air—same trajectory, only shorter this time—before embedding into the wall again.
"Of course they're the same. Speed is weight. To reach Level 4, you should understand that basic principle."
The air itself seemed to fill with killing intent—so heavy it felt like it could crush a human heart.
By now, Kinuhata was in a completely battered state.
The Nitrogen Armor had reduced nearly all the force and impact from his blows—but she was still filthy, ragged, and barely holding on.
"Still, your ability really is handy. Anyone else would have been dead after just one punch from me. You should be grateful for it."
"Hah…"
"Hah… ah…"
Kinuhata braced both fists in reverse, calculating frantically in her mind, before slamming her arms down hard against the walls trapping her.
Bang—
"Our base is in District 11. From here, it's about a thirty-minute trip to our base. It's been five minutes since I reported to Mugino. That means I just have to hold out for another twenty-five minutes."
She struggled to stand from the rubble, her eyes now burning with fighting spirit—the dawn of hope.
"Your Nitrogen Armor has a weakness, you know."
He raised his fist high, the muscles in his left arm swelling so much they pushed up against his sleeve.
Bang—
This time, the impact was the loudest yet.
Crack crack crack—
The sound of something breaking—like shattering glass—rang out. Something unseen had just fractured.
Kinuhata's eyes went wide, and for the first time, fear flickered across her face.
"At my punching speed, each blow might as well be a shock round. Normally, your ability could perfectly defend against that—against even stronger attacks. But what if, during all this, I've been landing nearly a hundred punches on the exact same spot on your body?"
That was the Nitrogen Armor's weakness.
Its defense was incredible, but the old saying about water wearing through stone was still true—hit the same place enough times, and any defense would break.
With that explanation done, Makoto lost all interest in further conversation.
The raised fist turned into a bladed hand.
"Looks like I won't need this after all."