NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12 - Kyousaki Kazuya
The scene shifts back to a short while ago.
“What? He escaped?”
Oriki Mari, a red-haired woman with a solemn air, muttered these words as she answered the phone. The caller was a male acquaintance who was part of the upper echelons of the police. He sounded somewhat flustered as he relayed the news.
An A-rank prisoner had escaped.
It happened during a transfer. Suddenly, due to interference from an unknown party, Kyousaki Kazuya was unleashed into the city.
“A black coat… huh.”
“We still don’t know the whereabouts of the accomplice. The tracking team is pursuing him with all their might, but the guy is skilled… This might not end well.”
“Indeed… But right now, the higher-ups want to prioritize capturing Kyousaki.”
Kyousaki Kazuya is a criminal with an A-rank ability. This information hasn’t been made public yet. They are controlling the information.
His ability is of the enhancement type. The ability name is ‘Psycho Steroid Muscle Augmentation.’ It allows him to create virtual muscles. There are several abilities of a similar nature, but at best, they are C-rank.
However—
“The troublesome thing about him is his power to turn the virtual muscles he creates into real ones. In other words—”
“By continuously using his ability, his physical capabilities also increase. …I see, that is indeed significant.”
Feeling the silence from the other end of the line, Mari accelerated her thoughts.
“…How about it? The police are currently holding a strategy meeting. I can’t participate in that meeting, but shall I talk to the higher-ups?”
“No, it’s fine. We can’t afford to waste this opportunity.”
“I see… Why is that? You have that kid, right?”
He was likely referring to the black-haired boy. The man didn’t know the boy’s ability, but he knew his prowess. Remembering the practical test the boy took a few years ago, when he was still in middle school, the man spoke to Mari.
“No. His ability and that one are a bad match. Probably—”
“What, you mean he’d lose!? To that monster!?”
The man fell silent and then apologized, “Sorry.”
Mari, struggling to keep her anger in check, remained composed.
“That just shows how surprising it is… To think he’d lose—”
“There’s no way he’d lose. It’s just that he’d have to get serious to win. That’s the kind of opponent this is.”
“Then what’s the problem? Why—”
“He can’t be allowed to get serious. If he ‘runs wild,’ the damage could exceed that of the ‘Collad Bomb’ incident.”
“But his ability is F-rank. Even if he runs wild, it would only rank up by two at most. I can’t see it being that much of a threat…”
Great power brings great danger.
Many ability users lose control and run wild. The majority of them are high-ranked, B-rank or higher.
Even if an F-rank ability runs wild, it would only reach B-rank at most.
In that case, a group of regular police officers could easily neutralize it.
“…As long as things go normally, they shouldn’t meet. Besides—”
The scene shifts back to the present.
Facing the man in front of him, Mikoyuki couldn’t help but show his wariness.
Should he run…? Glancing at Alicia beside him, he quickly realized that was a naive thought.
He saw the shadow of a car being thrown in front of him.
The surrounding people screamed and ran away in a panic.
“Ah…”
One girl, unable to keep up with the fleeing crowd, fell and got trapped.
A girl with reddish-brown hair, wearing the same school uniform as Alicia.
In the distance, someone who seemed to be her friend shouted with a distressed expression, but their voice was drowned out by the screams.
The eyes of the girl, left alone, filled with despair as she saw the falling car.
“…tch”
A figure appeared before her.
The flaming red car. Its make and model were indiscernible.
The only thing clear was that if it fell, the lives of two people would be lost.
The boy simply swung his right hand.
Suddenly, an invisible force acted, and the car crashed into the guardrail on the right.
The car exploded on impact, scattering large fragments. The movement of those fragments stopped.
Afterwards, the wreckage gently fell to the asphalt road.
“It’s dangerous here, run quickly.”
Mikoyuki extended his hand to the girl who was sitting on the ground, shaken by the explosion.
“Ah, you are…”
“I’m with the police. This place will soon become a battlefield. Quickly… run—”
“—Hey, don’t tell me you think it’s over with just that?”
In an instant, the large man who should have been far away appeared before Mikoyuki and the others.
A teleportation ability user, perhaps. His body was red, emitting steam.
His eyes were no longer normal, they were clouded.
And Mikoyuki’s eyes caught the man’s swinging fist—Bam!!
Mikoyuki’s invisible power created an unseen wall between him and the man.
“Huh!? What the hell is this!?”
The man swung his tree-trunk-like arm, trying to punch Mikoyuki.
However, no matter how he tried, he couldn’t get close to Mikoyuki. An invisible force was blocking him.
The man’s anger grew, and he began to punch faster. The power was so immense that it shattered the asphalt and blew nearby cars away with the wind pressure.
(Incredible power… It seems to be an enhancement-type ability.)
“This shield won’t hold for long. Run!”
“Y-yes…!”
The girl stood up at Mikoyuki’s urging and ran off, away from the approaching madman.
“Alicia… you should go too. This man seems troublesome.”
“B-but!”
“Alicia’s presence must remain hidden. Go on, hurry up and escape.”
Alicia was in her uniform, not her usual casual clothes. If she had to fight in that attire, it would cause problems later.
“…You better come back.”
“I will.”
Despite her reluctance, Alicia finally nodded and joined the fleeing crowd.
As Alicia’s figure grew smaller, with no one else around, Mikoyuki steadied his breathing amidst the overwhelming force and violence—and then released his ability.