Chapter 38: The Mad Emperor of Backstabbing
"I didn't expect it to malfunction unexpectedly. Seeing how Satoru was just now, I thought he had already mastered it skillfully."
"I actually find it quite interesting. It would have been more fun if they stayed a bit longer~"
"I think he might as well stay there for a lifetime."
It has to be said, human gossip knows no limits.
After witnessing the scene unfolding on the screen before them, everyone present couldn't help but voice various complaints.
Moreover, this was a "live broadcast"!
Just when everyone thought it was about to end, this sudden turn of events left people feeling both amused and exasperated.
"But since he said the ability isn't easy to control, with more practice, he should succeed eventually, right?"
"Mhm."
However, they weren't particularly anxious. They could only treat this incident as an accident and a mistake.
After all, Satoru's previous performance had been quite natural, so it's unlikely he would fail continuously.
Thus, this was just a minor interlude.
But minutes, then tens of minutes, and even half an hour passed...
He still hadn't managed to succeed.
Sometimes he could materialize half a weapon, other times a complete one but without any power, and occasionally he couldn't materialize anything at all.
After countless failures, he finally felt exhausted and could only sit on the ground, breathing heavily, which left everyone speechless.
"Really, don't fail at the critical moment."
"Exactly. But speaking of which, is he okay now? Without his ability, won't he be unable to return?"
"Right. That place looks really far away. Ms. Nia, where are they currently?"
But more than anything, there was concern.
Although there might not be any danger, the place where the two of them were didn't look like Japan. It seemed to be some remote island in the ocean. How easy would it be to return accurately?
"...In terms of distance, it's not extremely far. It's around the equator. The nearest African countries are about 100 kilometers away."
"..." xN
After hearing Nia's words, they felt even more frustrated.
Sigh, why did they go so far away?
Although they understood he did it for safety reasons, the current situation felt somewhat counterproductive. If they couldn't return, wouldn't that defeat the purpose?
"With Ms. Kurumi... no, Ms. Sawa there, it should be fine, right?"
"Hard to say. Even though a Spirit should be able to fly back, her Reiryoku might not be stable right now."
"Then, Ms. Nia, can you go there yourself? You're a Spirit too, right? Or maybe notifying them should work?"
"I'm very slow. It would take me several days to get there, and it's exhausting. It's better to wait for them to fly back on their own."
Even when they tried asking the only Spirit present (Mukuro is now an ordinary person), the response wasn't encouraging, and the situation seemed to be worsening.
"Can you at least contact them first?"
"I can't. My ability only allows me to gather information about them from a distance; I can't communicate with them directly."
"Huh? Weren't you previously planning actions with Satoru and Kurumi-chan together? Shouldn't your abilities allow mutual communication?"
Even Mei, who usually appeared somewhat naive, caught on at this moment and asked with some nervousness.
If they couldn't even establish contact, wouldn't that be troublesome?
Did they really have to fly over the sea for several days? They'd be exhausted by then!
"Since when did I have such an ability? It's this thing that has the capability."
"..." xN
Watching as Nia extended her hands and removed the headphones she wore on both ears, everyone finally understood.
So they had been relying on these for communication earlier!
They had thought beings like "Spirits" should be omnipotent, but unexpectedly, they turned out to be quite unreliable and still had to be practical.
"...But I feel there might not be a need to rush over, because Satoru probably doesn't require our assistance."
However, at this moment, Nia continued to silently watch the screen and spoke, appearing to have great faith in Satoru.
What they didn't notice was the faint complexity that flashed in Nia's eyes...
Because only she and Kurumi knew that Satoru had also made some preparations.
If they were truly moved by some spatial ability to an unfamiliar place, they needed to find a location with signal as soon as possible to quickly provide support.
That island earlier was personally chosen by Satoru himself—why would he intentionally pick such a remote place where signal would be impossible?
Unless...
He did it on purpose...
"Aah~ Could it be that the ability really can't be used~"
But just then, Sawa on the screen, who had initially shown a helpless expression, suddenly smiled slightly.
Her tone sounded quite similar to "Kurumi's" now.
"Well, perhaps it's because I just obtained the ability and am not very proficient yet. I'm also a bit tired now, I'll rest a bit more and try again later..."
"Sorry~ Maybe you won't get that chance~!"
But just as Satoru tried to explain to her, Sawa suddenly widened her eyes and directly swung the military sword in her hand horizontally at Satoru who was close at hand!
Even space seemed to be torn apart, splitting into two halves, cleaving his entire body into "two sections"!!
"Huh?!" xN
Witnessing this scene, everyone observing couldn't help but feel a sudden shock in their hearts. Nia's pupils instantly contracted, and she moved to grasp her pen...
But soon, she stopped.
Because she saw.
"...My, my~ I originally thought I could absorb Satoru-kun, but it seems you knew all along~"
"Just a guess. Because the way you look at me is exactly like how Kurumi first looked at me and Nia—full of greed and danger. Although I didn't want to doubt Kurumi's friend, I've always been a cautious person. Good thing I guessed correctly this time."
At the location where space had been severed, a certain figure suddenly vanished, then reappeared five meters away, silently watching Sawa...
And in his hand, he now clearly held "Michael," which he had been unable to manifest earlier!