Chapter 114 Status Quo

Black Bullet, who assumed the leadership position after Crank Tank fell into unconsciousness, stopped short, causiGate others to become immobile as well. The purple swirling haze grew larger, adding to their overall nervousness. With its intense energy leaking out, no one knew what to expect next since everything had been unpredictable ever since they entered the Gate.

Needless to say, all of them felt panic-stricken while staring at the portal. Was it a double event where there's another Gate inside one? They could only wonder, gulping as they anticipated what would come out of the portal.

"See? Harmless," A girl's voice was evident as soon as the portal increased twice its size in an instant. One second later, a girl with snowy white hair and clear blue eyes came out, beckoning someone to come with her.

"Are they m-monsters?" Knifetongue was the first one to speak up amongst their party. Clearly, the girl had human features but anything could happen in a Gate. For all they know, the girl could very well be a monster.

"Come on!" Emma gestured once again, making the others pause as they dreaded what would come out of the Gate next.

"You sure about this, right?" The voice of a guy resounded soon after.

When Satoshi came out of the portal, he half expected to meet his parents in an instant. But after seeing everyone's unfamiliar gazes, he realized that he'd been tricked. Without reservation, he approached Emma and hissed at her. "Why are we here?!" He said with his brows furrowed.

"Well... I kind of mixed up the... the order... hehe~~~" Emma forced a smile on her face as if that would get her out of her mess.

"What do you— we're in America! That's like on the other side of the planet. How could you mix such a thing up?!" As per usual, Satoshi talked with his light tone so he wouldn't necessarily Garner everyone's attention— even though he already did, completely.

"It's all right, it's not like they'd recognize y— " Emma began, totally jinxing the situation

"Wait! Aren't you that... you know! That high school student who debuted during the Slime Alien invasion!" Black Bullet said, but Satoshi didn't understand a single word since Black Bullet spoke in fluent English.

"Um, I'm... yes!" Satoshi stammered.

"What are you doing here?" Black Bullet asked.

Fwooooom~~~~

Before Satoshi could attempt to translate what Black Bullet told him, a huge wave of sand almost washed him away. It didn't transpire because of a strong gust of wind, but because a huge creature emerged from underneath the desert sand.

What came out of the sand was a beast they'd never imagined. It was a thorny rose as huge as a six-story building, wiggling and whipping around as if someone sprinkled salt on it. Its hundreds of vines whiplashed continually on the sand, sending a heavy cloud of dust upwards. A shriek emanated from the top of the Monster Rose as it continued its rampage.

"So that's the bo— " Black Bullet was in awe. Compared to the desert worms, this Monster Rose was an absolute nightmare. It was thrice the size of the largest desert worm, and not only that, its vines were equally threatening to each and every one of them.

Whip~

Before Black Bullet could react, the Monster Rose raised a few of its vines, intending to hit Black Bullet squarely on the head. Since Black Bullet was a bit surprised at how enormous the Monster Rose was, he was a step too late to dodge. With death lingering at his door, Black Bullet closed his eyes, hoping that he'd suffer a quick and painless death.

"Watch out!" Emma screamed, producing another portal and sending the vines flying somewhere else. Meanwhile, Satoshi summoned his familiar 'Lighter' and commanded it to spit out spires of flames to burn off the rest of the vines that slipped through Emma's defenses.

Well, Black Bullet didn't see any of that since he shut his eyes tight. Had he seen the miracle he'd hoped for at the last second, he would've believed that it happened right then and there. "Am I dead?"

"No, at least not yet. Get it together Black Bullet." Knifetongue said, pushing past his limits as well just so he could cut a couple of vines that tried to 'whip' him to death. As for Resonance, she didn't speak a thing, she just watched over Clerica and Crank Tank while Knifetongue and Black Bullet defended them. Right now, Resonance couldn't really do anything since her voice is still recovering. And even if she were fully recovered, she was well aware that the Monster Rose wouldn't be taken down by just a single word. That's why she was as helpless as a newborn kitten. As much as her pride didn't want something like that to happen, there was nothing she could do about it.

Meanwhile, Satoshi and Emma didn't dare look back as they continued to harass the Monster Rose that seemed to stampede its vines all over the place. Satoshi almost went through his mental limit as he commanded the Lighter of every intricate movement. Of course, there were hundreds of vines everywhere and Satoshi had to dodge it, all the while telling his Lighter to dodge and fire. He couldn't take a breather.

Emma, on the other hand, was focused on defending herself and everybody else by producing portals that would block the vines that slipped past Satoshi's offenses. She was nearing her limits too since there were only too many portals she can make. But because of that though, the clean-up became more efficient and a few minutes later, Satoshi had safely adjusted to the movements of the Monster Rose and he managed to control his attacks even more precisely. He was in an adrenaline rush and he maximized every second of it.

"Who's that kid?" Resonance asked, her voice becoming hoarse as the seconds passed. Since she overused it and Clerica couldn't heal her anymore, her throat continued to deteriorate. She didn't ask for any energy potions or the sort from Satoshi though since they were being saved right now.

"You don't know him? He's that overpowered kid during the finals of the initial exams. He's also on TV, the only superhero who managed to defeat a Slime Alien after it ran amok in a city in Japan. I forgot what city it is." Knifetongue said before rushing in for another flurry of attacks.

"I see, so that's him." Resonance muttered. She could vaguely remember reading an article about him and thought that his superpower was weird but she didn't take it to heart since she doesn't know him anyway... and it's not like she's interested in someone else's life when she's busy as a superhero as she is.

"Emma! Cover!" Satoshi screamed,

"Aiyo~," Emma said, pursing her lips as she leaped out of the way from the incoming vines that lashed at her. She decided to utilize her dodging skills since she had to make up for a few more portals to cover for Satoshi.

Meanwhile, Satoshi rushed toward Resonance and the others with a purposeful stride, causing Resonance to stagger a bit. A few seconds later, Resonance realized that Satoshi wasn't looking at her, but at the staff that she was holding.

[Skill— Unwavering Control has been unlocked!

Description— After manually controlling your familiar, you've unlocked unwavering control, causing them to obey simple orders and see it through to the end...]

"Nice! System, run diagnosis on this item!" Satoshi didn't even let Dex finish what he was saying. He knew that this was the first time he unlocked a skill from his 'System' familiar but time was of the essence and there was no point in celebrating at the moment. He did already understand the gist of the skill so there was no need for Dex to tell him any more than it already did.

[At least, call me Dex]

"Sorry, can you please run a diagnosis on this item?" Satoshi said.

[Running Diagnosis... ]

[Yes, it will awaken the very thing you're thinking. One hundred and one percent match.]

"Thanks! I owe you yet another one!" Satoshi yelled out, extending his hands and doing his weird dance as two orbs of blue flames danced at the palms of his hand. Right now, Satoshi didn't even think about the secrecy of his superpower. Emma and he were just maintaining the status quo against the Monster Rose and unless they don't get the other American superheroes for help, then the favor would absolutely tip to the Monster Rose's side.

"Wait, what are you— " Resonance, who was the only one awake in the group, was about to ask Satoshi about his weird movements and the flames when one of the Orbs touched the staff that Clerica gripped tightly on.

Woop~~~

In an instant, the staff disappeared, leaving a hollow space between Clerica's fingers.

"Thanks," Satoshi smiled as a yellow glow emerged from where the staff was a few seconds ago.