The tension in the air dramatically increased. Both sides watched on with curiosity and uainty as to how things would py out. They watched the test between Saki and Masayuki not sure how he would make his move. Saki pyed aremely dangerous game with Masayuki. Ohat he didn’t tip his hand for to give her any indication of her success. She could only sweat in her skin waiting to see how things went.

  On the UN side of the wall, the soldiers started to look antsy. They didn’t like the sounds ing out from around them. It started to sound like a horror movie with people’s voices almost disembodied crawling up from every er to steal the souls of the living as punishment. Only out of orders did they stand their ground and even that was starting to bee something that wouldn’t hold them.

  Then to make matters even worse, Saki threatehem all by making the cim to have wiped out the entire gang war that even with the UN’s Empowered at hand could do nothing to resolve. The men started to question what sort of odds even those with powers could do to stand up against someone so overwhelmingly powerful. Her dispy of power to take out Nawabe so quickly added to their ck of fidenbsp; All the normal soldiers tinually felt surrounded by the impossible and frightening.

  Hiroshi and Tatsuya sweated more than even Saki did with the horrible gamble id out oable. They couldn’t believe that Saki would throw it all away to make herself an enemy of the UN. ‘This isn’t the time to be starting fights with the UN, Saki!’ worried Hiroshi, ‘I wonder if Yuki was awake if he could have kept her from doing something so insane!’ All he could think was how much of a bad idea it was. They weren’t prepared to deal with the UN and the world’s polig arm. No one wahat, but they didn’t know how Saki felt or if she even thought about it.

  Forever a stoic stonewall of hiddeions, Masayuki kept everything in chebsp; None of this had been his sort of training. That much he was certain about. He wasn’t even a real Captain, but an honorary one. He had just been an ordinary engineer w at a puter tech corporation developi geion processors. Not quite a on life, but a normal and ordinary one. Yet now here he stood on a regur basis fag down violent criminals and inhuman threats. The only thing that kept him standing was that he k was the right thing to do.

  Had he been anyone else, he likely would have turned blue just seeing what Saki did iroying Nawabe with little effort. The sight of her determined a pure eyes would have inspired fear within his heart. Her fieress and loyalty would have made him sed guess everything.

  But he didn’t question any of it.

  This was his life.

  An unrewarding and ungrateful, yet necessary life. He had to stand and remain fixed to see justice through and protect those that did cower. It wasn’t his pce to cower, but to stand. And he had to stand against all of it, no matter how ugly and distasteful it was. This was his decision as part of the problem and the solution.

  ‘This is truly an unfavorable job, but someone must be the one…’ He could see the resolve in Saki’s eyes. The unwaveriermination was almost inspirational to behold for him. It was all he o know that he was doing the right thing, even though he k was far more plicated than that. His orders were still the same and the w was the w. None of that ged and none of it could be made to bend. “So you’re taking responsibility for everything that’s happeonight. Is that right?”

  Saki crossed her arms not bag down. “I said I did it all. Anyone else would have just gotten in my way.”

  It was then that Hiroshi figured out that she was doing it. The gamble wasn’t even a gamble as he thought. She had a pletely different aim in mind. ‘You ’t do this, Saki! What about Yuki?’

  “Even if you did bring ao this turmoil, murder and the assault of a UN soldier are still crimes. Crimes which you will be tried for.”

  “Peace is never a simple thing to achieve. A few deaths justify the means.”

  “However true that may be crimes are still crimes and I will have to arrest you.”

  “Got enough men for that?”

  “I’ll be enough for you.”

  “That’s some big talk for someoruggling to keep his team in trol.”

  ‘So she’s noticed. She’s very talented…’ Masayuki rolled his fingers open and closed to relieve some of the tension in his babsp; She wasn’t making it very easy for him. “Not as big as someoill exhausted from knog out a single one of my subordinates.”

  Saki kept up the show for Masayuki, but had to admit that he was observant. The battle with Tatsuya had a toll on her and Yuki ringing her bell still left its mark on her. Just to put on a dispy for the UN, she used a lot of her power to impress them. It served two useful purposes, so it wasn’t wasted. “I’m ready to ght here if you want to test me. I’m not going to just hand myself over that easily. I don’t care that you’re Japanese, I don’t agree with the methods that the UN is taking to try to resolve the problem.”

  “Seems we’re in agreement then, since I ’t agree with your methods of resolving the problem either. I’m not here to kill people, just restrain the chaotic elements that are misusing their powers. The world will rust Japan if we ’t self-police.”

  “Uhe arm of the UN isn’t self-polig, it’s servitude.”

  “So we ’t agree.”

  “Nope.” The ground around Saki’s feet pulverized with the weight of her power crushing into them. “Then I’ll make it easy for you in all of your stalling aating.”

  ‘Don’t do this Saki! There’s no going back from this now if you do!’

  There was o sense anything. Masayuki could see her telegraph her i. He had to release his team and prepare for the assault. If he didn’t give her his everything, he wasn’t going to survive her attack.

  The three that remained scious on his team attempted to move to act, but Saki’s speed exceeded their expectations. They all pletely missed her as she struck Masayuki head on. The collision of her power ripped a massive shockwave through the air and behind him tore up the earth in a semi-circle around him.

  A bst of wind blew backwards hitting Masayuki’s team and Hiroshi and Tatsuya as they were all left in stunned awe of the two’s csh. Tatsuya held his arms up trying to see through the thick dust cloud kicked up by the wind that Saki’s punch created. “Damn, she was holding back against me!”

  “You’ve still got quite a bit of power in you for being exhausted,” Masayuki remarked, holding back Saki’s punch with one hand. His feet showed signs of having been pushed back about half a meter from where he used to stand.

  She smirked back at him to hide her displeasure with the situation. “And you’re more than just talk.”

  Chapter 363 – Broken Calm

  “Dammit, Saki, this isn’t the time,” Hiroshi pined, notig that more and more of the people part of Takako’s army were waking up. They were out of time. A problem none of them were prepared to handle was thrust upon them.

  F the fight to e to an end, Hiroshi activated his game power t everyoo a holding pattern. It allowed things to quickly die dowween Masayuki and Saki. “All of you, we don’t have the time fhting! You’re all under my power’s influence so don’t move.”

  “What the hell did you do to us?” Umari demanded, uo move even a timeter.

  “It’s how my power works. I’m not going into the details si’s not important. Just know you ’t move until I release you.”

  “What are you doing, Hiroshi?”

  “I’m putting things back where they o be, Saki! We have thousands of people that were uhe influence of Takako and they’re waking up now. We don’t know what their mental state is or how they’re going to reabsp; But they need our help right now!” Hiroshi looked over to Masayuki and the UN soldiers, not happy about the situation. “Now look, I know we’re not all getting along peacefully right now, but we o put these things aside. The i people harmed by Takako need our help and there’s even more hands right now. you put all of your bloodlust and need for justice aside for one hour and just help people that are fused, lost and frightened?!”

  He wasn’t sure if he was getting through to Masayuki, who he needed on board more than anything. Without him, everything would colpse as he would just go around fighting or arresting people. “Yes, these people did terrible things, but they’re alshtened and scared. They’re not going to know what happened or why they were made to do horrible things to people they called friends and family. So do what you cim to be here to do and protect these people! Help them!”

  “Captain?”

  Masayuki looked around as much as he could with an otherwise frozen body. He could hear the screams of the people waking up. And they stopped being screams and turned into voices. Pleads came from all ers needing help.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I-I killed someone…”

  “My husband’s…I-I-I…”

  “My friends?!”

  “…I ’t…”

  “M-make it stop! The voices!”

  “…I want to…die…”

  “Kill me!”

  Tatsuya turned his head about in a panic hearing all of the voices. He recalled Yori’s words and started to uand the weight of things that they bore now. “Dammit-to-hell!”

  Still tired from his fight, Hiroshi had trouble holding up his powers. He hoped that he had an effebsp; “What is it going to be? I’m holding these people back, but this ’t st forever. The real danger is around us, not in front of you. Make your decision, please!” Colpsing to one knee, his powers were starting to fading. Straining his mind as far as it could, he struggled to hold out until he heard what he needed from Masayuki.

  ‘This is more plicated than I expected… There isn’t going to be a simple and easy way to hahis.’ He was the officer in charge and he had to make a call. Everyone looked to him for a decision. Masayuki looked back at Saki who tio only stare at him. She seemed to be judging him and his as despite being uo move. “You’re one weird girl,” he finally said with a sigh.

  “And maybe you’re not so bad.”

  “Are we in agreement then?” demanded Hiroshi. One hand pressed into the earth supp his body as he felt his brain being pulled apart to its very threads by his power.

  “Yes, until this situation is under trol I won’t be arresting or charging anyone. There’s more important matters. But I have one dition.”

  “What?”

  “You all seem to have an unusual involvement iters. I want a full expnation of what happened.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Then we have a deal. Listen up, as Captain I make this order. There will be no fighting. Only give aid and support to those in trouble or injured. Anyone caught attempting anything else will answer directly to me! Uood?” He got quick aowledgements from the normal humans under him that were more than happy to have things resolved in such a matter. They were too far out of the depth for such issues. However, his team specifically stayed quiet. “Am I uood? Or do I o be more persuasive?”

  “Yes, sir!” they all barked relutly.

  “Good.”

  “Finally…” Hiroshi colpsed to the dirt releasing his power. His friend quickly went to his side to help him up. A peaaybe a ceasefire had been brokered even though it was under duress. It rogress. However, the future of the people, the is was a pletely different problem.

  The price spent by Takako started to bee apparent that they were all iheir heads. Their troubles had only started.