“I love it when things go according to plan!!”
Wee-wooo wee-wooo─!
Ava tossed her loudly ringing smartphone out the window as she saw the police car tailing them.
A chase─ If it was a matter of chasing skills, she’d always been the one catching up, never the one pursued.
“In front!”
As a police car veered in from the hill, blocking the path on the asphalt road, Ava neatly avoided it with a slick U-turn drift, leaving a bold 180-degree skid mark on the road.
With guns aimed at them, she instinctively knew a “shoot to kill” order was issued.
This was an issue involving the U.S. military from the very beginning.
In the worst-case scenario, they had to consider that the President might be the root cause of the situation.
Reaching out with telekinesis, she snatched up a gun and handed it to Liu Ying, taking a deep breath.
The officers hurriedly laid down booby traps to block the road, but her driving skills, allowing her to easily evade bullets from a police helicopter, were beyond astonishing.
With her psychic power, Ava lifted the car to escape the encirclement lightly.
Driving on, unconcerned, even as missiles might drop overhead once they exited the metropolitan area.
“Where to, Neo?!”
“I don’t know!!”
The Oracle that put her in this awkward position didn’t give any further instructions on what to do next.
Beyond the police, a special operations team and climbers gathered en masse to catch the criminals.
Meanwhile, the wanted poster cast Liu Ying as a serial murderer, leaving her lamenting the ruin of her VTuber broadcast while holding her pounding forehead.
The fans must be as bewildered as anyone else.
What could Liu Ying have done to have an article claiming she assaulted a U.S. military base and massacred soldiers and researchers? Even the driver Ava was accused of officer murder, considering she was ex-military, they weren’t entirely wrong, assuming she snapped a colonel in half.
Vroooom──!!
Ava boldly entered the tunnel’s interior.
Yet it had long been barricaded. Police cars tried to crash into her to stop her from advancing, but she twisted the steering wheel, maneuvering the car sideways.
Was she intending to go through the wall?
Soldiers disguised among the police, as though anticipating, even wielded a launcher, but Ava defied expectations, driving up the wall, hanging upside down on the tunnel ceiling, and zooming straight through the police line.
Instead of crashing down, the car elegantly spun half a turn and slid along the road.
Though the suspension seemed shattered, the car body shaking intensely, she paid no mind.
“You’re insane?! Really!? Trying to start a war???”
Neither a police nor military helicopter shook its head at the two racing down below.
Liu Ying pleaded not to shoot with a pistol in hand, but with an ominous beep, a missile barrage was launched.
Shooting down the incoming missiles methodically with her pistol to trigger cascading explosions, she managed to destroy a few missiles, but some still hurdled toward the car amid the explosions.
“Gah!!”
Ava extended her palm, using telekinesis to apprehend and vertically plant the missiles into the asphalt road behind.
Boom! With an explosion, the car’s rear jumped up and jolted loudly, but─ she could─
“That rolling tire ahead, that’s not ours, right?”
“Son of a…”
A spinning tire declaring independence had drifted away.
The tire crashed and stopped at a massive tank.
Seeing the tank blocking the road into the city and aiming its main gun, Ava seized Liu Ying by the collar.
Boom─!!
Watching the projectile aimed at them, Ava swore internally, “Are they truly aiming for war with China?”
Racking up hatred to such an extent clearly indicated an intent to kill utterly.
Despite Liu Ying’s status within the Chinese government not being unbeknownst to the U.S. Government, the blatant attempt to kill left Ava grimacing.
Direct projectile impact crumpled and engulfed the car in greater flames, tossing it like a bouncing rubber ball.
The police cars chasing halted upon seeing the car crash onto the asphalt with a bang.
The reporter in the news helicopter trailing the police helicopter was also pale with the disbelief that they really fired.
Would World War 3 start like this?
No, such a thing wouldn’t happen. She wasn’t there to let that happen.
Screeeech──!!!
Sparks scattered noisily due to the friction of stone and metal all around.
Having dragged Liu Ying onto the car door like a surfboard and skidded along, Ava kicked off the ground, flying over the tank with the car door.
Surprisingly, the entire city near the military base seemed primed for intercept in any escape, packed with armed soldiers as Ava leaped into the scene.
Starting with the Psychers unit to heavily armored soldiers clad in pitch-black exoskeletons waiting.
“Fire!! There’s an immediate kill order from the top!!”
“Neo! What should we do!! Shoot?!”
They possessed powers to obliterate everyone if they willed it, but with the situation having unfolded outside, it wasn’t sensible to hastily judge whether those involved were merely carrying out orders. So, weren’t the police chasers merely getting tire-punctured for stopping?
In that split second of Ava’s swift thinking, a solution wasn’t easily forthcoming.
Ratatata!!
And that fleeting indecision drew the line between life and death.
Could she stop all the bullets? With no other option, Ava raised her hand, prepared to do so.
“Hey, you guys!! Who do you think you are bullying my friends aaAAAah!!!”
Striking like lightning, a girl draped in pristine flashes landed before them, puffing up into a gigantic human balloon intercepting bullets with her body.
Sadako, absorbing the bullets as if her flesh had devoured them, exhaled deeply as she reverted to her original size.
Fzzzt──!!
“Gotta Go Fast”
As Sadako, transformed into lightning, blazed past, soldiers were sent flying into the sky, eventually crashing down and groaning.
“Yeah, the world’s fastest friendly Captain is here, Liu Ying!”
“Sadako!! ……Uh? How did you get here…?”
“I dashed across the sea as soon as I saw the news!!! We’re comrades, aren’t we!!!”
“…..You’re not here undercover just because you heard there’s a beer festival in America, right?”
“Please, Liu Ying. Do I have so little trust from you?”
“….Well, Sadako was grumbling earlier that Aunt Olga couldn’t even drink…. Anyway, thank you for coming!!”
“I’ll hear the whole story later. For now, let’s bail!”
As the tank swiveled to aim the main gun, Sadako enlarged her arms using [Model Adjustment] to bend it upwards with an uppercut and turned to flee, carrying Ava and Liu Ying.
Then, an [Oracle] peeked from an alley, waving her arms while shouting at them.
“This way!!”
“Oracle!! Captain, please, this way!”
Before the soldiers could gather their wits and pursue, upon Ava’s request, Sadako sprinted like a bolt, prompting the Oracle to thank the heavens in prayer.
“You did it, friend!!!”
“Did you think we’d fail?!”
“Frankly, going against the U.S. alone. It’s hard to believe anyone could do it, even the best ‘Neo’ of the Matrix wouldn’t. I’m no prophet, am I? Predictions aren’t always accurate, right?”
“Oh, Morpheus. You shouldn’t have sent me if that’s how you think!!”
“But Neo. If destiny revealed you, what can one do? We’re all bound by invisible threads and fate!”
“Hey, could I get a script too? Are we in some film shoot?”
“For now, everyone, this way!”
Listening to Oracle’s and Esper’s bickering, Sadako retrieved a drink from her pocket. She sipped on it as she asked around, “Do we get a break?” Oracle, insisting there was no time for quarreling, led the group down into the sewers.
They reached a hidden hideout with transparent walls, leaving the group astonished, equipped with resting mattresses, doughnuts, and coffee.
“Take a rest for now. Neo─I imagined you’d make it here.”
“….How so? Even the doughnuts are my favorite.”
“Well, you’re the New Humans. If the Tower crafted humans into Climbers, the New Humans would be like one of a kind.”
“Anyway…since the rescue’s succeeded, let’s see what might have been otherwise.”
“Weren’t you the only one who could see it before?”
“Since destiny shifted, showing an IF isn’t an issue.”
Wiping the crystal ball making squeaky noises, Oracle cast a [Skill] saying they could all see.
An original sub-class of [Wizard] line ascendant that grants future foresight or prediction abilities.
Oracle, who could gaze much farther into the future than other like them.
Being an Esper, Ava wondered if the Tower could also foresee the future.
“Ooh… I see…”
Even Liu Ying, attempting to nap due to fatigue, was drawn by curiosity to watch─ The crystal ball began displaying the potential futures to all.
Displayed were the pitifully murdered Liu Ying by the U.S. Government and Wakamou’s new form cradling him. Destruction surrounded them, showcasing a civilization turned to ashes….with the VTuber goods Wakamou cherished burning like trash, Sadako’s expression turned rigid.
The shadow of what seemed to be Liu Wei, in fury, protested against America, as the Asian Federation stirred a conflict, seemingly heralding the brink of World War 3.
However, such a future wasn’t to happen─ Because the Esper and Alchemist had obliterated a secret laboratory, with Wakamou only avenging against the Guardians.
Without sound, comprehending the events was challenging, yet confronted with 2nd generation Man-eater appearing before Wakamou─the sight revealed the future where Wakamou grotesquely perished and turned to black ash─while a shadow of Guardian executives, whose bodies seemingly pierced to rally their banners, depicted a dark reality, albeit World War 3 might have been preferable.
“… No way. The 【Idol】… but he… isn’t human, right? Fox Deity won over Man-eater, so lost?”
“I can’t say how! But it was a potential future. Which means the Fox Deity might not be able to win against Man-eater.”
“Wait, wait. I don’t get it… Man-eater is known as human special ops, right? Our boss couldn’t lose that way, could he…?”
“If it’s about the species-changing ones like Elf or Dwarf.”
“Dead.”
“….Pardon?”
“Two. Kidnapped like I was and killed. The two who could.”
In a word from Liu Ying, a heavy silence reigned.
Having caught the information of 2 Legendary Classes kidnapped and eliminated by the second-generation Legendary Class Phantom Thief in the research data, Liu Ying knew.
Regardless of their combat ability, purely due to looming advantage, Man-eater’s early elimination was crucial to negate the potential variables they posed.
Ava’s expression darkened recalling from a festival two she’d heard laughing and chatting next to Wakamou.
“And this is another future,”
The sight was of a furious Fox Deity laying waste to America.
Yet in that future, Wakamou was slain by Man-eater, ending there.
With a vision of American lands engulfed in a tempest, watching the burning White House, Ava argued with an expression suggesting she had much to say.
“The apostle that appeared in Russia. Wasn’t it a horrendous experiment from a Scientist and their own nuclear missile that brought that about?”
“Precisely. However, it’s an evil pattern that goes severing the future of humankind wished by the Tower. The Russian Tower deduced that passively yielding humans were obsolete. Should a decision come fitting a history laden in blood…”
“─Then what about America? Is it the case that the Tower is leaving such circumstances unattended?”
“Their true belief in serving America and protecting freedom, that patriotic sentiment is undeniable. Substantial sacrifices were to pave the way to make America great.”
“Then conversely how about this future left unattended with a berserk Fox Deity?”
“Aware of how the newcomers dealt with American natives, right? Likely, slaughter the lot and it doesn’t matter if new Wakamou believers inhabit this land.”
“Wow… Truly… So much to say… but why do America have such ominous Legendary Classes unlike Eurasia?”
“Perhaps for Man-eater, might it not be due to the Aztec Empire? And yeah, Mexico.”
“Damn, I should have voted for someone else. The Mexican wall was right!”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Ava felt as if she might lose her mind.
Regardless, recognizing her as a special human made it clearer why Oracle could foresee the future.
I understand.
It’s hard to believe that Wakamou, the idol who isn’t even human but a Fox Deity, would act so weak against the Man-eater as if he were human.
The American Tower respects “freedom,” and the current “Guardians” are genuinely devoted to America.
It meant he was different from that crazy scientist in Russia.
Still, the madness of the Russian Tower trying to kill everyone indiscriminately just because Ava didn’t resist was staggering.
At this point, it seemed better to immigrate to South Korea as soon as possible.
“The ‘Guardians’ and Six Legged Beast have been in conflict for quite some time… The creation of the Guardians was heavily influenced by the first Man-eater. It caused more damage to America than any Monster, to the point where they had to resort to using bombs just to barely kill it. That’s when the caution against the Legendary Class began.”
“Is the president the mastermind?”
“Technically, it’s his predecessors, right? When he was in office, he formed a secret organization to prepare for the future. The Guardians are quite extreme. Even if Liu Ying were an Emperor, they wouldn’t care, you know? They’re patriots willing to go to war.”
“I really hate this country…!! With such a vast land, so many things keep happening!!”
“In any case, to prevent America’s destruction, we should solve this false accusation first.”
“[Regarding that, Asuka is gathering evidence. Please rest assured.]”
“So, can we just stay here and relax until it’s resolved?”
“[Maybe─!@%^$#)&%@$%(@#$)]”
Beeeeeeeeep──!!!
Ava, watching Asuka through a static-filled screen trying to take a break while munching on donuts, was suddenly startled by an unintelligible noise before the connection was cut off.
On Liu Ying’s wrist, a watch with a screen that had gone black seemed to blare louder than a siren with piercing noise.
Thump thump thump─
Her heart races, violently.
An inexplicable chill and nausea engulf her entire body.
Invisible pain-free agony induces extreme stress, leading beyond tension to panic and hyperactive nerves.
Her head spins, her vision splits into dozens repeatedly.
The sensation of having her brain stabbed by a knife── unfortunately, Ava knows the cause.
“It’s the Man-eater!!!”
A pursuer, the Man-eater, is following them!!
“Ugh..ugh…uh..ugh…”
Liu Ying, in a panic as if her survival instinct had surpassed ringing alarms and was urging her to just kill herself, was about to scream. Clutching her chest in pain, Oracle struggled. The only one standing somewhat lucid was Sadako, but—
She trembled in fear, something she’d never felt even when facing the 100th floor boss, Inari Fox Deity.
No.
The instant you meet it, regardless of the fight, you’d die of shock.
Sadako might endure to some extent, but what meaning is there in fighting when she’s already scared?
“Oracle!!! How close is it!!!”
“I don’t know!!!!”
Everyone’s on edge, voices rising. They looked at each other as if ready to fight, but in reality, they were looking for a scapegoat to throw and run away.
Ava, on the verge of losing her sanity due to extreme fear, slapped herself hard to maintain consciousness.
This transparent wall was a passageway leading to the secret hideout installed by Six Legged Beast.
It was now completely a wall, so even if they touched it, they couldn’t tell what was beyond!!
It had to be that way.
“Ahhhh!! I don’t want to die!!!”
Oracle, eventually unable to bear the panic, screamed.
His eyes, completely unfocused, were devoured by the fear and dread of the Man-eater.
Ava, sympathizing, grabbed Oracle by the scruff of the neck and ran.
Sadako threw down the drink she was having to set a fire to block the hideout and took Liu Ying to escape.
“Damn!! Should’ve brought more liquor to set a fire!!!”
Even after running only a little, the oppressive feeling made her body feel weighted like it was drenched.
They ran through the underground passage.
Covered by pitch-black darkness, it only accentuated the terror.
As the sound of a wall shattering came from behind, the group’s breathing grew more labored.
Exposed to incomprehensible fear, they couldn’t even faint, and hyperventilation became more intense.
“Is this a Skill effect too?!”
“Yes!!”
“If it’s a Legendary Class, it should have weaknesses!!!”
In the case of Wakamou, he dies when his Mana reaches 0. For Adelheid, no matter what, you can’t kill your opponent. The Ninja has a broad range of transformations but has limitations. For Werebeast, excessive transformation turns them into an actual beast, and so on… but being weak to non-“human” entities isn’t much of a risk.
In that case, the Tower would target its weaknesses, but the 100th-floor conquest seems impossible.
Eek─!!
Her legs freeze.
Ava stopped running, her legs paralyzed and unresponsive.
Sadako stumbled, nearly limping as her legs gave way.
The only thought that crossed both of their minds simultaneously was “Don’t look back.”
Just being in the Man-eater’s sight made them like a frog before a snake or a mouse before a cat.
“Run!! Run!!!!”
Sadako yelled anxiously, and Ava, using telekinesis, lifted everyone and darted out of the passage.
But, as if they were found out, they were surrounded by soldiers.
The moment Sadako and Ava hesitated, guns were aimed at them.
“You seem to be in trouble.”
And the familiar voice accompanied by soldiers disappearing from view as if they turned into part of a painting—
“Diorama Release!!”
The woman who appeared riding a bike and blocking the passage they dashed out from was none other than the esteemed Artist, Adelheid!!
“Ah, it’s Sister Adelheid… How…?”
“Don’t say such lonely words? Aren’t we comrades?”
“You’re not secretly here to hold an exhibition in the US, right….?”
“Of course not!!! Ohohoho!!”
Feigning a very insincere laugh, Adelheid, sweating, glanced at Liu Ying.
“More importantly, are you okay? You don’t feel anything? Like scared or anything…?”
“Not really?”
Adelheid, who had tasted all the bitterness life had to offer, wasn’t affected by Man-eater’s aura whatsoever.
Having nearly been thrown into the jaws of death in the past, the current creepiness couldn’t compare to the miserable times when water and electricity were cut off….
“Kyaaaaaaa!!!!!”
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1Uk1oK0sya3NRU1YxcUQyKzVnbkpjM0tiSy9lUEh3ams3RWJzQ2N4VWU4cA
Boom─!!
Shattering through the debris Adelheid had blocked, a Monster wearing the skin of a human with blonde hair and a mask appeared before them.
Covered in a grim and ominous blood-red aura, Sadako noticed it resembled a ‘Fox Deity’ or a ‘Shintai’ and lost the will to fight.
Without Wakamou’s presence, there was no chance of winning.
“Grr!! Everyone, run away!!!”
Ava lobbed Oracle at Adelheid, using her telekinesis to suppress the Man-eater.
If push came to shove, she could just escape using teleportation!!
While trying to delve into its mind, she started a tug-of-war to suppress madness and pull out reason.
But it was still too strong.
It was a struggle to hold even for a few seconds.
Blood flowing from Ava’s nose, she thought she’d hold for 5 minutes, but its unexpected overwhelming strength took her by surprise.
“Grrk─ it’s too much!!!”
“Aaaaaaa!!!”
Vroooom!!
Just as the Man-eater lunged to kill Ava, it was knocked over by a Humvee that appeared with a roaring engine.
Differing from its high resistance against human attacks, it seemed unexpectedly light, pushed far away by the impact.
“I hope my beloved subordinates are safe?”
And from the driver’s seat of the Humvee, the savior-like figure of Wakamou Inarizushi appeared.
Liu Ying suddenly considered if maybe he was here to secretly attend a VTuber concert in the US, but believing he came to save her, she trusted it.
The boss really, really liked her!!
She wanted to believe she wasn’t lower than a VTuber concert in his priorities!!
And the chilling air that froze the Man-eater’s legs and body.
When the pure white ice spread across the ground, everyone smiled, looking past Wakamou to the side.
Liu Ying, who had called her aunt only to later call her a block-headed reptile in her frustration—
Still, adults are adults!!
“You came, Aunt Olga!!”
“It’s been a while, young ladies. I’m not too late, right?”
With a gentle and warm smile, Robert blew off the frost on his gun and winked.
“Sigh, knew it.”
Liu Ying put on a genuinely disappointed expression, having expected something else.
Though wondering why the Man-eater wasn’t quickly escaping Robert’s freezing bullets, the relief of seeing Liu Ying and the others safe was all that mattered to Wakamou.
Though Sadako and Adelheid were also present, having good company wasn’t a bad thing!!
It was interesting how exactly they arrived in the US, but there were immediate problems to address.
Surrounded by soldiers and police, and under serious surveillance from broadcast helicopters.
The Man-eater seemed ready to fight at any moment.
And among them, another bear walking on all fours suddenly stood up.
“Freeze!!! I am Wanda Haye, Chief of Surveillance Team from the Korean Climbers’ Association!!!”
Instead of Uwooong, an authentic roar, as she flashed her ID and shouted, asking who was in charge here.
“If you don’t want to trigger World War III by turning the Asian coalition into enemies, stop!!!”
With a government official appearing instead of a mere climber, finally, the police began to stir.
Some soldiers didn’t care and kept aiming their guns but hesitated as they glanced at Man-eater standing behind Wakamou.
“Wanda Haye, Manager? When in the world did you come to America?”
“Hmph… do you call me a manager? Say I’ve performed my duty. When I heard Liu Ying was kidnapped, I disguised myself as a bear and roamed around sneakily.”
“…….I see….?”
Liu Ying thought it was because a new bear Monster was caught in America, but not because of—
Her eyes welled up.
Everyone had risked themselves to come all the way to America for her!!
“This situation was set up by the US government with a false accusation!! I will file an official protest!! There’s evidence, and we’ll formally file a case at the International Court of Justice!!”
As the soldiers and police, in disbelief, dialed in to confirm if the briefing they received was indeed accurate.
Even if Wakamou’s group including Wanda Haye were lying, there’s no way they could beat them with just a small military unit.
“…Oracle, did you orchestrate this situation?”
“To some extent, maybe 80%? I’m all for world peace!”
Even if this impeccable timing of the gathering wasn’t in Oracle’s predictions,!!
When he had gathered the evidence, he was sure no one was coming to the US, but he was just as puzzled.
But there was still an unresolved problem.
“Grrrrr……”
The Man-eater, trapped among people, started letting out a low growl.
The soldiers and police dared not provoke, fearful of what horrifying event might unfold, holding their breaths.
However, Sadako, who had been chased, knew.
‘Did it suppress its presence as much as possible….?’
The heart-gripping pressure shown during the chase was nowhere to be found.
It seemed to thrash about like a beast—but did it still retain a flicker of sanity?
Squatting down, burying its head between its legs in disapproval seemed like it is trying to avoid being in a crowd of people.
Watching her, Wakamou felt a mix of complex emotions.
This was their second meeting.
Seeing more wounds than before on her, Wakamou let out a heavy sigh.
While all he wanted was to just run VTuber broadcasts and live peacefully—
Life sure doesn’t go the way you want it to.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
