*BOMM, BOMM
"Want to kill me?! With that meager ability? Don't be arrogant!"
With multiple spatial explosions, Minene smiled cruelly, watching Marco scurry like a small mouse.
As someone who dared to threaten her life, it was a serious offense to Minene that this same man was now running for his life.
(Shit!...)
Meanwhile, Marco gritted his teeth as he continued to escape. He couldn't get close to Minene, let alone attack. Cold sweat began to drip down his body; he had run out of options. Furthermore, his 'Leap to the Future' was obstructed by Minene's ability, which could also control time.
Minene was his nemesis, and it was only a matter of time before he met his demise.
(Damn it! I refuse to die!)
However, this didn't make Marco give up. On the contrary, he accelerated the time of his body and searched for openings in Minene's barrier. Unfortunately, it was impossible to break through with his low power.
The energy level difference between a Tectonic Medium and a Tectonic High was vast—no comparison. Even Yuki had to admit that if he faced her, he would also have to resort to special tactics, and even then, victory might be uncertain, let alone Marco, who was still a beginner.
"You're a rat; you're not entertaining anymore..."
To Minene, witnessing Marco's futile efforts made her shake her head. There was no challenge with Marco; it was more enjoyable to destroy the brats that offered more fun and had more lethal attacks. Several more spheres appeared around her, and she blinked as time around her accelerated.
"Die, rat!"
Appearing in front of Marco in an instant, spatial bombs flashed, and everything around him began to be swallowed by the black hole.
(Shit!)
Unable to use his ability due to the massive distortion of time and the large-scale attack, Marco could only watch as his body was engulfed at incredible speed.
He stared into death...
*Tlin
"Exchange..."
*Shuaaa..
Just as his life was about to end, his body changed position in a millisecond.
*Shiiiiii
"Ha!"
At the same time, a light flashed, and the space around Minene split in two.
*Creakkkkk....
*Bam
This combination of the exchange speed and space division was something Minene would never forget.
"Welcome back, brats! Well done not escaping like rats!"
With her barrier resisting Yuno's attack, Minene smiled. Unlike Marco, killing these brats was more fun.
"Are you okay? Can you fight?"
Appearing in front of Marco, Tsubaki examined his wounds with her katana while keeping an eye on Minene.
"You..."
Opening his eyes with disbelief, Marco wouldn't have dreamed that the women who wanted to kill him would now save him.
"You'll fight, Seventh. Even if you can't, you'll have to. If you want revenge, you're going to help us kill that bitch."
Appearing in front of the duo, Yuno spun her katana. There was no more time for further conflicts; Minene was now the top priority.
"Hahaha, don't give me orders, brat!"
Wiping the blood at the corner of his lips, Marco rewound time, and the wounds on his body began to heal at a visible speed.
This made Tsubaki grip her katana tightly, while Yuno just looked at him, awaiting his response.
Marco wouldn't let these brats give him orders for any reason, but...
"I'm going to kill her! For that sole reason, I'll join you!"
And just as Yuno predicted, Marco agreed. After experiencing Minene's terrifying power himself, Marco knew very well that it was impossible for him to kill Minene with his power.
"And when I'm done with her, you two will be the next brats!"
"Hmp! You talk big for a loser."
"..."
With this small exchange once again, they focused on their goal.
(I have to take care of that brat first)
Minene, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes and stared intently at the trio. Their joining forces in this situation was no surprise to her, and she wasn't scared.
Even if they joined forces, they still didn't pose a threat. After all, she was a Tectonic High. However, based on her survival instinct, Yuno's existence needed to be eradicated.
(With that brat dead, the other two are nothing more than little mice)
With that in mind, Minene smiled and snapped her fingers, quickly appearing more black spheres.
"Let's go!"
"Yes!" x2
Seeing Minene activate her ability, Yuno quickly took the lead, spinning her katana.
At the same time, Marco followed closely, activating his ability. Both Yuno and he disappeared; they had leaped into the future. Seeing this, Tsubaki took out her communicator; she wouldn't let this opportunity slip away.
"Delta, launch missiles."
[Understood, Tsubaki-sama]
*Shuaaaa
High in the sky, several fighter jets confirmed the coordinates as they fired without hesitation.
*Tlin
"Exchange..."
*Shuuaaa
*BOMM
With the missiles crashing and exploding at high speed, Tsubaki didn't hesitate to escape.
(Huh? This brat!)
Seeing this, Minene gritted her teeth in hatred. This was what she hated most about these brats—always using dirty tricks.
"Don't underestimate me!"
But for Minene, a few planes were just birds that she could kill with a single shot. While her barrier resisted the impact of the missiles, the spheres around her expanded, creating a powerful black hole that began to swallow everything around it, including the missiles.
*Shiiiii
At the same time, several more spheres shot out at high speed, impacting the planes.
"Die, simple meddling rats!"
*BOMM
With another loud explosion, the sky darkened for a moment before returning to normal, but there was nothing left of the planes.
"Exchange"
*Shuaaaa
"That won't work!"
Feeling a spatial fluctuation trying to penetrate her barrier, Minene clenched her fist. She knew this was due to Tsubaki's ability to change position; surely, Tsubaki wanted to get her out of the barrier so Yuno could use her ability. But Minene wouldn't fall for that trick twice.
*Shuaaa
However, this was exactly what Tsubaki and Yuno wanted. After all, in the moment Minene was distracted and strengthened her barrier to avoid space attribute attacks, it was the perfect opportunity to use time to infiltrate.
[Leap into the future]
And with Marco using his ability to send Yuno into the future, she easily penetrated the barrier, and Yuno could appear instantaneously and use her ability point-blank.
"What?!"
"Die!"
*Shiii
Opening her eyes with surprise and fear, Minene watched as Yuno's katana cut through space with terrifying force, and her body split in two.
*Bam
"Die! Die!"
But despite killing Minene, Yuno didn't let her guard down and continued to stab the corpse, knowing full well that this woman could return from death. Marco, watching this, couldn't help but feel nauseous. Minene's corpse was being sliced apart, cutting organs and brain; it was clear she was dead. However, Yuno kept stabbing and cutting off her limbs.
"Enough, brat! She's dead!"
"No, not yet..."
But just like Yuno, Tsubaki was also on guard. Minene fell too easily; it was hard for her to believe it.
"Are you insane?!"
"..."
Just as Tsubaki predicted, the space around began to fluctuate, and Yuno, sensing it, wanted to escape. Unfortunately, a strong pressure enveloped her, slowing her movements, and time around her began to slow down.
"This is bad, Gasai-san!"
And before Tsubaki could activate her ability to rescue Yuno, the mist covered the area around Yuno, and a time barrier was raised.
"Hahaha, brats, this time, you fell into my trap."
Emerging from the void, Minene snapped her fingers, and the barrier compressed, creating a small sphere that floated around her. Seeing this, Tsubaki's expression sank; she tried to use her ability to save Yuno, but it didn't work.
"You... how, were you dead?!"
"Do you manipulate time and still not know? You're a disgrace who doesn't even know the basics; I used a time clone."
Running her hand through her hair, Minene smiled proudly.
She knew these two brats were plotting something, and with their meticulous nature, she knew she would face a kill-or-be-killed attack. She was right. When the planes attacked her, she seized the moment and switched with a time clone; this would be her decoy.
And it worked; Yuno once again killed a clone, and with this opportunity, she caught Yuno in a time prison, very similar to the loop Yuki faced against the Eleventh.
"With that brat out of the game... who among you will be the first?"
* * *
Note from the Author: Happy Saturday