Dimen5ional ma6ic - II

After helping the woman with the small yellow car, Yuuto entered an alley, trying to lose everyone around. Annoyed, he complained:

– How long are you going to watch me?

Yuuto knew that someone was looking at him since he was in the stadium parking lot. After the battle of Unizard, he became fearful. He used his sensory gravity to detect potential threats.

He noticed small disturbances in some specific points. When he looked at them, they disappeared. But this restlessness did not stop.

Yuuto tried to use citizens like the girl in the car to check if the enemy was a bloodthirsty killer or was just after him. And the last hypothesis was confirmed, since no one was hurt. Only the feeling of being watched remained. Impatient, Yuuto repeated:

– Show up, bastard!

– Calm down, calm down, my friend.

The voice came from behind, Yuuto turned around but didn't see anything. He sighed and decided to leave the alley where he had entered. It was already dark, so the streetlights were on.

Two children were playing in the deserted street. A boy with brown hair and a girl who looked like him. Suddenly, the boy bumped into someone. Yuuto hadn't seen that person until the moment of impact.

The boy was thrown back and sat on the street. When he looked at the person in front of him, he said:

– Sorry, young man. I was not paying attention.

– “ Young man”?! Is that what you call me? The humiliation in the stadium wasn't enough, now this?! Don't say you don't know me.

The boy looked confusedly at the tall man. When he was going to answer whether he knew him or not, the man kicked him hard in the mouth. He looked with contempt and anger at both, saying:

– You deserved it, brat. Don't piss me off.

The man turned to the girl and started walking slowly towards her. Afraid, she started backing away.

Yuuto left the alley and the first thing he saw was the man walking towards the girl. He recognized him immediately. It was Distortion, Unizard's brother. Trying to stop him, he shouted:

– Stop right there!

Distortion stopped walking and turned his head towards Yuuto. He had a bloodthirsty look, as if he was about to kill his prey. He responded:

– Oh, Yuuto. I forgot you were there, sorry.

– So you were the one watching me?

– Bingo. I wanted to check with these kids if they recognized my awesomeness. But it ended up just pissing me off even more.

– Stop it already, that's no reason to mistreat them!

– Wait, am I really hearing this? Are you trying to tell me what to do?

Yuuto didn't respond verbally, but faced the level 7 with determination. This pissed him off even more. Trying to hide his frustration, Distortion forced a smile and continued:

– Alright. I already planned to kill you anyway.

Distortion turned his body towards Yuuto and raised his right hand. He made a provocative sign with his index finger, calling him closer.

Yuuto prepared for the attack, increasing his guard and assuming a defensive pose. But Distortion didn't move. He also seemed to be on the defensive, although he had a cocky smile on his face.

Suddenly, everything around Yuuto disappeared. The alley, the street, the children and even the night. Now he was in the sky, freefalling.

Trying to recognize where he was, Yuuto looked around. It was a sunny day. Below, there was no city. In its place, there were some floating islands. One of them was the main and largest. The others orbited it at different altitudes. Beyond them, only the clouds and the endless sky were visible.

Yuuto was falling quickly, but he didn't seem to get closer to the ground. Maybe it was miles up. Noticing a gravitational distortion above his body, Yuuto turned upwards again.

A huge, distant comet was hurtling toward him. Yuuto accelerated his fall to reach the surface of the flying island quickly.

In it, there was nothing to call his attention, except the fact that there was nothing around, not even the ocean. It was like being in an infinite and empty world.

When he looked up again, he realized it was a shower of comets. The central one was large enough to cause a disorientation in the size-proximity effect.

Yuuto closed his eyes to concentrate. He would carry that rain of celestial objects back into space, but where did space begin? That world seemed to have no end. He would have to use all his strength for that.

However, he noticed a disturbance in his sensory gravity. Behind him, a human figure seemed to be flying towards him. Instinctively, he jumped up. This all happened in less than a second.

When he landed on the island again, the other person was standing and facing him, while she had her hands in her robe pockets. She was Unizard. She let out a little laugh, saying:

– Now I understand why you were once level 7.

– I thought you were a mage, not a fighter.

– Looks can be deceiving, young man. To be successful in this world, you need to be good at everything at the same time.

– "This world"?

– Oh, I forgot we're not in Tokyo anymore. Here, there are no rules, so we can fight with everything.

– Why are you two after me?

– Isn't it obvious? To get our stepsister back.

– Half sister…? What do you guys want with Haji?!

– Things common villains want. Blackmail, hostage etc. You must be used to dealing with these types of people by now.

– Damn!

– But tell me: how did you manage to kill Wisedroid and fake your death in the newspapers?

– I don't remember exactly and I can't stand more people asking me that!

Unizard had a serious expression on her face. A magic circle formed in front of her right eye. She seemed to be analyzing her opponent. She continued:

– You don't seem to be lying, your memories are really scrambled. Well, I've already asked everything I wanted to know, so prepare to die. But before that, let's have some fun.

Unizard raised her right hand and conjured a small fireball. Yuuto prepared to repel it upwards, but it suddenly disappeared.

Sensing a distortion from behind, Yuuto quickly shifted his barrier to protect his back. Simultaneously, Unizard lunged forward to punch him in the stomach.

With one threat behind and one in front, Yuuto quickly crouched down to dodge the fireball and used his leg to knock Unizard's leg off, pulling it back. Then he punched her stomach with all his strength upwards.

Unizard was thrown into the sky, but soon after she was already standing in front of Yuuto. Giving a light laugh and smiling like a tomboy, she commented:

– That was just a warm-up. Got it? Because it was a ball of fire.

Unizard started laughing uncontrollably at her own joke. Yuuto just stared at her with a disappointed expression. When she stopped laughing, she pointed with her index finger upwards, saying:

– This is your time limit to defeat me. This comet shower won't keep falling forever, you know?

– You know I can take you with me when they fall, right?

– Are you saying I'm going to die by my own magic? Go for it, I want to see you try.

Yuuto gained two valuable pieces of information from this conversation. The first was that the comet shower was caused by Unizard's magic. The second was that she didn't mince her words when trying to intimidate her opponent, revealing even more than she should. Trying to find out more, Yuuto asked:

– What will happen when they fall? Are you going to destroy them with one punch or something?

– It's a lot simpler than that. We and my brother will face you together.

– But how?

– My brother will teleport us to another created or real dimension, whichever is more interesting.

– Wait, is this a created dimension?

– Exactly. If everything here is destroyed, he can just create another one. And if that happens, know that we will face you with everything we have.

Yuuto finally felt intimidated. He didn't know that Distortion could create dimensions whenever he wanted. Furthermore, if he entered the fight, all would be lost. Unizard, taking the lead of the conversation, asked:

– So, are you satisfied? Shall we fight to the death then?

– You bet.

Instantly, Unizard created a multitude of clones, just as she had done in the “final” against Revon. Yuuto, knowing they would go up in smoke if touched, focused his power on sensory gravity. He tried to find the real one, but he couldn't.

Typically, smoke or human aftershocks had different masses, and therefore the gravity affecting them was distinguishable. But in that case, all clones were identical to the original in every way.

Realizing that he had no way of knowing where the attack would come from, he strengthened his barrier in all directions. This time, he would twist the bodies of those who approached instead of repelling them.

Each clone jumped towards him, being retaliated in several pieces. With the rain of blood and bones, Yuuto felt uneasy. He hadn't seen such a heavy scene in years.

Only the real one remained. But Yuuto was no longer paying attention to his surroundings. He was trying to hold back his vomit. Taking advantage of the gap, Unizard conjured a huge ice spear and threw it towards Yuuto.

Furthermore, she teleported behind him and released a small black orb. It looked like a miniature black hole. Then she summoned a huge acid storm cloud above him.

Finally, she synchronized an empowered punch and jumped towards Yuuto. When she was about to punch him, the acid rain accompanied by lightning, the ice spear and the small black hole collided with his barrier.

Yuuto recovered and realized he was surrounded. He pushed his barrier to the maximum, shattering the ice spear, repelling acid rain drops and slightly accelerating Unizard's fist.

The lightning was weakened, but it hit him hard, immobilizing him for a few seconds. The mini black hole caused a huge explosion, swallowing all the flying islands.

Unizard's hand was strengthened both offensively and defensively. It passed through the barrier with no major problems. In fact, the barrier caused the punch to hit Yuuto sooner than expected.

He did it instinctively as he didn't have time to think. That punch could finish him off, but it was the only chance he had to be pushed away.

He flew away so fast that the black hole didn't have time to affect him. But he was still stunned by the lightning and free-falling into an almost absolute void.

He just didn't have his heart pierced because he focused his defensive barrier where the punch would hit him. As the impact was very strong and accelerated by the barrier itself, he felt a lot of pain. Worst of all, he was vomiting blood and about to lose consciousness.

When he recovered from the lightning, he realized he was somewhere else entirely. It was an extensive desert and it seemed to have no end. One of the first things he noticed was a fundamental difference in location: the gravity was greater than Earth's.

Therefore, it did not seem to be in the “original” dimension, much less on the same planet. It was daytime and something soon caught his attention: several moons orbited that world. He thought of Jupiter, but the atmosphere was obviously too different to be the case.

There was breathable air, very few clouds, the main sun of that system seemed to be bigger and hotter. Smaller ones were also visible, but they had little effect on the planet's temperature. Yuuto painfully got up. A voice came from behind:

– Looks like my little sister overdid it a bit. Those comets don't exist anymore, so you don't have a time limit anymore.

– What good news…

– Hey man, cheer up there. Now, it's my turn to fight you. My little sister will be the support this time.

– "Support"? I thought it was one at a time.

– Oh, come on. You're not going to tell me you thought she was the one teleporting all over the place to hit you. Have you already forgotten what my power is?

– Yes. I forgot…

– Eh?

Once again, Distortion felt offended that his greatness was not recognized. Irritated and impatient, he said:

– Portals! I was the one who made the portals for her to teleport !

– Oh, it makes sense…

Yuuto smiled discreetly. Again, he managed to extract valuable information from his enemy. He turned his back, but this time with a mocking smile. With an air of superiority, he said:

– Alright then. You can both come against me, I can handle it.

– Damn you!

Yuuto tried to use the spell against the sorcerer when he seemed to belittle his opponent. He wanted to destabilize him, as Distortion appeared to be emotionally fragile.

In response to the taunt, he readied his fist to punch Yuuto. Being at a considerable distance, Yuuto already predicted that he would use his portal.

And that's exactly what he did: Distortion created a small portal on his right arm and another behind Yuuto to hit him even from afar. His arm twisted to the point of irretrievability. However, it was healed in a few seconds. Obviously, this was Unizard's doing.

Realizing he was up against two level 7's, or one and a half, Yuuto pushed his mind to the limit. He couldn't let himself be affected by a few pints of blood or dismembered bodies. Distortion recovered emotionally, commenting:

– My little sister was right, this barrier of yours is a problem. But what happens if I use something stronger than it?

Yuuto prepared himself defensively. He thought he could block the attack again with his barrier.

Distortion, with a smile of someone who has already secured victory, opened his two hands and formed small black holes. Like a bowling ball launch, he hurled the two spheres towards Yuuto.

Yuuto remembered that attack, since Distortion had destroyed the roof of the stadium from the battle against Kiseki. Yuuto realized that he couldn't defend himself from that and decided to fly to the sky.

The two black holes merged along the way and grew to mountainous proportions, swallowing everything in front of them. They grew according to the matter they consumed.

If they were thrown into the air, only gaseous particles and other solid and liquid particles in small quantities were assimilated. The black holes grew slowly, but they still left a huge vacuum trail, pulling everything around.

The worst case scenario would be to throw them down. If they consumed the ground, the growth rate would be extremely accelerated. Since they had no size limit, they could swallow an entire planet.

Yuuto realized all this quickly, as he saw with his own eyes those shadowy spheres devouring everything in their path. Suddenly they disappeared. Distortion also had control over when to turn them off. The result was a massive vacuum that pulled Yuuto back down.

As the local gravity was greater than what Yuuto was used to, his body was thrown into the sand at an extreme force. Like a shock absorber, the sand softened the impact. Yuuto was injured, but soon managed to get back to the surface.

Even with all that, that “sandbox” was still huge and almost intact. Distortion probably chose that spot precisely so he didn't have to hold back in his attacks. On the other side of the horizontal cone-shaped crater, Distortion began to laugh like a maniac, saying:

– Let's play, Yuuto.

Even though he had been mocking his opponent just moments before, Yuuto began to feel that his body was being strained. He couldn't be defensive anymore.

He needed to kill his opponent to get back to Tokyo. But what if Distortion died and he couldn't get out of that dimension anymore?

He couldn't hesitate, as he was determined to win. If not, Haji would be in danger. Enraged, he leapt at Distortion with as much speed as possible.

Yuuto used his power to gather the sand around him into a sphere and imprison his enemy. Before punching him, he also used his ultimate gravity to smash Distortion.

However, Yuuto just walked right through it. Distortion created a portal in front of and behind his body, making him untouchable.

Furthermore, the ultimate gravity didn't hit him either. It made a huge cylindrical hole in the sand sphere and in the desert itself, but it didn't touch Distortion.

From inside the sphere, a black hole was launched towards Yuuto , who jumped back. It was teleported again near him.

As a desperate attempt, Yuuto decided to use his ultimate downward gravity while flying in the same direction. That way, he would “go through” the floor. He soon realized that this was a bad idea. The black hole grew faster when it consumed solids.

This wouldn't be a problem if Yuuto eliminated the sand on the way, but gravity itself betrayed him: the grains of sand around the cylinder began to collapse, closing the hole and serving as the black hole's main food.

Distortion wasn't sure whether Yuuto would fly up or down, but he got the best result. He observed everything with a small portal in front of his head that served as a window.

He launched a black hole towards Yuuto. In a few seconds, it was already bigger than a mountain. Shortly afterwards, a crater a few tens of kilometers long formed in the desert.

In fact, there no longer seemed to be a desert, just complete emptiness. Distortion protected himself from all that by forming a 360° portal around his own body, isolating him from the environment.

If he dismantled the barrier portal, he would be pulled down heavily, just as the entire atmosphere was being sucked out. It was like an endless pit leading to hell.

Distortion disabled the black hole so that it would not consume the entire planet. If it destroyed more than that, it would be difficult to control the situation.

Yuuto used all the strength he had to fly down and escape the black hole. As he was slowly approaching the core, the temperature rose to dangerous levels.

Suddenly, all that stopped. The vacuum pulled Yuuto up again, but he didn't come close to the surface that no longer existed. It was a complete void.

He could vaguely see the atmosphere. He tried to grab it as a desperate attempt. But it was too far away. In fact, even the atmosphere was slowly disappearing as it filled that endless void.

He was running out of air. It was the same experience as being in outer space. He grabbed a little oxygen with his power before it was all swallowed, but it was already gone. He lost consciousness before he realized it.

Tatsuya and Haji arrived at the hotel quickly. Genesis and Charlotte were on foot, so it took them much longer. Before they arrived, Tatsuya decided to check on Malungo and Anelise. When he reached the hallway to the room, he saw a crowd of corpses of guards.

He blocked Haji's view with his hand and asked her to go to the waiting room and stay there until he called her. She didn't understand, but accepted the request. He walked to the bedroom door. It was half open, so he decided to enter. The light was still on.

When he saw the bed, he was astonished: Malungo was lying with a hole in his chest, in addition to several marks of torture. As Anelise wasn't there, he soon understood the situation. On the side of Malungo's body, there was a small letter. On it was written:

    This
      world
          is
      mine
Anelise Hitler

Tatsuya fell to his knees on the floor, not knowing what to do. He lost track of time. He watched that scene for tens of minutes, realizing that he was the cause of it. If he had kept an eye on Anelise the whole time, no one would have died. Suddenly, his cell phone rang.

Genesis and Charlotte were walking across town towards the hotel. Realizing they were taking longer than expected, Charlotte commented:

– Genesis-chan, didn't we have to check Malungo and Anelise?

– Oh... Sorry, I just forgot while we were talking.

– Would it be better to call Tokihito-san?

– Good idea. He must be on his way to the hotel by now. Let me call him.

Genesis didn't pick up the cell phone. Charlotte was surprised, as that was the conventional way to call someone. Trying to understand what she was doing, she asked:

– Eh, Genesis- chan?  How are you going to call him if you don't use your cell phone?

– I'm using my neural network.

– Wait, what?

– I'm an android, so I can talk while making calls through a kind of telepathy.

– Eh? Ehhhhhh?!

Charlotte froze. Until now, she hadn't realized that Genesis was an android. She was so human that she didn't seem to be a machine. She got even more excited about it all:

– An android? So can you shoot lasers from your hands? Do you have self destruct? Can you hack all kinds of systems with your finger?

– Well, more or less. I have several functions, but some consume more power than others.

– And how do you get the energy? Do you have a nuclear reactor in the place of your heart? Does an outlet connect your head to a generator?

– Most of it comes from photovoltaic panels spread across my skin. But I can charge faster if I go into a power chamber. It's like a bed for androids.

– This is amazing! I can't believe I met an android before I died!

– It's no big deal. There are many others scattered around the city.

– You japanese are really on another level.

Genesis stopped talking for a second. Then she continued:

– Tokihito-san is driving Haji to the hotel. I think we forgot that we went to the stadium with him. At least we don't have to arrive so early anymore.

– Were you talking to me and him at the same time? Wait, what about Ishigawa-san?

– That's my concern. He said that Yuuto separated from them too.

Suddenly, Genesis felt a chill. It was evident that a problem had just arisen. Curious, Charlotte asked:

– Genesis-chan? Something happened?

Still in shock, Genesis didn't respond. In fact, she got even more desperate and knelt on the ground. Concerned, Charlotte crouched down and shook her, saying:

– Genesis-chan? Are you well? Do you have a defect?

– Yuuto…

– Did something happen to him?

– … disappeared.

– How?

– I put a tracker on him. But I've lost the signal now.

– Wait, did he agree to this in the first place?

– No. But he usually goes out alone and faces people stronger than him. So I wanted to make sure he's safe.

– This is still an invasion of privacy. In fact, he may have destroyed the tracker when he realized he was being spied on.

– He would have warned me earlier…

– You who should have warned him about all this. But no need to worry, he already took the 7-Up level 7, so he won't die that easily.

– That's why I'm afraid. If he was already facing a level 7 alone, now it can be two.

Charlotte gave a smug smile. She offered her hand to lift her up, as she said:

– All this concern must have a reason, right, Genesis-chan…?

– Eh? No, that's not what you're thinking!

Embarrassed, Genesis made a negative sign with her hands. She continued to argue:

– It’s just… I worry about him…

– No need to hide. We're friends, aren't we? You like him, don't you?

– Well… maybe a little…

Genesis looked away, while pouting and touching her fingers together. Charlotte laughed innocently as she touched Genesis' shoulder with her hand. Smiling determinedly, she said:

– You can bet I'll not tell anyone this secret. If you're so worried about him, I'll help you look for him.

Genesis' eyes sparkled with joy. As a child, she asked:

– Will you really help me?

– Of course I will! If you say he's in danger, I trust you.

– Thank you, Charlotte-chan!

Genesis pulled up her left shirt sleeve and revealed her emergency watch. Charlotte thought that she would transform if the button was pressed, so she became anxious. But nothing happened. Confused, Charlotte asked:

– Genesis-chan, what does this watch do?

– Oh, I forgot to mention. It calls Exwind immediately.

– The Exwind?! That super strong level 6?

– Exactly! He always comes to help me when I push that button.

– He's pretty hot, isn't he? Before coming here, I always kept checking the association's application and he appeared among the first.

– He is incredible! Whenever you need his help, he literally flies by!

Genesis and Charlotte continued talking for a few seconds, until Exwind appeared from the sky. Concerned, he asked:

– Genesis-chan, are you okay? Did something happen?

– I'm fine, Exwind! The problem is Yuuto...

– Yuuto? Wait, isn't he dead?

– Well… A lot has happened since that day…

– Alright, I'll help him.

– Eh? Are you going to take it that easy?

– If you called me with the watch, it means he is in great danger. I don't need to know the details, just help you.

– Exwind…

The respect that Genesis had for Exwind increased even more. She looked at him with admiration and not knowing what to say. Charlotte, on the other hand, was in love with that man. She imagined the infinite realities in which they could be married. Exwind continued:

– Where is he?

– Oh, that's the problem. He disappeared at this point.

Genesis projected a hologram by hand. It was a map of the region where the tracker had lost signal. Realizing that place was far away, Charlotte proposed:

– I can get the three of us there in less than a minute.

Both agreed. Charlotte grabbed both of their hands and turned her head up. She flew at immense speed and reached the sky in less than three seconds. Afterwards, they headed to the location.

It was a deserted street. Even more so because it was night, the only people who were there were startled by the sudden landing. Genesis approached them to ask:

– Excuse me, did you see a boy with spiky purple hair and yellow eyes walk by?

The woman promptly replied:

– Yes! He flew me here in this car that's being fixed. My husband is also a witness.

– You can trust my wife! Her car was having trouble and he came flying over here.

It was unknown if they responded so quickly because they were in Exwind's presence or because Yuuto helped them. But they were also worried, as they saw Distortion kicking a child and Yuuto disappearing right after.

Genesis realized that that was what Yuuto did after separating from Tatsuya and Haji, as it had been less than an hour since they started walking. Wanting to know more details, she continued:

– Did you see when he disappeared?

The woman replied:

– Yes! He went into an alley, a very tall man kicked a child, and shortly after returning he disappeared.

– And what was this man like?

– He fought against Kiseki in today's battle. I think he's called Distortion.

Genesis' hypothesis was confirmed: Yuuto got himself into trouble again. Since Distortion and Unizard were always together, they were two against one. She continued:

– Can you tell me the exact spot where he disappeared?

– Of course!

The woman went to the sidewalk where the alley was and marked the place. Thankfully, Genesis said:

– Thank you very much, lady! I'll pay you back when I get the chance.

– You do not need to do that. You're his friends, aren't you? I was in debt to him, so now we're even.

– Thank you again!

Genesis soon created a spray and started painting the air. Confused, Charlotte asked:

– Genesis-chan, what are you doing?

– It seems that there is no invisible box holding Yuuto. He really was teleported by Distortion.

– Oh, I understand! You're trying to figure out the weakness of his power!

– Exactly. But that won't be easy. He's not a level 7 for nothing.

Understanding the situation, Exwind proposed:

– In that case, I can use my power. If I create a windscreen in this area, I can feel some disturbance in the space.

– That would be of great help, Exwind! I just remembered that I need to contact Tokihito-san.

– Alright. I won't be long, so tell him to hurry up.

Genesis called Tatsuya several times, but he didn't pick up. After many tries, he realized he was being called.

– Tokihito-san, did something happen?

– It’s nothing… It’s just… one more person died because of me…

– What? Who?

– Malungo. Anelise murdered him while we were gone.

Genesis shut up when she heard the news. She didn't know what to say, but asked just in case:

– Can he still be saved?

– No. He died a few hours ago.

– I understand…

– But it doesn't matter now. Why did you want to talk to me so badly?

– Oh, sorry… Yuuto disappeared because he went to fight Distortion.

– He what?!

– After he separated from you, he was attacked. I thought it best to inform you, as you are much stronger than I am.

– I'm not going to let another person die because of me, even more Ishigawa-san. Thank you, Genesis. Where are you now?

– I'll give you the coordinates.

Exwind found the disturbance. Underneath and from the sides, it was invisible. But above, a tiny portal could be seen. It was relatively high, so even Exwind couldn't use his height to see it. He announced:

– Genesis, I found it. It's a portal that leads to an empty place.

– Empty? But where is Yuuto?

– I don't know. I can't really see it as it's so small.

– Why is it small? Distortion's portals are usually larger.

– That must be his weakness. In the first place, why did he leave that portal open?

Genesis thought, but couldn't come to a conclusion. Exwind too. Charlotte noticed a pattern:

– Don't you think it's strange that in the battle against Kiseki he closed all the portals right after opening them? Exwind said this one takes you to another dimension, so it must be different.

Genesis understood where she was going. She added:

– Does that mean he can't completely close the dimensional portals?

– Exactly. At least that's what I think.

– Thank you, Charlotte. I hadn't even noticed this in the battle earlier today. Exwind, can you take us up there?

– Of course.

Exwind was levitating with his power to observe the small dimensional hole. He did the same with both. He commented:

– But there is still a problem: none of us goes through this tiny portal.

Genesis had an idea:

– I can create nanocameras to pass through the portal and search the territory.

Genesis put her hand over the hole and created the little cameras. They flew a few meters, but soon lost the signal. They could not withstand high temperatures and were soon destroyed.

Genesis didn't understand at first why the air was so hot, so she sent a camera that was more powerful and bigger, but small enough to fit in the hole.

It covered several kilometers quickly and looked up. A few small pieces of comets burned up in the atmosphere. Soon she understood that a big one had just passed by and warmed the air.

Then she created countless other similar cameras. They walked through the empty region quickly, until they found another abnormality: a small portal that led to another dimension.

Again, an empty place. In fact, there was an immense void in it that pulled even through the portal. The sequence of creating more powerful and faster cameras continued, until they were able to observe from within the second dimension without being pulled by the vacuum.

They found yet another portal: this time, it led into a blizzard. They couldn't see much, but Genesis recognized the silhouette of Yuuto lying on the ground, Unizard and Distortion standing. Celebrating the achievement, Genesis shouted:

– Bingo!

Surprised, Exwind asked:

– Were you able to find them?

– Yes! But I don't know how we're going to reach them.

– I have an idea. Ria can figure it out. She always manages to accomplish the mission.

– What she will do?

– That's what I'm going to ask.

Exwind called Ria to inform her of the situation. However, he didn't mention Yuuto, so as not to scare her. Charlotte offered:

– I can bring her here in no time.

– Please, do it. She is at the association building now. I told her to wait on the roof of the building to make it easier.

– Alright, here I go!

Right after Charlotte left, Tatsuya arrived with his blue sports car. Hurriedly, he ran to Genesis to ask about the situation:

– So, Genesis, did you find any clues?

– Lots. But we can't do anything until Ria arrives.

– What the hell! Is there really nothing we can do?

– After she's done her part, yes.

Charlotte soon arrived with Ria at the scene. Noticing Tatsuya's unexpected presence, Ria shuddered. She was looking for that man for the murder in the abandoned building and she was sure he was dangerous, but masked her discomfort. 

Exwind lifted her to the portal height. The first thing she said was:

– That's really Distortion's way. He hides his weaknesses even when he's fighting. Okay, I already know what to do.

Surprised by that readiness, Genesis asked:

– Eh? But already?

– It's simpler than it looks. Genesis, create some fire redirectors and levitate them so I can bounce off the bullet.

– This is not simple at all!

– I know you can do it. Also, place cameras centered on each thruster.

– Alright!

Genesis created small L-shaped tubes and spread them out at points that lined up with the portals.

After a few minutes, Yuuto woke up. He didn't remember anything after being asphyxiated in a vacuum. He got up and was now in a snowy biome.

It was very cold, but Yuuto didn't even care. He was too hurt to complain. In front of him, Distortion and Unizard were up and unharmed. Annoyed, Yuuto asked:

– Why did you save me?

Unizard, with a mocking tone, replied:

– Is it not obvious? You still haven't entertained us enough. Now the main part begins.

– Is this how you have fun? Also, two against one? Seriously?

– What's wrong with having fun? There are no rules that tell us how to play.

– Aren't you ashamed?

– What?

Unizard frowned in irritation. With a look of contempt, she replied:

– Who do you think you're talking to, brat?

– With a whore who likes to fuck with her twin brother every day.

– Measure your words well, sisterless idiot.

– What did you say?

– That's exactly what you heard. Unlike the two of us, you've never had any difficulties in your life other than losing your dear little sister.

– I hope you don't regret saying that.

– Me? You think we're gonna let you out of this alive?

– If I make you cry and ask for forgiveness, maybe.

– I want to see you try.

Yuuto jumped towards Unizard. As he flew, he created several small but concentrated ultimate gravity cylinders. If they penetrated her brain, he would win.

He pretended to throw a punch and kicked her in the groin. Gravity went through her simultaneously, but through the portals. The kick, however, was so strong that it went through Unizard's stomach from the bottom up and stopped just short of reaching the heart.

In response, she grabbed Yuuto's leg and twisted it until it broke. Distortion hurled two black holes towards him, consuming the entire landscape. The vacuum pulled only Yuuto, who wasn't protected by the barrier-portal.

But he forced his speed to get out of the suction area. While in the air, yet another shower of comets appeared. This time they fell much faster.

Yuuto narrowly dodged each one. As he did so, a burst of fireballs the same size as the comets surged diagonally from below. He was being targeted from above and below.

It wasn't just fireballs. Other smaller objects camouflaged themselves in the snowstorms and fire: ice spears, small black holes, plasma, lasers, etc.

Since they covered such a large area, Yuuto couldn't run to the side without being hit. He had to dodge every attack. But portals opened in his blind spots at the last second.

Many attacks hit, including the small black holes. Right after touching them, Yuuto flew with all his speed backwards. That way, their own destruction eliminated the other projectiles.

Impatient, Distortion decided to use his power. He released growing black holes that consumed even comets instantly. They created a huge vacuum, but Yuuto soon escaped from that area.

Unizard teleported in front of Yuuto in less than a second and strengthened her punch again. As she didn't try to hide, she surprised Yuuto, who was bombarded by attacks in his blind spots.

He didn't have time to react. The punch landed square in his stomach. His belly was pierced and he was sent a few miles away.

As he was still conscious, Distortion tried to disorient him: he created portals that led to each other. Thus, Yuuto was trapped in a loop and was unable to defend himself. He was so hurt that he no longer knew what was real and what was a hallucination.

As a final attack, Unizard conjured a comet much larger than the others at a 90° angle. Since it was falling directly towards Yuuto, the impact would be much greater. She accelerated the comet so that it fell as quickly as possible. In less than two seconds, it reached the ground.

With the last of his strength left, Yuuto threw himself out of the loop. He did not calculate the force he would use for this. He just flew for many, many kilometers.

The comet hit the ground and caused an explosion comparable to that of an atomic bomb. The heat was so intense that there seemed to be a sun in the midst of that snowstorm.

As he suffered a fatal wound, Yuuto used his power to stanch his own blood for as long as he could.

Distortion and Unizard soon teleported to his location. Unizard was spitting blood from using too much of her power. Distortion, on the other hand, fell to the ground shortly after appearing there. Confused, Unizard shouted:

– Brother? What happened? Did you get hurt?

Lying down and having difficulty speaking, he replied:

– Little sister, I guess I didn’t pay attention to the surroundings…

– Surroundings? What you mean? I'll heal you now.

Unizard started to cast a healing spell on her brother, but couldn't finish it. She started vomiting a lot more blood than before. She was still able to stand, but her eyesight was deteriorating.

– Sorry, brother, I can't use magic anymore.

Afraid, Unizard began to look around. She had the feeling of being watched. She didn't know where or by whom, but felt in danger. It had been a long time since she had been in such an unfavorable situation.

Suddenly, a gunshot pierced her heart. She knelt down, no longer having the strength to stand.

Ria aimed her carbine at the portal. She was about to shoot, but Genesis stopped her:

– Ria, this is our only chance. We won't be able to hit Distortion.

– His power must have a reaction limit. If my bullet is faster, I can hit him.

– Are you sure? His power is perfect to avoid projectiles…

– Do you happen to have a better idea?

– I don't know if it will work, but I want to try.

Genesis created a tiny snowflake and released it. In fact, it was an electronic mosquito equipped with an ultra-potent tranquilizer poison. She continued:

– If I can get this flake to touch him, I can immobilize him.

– And what guarantees you that you will be able to hit him?

– They're in a snowstorm. From what I can see, there are certain objects that Distortion portals unconsciously ignore. Flakes are one of them.

– And how do you know the poison is potent enough to take down a level 7?

– Mifuyu tested poisons in her laboratory, and I know how to create each one of them. The only problem is that it should take a few minutes to take effect. For this, I will create several flakes with numerous doses.

– This is too risky. If he notices, our cover is blown.

– Not so much. He seems to be having too much fun in battle to notice something so small, literally.

– Okay, but do it quickly. We do not have much time.

– Please wait until the poison takes effect. If the first shot misses Unizard, she will become alert.

– Are you underestimating me? Precision and timing are my middle name.

Exwind added:

– Ria is right. She never misses a shot. Also, I'll use my power to boost the shot and straighten the bullet, so don't worry.

Genesis created dozens of flakes and flew them to Distortion in a natural motion, so they looked real. He didn't realize it until the poison started to take effect.

He didn't want to distract his sister, so he continued fighting with everything he had to finish off Yuuto. But he didn't last long and fell into the snow.

Simultaneously, Unizard was out of mana and beyond the limit of magic residue, but she didn't want to distract her brother. When she tried to heal him, she pushed her body even further. With no way to defend herself, a bullet went through her heart.

Impatient, Tatsuya commented:

– Hey, the portals aren't opening. That way, we won't be able to catch up with them.

Trying to calm him down, Genesis replied:

– Don't worry, I can heal Yuuto from here.

– He's losing a lot of blood. That's not possible.

Tatsuya pulled back his right sleeve and turned on the energy sword device. Ria shuddered, as she had nailed the culprit of the abandoned building massacre.

Then Tatsuya used the sword to cut off his index finger. He threw it through the portal. It fell to a certain point and stopped in the air. It surprised everyone around, who were left speechless. He said:

– I'll bring Kiseki here.

Charlotte volunteered to undertake the job:

– Let me go.

– No way. I'm faster.

– How about we go together and match our speeds?

– That… All right, whatever. This is really an emergency.

Charlotte picked up Tatsuya and they both flew up into the sky. Tatsuya pointed to the clinic and they were there in a matter of seconds. They didn't even need to say anything, because Kiseki understood the situation and agreed to go with them.

They arrived back at the place. Everyone was amazed at the faster speed than usual. Genesis commented:

– Eh? Have you arrived yet? But you left here two seconds ago… Speaking of which, it almost felt like you teleported…

Trying to dodge the subject, Tatsuya replied:

– It doesn't matter now. Kiseki, can your power reach that finger?

– N-No, sir… But I can enter that portal…

Kiseki bit her right index finger and made blood flow through the hole. Ria interrupted her:

– Wait, I have a better idea. Put your blood on my bullet.

Ria showed her clip of ammo and Kiseki put her finger on the bullet that appeared on top. Ria aimed her carbine again through the thrusters and fired.

Kiseki reconstituted herself in the snowy biome, and her former body fell unconscious to the ground. Tatsuya soon understood and did the same. Ria aimed at Kiseki's belly, so that the blood would be trapped on some surface.

She shot and pierced her stomach, which soon healed. Tatsuya resurfaced soon after. Then each of the members did the same.

Yuuto was already almost unconscious, but he managed to see his group arriving to save him. Unizard was still alive and awake, and glared at Yuuto. She said slowly:

– How did I lose to a brat like you?

Tatsuya asked Kiseki to heal Yuuto as soon as possible. And she got it in time. When Genesis passed in front of Unizard, their eyes met.

Genesis stopped running for a moment and started to stare at her. She was irritated with Unizard and wanted to teach her a lesson, but the time wasn't right.

When Unizard recognized her, she understood that Genesis had immobilized her brother. She stared at her with absolute contempt and endless hatred, but couldn't do anything.

Genesis started running towards Yuuto, who was already healed. Everyone turned their attention to him and didn't notice that Kiseki was no longer there. She went to heal the other two, starting with Unizard.

Seizing the chance, she took aim at all the strength she had restored to Genesis. She strengthened her fist to a level much stronger than the comet before. If she landed that punch, that whole place would cease to exist.

She jumped towards Genesis. Tatsuya noticed at the last second and sighed. He didn't want to deal with that anymore, so he decided to use an unexpected feat.

While airborne, Unizard was redirected. She was no longer targeting Genesis, but her fallen brother. She tried to stop the attack, but it was too late. 

Before the impact, Tatsuya took everyone out of there instantly, leaving only the twin brothers. Unizard saw it all pass slowly, as if she was about to die. In fact, the one who was going to die was her brother.

Both were more than just brothers. In addition to family, they were friends and even a couple. One trusted the other with their back. One would rather lose their own life than sacrifice the other's.

They loved each other more than anything. If one lost the other, the purpose of life would also cease to exist. Contrary to convention, Unizard saw her brother's entire life flash before her eyes.

She had no control over her body. She used so much strength in her jump and fist that she couldn't stop the attack. She thought:

– So this is how it all ends? I really am a bad sister. Sorry about everything, brother. Not even to avenge you do I serve.

And then the inevitable happened. An explosion even stronger than all the others erupted. The whole place was gone. What was a snowstorm turned into a giant fire mushroom.

Before the explosion, everyone was at a safe distance. Afterwards, the dimension they were in gradually disappeared, until they returned to the normal world, on the same street as before.

Yuuto was awake, but he didn't show any reaction. He probably didn't want to be lectured about getting into that mess.

Everyone looked at Unizard, who was kneeling on the ground and motionless. Ria announced:

– I'll take her with me. Later, you'll have to explain to me why Ishigawa-san is alive. Tetsushi, let's go.

Exwind, surprised by the sudden departure, said:

– A-Ah, sorry guys, I think I have to go now.