An unremarkable office worker approached from the opposite direction, chatting away on his phone, appearing like an ordinary passerby.
He maintained a neutral expression, and as he drew near, he merely glanced at Kobayashi and the delinquent—an odd pairing—before quickly looking away and returning to his phone conversation. He even sidestepped slightly, clearly avoiding any trouble—just the reaction of an average person.
But to Kobayashi, already on high alert, this person was instantly marked as an enemy.
Choosing caution, Kobayashi held back from immediate attack. He simply maneuvered his wheelchair closer, passing the suited man with extreme caution.
In that moment, the delinquent ahead cried out as a sudden spray of blood erupted from his neck. He instinctively clutched at the wound and collapsed forward.
Distracted by the scene, Kobayashi barely noticed the suited man's swift movement. In an instant, a sharp spike shot from the man's sleeve, aimed straight at Kobayashi.
The Hunters were seasoned predators. They knew Kobayashi was a Level 3 telekinetic with potential combat experience—a formidable target.
This meant a direct approach wouldn't work.
—When facing a wild beast, you must first wound it before capturing it.
That was the plan of Hunter Number Three.
Experienced as he was, he knew his sudden appearance in this empty area would draw attention, and Kobayashi would be on guard.
So, the strategy was to create a distraction—to remove the lackey leading the way, thus causing confusion and chaos.
—If the target was compassionate, he might even try to save the lackey, making the next move that much easier.
And even if he didn't, a moment of distraction would be enough for Hunter Three to strike.
The spike, driven by high-pressure gas, could pierce even more effectively than a bullet at close range.
This kind of special equipment was popular among Academy City's Dark Side organizations, specifically designed to counter telekinetics.
Telekinesis was indeed strong defensively, but as a versatile ability, it wasn't as robust as powers specifically designed for defense.
Unless one was a Level 4 telekinetic, the telekinetic barrier was just a sturdy layer of defense. With enough force, it could be breached.
A spike that concentrated destructive power into a single point was the perfect armor-piercing weapon. A Level 3 telekinetic couldn't block it.
Once the target was wounded, the pain would disrupt their mental focus, hindering their ability to maintain their powers.
Enduring severe pain while maintaining stable power output required remarkable willpower and extensive training. Outside of Dark Side operatives, few Espers possessed such qualities.
According to the intel provided by the employer, the target had only awakened his powers recently.
No matter how one looked at it, he didn't fit that category.
So as long as the spike landed, the mission would be complete.
Hunter Three struck with ruthless precision. His timing was flawless, and his feint to divert the target's attention worked exactly as intended.
And yet—
His attack missed.
Because Kobayashi was not an ordinary Level 3 telekinetic.
In addition to telekinesis, he possessed a passive ability known as Bullet Time.
The instant the enemy's spike burst from the sleeve and closed in on his body, Kobayashi once again felt the flow of time around him slow to a crawl.
This was already the third time he'd entered this strange state. He was starting to get used to it.
He knew this was an attack capable of causing real harm—possibly even killing him outright.
But with telekinesis and Bullet Time forming a perfect combination, he would survive.
—And perhaps even turn the tables.
Under Bullet Time, Kobayashi clearly felt every stage of his telekinetic barrier being pierced by the spike.
For a fleeting moment, he almost thought he was facing that hornet's rapier all over again.
Fortunately, experience made all the difference.
Instead of panicking, Kobayashi reacted calmly.
If a single barrier wasn't enough to stop the attack, then he'd use the simplest solution—
Stacking armor.
If one layer isn't enough? Then two.
Two weren't enough? Three. Four. Five. Six—
The kinetic energy carried by the spike was finite.
As long as he stopped it before it reached his body, that was enough.
The greatest advantage of Bullet Time was the abundance of reaction time it granted him. He could calmly manipulate his telekinesis, forming barrier after barrier to intercept the attack.
The speed of an espier's power was entirely dependent on the user's mental response.
As long as Kobayashi could think fast enough, he could stack enough layers of defense.
And he wasn't simply meeting the spike head-on.
While blocking the attack, he also used telekinesis to subtly deflect its trajectory—and launched a counterattack at the same time.
A block of telekinetic force slammed into the suited man's torso, sending him flying backward. His forced retreat further shortened the spike's remaining travel distance.
The result—
Kobayashi emerged unscathed, without a scratch.
The enemy, on the other hand, staggered backward, clutching his abdomen before dropping heavily to the ground.
But Bullet Time hadn't ended yet.
In the slowed world, Kobayashi saw the man's other hand—still holding his phone—reveal a pitch-black gun barrel.
At the same moment, a pointed bullet burst from the muzzle.
The attack was sudden and perfectly disguised.
If Kobayashi had survived the previous strike through luck or raw reflexes alone, he would never have avoided this shot.
This stab-and-shoot combo was Hunter Three's signature technique—one that had never failed him in past capture missions.
Just like the spike, the bullet was a specially modified armor-piercing round designed to penetrate telekinetic barriers, boasting terrifying penetration power.
Unfortunately for him, Kobayashi wasn't relying on mere reflexes.
What he relied on was Bullet Time itself.
Before the slowed flow of time, all things were equal.
Hunter Three pulling the trigger—down to every minute detail of the bullet leaving the chamber—was laid bare before Kobayashi's eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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