Superhumans of the Dome City

"You don't have a thing to do with this anymore, Miss Hunter."

The man with the pink beard, wearing a cowboy hat and jacket, looked like an actor straight out of a Western from the United States, if you ignored the color of his beard. His smile was bright and friendly, without a hint of ridicule, showing much more composure than Alice, who almost blurted out the word "pervert."

"Damn it!" Pink Beard glanced at Gongsun Ce and clicked his tongue, "I made sure to evacuate the residents around here in advance; don't tell me you've involved the locals."

When he said "Damn it," he used a slang from the Ustus Federation, so Gongsun Ce guessed that Mr. Pink Beard was a visitor from the Ustus Federation.

Alice frowned, "I am Alice Adar, a Hunter from the Kingdom; this person is a local assistant I found. Who are you?"

"Seeking the help of Superpower Users for your mission? You guys from the Wild Hunt really know how to exaggerate!"

Pink Beard whistled, took off his cowboy hat, and greeted them, "I'm White Young, from the Ustus Federation, an agent of Mithril Pillar—this young man, I know you must find our organization's name odd, but could you refrain from mentioning it, please?"

Gongsun Ce really wanted to promise him, but unfortunately, he spoke faster than he thought.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. White, I am Gongsun Ce. Your organization's name reminds me of a fantasy story I dreamt up while sleepwalking through middle school."

"I knew it! It's the 21st century, and I've been saying it's time for a brand new, modern name!"

White put his hat back on, dropped the grin from his face, and resumed the soft smile from before, "Back to business, Miss Alice. I've taken care of that guy, and the clean-up crew is on their way. You know what that means, right? We appreciate your help, and now it's time for you to rest."

Despite his friendly expression, he spoke in a tone that was firm and allowed no refusal, "I'm just a small player from the United States, and the experts from the Empire will only arrive faster. Technically, your Kingdom has rights here, but you don't need me to tell you that the Kingdom of Morton is too stretched thin to care for the affairs of the City of Skies right now... Otherwise, why would they have formed the Wild Hunt that you're a part of?"

...

Alice pursed her lips silently, a response that left the outsider Superpower User at a loss for words.

Agent White shrugged, "Forget about it, Hunter! You've done well enough, and no one is qualified to criticize you. I know what you're worried about, but we can only pray that those terrible possibilities don't come to pass. Everyone is just doing their best from their own standpoint, right?"

The scene looked like employees from different departments of the same company competing for power and benefits, but the blue-haired woman remained silent, which struck Gongsun Ce as strange. He didn't think this Hunter was the type to accept silence; even if it meant speaking some depressing words of disappointment, she would usually engage in a spirited dispute.

What was Alice Adar thinking?

This silence seemed to make Pink Beard uncomfortable as well. He stepped forward, extending his hand that held a small transmitter, lying in his large palm.

"Hey, don't be like that. Think positively; you can still enjoy sightseeing here for a few days before you leave... Here, I'm returning your transmitter."

Suddenly, Alice spoke up, "I apologize, Mr. White, but I want to confirm something. Could you tell me how you took down that giant dragon worshiper?"

White Young looked perplexed, "What's there to say? I'm a Strange Phase Mage. I first used my gun to draw his attention, then incapacitated him with my Divine Communication Skill by making him suffocate. The whole thing was easy..."

Gongsun Ce inspected the agent's transmitter up close. Now that he was this close, he realized it wasn't black. Its casing was dark red, but in the setting sun, it hadn't been clear, making it seem black from a distance.

A deep, dark red.

Like the color of blood after it had dried.

"...I mean, did it really need to be such a big deal? I didn't even use my Heart Phase Weapon, and that green-haired biker had only just mastered Divine Communication..."

Green-haired biker, Capro Boli... Sky-piercing Snake? No, that's not right...!

Gongsun's brain raced at full speed, and the reflexes honed from countless battles allowed him to make a split-second decision, "Get down!"

In an instant, the situation drastically changed. The dark-red blood stains on the transmitter's surface bulged like living creatures and morphed into three sharp needles that shot towards the trio!

The use of powers was faster than speech. A white wall appeared just in time, blocking two of the needles. Meanwhile, the Superpower User did not hesitate to strike the agent into the air with Telekinesis.

Agent White cried out in pain, not only because he was hit by the Telekinesis, but also because the last red needle had penetrated his calf, corroding his flesh and leg bone into a viscous liquid!

Gongsun Ce's face was as still as water as he pulled the ambushed Agent White back to safety. The agent's face twitched continuously from the excruciating pain, yet he managed to speak, "Highly corrosive... very fast... could be at the Peak of Divine Communication!"

Even as he spoke, the wound on White's leg continued to melt away. The malicious power of the blood needle was strong, extending from the knee to the thigh, seemingly ready to kill White in one blow!

Alice made a quick decision, "First, get him to emergency care! You come with me—"

"I'll keep an eye on the giant dragon worshipper," Gongsun Ce said calmly, "Hurry and return quickly."

"...Alright, take this!"

Alice cast a deep look at him and tossed a Shadow Orchid before she and the injured agent teleported away through the shadows. The Hunter understood that now was not the time for argument; she chose to trust this voluntarily accompanying Superpower User.

Gongsun Ce caught the flower before it could dissolve, and swiftly stuffed it into his pocket. He squinted his eyes and spotted a familiar stranger emerging from the dock's security gate.

The person was dressed in a motorcycle jacket and had a green mohawk; it appeared to be Capro, who Gongsun Ce had previously knocked down. However, the stranger's demeanor was starkly different from Capro's, filled with aggressive evil and madness.

"Just one! What a hassle! I was supposed to catch the two of them in one go, and now there's another meddler..."

The "Capro" wiped his face with his hand, and the borrowed visage melted away like wax. Pinkish sludge squirmed across his face, quickly sketching out another set of features while his hair receded into his scalp, emerging anew as slender orange locks.

In less than half a second, the man had completely changed his appearance. Now, he had dark skin and shoulder-length orange hair, unrecognizable from before, but still carried the same malevolent eyes. He glared at Gongsun Ce maliciously, hissing, "Who are you, with which organization?"

"Gongsun Ce, just an ordinary Superpower User," Gongsun Ce replied coolly, "Your modus operandi is quite different from Mr. Capro's, isn't it? Are there such big differences even among giant dragon worshipers? That man, who harbors the spirit of a Knight, could never conceive of such despicable tactics."

"Capro? Ha, ha, ha, ha! Capro is an idiot!" laughed the man with orange hair strangely, "'Tierlos brother, this plan is too despicable.' 'Tierlos brother, this is too cruel!' He's always spouting such idiotic things, still believing in some crappy knight's honor; that's why he's the weakest!"

"So despicable and shameless makes one stronger?" Gongsun Ce mused, bowing his head as if in thought, "Makes sense."

The moment he spoke, a sharp blast of Telekinesis shot out like a bullet, hitting Tierlos in the abdomen! Blood sprayed like a gust of wind, and organs slipped out through the wound, but an eerie smile spread across Tierlos's face.

"You're quite understanding, Superpower User... Let's play a game then!"

"I am everywhere, and nothing can harm me. Desolate Form・Divine Communication, Disassociation Demon Body!"

Tierlos's head burst like a smashed watermelon, and his entire body exploded into fragments!

It was as if a bomb had detonated inside him—crimson liquid splattered like rain, shards of organs and chunks of flesh scattered like shrapnel. The malodorous sudden downpour left chaos in its wake; steel struck by the flesh dissolved like liquid, and the ground soaked in blood turned to sludge.

Well-prepared, Gongsun Ce raised a double barrier of Telekinesis and white matter, fending off Tierlos's suicidal attack. As he sought the enemy's traces, he realized that Tierlos's body, blown to bits, had quickly dispersed after the attack, hiding among the countless giant containers in the dock area.

Not a single drop of blood remained in the area where the fierce battle had just taken place, only a small lump of flesh in the shape of a mouth, which opened and closed on the ground, voicing Tierlos's challenge: "Let's play hide and seek! The wide docks are our playing field, and the one caught must die—a fair game, right? Heh—ha ha ha!"

Gongsun Ce crushed the bizarre mouth with Telekinesis, recalling the information provided by Alice.

Tierlos K., born in the country's capital Supibia, was a swindler living off scams three years ago; after the country's collapse incident, he resonated with the Evil Dragon and became an Impermanence Law Enforcer.

He practiced the Heart Phase Weapon, specializing in controlling the body's Desolate Form, with a Realm of Third Rank in Divine Communication; during combat, he is known for—

Being able to control his own body at will, turning his blood and flesh into corrosive substances and poison!