Chapter 34: Stat Monster, Mechanism Monster

The cold evacuation alarm tore through the bustling scene of the commercial complex, and panicked tourists fled like a tidal wave.

In a corridor on one of the floors, Saori Saiyonji pressed tightly against her bleeding arm, staring pale-faced at the shirtless man before her.

The twisted arm-blade in the man’s hand gleamed coldly.

Two days ago, she had been ecstatic over her awakened ability—now, she was about to die here.

I’m not willing…

The boy with pale blue braids trembled, tears sliding down his cheeks.

At that moment, a strange force soothed him.

It felt as if a syringe had drawn out all fear and despair in an instant.

All those tears felt wasted.

Almost simultaneously, panic crawled across the arm-blade man’s face, his eyes wide.

Swoosh!

A golden streak wrapped around a human figure tore through the air beside Saori, slamming fiercely into the target!

Boom—

The arm-blade man’s body was sent flying, shattering a glass display and embedding deep into the store wall.

Before Saori could recover from her shock, several TV station staff carrying cameras and microphones swarmed in.

A short-haired, capable-looking female reporter, her face flushed, shouted excitedly into the camera:

“Yuki-kun just blew the killer away cleanly! Unbelievable! That body, which doesn’t even look strong, holds such astonishing power! Is this a Superpower User?”

What…is going on?

“You bastard!”

The man embedded in the wall roared, breaking free from the rubble and swinging his broken blade.

But what greeted him was Yuki Asahi’s palm, as if it could see through all trajectories.

“Pa!”

A crisp sound.

The arm-blade shattered instantly!

Then another hand gripped his neck, twisting lightly—

Crack.

The battle ended as abruptly as a tired middle-aged man’s sprint.

When the dust settled, Yuki Asahi turned to the camera lens, feeling an endless surge of power within his chest.

He finally understood just how formidable his ability was.

When he sensed and absorbed trust and positive emotions, his body would be temporarily strengthened by this “Vision”!

Through cameras, through TV—it seemed he could feel it too.

Although the effect was lessened, the sheer quantity made up for it.

The Buff would rise and fall depending on the balance of positive emotions countering negative ones.

After Chantui, he had already gained a second boost in Body Strengthening, and now his physical stats had reached six times their normal value.

Taking a deep breath, his golden eyes burned in front of the camera.

He declared loudly:

“I am a Cicada Shell Host, Yuki Asahi.”

The boy’s voice was clear, the confidence strengthening it, leaving no trace of his former timidity.

“A terrible hunt is happening in Tokyo. Many people who, like me, have awakened powers are being attacked by cruel Hunters.”

“Innocent citizens have already died at their hands. These cold-blooded bastards don’t value human life at all.”

“Protecting everyone is the goal that the government and Special Response Division are striving for with all their might right now… They’re not omnipotent, but they’ve never considered giving up.”

“Hunters lurking in the shadows! We’re not your prey. We’re not weak!”

“I’m right here, in Sixth Roppongi New Town! To protect those who need it, I, Yuki Asahi, am waiting for you!”

***

Koji Hattori gripped his Blood Blade tightly, slashing down the skinless “person” before him, panting as he faced the next enemy.

In front of him, Medical Mannequins crowded and shattered the apartment’s glass doors, trampling over shards as they flooded inside.

What the hell are these Medical Mannequins?

Exposed artificial muscles and bones, hideous and emotionless faces—they looked like a horde of zombies.

Did they just suddenly appear at the entrance?

What kind of joke is this? Even a bioterror crisis should obey the basic rules, right?

Bang—bang—bang—

A coworker rushed to his side, decisively squeezing the shotgun’s trigger—he no longer cared why such contraband was in the apartment.

The deafening blast drowned out all other sounds.

Koji Hattori’s head rang, and for a moment, he was back in his Self-Defense Force days.

Dense buckshot swept down swathes of Medical Mannequins, but their bodies were soon trampled by new ones pressing forward.

“Ah!”

A scream came from the other side of the apartment hall.

A Maid had been lifted into the air by a single hand from a Medical Mannequin.

The mannequin’s finger effortlessly cut her cheek, then pressed against her temple.

They can even take hostages?

A security guard aimed his gun that way, hesitating to fire.

But Koji Hattori was already moving.

The ring on his finger ejected a blade, slicing open his skin and drawing fresh blood.

The blood quickly transformed into a red-glowing flying knife—swish—precisely severing the mannequin’s finger.

Before the Medical Mannequin could react—though it was odd for an inanimate object to have reflexes—a long blade chopped off its arm, and the Maid collapsed to the floor.

Slashing open the mannequin’s torso, Koji Hattori exhaled in relief, thinking that his kendo practice had paid off.

“Thank you!”

The Maid hugged her head, expressing her gratitude.

Suddenly, her gaze sharpened. She snatched up a mop that had fallen to the ground and thrust it forward.

She pinned down a Medical Mannequin that had tried to attack Koji Hattori from behind.

Koji Hattori turned and slashed, shoving aside all other thoughts.

This is no time to space out!

But soon, he did just that—because—

A group of Maids came down the stairs, led by a black-haired Maid wearing glasses.

Expressionless, she leveled two MAC-11s and opened fire, striding forward in high heels.

What kind of place is the Jiang Family?

With firepower like this, is this really Japan?

This must be Los Santos!

As a newly hired bodyguard, Koji Hattori was truly shocked.

He wasn’t the only one.

Outside the apartment, a man stood, surrounded by twisting Medical Mannequins that morphed like clay before racing toward the building.

Hearing the gunfire inside, sweat broke out across his forehead.

He muttered in a trembling voice:

“What is going on in this apartment?”

His gaze swept over the second floor, and his heart nearly stopped—several people were setting up a DShK Heavy Machine Gun on the balcony.

“What kind of joke is this!”

The man abandoned his assassination mission without hesitation and dashed toward a nearby pickup truck.

Then, a sound like a blade cutting through air.

A thin line of blood appeared on his throat.

With an unwilling and confused expression, the man staggered a few more steps before collapsing.

Disabling her Invisibility, Jiang Jian Yue glanced at the corpse on the ground, then turned to look at the apartment.

What’s going on?

She had always thought her family was some secret financial conglomerate or something.

This felt more like a yakuza den—but no, even the yakuza couldn’t get their hands on a heavy machine gun, right?

Oh no, what would she tell the police if they came?

If they pulled out a heavy machine gun, they might have to explain it to the Self-Defense Force, too.

No way the Jiang Family could produce a 99A, right?

Jiang Jian Yue shook her head, abandoning pointless thoughts, then bent down and lifted the man’s wrist.

She unlocked his GPRI Terminal, which contained a full kill list and his mission lock information.

To Jiang Jian Yue, these names weren’t prey—they were new abilities.

There were hundreds on the list, right? If she copied every ability…

Hehehe…

Hmm?

When did she become so cold-blooded?

Well, it’s impossible to protect everyone—so what if this vulture of a corpse took a bite?

With no more Medical Mannequins spawning, the battle ended quickly.

Jiang Jian Yue walked straight to the apartment entrance.

Under the confused, surprised gazes of the crowd, she beckoned Koji Hattori.

“Come with me. We’re saving people.”