Pouch!
This was not the sound of a bullet piercing flesh but a sharp blade slicing through it.
The leader of Deadlock, who had just responded to Haramura Makoto and was about to launch his attack using his own powers, was pierced through the chest by a blade as white as snow that emerged from the bright red knight armor.
Bright red blood trickled down from the wound around the blade.
"What? Why?"
The leader of Deadlock seemed like a rusted machine as he turned around, the hilt of the blade marked with the familiar Deadlock emblem.
Half of his face was exposed, damaged by the impact.
But the moment he saw the starry transformation in the exposed pupil, he fully understood.
"So that's it, huh."
"Looks like we underestimated the espers after all."
Thud!
Another sound of a body hitting the ground.
Within sight, no Deadlock member remained standing.
"So you really can handle things on your own? Not just putting on a brave face?"
Haramura Makoto loosened his grasp around Shokuhou Misaki's waist and praised her words.
He had seen the earlier scene clearly.
He had thought she might recklessly endanger herself out of anger, but it seemed she had prepared somewhat.
She wasn't simply acting on impulse, forgetting everything.
Ha… ha…
After Haramura released her, Misaki panted heavily, delicate cheeks glowing cute shades of pink.
Whether it was due to heavy breathing or the lingering embarrassment of being held, she wasn't sure.
"I'm still… pushing myself a bit…"
Her body governed by exhaustion, she bent at the waist and rested her hands on her knees, speaking in fragments.
"The helmets really do resist mental penetration.
Plus, the damage from the explosion was so severe that his consciousness nearly vanished.
To forcibly awaken and control such a faint consciousness…"
"My calculations… are running at full capacity."
At first, the member who had attacked Haramura Makoto wasn't defeated outright.
Actually, Haramura just blew up the tiny jet engine on his back.
The explosion nearly killed him.
Misaki seized this chance.
She couldn't aim at the fast-moving living enemies.
And even if she tried to manipulate the brain cortex's water content of the dead, it would be useless—she wasn't some corpse conductor.
So the heavily injured, fallen man was the best candidate.
While Haramura Makoto chatted with the Deadlock leader, she controlled that man, keeping him still, waiting for the right opportunity.
She would never blindly put herself in danger or let the man leave and bear the risk for her.
That would lead the delinquents straight to her.
Luckily, her plan accounted for the leader personally intervening.
She could then control him for a sneak attack, seize the moment to control the leader.
Once that step succeeded, she could counterattack on the spot or escape—the path would be clear.
She could risk herself, but not to the point of no return.
What surprised her most was how unexpectedly well the man beside her responded.
She was still shaken and couldn't calm down.
"All right, what do we do now?"
He spread his hands, looking at the devastation before them, his brow furrowing.
"It's a bit of a problem."
"The kill count is getting a little too high."
After a while, Misaki's stamina seemed to recover, but her crossed arms betrayed none of the claim.
At first, Haramura Makoto had held back somewhat.
But later, to prevent the shockwave from the small jet explosions affecting the grappling hook flight, his shots targeted deadly areas:
Heart, brain, throat—
Every bullet aimed there.
So the death toll was quite high.
And if these were just ordinary deaths, it would be nothing—powerless gangs see deaths daily, and Academy City never cared about such failed experiments.
But Deadlock was different—it included many high-level espers.
That was the trouble.
"But this isn't much trouble for you."
Indeed, what was trouble for others was trivial to Academy City's strongest psychic, Shokuhou Misaki.
Whatever was hidden beneath would probably be forgotten soon anyway.
"Mm."
"But tonight, I'll still take you back."
"Don't know how many members these guys have.
And some might betray you, so they won't stop just yet."
Haramura Makoto wouldn't let the physically exhausted Misaki walk back alone.
If something happened on the way, tonight would have been in vain.
"Mm!"
Misaki immediately nodded happily.
A stray tuft of hair on her head bobbed excitedly.
Initially, she planned to deal with the bodies immediately—dragging this out meant more trouble removing memories later.
But now she decided not to bother.
More trouble was fine—she could send people later to handle it properly.
Boom—
A lightning bolt tore across the dark sky over Academy City.
It seemed to rip apart the veil covering the heavens, turning the world bright as day in that moment.
The strange oppressive heat lifted, swept away by a strong gust.
"Looks like we have to hurry up and leave."