The order stunned everyone.
Give up resisting? Wasn't that a death sentence?
"Repeat: stop resisting mentally." Season Star's voice left no room for argument. "Activate the Logic Override protocol."
She held out both hands, and the emerald Life Patterns on her arms blazed at full intensity.
This time, she released no life energy for healing or repair. Instead, two green ribbons of light, composed entirely of information, streamed from her hands.
One ribbon shot toward Dawn and Mirror; the other toward Tiga Lingyu and Song Ling.
The ribbons sank into their foreheads.
The next second, Dawn's furious expression froze, then went utterly blank.
The black flames around Song Ling, who had been radiating hatred, abruptly receded. Her eyes went still as a stagnant pool.
Tiga Lingyu, overwhelmed by helplessness and despair, straightened. Her posture became as flawless as a statue's.
Every trace of emotion vanished from Mirror's face. The jealousy that had twisted her thoughts gave way to perfect calm.
"What... what did you do to them?" For the first time, a hint of shock entered the Grief Banshee's ancient, unchanging sorrow.
She could feel the emotions she fed on disappearing from the intruders.
"I temporarily severed the physical connections between their limbic systems, which process emotion, and their prefrontal cortices, which handle combat decisions."
Season Star explained calmly, as if reading from a product manual.
"They're safe now. Your 'emotional noise' won't interfere with them anymore."
She turned to face the four teammates she had remade into something like puppets.
"Purge Protocol activated."
"Target: three high-level Mental Pollutant Sources ahead."
"Execute."
The instant she finished speaking, Dawn moved.
With neither anger to fuel him nor passion for the fight, he became a crimson line without a single wasted motion, streaking straight for the Hatred Banshee on the right.
Every