Chapter 213
Chapter 213
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: A New Voice
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Ren continued her ferocious assault, radiating killing intent, while Yuria calmly parried every blow.
The battle between the black and white psychics was a clash of titans, a perfectly even match.
When Ren swung her sharp psychokinesis like a great whip, everything in its path was violently torn apart.
But Yuria simply pushed it aside with the back of her hand, smoothly deflecting the aftershock elsewhere.
Yuria used her psychokinesis to raise a giant hand from the ground, clenching it as if to crush Ren.
In response, Ren tore it to shreds with psychokinesis as sharp as a hedgehog's quills, as though dismissing a trivial trick.
They easily weathered each other's attacks, preparing strikes even more intense and deadly than before.
The entire exchange was so fierce it left onlookers in awe.
“Ahaha! How long do you think you can run? Come on, dance a little prettier for me!”
“…”
But as time went on, it was Ren who began to seize the initiative.
Ren was increasingly on the offensive, while Yuria was forced into a defensive posture.
Perhaps it was difficult to remain composed in such a one-sided situation.
Small wounds began to accumulate on Yuria’s previously pristine clothes and body.
“Ugh!”
“Hey, you should be looking at me. Where are your eyes? Shall I tear that pretty face of yours in half next?”
Finally, a surprise attack from outside her line of sight pierced Yuria’s barrier, landing a hit.
Her mask fell to the floor, and blood from the gash trickled down her cheek.
Such vivid red blood on a flawless, white canvas.
Ren’s lips curled into a grin, her sadistic urges satisfied as she taunted her opponent.
Yuria’s dress was now damp with blood, while Ren remained spotless, without so much as a speck of dust on her.
A casual observer might think Ren had a significant advantage.
But Raven, who was staunching the wound on his shoulder while quietly observing, thought differently.
‘That Yuria… she’s saving the fallen people amidst the fight. You fool, you should be focused on the battle!’
There was a reason she was only defending against Ren’s attacks.
The area was still filled with unconscious civilians lying helpless on the ground.
Her priority was to get them out of the control room to safety.
She had even taken a direct hit to divert the agitated Ren's attention.
From Raven’s perspective, Yuria was clearly the more skilled of the two.
But he couldn’t risk helping her rashly.
What if his clumsy intervention made Ren notice Yuria’s true intentions?
Not only would all her efforts be wasted, but the situation would become incredibly difficult.
‘If I try to help clumsily, will I just get in the way…? Dammit, I never thought I’d be this powerless.’
Ultimately, however, none of this would matter if she couldn't win the fight.
If she lost after taking all these risks to evacuate people, it would all be for nothing.
And so, he cheered for Yuria as she fought a desperate battle, sparing no thought for her own body.
He prayed fervently that she would overcome this crisis without serious injury.
But her focus on evacuating civilians over fighting was bound to be discovered.
Just as Yuria was about to send the last person, a woman who looked like a junior employee, outside, Ren’s sharp psychokinesis shot past her and snatched the civilian away.
“…!”
“…What's this? Ah, I see. So this is why you were being so boring and passive? Hah, if that's the case, I should have gotten rid of them sooner so they wouldn't be a distraction! Kyahaha!”
She had been caught secretly moving the civilians.
The realization sent a cold sweat running down Yuria’s back.
Worse, Ren’s psychokinesis was as sharp as blades, and the captured employee began to bleed from all over her body. At this rate, the woman’s life would be in danger.
Having made her decision, Yuria moved quickly, rushing in to snatch the employee from Ren's grasp and pull her into an embrace.
Perhaps Ren hadn't expected her to use her body directly when she could use psychokinesis.
Ren lost the civilian to Yuria with almost laughable ease.
Yuria placed the woman down next to Raven, then unleashed the psychokinetic power she had been suppressing, sending it hurtling toward Ren like a volley of sharp arrows.
“This… with just this pathetic power!”
*Crack!*
Ren swung her arm to the side as if to shake off Yuria’s encroaching power.
Her sharp psychokinesis formed a single claw that tore right through Yuria’s attack.
To Ren, it was a trivial assault, not even enough to stir a hint of unease.
But it was merely a feint. Yuria’s next move was far beyond anything she could have anticipated.
“Ugh…?! You, you…! When did you get so close…”
Yuria was suddenly right in front of her, thrusting a hand into Ren’s psychokinetic barrier.
She pushed hard against the barrier with the psychokinesis she had gathered in her palm, forcing her way closer to Ren.
Of course, this meant Yuria couldn't properly use her psychokinesis for anything else.
If anything, it was a golden opportunity for Ren, who still had power to spare, to strike the now-vulnerable Yuria.
*Presenting your own neck to the guillotine. I'll make you regret that for the rest of your life.*
Just as Ren thought this and was about to use part of her barrier to pierce Yuria’s abdomen—
Yuria, still in that position, kicked off the ground and headbutted Ren with all her might!
“…Hmph!”
“Gah!”
Perhaps it was due to the lapse in judgment, of never imagining someone would get so close when psychokinesis was in play.
Or perhaps it was the unexpected outcome of their powers pushing against each other.
Caught completely off guard, Ren was sent reeling from the blow to her face, a trickle of blood running from her nose as she collapsed.
It was a fatal result decided by the differing lifestyles of Yuria, who exercised regularly, and Ren, who found even the act of moving a chore.
Unfortunately for Ren, Yuria’s attack didn’t stop there.
Pushing through the psychokinesis, Yuria grabbed Ren’s arm, pulled the fallen girl up, and with shocking proficiency, threw her over her shoulder!
“Hiiyaaaah!”
“N-no…! Stop… Hiekyaaaak!”
*Thud!*
Ren landed flat on her back with a satisfying slam, like a scene straight out of a well-choreographed pro-wrestling match.
It seemed no bones were broken, but the powerful impact left her completely dazed.
Who would have thought a battle between psychics would involve such a picture-perfect takedown?
Raven, stunned by the sudden turn of events, nodded at its unexpected effectiveness.
With Yuria unarmed, there was no more efficient way to subdue someone with bare hands!
“Yuria! Finish it! Now, while she’s dazed!”
“Right.”
*I know.*
Looking down at Ren, who was gasping for breath in pain, Yuria intended to knock her out immediately.
It would be a waste to kill her. The plan was to subdue her here and take her to the Association.
This would allow them to prepare more accurately for the Invaders to come.
Just as Yuria was about to use her psychokinesis to cut off Ren’s breathing and render her unconscious… she abruptly abandoned Ren and spun around, rushing toward Raven.
Millain, realizing the tide had turned against them, had launched a much larger arrow-snake at Raven and the unconscious civilians.
“…!”
*Crack!*
Yuria managed to deploy a psychokinetic barrier just in time, blocking the massive snake’s advance.
The attack was almost twice as powerful as before, perhaps even stronger than the power Ren wielded.
*How could he suddenly get so much stronger?*
After deflecting the arrow-snake with some effort, Yuria glanced back at where Ren had been and immediately understood the reason.
“Kuuugh…! You… bitch…!”
“That guy… his skin is purple…?”
“…”
Millain’s entire body had turned a grotesque shade of purple, and he was bleeding from his eyes.
He held the coughing Ren in his arms, glaring at Yuria with a look of pure hatred, as if her actions were unforgivable.
It was a kind of psychic enhancement.
A form of doping, one might say, that allowed him to draw out power beyond his limits.
Realizing the battle was lost, he had clearly activated this enhanced form, ready to risk his life to protect Ren.
‘…Hmm, that thing. It's much stronger than Ren is now. At least on the level of the Seven Extremes. Guess I have no choice but to use the Tesseract…’
*I was saving it just in case. Now seems like the right time.*
Without hesitation, Yuria grabbed the Tesseract hidden in her clothes.
Just as she was about to transform into her adult form and subdue the two of them—
Millain, radiating hostility, suddenly summoned an arrow-snake from thin air and had it start biting himself!
While Yuria was momentarily stunned by what was clearly an act of self-harm—
He spoke, his face a mask of extreme annoyance, as if this was his only option.
“Dammit…! Everything’s ruined! I will never forget this, any of you… I'll be sure to repay this debt!”
“No way… Yuria, they’re planning to escape!”
“Wha?!”
*Millain shouldn't have an ability like that, though.*
Just as Yuria, a beat too late, began to transform with the Tesseract to capture Millain and Ren—
The arrow-snake swallowed them both in one gulp and vanished in an instant.
*He’s using the snake like a portal…!*
Realizing she was too late, Yuria’s brow furrowed in frustration.
‘I was careless… To think he’d have an enhanced form a year earlier than in the original story. It seems it was a trump card he didn’t want to use either…’
*Ugh, does this mean another rare opportunity has slipped away?*
Yuria remained vigilant, scanning the area in case they were hiding nearby, but soon her shoulders slumped in defeat.
She then used the Tesseract to restore both her and Raven’s bloodied forms to pristine condition.
She walked over to the spot where Ren and Millain had disappeared.
‘Huh, did something just flash for a second…?’
As she neared the place marked by the rough traces of the snake, she felt a glinting sensation, like light off a jewel.
*Did I see that wrong?* Yuria tilted her head and crouched down to get a better look…
To her surprise, a handful of fragments lay scattered on the ground.
*Could these be the leftover Invader fragments from their plan?*
*If there’s still energy left in them… this might be a huge help!*
“Huh? Aaaah!”
*Maybe, in addition to the Tesseract, I can fix Tempest’s heart!*
That hopeful possibility… was unfortunately shattered in an instant.
The energy from the fragments scattered on the floor suddenly began to flow toward her, drawn in as if by a vacuum.
*Wh-what is happening all of a sudden?*
Startled, Yuria realized the energy was heading for her pocket.
*Wait, what do I have in my pocket?*
As Yuria reached into her pocket with a puzzled expression, she felt a familiar texture.
*This is… it’s the crescent-shaped object I got back today.*
She brought it out in front of her, and as she did, an unfamiliar voice echoed in her mind.
[ He… llo…. ]
‘Eh.’
It seemed she had unintentionally gained a new member of the family.