In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 104

"Don't die, Higashino!!"

Without any unnecessary words, a blinding pure white beam of light, like a laser tearing through space, burst forth from her fingertips in an instant!

The beam of light pierced straight into Higashino's chest! It moved so fast it was almost impossible for the naked eye to see!

Mugino Shizuri's attack appeared simple and brutal, but its power was unparalleled! This single strike was enough to melt and vaporize several meters of thick alloy armor in an instant!

However, the moment the beam of light touched his body, Higashino's figure swayed like ripples on water.

There was no violent dodging movement, not even a visible step. The atomic disintegration beam, powerful enough to pierce through anything, grazed the edge of his shoulder without warning and slammed into the high-intensity energy-absorbing panel behind him!

"boom--!!!"

A deafening explosion rang out, shaking the entire training ground! The impacted wall panels instantly melted, the overloaded energy absorption system beeped, and the affected area turned a molten orange-red, with wisps of white smoke rising from its edges. The destructive power was terrifying!

Mugino Shizuri's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Had she missed? No, with her control, at such close range, Higashino hadn't even moved; there was no way she could have missed!

Her gaze was sharp as lightning, fixed on the spot where Higashino had just stood, unable to detect any change.

"interesting."

Mugino snorted coldly, and a dangerous white light shone from her fingertips once again. This time, she increased the output power, making it faster and stronger than the previous attack in both power and speed.

Higashino remained standing in the same spot, not even taking his hands out of his pockets. A flash of silver light appeared in his pupils.

"The trajectory deviates by three degrees in this space."

Without a sound, the beam of light that should have accurately hit its target took an inexplicable deflection less than half a meter from Dongye's body! The beam whistled past his head and exploded into a blinding flash of fire on the distant wall panel once again!

"what?!"

This time, Mugino Shizuri clearly saw the abnormal distortion of space, and her expression finally changed.

Although I had seen Higashino demonstrate his abilities when he fought against the magician last time, he was clearly exhausted then. But now, facing my attack that could pierce through a warship, he was acting so casually and with such ease! This rate of progress... is simply inhuman!

"What trick did you use?!"

She asked in a cold voice, her tone carrying a hint of seriousness.

This power, whose principles she couldn't understand, left her in a very passive position. She knew that Higashino's ability could influence the mind and, to some extent, reality, but she didn't know exactly what Higashino's ability could achieve or where its limits lay.

Higashino tilted his head slightly, his tone still calm: "It just made the thing that was being hit at me deflect slightly. The power of atomic collapse is truly amazing, Mugino."

To Mugino, this understated assessment was undoubtedly a sarcastic remark.

"Hmph!" Mugino Shizuri's eyes sharpened, and she became completely serious. Without hesitation, she reached into her robes and instantly pulled out several thin, black triangular pieces.

"How about trying this!" She held a black object between her fingers and threw it at Dongye.

"Taste what it's like to be completely covered!"

With her low shout, the pitch-black semiconductor was instantly hit by a high-energy electron beam shot from her palm!

"Crack——!"

The thing shattered instantly! At the same time, the powerful single beam of light, like light refracted and decomposed by a prism, instantly transformed into a dense, interwoven, fan-shaped network of white rays that rapidly expanded!

Dozens or even hundreds of relatively thin rays, though not as terrifying as a single ray, still possessed enough destructive power to tear through steel and decompose matter, enveloping all of Higashino's dodging space!

This is precisely the key auxiliary tool that Mugino Shizuku uses to compensate for the narrow attack surface and difficulty in precise control of "Atomic Collapse," thus spreading support for semiconductors.

A deadly net of white rays instantly enveloped Dongye's figure! They shot in from different angles, like a net woven by death!

Mugino Shizuri stared intently at the area covered by the deadly net of rays, her chest heaving with the burst of energy. Such a dense attack, covering such a vast area—even if he could warp space, how many could he deflect simultaneously? She absolutely refused to believe that anyone could completely avoid it!

However, the anticipated scene of energy rays hitting the target one after another and causing erosion and decomposition did not fully materialize.

In the core area shrouded by the white net, a circular space with a diameter of about two meters appeared out of thin air.

A deep blue light, like a tangible liquid, flowed and swirled slowly around Higashino, forming a perfect, flawless barrier. Those atomic disintegration rays, powerful enough to tear steel apart, vanished silently upon contact with this blue light, as if plunged into an abyss of nothingness!

It wasn't bounced off, nor was it neutralized; rather, it was completely erased as if it had never existed!

Higashino stood in the center of the deep blue light, his clothes not even fluttering. He calmly looked at Mugino Shizuri, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

"This space rejects the existence of 'atomic collapse'."

Although Higashino could use his spatial abilities to dodge, or even appear directly behind Mugino to deliver the decisive blow, he wouldn't be able to see Mugino's shocked expression.

Moreover, if that happens, Mugino might think he's being opportunistic and resentful.

Chapter 133 Mugino Shizuri's Defeat (CG)

The rain of deathly light in the training field suddenly stopped.

The smoke and dust in the area covered by the "Atomic Collapse" saturation attack had not completely dissipated, but the eerie blue light that existed like an absolute domain had quietly receded.

Higashino's figure was clearly visible. He remained standing in the same spot, his posture even more relaxed than before, as if the terrifying attack that had just been capable of tearing steel to shreds was merely a harmless breeze.

His clothes were completely undamaged, and his calm gaze pierced through the thinning smoke and dust, landing on the woman opposite him whose breathing was slightly rapid due to her full-force exertion.

Mugino Shizuri maintained his forward-pushing posture, but his eyes were now filled with disbelief and a cold anger that had been completely suppressed.

Her chest rose and fell slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, not from exhaustion, but from the feeling of powerlessness as if she had hit a wall of sighs despite exerting all her strength.

She saw it all clearly. Her "atomic collapse"—those high-energy electron beams capable of disintegrating matter and penetrating armor—was not neutralized or deflected the moment it touched that layer of eerie blue light; rather, it was… erased! Like erasing pencil lines with an eraser, it was utterly negated at the level of the laws of physics! Higashino stood there, like the center of the world, defining what was allowed to exist and what was not.

"This space rejects the existence of 'atomic collapse'."

When these words were uttered, Mugino Shizuri felt as if he could no longer use his abilities, as if he did not exist at all.

"..."

This feeling of powerlessness made Mugino Shizuri's throat dry, but she couldn't utter a sound. Her proud absolute power of atomic collapse seemed so weak and laughable in the face of her opponent's bizarre and unreasonable ability.

Is this really Higashino's true strength?

Higashino took a step forward, a gentle smile on his face, but in Mugino Shizuri's eyes, that smile was like that of a fox who had succeeded in his wicked scheme.

"It seems I've won, Mugino."

His voice broke the silence, echoing clearly in the empty training field.

Mugino Shizuri's body tensed abruptly, her fists clenched tightly. She'd lost? She, Atomic Collapse Mugino Shizuri, had actually lost to this newcomer, lost so thoroughly, so... utterly powerless?

No wonder there are such outrageous news stories...

A strong sense of humiliation and resentment filled her heart. She stared intently at Higashino Yu, her eyes so fierce it seemed she wanted to devour him alive.

"……cut!"

Finally, she forced out a syllable through her teeth and abruptly turned her head away.

Admitting defeat was incredibly difficult for her, but the facts were undeniable, leaving her no room for excuses. She accepted her defeat wholeheartedly, yet was also extremely unwilling to accept it.

"Enough talk! A win is a win!"

She admitted it in a irritable tone.

This battle was completely different from what she had imagined!

Higashino's smile deepened as he walked up to Mugino Shizuri, getting so close he could smell her perfume.

While regular Mugino also uses this stuff, the flavor isn't as pronounced.

"So……"

Higashino's voice was full of the confidence of a victor.

"Does our previous bet still stand?"

The bet... the loser must unconditionally comply with any conditions the winner has, once.

Mugino Shizuri's heart sank suddenly, and a strong sense of foreboding gripped her instantly.

She turned around abruptly and met Higashino's smiling eyes.

She instinctively wanted to refuse, to resist, to rebuke that this was completely unreasonable!

However, just as the thought of refusing arose...

Accepting the consequences of a bet is the creed of the strong. Agreeing to someone's request is fulfilling a promise. This is perfectly reasonable, extremely reasonable, and couldn't be more reasonable...

Her fiercely struggling gaze was quickly soothed under Dongye's watchful eye. The resistance receded like a tide, replaced by a sense of "it's only natural."

"...Of course it counts."

Mugino Shizuri's voice was somewhat unwilling, but her tone was unusually decisive, even carrying a kind of obedience that she herself was unaware of.

"You keep your word. What are your conditions?"

She tried her best to maintain the last shred of her haughty demeanor, but her tense expression betrayed her anxiety.

She felt that Higashino would definitely do the same thing as yesterday, groping her. It wasn't impossible that she would even be spanked and humiliated; after all, that was the kind of man he was.

"of course."

Higashino's smile became exceptionally clear, even carrying a hint of dangerous aggression.

He leaned slightly closer to Mugino Shizuri, his warm breath almost brushing against her ear, his deep and clear voice reaching her ears:

"My request is..."

He paused, each word as clear as a brand.

"From now on, you cannot refuse any of my requests."

Can't refuse...any request?!

Mugino Shizuri's brain went blank! This was not a one-time request at all!

This is tantamount to permanently handing over a portion of her will and choice to the other party, dividing a one-time condition into countless parts!

What an overbearing, unreasonable, and absurd demand! This is simply... this is simply... incomprehensible!

However, influenced by cognition, such thinking only lasts for a moment and is quickly replaced by other ideas.

Refusing this request is wrong... Agreeing is the right thing to do... He's the winner, he has the right to make this request... It's reasonable... It's perfectly fair... You have to accept the consequences of your bet!

The intense struggle in Mugino Shizuri's eyes slowly faded, leaving only bewilderment and a trace of resignation after a fruitless struggle.

“…Okay.” Mugino Shizuri’s voice was soft, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, but his tone was unusually calm as he accepted this demand that was tantamount to a shackle.

"I...promise you. From now on, I cannot...refuse any of your requests."

Higashino Yu nodded in satisfaction, and the silver light quietly disappeared, as if it had never appeared.

He looked at the proud fourth person in front of him, who was still standing straight, but whose eyes held a hint of bewilderment at being tamed.

"very good."

Higashino Yu's smile returned to its gentle and harmless state, as if he wasn't the one who had just made that domineering demand.

"Well, since you've already agreed not to refuse my request..."

He took another step forward, bringing the distance between them almost to zero. She instinctively wanted to step back, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot. She couldn't refuse…

"The first requirement..."

Higashino thought about what happened yesterday. Although Mugino had a great figure, it wasn't good to respond to that completely.

"Give me a kiss."

"Varied……?!"

Mugino Shizuri's eyes widened suddenly, her pupils contracting sharply as she stared at Higashino Yu in disbelief. A kiss?! That bastard! That shameless guy! He actually… he actually…

The intense emotions of shame, anger, and offense instantly overwhelmed the reason that had just been forcibly suppressed! Her cheeks flushed red at a visible speed, spreading all the way to her ears and neck!

This is the special edition that Higashino was looking forward to. Her face is flushed with shyness, just like Mikoto's. Everyone who sees this kind of expression prop will be so surprised that they won't be able to close their mouths.

"You...you're kidding me! You bastard!"

She almost screamed, instinctively wanting to raise her hand and deliver an atomic collapse to the hateful face in front of her! However, the influence of Higashino's ability had not yet been lifted, and the agreement stipulated that she could not refuse any of Higashino's requests. She could only bite her lower lip tightly and glare at Higashino with eyes that were almost spitting fire.

Higashino remained unmoved, simply looking at her calmly.

"..."

She had never felt so humiliated! She couldn't beat him, and then he used a bet to... demand she kiss him?! This was an utter disgrace! And who knows what even more outrageous demands he might make later—she'd really lost out big time!

However, after a moment of silence, Mugino felt that... it wasn't entirely unacceptable?

At least it's better than having her go on a date to a hotel today? Besides... you can choose her cheek... after all, there's no specific spot...