Bane froze for an instant when he heard Ririko's words.
Ririko held her breath, waiting for Bane to twist her neck apart with his powerful arms.
But Bane merely paused. His foot still came down.
His sole pressed into Victor's back. Victor's head lifted slightly for an instant, then dropped onto the concrete and did not move again.
Ririko's eyes widened.
She couldn't control Bane?
[Residual traces of the Tomie Organization detected within target.] [Prophetic Command is ineffective against targets of the same kind.] [Unable to establish mental control.]
Ririko watched several lines flash onto the system panel.
Victor had stopped breathing. Blood no longer flowed from his nose and mouth...
Fish Mooney frantically pulled the trigger from the overhead framework. Bullets rained onto Bane's back, their spent projectiles striking the ground in a clatter as dense as hail.
Bane turned, drew a modified rifle from his waist, and fired several shots toward the overhead framework.
The iron framework was pierced in one spot, sending metal fragments flying through the air.
Ririko stumbled back two steps and fell onto her backside.
"Baldy, wake up," she said, her voice dry. "Victor."
The eyelids of the man lying on the ground twitched, as though her voice had pulled him back a little from somewhere deep. But he soon sank away again.
His Infatuation Value finally settled at 60.
Fish Mooney shouted down to her from above, "What are you doing, you idiot? Run!"
Ririko sat on the ground, staring at Victor.
She quickly wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve, then caught sight of another notification appearing on the system panel.
[New skill unlocked: Blood Boundary Control.] [Skill description: Use the body as a medium to grow new limbs.]
Ririko cursed at the system. "What's the