Pull a Small Group

Without any context, a random sentence, although Qiao Bai had doubts in his mind, he still translated it.

Maekawa Yumi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

Does it matter whether one is an Esper or not?

Those who can appear here are either newly awakened or not very powerful Espers.

Who wouldn't want to attend an Esper Academy if they could?

Ordinary people and Espers are from two different worlds.

She keenly sensed that the stunningly handsome boy before her wanted to confirm something through her words.

"What's wrong with her?"

Qi Yuan's unusual question didn't just catch Maekawa Yumi's attention, but also that of the others accompanying them.

With a shift in their thoughts, they immediately realized.

This girl had a high chance of having her mindset distorted by contamination.

"Why should we help you? Dealing with the monster first can help more people."

Soon, someone spoke up probing, and Qiao Bai, upon hearing this, also understood.

The girl's demeanor was hysterical, and their rejection seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"But we asked for your help, didn't we? If asked for help, you should respond, right?"

"What should happen to those who don't respond?"

"Not friendly enough, need to undergo modification."

As soon as these words came out, the girls around her all took a few steps back.

The girl who uttered those words was also stunned, staring in disbelief with wide eyes.

"How could I..."

Qi Yuan analyzed the intelligence in his mind.

Without any specific targeting, the monster had already been able to subtly contaminate and distort the mindsets of Espers through its domain. Its strength seemed stronger than what was shown in the information.

Thinking of this, he reminded everyone: "Be mindful of your thought patterns."

With a living example before them, the others dared not be careless.

The contaminated girl also fell into doubt, not wanting to be abandoned, but now whatever she proposed would be met with rejection and suspicion.

Then Qi Yuan added: "If we need to observe her symptoms and changes, then we'll take her along."

The person in charge of logistics in the team nodded, asking Qiao Bai to explain the situation to her.

If she was willing to be observed, they would take her with them.

The girl nodded vigorously, having no better choice.

After dealing with this little episode, the group headed towards the dormitory building.

It was almost the agreed-upon time.

...

On the other side,

Near an entrance of Xiaosaka City,

The Dragon Country personnel had already cleared an entire building and heavily guarded a certain office building.

A suit-clad Dragon Country man approached the muscular man dressed as a superhero, holding a stopwatch facing Johnson.

"Mr. Johnson, it's about time."

Johnson looked up and met the stopwatch, which showed they had been in Xiaosaka City for forty-five minutes.

Only five minutes left...

"Got it."

He downed the rest of the cola in one gulp, crushing the can into a ball with one hand and tossing it into the trash bin.

The can bounced off the edge of the bin...

"Dammit!"

Another miss, Johnson cried out in anguish while clenching his fist.

A strange force enveloped the soda can.

It changed its trajectory midair and successfully went into the trash bin.

"Mr. Johnson, don't forget the camera."

Their company's partnership with Johnson helped promote his reputation as the Dragon Country's superhero, with fans all over the globe.

Although the footage captured this time couldn't be shared with fans, it would still serve as good research material.

Johnson waved at him from behind, holding a pinhole camera in his hand.

Ten minutes before the agreed time between the five countries, he used his Esper domain to tear open the connection between the monster's domain and reality, entering the monster's domain.

As soon as Johnson stepped into the monster's domain, he heard the sound of a massive battle.

Johnson immediately realized that the other three countries had formed a smaller alliance behind Dragon Country's back.

The reason they were ten minutes early was that Dragon Country had formed a similar smaller alliance behind their Dragon Country's back.

The justification was based on the information they had gathered – Qi Yuan from the Dark Nine, had unfathomable power and an incredibly short battle duration, so there was a small chance that they might not even get a grasp of the monster before it was defeated.

Dragon Country had already gathered enough information from the Shen City incident and, if their strength permitted, they were highly likely to pull such a move.

And Dragon Country's eagerness to organize other countries to support Sakura Island was suspicious.

In that case, they would have made a trip for nothing.

When dividing the spoils, one sentence like "the monster was killed by our Dragon Country" would allow them to take the lion's share as a matter of course.

By then, they wouldn't get much in spoils or information, and they would have even helped Dragon Country.

The four countries would essentially become laughingstocks.

But Johnson never expected that there were others wary of their Dragon Country.

His strength was evident; there was no way he could defeat the monster immediately.

So the answer was clear – they didn't trust Dragon Country, which was why they wouldn't act according to the time set by Dragon Country.

"Damn it!"

He cursed under his breath and rushed towards the battlefield.

On the way, Johnson encountered the Armored Man also heading to the battlefield. The two giants exchanged glances.

It was obvious which two countries had formed the smaller alliance.

...

A thick blackish-purple mist lingered in the monster's domain, like a curtain obscuring the situation within.

"Boom—"

A cursed energy slammed into a shield, emitting a deafening roar.

Saint Jeanna stood on a giant war chariot, the clash happening right above her head, yet she remained unafraid.

Behind her were countless Holy Knights.

The Holy Knights' bodies were masses of warmly glowing nothingness, with only their war horses and antiquated armor appearing real.

Within the area covered by the Holy Knights was a battlefield.

Saint Jeanna waved her flag, and they obeyed her command, firing a volley of arrows into the sky.

Countless golden-glowing arrows, unlike ordinary arrows, did not follow a parabolic trajectory but shot straight up towards the monster above.

The monster hovered in mid-air, appearing as an indistinguishable youth figure from the outside.

At first glance, it wore a black hooded robe, its body composed of floating lines of text with a hollow interior filled with blackish-purple mist swirling and churning within.

Upon closer inspection, the black hooded robe itself was also made of densely packed lines of text, just like its body.

Two blackish-purple flames flickered where its eyes should be.

Facing the volley of arrows, it didn't move its body.

Instead, the mist within extended outward, causing the text forming its outline to swell and distort...

Soon, it transformed into a spherical object, with countless lines of text encircling the blackish-purple misty sphere like rings around a planet.

The surrounding blackish-purple mist dispersed, condensing into a sturdy shield protecting the center.

As the mist scattered, the empty small town came into view.

The two figures on the ground, the Priest and Saint Jeanna, were also revealed.