The Mastermind of Multiverse: Starting from *The Eminence in Shadow*

The leader, exceptionally tall, lowered its head slightly. Its gaze swept over the group of humans wielding strange Black Guns, yet it did not rush to strike.

"Humans."

"Tell me, what is your purpose?"

Standing at the very front, Ryuen Kakeru furrowed his brows, yet he still responded.

"Purpose?"

"Naturally, it is to send you monsters to hell!"

With that, the countdown he had been silently tracking in his mind hit zero.

Feeling that everyone had finished charging their weapons, Ryuen Kakeru decisively cast aside the brief sense of unease and pulled the trigger.

No matter what it was, striking first was always the right move!

"Attack!!"

A fierce shout.

Though his actions were decisive and ruthless, this pre-battle declaration sounded somewhat superfluous.

Something is wrong.

Is it hypnosis? Or some kind of psychological suggestion?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka keenly captured the anomaly.

To be able to influence a person's subconscious in an instant, inducing them to speak... is this the very ability that caused me to lose my related memories?

Hearing Ryuen Kakeru's provocative declaration and catching a glimpse of the Kabane they had been toying with being teleported away by several beams of light from above, the Silence seemed to finally take a bit of interest.

"Hum-- hum--!!"

They spread their arms, electric arcs dancing at their fingertips, emitting a harsh, shrill sound as if mocking the insects' overestimation of their own strength.

Unfortunately, they didn't get to laugh for long.

Ichinose Honami, Yamada Albert, and the others had already finished charging.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Multiple invisible Gravity Wave Bullets, carrying ripples that distorted the air, poured instantly toward their fragile torsos.

"Splatter--!"

Even with the ability to control lightning and alter cognition, it did not change the fact that they were as fragile as paper.

Several of the Silence were still maintaining their posture of laughing at the sky, their heads already transformed into a sky full of blood mist like exploding watermelons.

Although not everyone chose the lethal X-GUN, resulting in a few fish slipping through the net.

The Silence that escaped the disaster didn't fare much better, as they were pinned in place by two deep blue laser nets.

The situation reversed.

On the vast rooftop, in the blink of an eye, only the tall leader of the Silence remained, standing alone in place.

At this moment, the Kabane had finished teleporting, and the Black Sphere notification sounded in everyone's ears.

[Target reduced.]

[Mission accomplished.]

The surviving tall Silence seemed to realize something.

It slowly raised its hand, and blinding electric arcs began to gather at its pale, slender fingertips.

"Humans..."

"This power should not belong to you."

Immediately, its voice became noticeably deeper, carrying a dizzying echo:

"As lowly reptiles, you should--"

"Should shut up."

Before the words could finish, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had already hurled a homemade Molotov cocktail at it.

"Don't let it finish!"

The Silence paused, seemingly surprised that someone could realize its ability.

Even so, the instinct of a superior lifeform still allowed it to react quickly.

"Seeking death."

Its fingers moved slightly, and the current at its fingertips shot out instantly, shattering the Molotov cocktail in mid-air.

A brilliant burst of fire exploded in the air, mixing with alcohol and glass shards, scattering like fireworks.

Just as the current pierced through the flames and was about to touch the group, Su Wei, who had been observing the situation using the Spectator, finally moved.

The moment he took his first step, the world seemed to have been pressed on pause.

Splashing sparks froze in place, and the electric arcs dancing and spreading through the air stood perfectly still.

Su Wei stepped down steadily, immediately followed by a second stride.

Time resumed its flow.

0.1 seconds later.

Time paused once again.

This repeated once more.

It was not until the third step that time truly resumed its flow.

And so, in the eyes of everyone except Su Wei, he appeared behind The Silence as if he had triggered three consecutive flashes.

Accompanied by an arc of pitch-black light, its head was already sent flying high into the air.

Yet Su Wei did not stop.

Using the momentum of his swing, he flicked his wrist, extending the blade, and smoothly slashed across a straggler that had been bound by the laser net nearby.

"Thud."

Two heads hit the ground almost simultaneously.

Only after finishing all this did Su Wei slowly turn his head to look at Kamuro Masumi, who had been staring in a daze not far away:

"What are you spacing out for? We're about to be teleported back, hurry up and finish them off."

"Ah? Oh, oh, oh!"

Kamuro Masumi snapped out of her trance, hurriedly raising the Y-GUN in her hand and pulling the trigger.

As several lasers landed on the head of the remaining The Silence to scan it, the fluorescent light beneath everyone's feet finally began to move upward.

Only then did the crowd, stunned by Su Wei's god-like display of skill, finally regain their senses.

"This..."

Brilliant colors flickered in the beautiful eyes of Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Is this the true way to utilize the Reinforcement Suit?"

That speed and explosive power, which transcended the limits of humanity...

If she could possess that kind of strength, this frail body of hers...

"As expected!"

Ryuen Kakeru also clenched his fists tightly, unable to stop himself from cursing:

"There isn't a single simple thing about this Black Sphere equipment!"

Had he known this thing was so powerful, he wouldn't have conceded points to Ichinose.

He was filled with regret now, his heart bleeding!

Ichinose's points should have been his! It was simply a sin!

As for Ichinose Honami.

Ichinose felt no jealousy, merely feeling genuinely happy that everyone had managed to survive this time.

Just then, as if remembering something, she suddenly turned her head to look at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was standing in the shadows of the corner.

"Um, this classmate..."

"The exam is over, the air wall downstairs should have disappeared by now."

"When you take Hirata to the infirmary, could you... help me pass a message to Amikura?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka snapped back to reality.

He shifted his gaze away from the black object in Su Wei's hand.

"I can."

His tone was indifferent:

"What is the message?"

Ichinose Honami pursed her lips:

"Just say..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't manage to protect anything."

The blue light flared brilliantly.

Ichinose Honami's figure vanished into the air, leaving only the trailing echo of that regretful apology to drift away in the night breeze.

On the rooftop.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka frowned, looking around in confusion at the empty space.

How did I end up here?

Am I... forgetting something?

Chapter 28 Kamuro: I See Through You!

As the group returned to the Black Sphere Space.

Except for Shiina Hiyori and Shiranami Chihiro, who had not gone up to the rooftop, a momentary blankness appeared on everyone's faces.

Of course, just like Brother Bin.

When the sun rises, the pain of yesterday is forgotten entirely.

The expressions of the few quickly returned to normal.

To be fair, aside from the lackluster combat record, the ability of The Silence is truly overbearing; as long as you look away, you forget, a passive memory correction.

Even Su Wei would have been hard-pressed to escape it without using items, had it not been for the special treatment from Gantz.

It is a pity that this group of "The Silence" not only had low defense and thin health, but their intelligence was also offline.

If this skill set had been given to someone with normal intelligence, they could have whipped up a small boss in minutes.

"Is it already over?"

"Strange..."

Sakayanagi Arisu, who was the first to recover, did not lower her guard because of their return.

She rested her chin on one hand:

"Why do I have absolutely no impression of 'how it ended'?"

Once these words were spoken, even the dullest person sensed that something was wrong.

Moreover, among those present, who wasn't a meticulous person?

This collective memory loss was, in itself, the greatest anomaly.