Chapter 159: Chapter 159: The Baby Crew vs. The Dark Millennium (3)
It was just a little child. Just a single small albino child. By no means should he have been a threat. So, why?
Why were the contents of Warslugger’s insides currently in turmoil? He could feel the Philly Cheesesteak he had eaten trying to climb up through his throat; he could even taste the signature sauce.
All of this, because of a single kid who was slowly walking toward them without fear or hesitation. A kid who should’ve left with his friends just moments ago, and now was staring at them with a wide smile creeping on his white face.
A smile that almost crumpled his otherwise perfect and youthful face—no. Not perfect. Warslugger noticed it now. His lips were unusually wide, and his ears were also slightly deformed and making him look... surreal.
And now that he was smiling from ear to ear, it became even more prevalent.
"Weren’t you... just running away with your friends?" Warslugger squinted, his fingers twitching by themselves. He was trying his best not to swing at him, but something was telling him that he should release a shockwave that could destroy this entire cliff.
It didn’t help at all that with the sun in their backs, they were slightly obscuring Riley with their shadows.
"I was," Riley shrugged, still adjusting the receiver in his ear. "But I am not now, Mr. Warslugger. I hope you do not mind, I am using Ms. December’s earpiece instead of yours since she seemed like she had better hygiene than you."
"Huh...?" Warslugger had no idea what Riley was trying to say, and it didn’t matter at all. Right now... something weird was going on. Riley was talking about hygiene, and yet right now... he was casually walking on top of the bits and pieces of the guts and flesh of the kidnappers earlier.
"What do we do?" Warslugger glanced at December.
She didn’t respond to him, and instead only followed Riley with her eyes as he, for some reason, started walking toward the side—toward the elevator.
"Were you the ones who destroyed the cameras?" Riley tilted his head, standing right in front of the elevator as he started looking around. "All the cameras within the area are all smashed into pieces—was that you, or was it the random kidnappers? But if I have to guess, it was probably not your group, correct? You are quite lucky, then...
...and so am I."
Riley stretched his arm to the side, and then something even weirder happened. Warslugger couldn’t pinpoint it at first, but it wasn’t that hard to realize what changed.
The noise. The noise around them was... muted.
No, there were still some sounds. The ocean’s waves and the chirping of the birds were more obvious now, just for the simple fact that the leaves of the trees around them were no longer dancing.
They were completely frozen still.
"I have been practicing my abilities a lot," Riley raised his hand, and Warslugger heard a whisper coming from the woods. He squinted, focusing on the direction the noise was coming from, only to see the leaves of a small part of a single tree now moving along with the wind.
And very soon, like a ripple, the leaves around it also began to wildly wave and flutter.
"Practicing my control, stretching my limits. Like a muscle, and that is not a metaphor, Ms. December," Riley said, glancing at December and looking her straight in the eyes. December, however, quickly looked away and didn’t maintain eye contact.
"It might not seem noticeable to most of you, but I am incredibly tired every day. My mind is... sore. And now, because of the two of you, I finally have the chance to actually put it into some practical use—in this case, I will use it directly on you two. I hope you do not mind, it has been a while since I last killed someone."
"Huh?"
"Oops." Riley covered his mouth, but he couldn’t cover the smile on his face from how wide it was. "Now that I said that, I truly would have to kill the two of you. The same thing happened to Mr. Tuesday. Or was that Monday?"
Riley’s eyes narrowed.
"Either way, it was one of the earlier days." He sighed, shrugging before he pressed his finger on his ear. "Ah. You only brought one other Month with you? He is asking for an update. What do you want to tell him, Ms. December?"
"Tell him that the operation is canceled," December said, and Warslugger couldn’t help but blink a couple of times as he looked back and forth between the two. And surprisingly, Riley did as he was told.
"The operation is canceled, Mr. Month," he said. "Me? You do not need to know who I am. But if you have to ask, then I suppose you could just consider me one of the Days."
"He’s... a part of the Dark Millennium?" Warslugger quickly glanced at December, and she subtly shook her head. "Wh—"
Warslugger was about to say something else, but he was interrupted by December suddenly disappearing from her spot. No, not exactly. She didn’t disappear, but merely moved at an incredible speed straight toward Riley.
She didn’t run, nor was she flying.
Her body just... propelled while she was just standing straight.
The ground beneath her feet was shaved clean like it was sand, cleaving everything in her path. Her path, however, was cut short a few meters before ramming into Riley.
She took a step back and placed her palm on the invisible wall that blocked her path.
"Amazing, is it not?" Riley said, calmly stepping closer to her before placing his palm against her own. Well, not exactly, as there was still a wall of air between them. "How something invisible could become so tangible. How something invisible could... hurt and kill you. Telekinesis is the most simple, but most versatile power there is. And depending on how strong it is, it is also the most dangerous one."
"You talk a lot, Riley Ross," December lowered her palm.
"Because we are not barbarians, Ms. December," Riley said, sighing in disappointment. "Dialogue is often required. You are not cattle, after all. You have will, logical thought, and reasoning. To kill you without conversation would be... criminal. Do you not also agree, Mr. Warslugger?"
Riley leaned his head to the side to look at Warslugger, and Warslugger just looked confused about everything.
"He agrees." Riley shrugged before turning his focus back to December. "But if you prefer that we stop talking, then...
...I suppose it is time to hear the two of you scream?"
"Wh—"
"Argh!"
Before December could say anything, a loud scream penetrated her ears from behind. She looked back, only to see Warslugger groveling on the ground. The crystal needle that was previously floating in the air now pierced through his leg. No.
It wasn’t just pierced, it was drilling through his flesh. No.
Not drilling. But rather, the tiny particles of the crystal now move through the inside of his flesh, bones... targeting the nerves.
Warslugger’s screams didn’t last long, as the tiny crystals dug through to his obturator nerve. His eyes went completely white, and he just dropped down.
"He is still alive, Ms. December," Riley whispered, making December turn toward him. "A shame. I have been trying to find opponents who would cause me more trouble than the previous super I had fought. But... Warslugger is weak. I wanted to test something, you see. But of course, if it turned out to be true, I want it to be a power deserving to be added to my arsenal. Well, I suppose I am babbling now instead of having a conversation with you, Ms. December. So..."
Riley stretched his arms to the side as all the rustling of the leaves returned.
"Based on what I have seen, your ability is nigh-invulnerability, and... body relocation?" The smile on Riley’s face slowly faded. "Shall we see if it—"
Before Riley could finish his words, December once again propelled toward Riley. And now, without the invisible wall between them, Riley caught the brunt of the force head-on.
Well, not exactly.
He had a telekinetic armor on, but the impact still threw him back violently. The trees behind him, breaking and shattering in half, and he didn’t stop until the fourth tree.
"Oh." Riley shook his head, and before he could look ahead, December was already right in front of him again—this time, however, she was slightly above in the air.
"Oh?" He tilted his head to the side as December slammed toward him, breaking the tree behind him... as well as shaving the ground beneath his feet and ultimately uprooting the entire tree.
Riley was now buried in the ground. He waited for another attack, but it didn’t come at all.
"Hm?" He carefully poked his head out of the hole that he and December made and searched for her... but she was nowhere to be seen.
Warslugger was also no longer there.
"Oops," he whispered to himself. "I did it again."
And once again, a person he threatened to kill escaped from him.
This time, however, instead of being worried...
...the little albino boy had a smile on his face.
"I suppose this is more thrilling," he whispered, and a hand came from above to help him up.
Another Riley Ross.
"Are we sure we should be using Replica Ricky’s ability?" The other Riley Ross said as he pulled Riley Ross up.
"Of course, it should be fine. After all...
...it was the Boss who destroyed the cameras."