Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Fixer vs. Charismatic Phantom Thief vs. Just Yuria (5)
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If she calmed her nerves and thought about it rationally, the Raven before her couldn't possibly be real.
Besides, she'd seen with her own two eyes how his form, originally Silver Cat's, had instantly changed into Raven's.
And it was chronologically impossible for Raven, who should be meeting a client, to be on the outskirts of the city like this.
This meant he was definitely not the real deal, but a fake Raven.
Perhaps even the strange-acting Silver Cat... was an impostor mimicking her.
'But... that presents a problem. The Silver Cat I just saw moved in a way that could only be the real her. If so, there's a high chance this fake Raven's physical abilities are similar to the original's.'
A fake with the same physical prowess as Raven!
The mere thought made her vision darken and a headache well up.
The only silver lining was that he likely wouldn't have Raven's favorite artifact, the Mimic Shadow.
And considering the fake Silver Cat's movements, it seemed its combat experience wasn't identical.
If she could exploit those weaknesses... she might just have a chance.
'Ugh, he's coming! Tesseract, change me back to my original form!'
[ Okay, Mama! ]
The fake Raven charged at me as I lay low to the ground, dodging his attack.
The sharp kick he aimed at my head was quite menacing.
In other words, it was a tense situation with no time to think.
I immediately grabbed the Tesseract and asked it to return me to my original form.
In an instant, my body, which had felt constricted in the ill-fitting clothes, became comfortable. The feeling of vitality vanished, and my arms and legs grew heavy.
At the same time, I felt the powerful aura of psychokinesis deep within me.
I hastily pushed off the floor to half-rise and unleashed a wide arc of psychokinesis around me.
"..."
"Yipe...!"
But was the hastily summoned psychokinesis not enough to completely push back Raven's power?
My attempt to hold him was met with a kick to my side, sending me rolling across the floor.
...Just as expected from Raven, renowned for being exceptional even among augmented humans.
No wonder he could fight against metahumans with a pure human body, devoid of mana.
Even though I'd cushioned most of the impact, my kicked side throbbed painfully enough to bring tears to my eyes.
'Ugh... It feels like Raven himself hit me, which is strangely upsetting...!'
Even up close, the fake Raven looked no different from the real one.
His expressionless, stoic face was so convincing you'd mistake him for the genuine article.
Perhaps that was why it felt like I'd been unjustly beaten up by Raven himself.
Even knowing he was a fake, I couldn't suppress the welling sense of indignation.
"Grr!"
But I only rolled across the floor to create distance!
Clenching my teeth and holding back tears, I used my psychokinesis to spring back to my feet.
Then, with both hands, I forcefully grabbed the fake Raven as he pursued me relentlessly, as if pinning him down!
'Got... him!'
Was it because he lacked a weapon like a gun that could deal significant damage from afar?
He walked right into the net-like trap of psychokinesis I'd spread out.
What followed was a straightforward battle of brute force.
And right now, I was full of energy after a good dinner; I was confident I'd win a power struggle.
"...!"
"Nngh...!"
If I can just lift him off the ground, I win!
Having caught the fake Raven, I crossed my arms and tried to lift him straight up.
No matter how strong someone is, it's hard to exert full force when their feet aren't on the ground.
For a psychokinetic like me, there was no surer way to subdue an opponent.
"Graaah!"
But did he realize he would lose if this turned into a pure contest of strength?
The fake Raven, who had been resisting the psychokinesis pressing down on him, suddenly kicked the floor with all his might.
His body tilted sharply, and a floor panel shattered, sending fragments flying toward me.
Of course, a panel kicked hastily from an unstable posture was hardly a threat.
Without losing focus, I calmly deflected the panel with my psychokinesis.
But I couldn't help but be stunned by what happened next.
'H-He broke free...?'
In the brief moment my concentration wavered to block the fragments, Raven had rolled to the side, escaping the range of my psychokinesis!
Now, as if determined not to be caught by my power again, he was darting around nonstop.
Just trying to follow him with my eyes was so disorienting it made me dizzy.
'How did he break through...? No, it must be possible because he's Raven. I can't let my guard down. This fake is at least as dangerous as the real one.'
Thankfully, this space wasn't very large.
It would be impossible in a wide-open area, but here, I could crush the entire space itself.
I immediately began to extend my psychokinesis, rotating it outward from my body to dominate the area.
Did he notice the change in my strategy?
Or did he think he had no chance in such a confined space?
The fake Raven kept tearing panels from the floor and throwing them at me.
Then, amidst the scattering fragments, he suddenly vanished.
'On the ceiling? Or under the floor?'
This was an opponent I absolutely could not underestimate.
So, I remained tense, scanning my surroundings and keeping my ears pricked for any sound.
But no matter how long I waited with my psychokinesis extended, the fake Raven's attack never came.
When the silence stretched to nearly a minute, I looked around, blinked, and realized I was alone.
'...Huh? D-Did he run away?'
I can't believe he just fled without settling the fight!
Stunned, my cheek twitching, I broke out in a cold sweat.
I didn't know what was going on, but if that thing was roaming outside, it would be a disaster.
If it attacked citizens in Raven's guise, he could end up taking the blame for everything!
So, after confirming that the hacker I'd seen earlier was unconscious from the fight's aftermath,
I shrouded myself in psychokinesis to react to any surprise attacks and hurried out of the building.
If Raven goes to jail, I might end up on the streets!
With that thought, there was no time to waste.
*
While Yuria headed to the outskirts of Nighthaven to retrieve the object from Silver Cat,
Raven and the other Fixers confronted the shocking truth of their latest case.
"The Purplian isn't actually a jewel..."
"It was a crystal periodically coughed up by a mermaid-hybrid girl?"
"Yeah, that's right. So the true source of the Purplian was... the young lady who was with us all along."
The Purplian, the jewel Lord Robert owned and Silver Cat targeted, was not a gem but a pearl-like crystal that came from a mermaid's body.
And Lord Robert had been planning to exploit his own mermaid-hybrid daughter, born from a mermaid, for the Purplian!
Even if he was a client, they couldn't just let such an excessive crime slide.
Realizing this, Raven, who had been in a cat-and-mouse chase with Silver Cat, formed a temporary alliance with her to resolve the cruel matter involving the Purplian.
While Alice and David bought them time, the two located the secret mansion where Robert was hiding.
There, they defeated his last bodyguard and successfully cornered him.
"Nnngh! Absolutely not! The Purplian will usher in my era...!"
"Shut up!"
"Be quiet!"
"Gurgle..."
*Thwack! Thud!*
Raven's fist and Silver Cat's kick landed simultaneously on the corpulent Lord Robert.
Struck in the upper and lower body at the same time, Lord Robert spun around and slammed into a wall.
With his eyes rolled back and foam at his mouth, he was now destined to be arrested by the police and pay for his crimes.
Seeing that both the formidable bodyguard and Lord Robert were completely neutralized,
Silver Cat turned to Raven and awkwardly expressed her gratitude.
"Th-Thank you. At first, I thought you were just as bad as him... I was completely mistaken. I formally apologize for misunderstanding and being rude to you."
"Eh... it's fine. I also took the job without looking into it properly. As long as it all ended well."
Though they were initially at odds, they cleared up the misunderstanding and joined forces to solve the problem.
For Raven, it was an all-too-familiar conclusion.
If this connection led to him receiving a small favor someday, that would be nice.
He maintained a perfectly cool demeanor as he shook hands with Silver Cat, bringing the matter to a heartwarming close.
Then, it suddenly occurred to him—the thing he'd meant to ask Silver Cat when he met her.
"Ah, by the way... did you happen to take anything from my agency?"
"Pardon?"
"When you came to get the Purplian. The kid at my place seems furious that something of hers went missing."
Silver Cat tilted her head at Raven's words.
She looked puzzled, as if unsure what he was referring to.
Then, as if a faint memory surfaced from somewhere in her mind,
she let out a small "Ah," blinked blankly, and replied.
"Th-That's strange. When I try to recall what happened then, my memory is... hazy."
"Hazy?"
"Yes... I'm sure I went to your agency for reconnaissance, but..."
She looked as if she felt a sense of wrongness about her own memories.
Just as Raven sensed something was amiss from her confused state,
Silver Cat's sentence was cut short.
*CRASH!* Someone had suddenly fallen into the garden of the mansion where they stood!
"Ugh...!"
"Eek?!"
Was it another one of Robert's bodyguards?
Sensing the disturbance, Raven and Silver Cat immediately left the mansion and headed for the garden.
Amidst the devastating scene—a half-collapsed artificial pond, with grass and dirt strewn everywhere—
they were confronted with an unbelievable sight.
"What is this... Me?"
"H-Huh?! Th-There are... two Ravens?"
There stood a man who looked exactly like Raven, the light gone from his eyes.
It felt like being trapped in a terrible nightmare.