With a casual wave of her hand, a piece of severed mutated tissue flew from nearby right into Natsume Sonoko's grasp.
She'd seen those gigantic tentacle monsters in Academy City before, but this thing in her hand felt different.
It was more like an organ that had grown from inside a human body, still pulsating with life even after being severed.
The night was beautiful, the dim light making it hard to see the details of the commotion below. All she could tell was that one hell of a fight was going on down there.
But day or night made little difference to Natsume Sonoko. As she sensed the heat signatures below, a clear picture formed in her mind.
The heat sources were incredibly intense, far beyond the normal warmth radiated by a human body.
And the movements of both sides were pushing the limits of human physiology. Their acrobatics were so extreme it made you wonder if they were even human.
The freaky-looking ones were one thing, but the two men in suits were actually keeping up with their speed.
'So these are espers? Sonoko's amazing… she can actually fly!'
Leaning against the windowsill and staring outside, Mori Ran watched with her mouth agape. Even though she'd lived with Sonoko for so long, she'd never once seen her use any abilities.
She'd almost started thinking of Sonoko as just an ordinary girl staying with them.
Though Academy City's propaganda was everywhere, most people had never actually witnessed an esper firsthand. The world outside Academy City was, for the most part, still perfectly ordinary.
"Of course. From what I've heard, even within Academy City, Sonoko is one of the rare ones. She's just a notch below those Level 5 espers," Mori Kogoro said, his face also showing surprise, though he was considerably calmer than Ran.
"Really? Is Sonoko's ability flight?"
"Nah, my guess is she manipulates air or something," Kogoro refuted.
Meanwhile, the brat Conan rolled his eyes.
After living with 'Sonoko-neechan' for a while, these two still knew nothing? Their awareness of espers was way too low.
But espers really were something else. The rumors about a single Level 5 being able to suppress an entire army were starting to seem a lot more credible.
Back in the air, mere moments had passed. Two of the freaks, with mutated organs sprouting from their backs like a spider's limbs, began scaling the wall, their target still Natsume Sonoko.
Just as they reached the second floor, dozens of sharp ice lances descended from the sky, piercing straight through their mutated organs. Pinned densely like pincushions, they were firmly nailed to the wall.
'These guys really are after me. So that means the men in suits are on my side.'
Natsume Sonoko quietly activated her ability. Layers of frost began to spread over the bodies of the freaks.
Their movements slowed just for an instant, but it was enough for the men in suits to seize the opportunity. Their weapons pierced through chests, and the freaks fell to the ground one by one.
Only the leader proved troublesome. With immense strength, it instantly shattered the icy restraints. Its mutated organs moved like additional arms, forcing the approaching suits to retreat.
But before it could take more than a few steps forward, the lead freak was sent flying backwards as if it had been hit by a speeding truck.
"Incredible wind pressure," one of the suits muttered, squinting as he felt the massive gust of wind hit him, blurring his vision.
The wind pressure suppressed the lead freak's movements. The two suits finally converged, using the wind's momentum to charge at the monster.
Their weapons transformed into blood-red spikes, which then sprouted smaller spikes of their own, resembling massive morning stars. They stabbed into areas not protected by the freak's mutated tissue, tearing out chunks of flesh and eliciting roars of fury from the creature.
"You worthless scum! Our vengeance will never end!" The lead freak roared in a voice that was human yet filled with sheer brutality, its entire body quivering with excitement and rage.
"We'll see about that," the scarred suit retorted coldly, straightening his posture slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the freak.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the lead freak, ignoring the two men in front of it, leaped onto the second floor and began scrambling up the wall, exposing its vulnerable back to them.
"Not a chance!"
A chain of spikes shot out and rapidly extended, ensnaring the freak's body and yanking it down from the second floor, smashing it into a crater on the ground.
As the freak tried to rise again, an immense pressure slammed down upon it, pinning it firmly to the pavement.
Pushing against the powerful wind pressure, the two suits didn't let this chance slip.
They avoided the armor-like mutated tissue and struck at the freak's weak points. The freak convulsed as if hit by a sledgehammer and immediately lost the ability to resist.
"So you're the bad guys who've been setting your sights on me?" Natsume Sonoko slowly descended to the ground, glaring angrily at the freak not far away.
What was going on? Why were all these strange things happening to her one after another?
Although Natsume Sonoko had deliberately held back, the two suits had shown no mercy, leaving the scene in a bloody and gruesome state.
But having spent so much time with Conan, she'd built up a bit of a tolerance for this kind of sight. At least she wasn't about to vomit up the contents of her stomach.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Hayashimura Takeshi. This is Saito Naoto," the suit with the scar on his face—who looked quite fearsome—spoke up. His tone was polite and respectful, a stark contrast to his intimidating appearance.
"Pleased to meet you."
"Sonoko, are you okay?"
The sound of footsteps came from behind. Turning around, she saw several people rushing out of the detective agency—it was Mori Kogoro and the others, looking around at the chaotic scene with concern.
Especially Mori Kogoro. The moment he saw the bizarre freaks lying scattered on the ground, an expression of extreme shock crossed his face, as if he'd remembered something.
"Ran, call the police! Now!" Kogoro exclaimed, still in his pajamas, looking rather disheveled.
"That won't be necessary. We'll handle this," Hayashimura Takeshi said as he walked over, calmly reaching for something inside his jacket.
"Right, who exactly are you people? And what are these things?" Kogoro demanded.
"We're with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. You're the famous detective Mori Kogoro, I presume? A word of advice—some things are better left unknown." Hayashimura produced his identification and placed it in Kogoro's hand.
"Special Investigation Department, 9th Mobile Unit..." Kogoro read aloud, using a flashlight to illuminate the document, his brow furrowed.
"Uncle, Uncle, let me see too!" Conan had, unnoticed, climbed onto Kogoro's back.
"Quiet, you brat!"
The cleanup crew arrived quickly. They even brought ladders to pry the two freaks who were pinned to the wall by ice lances loose.
According to Hayashimura, these were the specialized logistics personnel from their department.
A few people in white lab coats carefully collected the scattered pieces of mutated tissue before loading both the freaks and the tissue into a vehicle.
"So, you were specifically assigned to protect me? To ensure my safety outside Academy City?" Natsume Sonoko sounded skeptical, scrutinizing the two men in front of her.
But then she thought it might be possible—after all, her direct relative, Natsume Ryunosuke, was a high-ranking official in the Metropolitan Police.
"Actually, the magic circle from before was also part of our protective measures. There was just a slight... mishap, which attracted these guys," Saito Naoto, who had been silent until now, spoke up to explain their work.
"You knew about that magic circle? And you arranged it on purpose?" Natsume Sonoko's lips puckered in a slight pout, clearly displeased, but she listened patiently for their explanation.
"Yes. But Miss Sonoko, you needn't worry about being trapped in it. From our understanding, that particular magic circle has a significant flaw."
"As long as someone dies by murder within the circle, they can escape from it."
She blinked, her eyes conveying a clear 'are you kidding me?' expression. Natsume Sonoko obviously felt they were pulling her leg.
"Perhaps my wording was poor. 'Dying by murder' doesn't necessitate actual death. A convincingly staged fake murder is sufficient to fulfill the condition. The key element of a murderer must also be present. In fact, there are even some underground organizations that frequently use this method to relocate personnel."
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.