422 Chapter 416: ITEM
"Mikoto..."
"Eh?"
Awakening from the illusion, Mikoto blinked several times and lowered her gaze to her neck, where the lightning insignia necklace was glowing.
She didn't know what this insignia was, but for some strange reason, this insignia emitted a kind of light. The darkness surrounding it was endless and eternal, yet within that darkness, this light could be seen.
Moreover, she was surprised to see the woman she despised the most pursuing that light. If Mikoto wasn't mistaken, that woman wanted that light for herself; she wanted her necklace.
Thinking about this, Mikoto shuddered. Yuki, who was observing her change in expression, shrugged and returned to his seat. The light Mikoto had seen was the light of his crown, the light of order.
The only light that could shine in limitless chaos. Only high-level beings could see that light, such as the Gods and, of course, the Heroes.
Yuki, on the other hand, not only could see this light, but he was the light. He understood how vast and powerful chaos is. He also saw other lights penetrating the limitless chaos – the other crowns of the Champions. He even saw how the largest and most powerful light extended beyond all of them. It stood at the forefront, unafraid of the darkness, facing the limitless chaos alone and unperturbed. In that light, a woman sat on the throne – the Last Defense of Order.
"Thank you, Uchiha-san... I will cherish it."
"You're welcome."
Smiling, Yuki shrugged. Mikoto's beautiful smiling face was a feast for the eyes.
"Uchiha-san... The experiment, how do we stop it? I don't want you to continue like this."
After this brief exchange of words, Mikoto got straight to the point. Although she knew that following Yuki's current plan, kidnapping the sisters and replacing them with clones, was not something she liked.
Yuki was taking the place she deserved, bearing the weight of her sins.
"I know what you're thinking. Don't worry... Unlike the sisters, my clones come back to life."
Yuki's time clones were different. No matter how many times they died, they could always come back, resetting their time.
"However, you're right. Now that your memories have returned, I don't intend to stay on the passive side anymore."
"Uchiha-san... You..."
Smiling coldly, Yuki brought a hand to his chin and murmured, while Mikoto swallowed nervously.
"It's time to punish these white coats..."
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"A new job?"
Lying lazily on a reclining chair next to a pool was a girl of approximately 16 or 17 years old.
She was a tall and slender girl with soft tea-colored hair, and her figure flaunted its curves with a black bikini. Her name is Shizuri Mugino, a powerful Level 5 esper, also known as Meltdowner and ranked 4th in the list.
This girl is also the leader of ITEM, one of the clandestine groups on the science side – mercenaries doing dirty work. Their main function was to monitor the upper echelons of Academy City, preventing them from gaining too much power and going out of control. Although they also took occasional mercenary jobs, ITEM was a high-ranking group, so their tasks were always dangerous.
"A new job? What is it?"
Approaching with curiosity was a blonde, blue-eyed girl of foreign descent, about 12 or 13 years old, wearing a quite revealing bikini. She blinked at Mugino's comment and asked. This girl is Frenda Seivelun, a Level 0 esper and a member of ITEM. Her appearance was adorable, but she often carried concealed weaponry in her clothes.
"Another super job?"
Similarly, another cute girl of the same age with short brown hair turned her head. This girl is Saiai Kinuhata, another member of ITEM and a powerful Level 4 esper. Due to her small height and petite body, she looked cute, but those who had fallen victim to her small yet powerful fists knew how formidable she was.
"..."
In this private pool, there was another member, like the others, also a woman. However, unlike the other girls, she was floating face down, like a dead animal.
This girl had short black hair, a great figure like Mugino, but her swimsuit was quite conservative. Her name is Rikou Takitsubo, another member of ITEM and a crucial part of the team due to her tracking ability. This ability allowed her to memorize the AIM field of espers and track them even at long distances. Because of this, Rikou is a Level 4 esper and a vital part of ITEM.
However, unlike the other girls, she continued to 'float' in the pool, unconcerned about what their leader, Mugino, had to say. It seemed like this girl needed a good nap.
"This time, it's about kidnapping an esper..."
Frowning, Mugino carefully read the mission's specifications. It wasn't the first time she had been asked to do a kidnapping, but the target was the key part of this mission.
"Kidnapping? Who? Is the pay good?"
As an unusually interesting mission, Frenda was quite interested, both in the mission itself and the amount of money they would receive. Her pockets were big, just like her weapons.
"Rejoice; the pay is very good."
"Yay!"
Before Frenda could jump for joy, Mugino crushed her illusions.
"Moreover, our target is the newly appointed Level 5 esper, Eighth... Apocalypse."
Mugino's words left Frenda and Kuhinata speechless. Even Takitsubo lifted her head in curiosity.
Each of them displayed different expressions on their faces. Starting a mission about kidnapping was not common, especially if it involved a Level 5 esper. There were only 8 of them in the entire Academy City.
There was no doubt that the pay was quite generous. It wasn't easy to face a Level 5, even for Mugino.
"Is there really a super Eighth Level 5?"
For Kuhinata, the news of the existence of the eighth Level 5 was more surprising. After all, even for them, who belonged to the dark side of Academy City, this news was abnormal.
The same went for Frenda and Takitsubo. While for Mugino, the newcomer's abilities were more important.
"There is, but his abilities are a problem. They called him Apocalypse for a reason."
Explaining the details of Eighth's ability, the girls opened their mouths and shivered. As they suspected, facing a Level 5 was terrifying, especially one who was the living plague. Not to mention his terrifying potential to wipe out all of humanity.
There was no doubt that at this rate, Apocalypse would cease to be the eighth and become one of the first, surpassing even Mugino.
"Mugino... Do we have to accept this job?"
As the most cowardly member of the group, Frenda swallowed nervously and stepped back in panic. She honestly didn't want to face this guy who could kill her by just breathing the same air. Even with all the money in the world, it's useless if she's dead.
"Don't get too worked up, Frenda. Although Apocalypse's ability is complicated, it has weaknesses..."
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