One-way traffic

puff-

The first one's hands instantly tore the enemy's body apart; that's certainly true.

But that was not a physical tear.

"What…?"

He stared blankly at what was in front of him.

The Phantom's body passed right through him, like a curtain of flowing water.

That's right.

This wasn't a person at all, or rather, it was just a projection.

From the very beginning, the Phantom was not a truly living person, but merely a shadow, like a clone.

Accelerator didn't know how the other side managed to do this, but there was no doubt that he hadn't caused his enemy the slightest harm.

Even Hatsune Miku, who was standing next to the Phantom, vanished in the same way.

"that's all?"

The voice rang out again, but this time it came from behind Accelerator.

He turned around, and there stood the phantom holding Hatsune Miku hostage behind him, in the very spot he had just arrived at.

It was almost like teleportation.

"If this is all there is to it, then you're completely finished here."

The Phantom raised his hand, and with that movement, his eye, which shone like a will-o'-the-wisp, instantly blazed.

Boom! Even more zombies descended.

They surrounded Accelerator, far more numerous than before. Even though Accelerator had manipulated the Earth's rotation to fling away all the zombies on the outer surface, the man in front of him had also controlled the zombies buried underground and brought them here.

A cold expression settled on the Phantom's face.

"Let me see just how far you can go, monster."

Chapter Nineteen: The Choice of the Strongest

Things have changed.

At least for the first place, the degree of change is significant.

Boom! A tidal wave of zombies covered the entire rooftop in front of him.

But this shouldn't be a big problem for him.

Even with her abilities reduced, making it difficult to perform highly calculated moves like manipulating the Earth's rotation and plasma, the number one player can still instantly kill these trash-like enemies.

He simply stomped his foot on the ground, and everything changed.

The massive shockwave initially only exploded within a few meters in front of him, but it quickly covered the entire floor and even affected the outside of the building.

He wiped out all the zombies in an instant.

But there was no joy on Accelerator's face.

The moment he finished off that batch of zombies, a new wave of zombies descended upon the area.

No one knows where they came from; these zombies seem to have sprung up out of nowhere, and their numbers are unimaginable.

"Indeed, your power is immense."

The man standing on the far side, who called himself Phantom, spoke softly.

He laughed as he watched the first person relentlessly eliminate the zombies.

"If these zombies were just your opponents, they wouldn't be anything special; you could kill them all in an instant. But it's not just that, is it?"

"Even if you can wipe out this batch in an instant, you can wipe out the next batch in an instant as well. This back-and-forth is indeed an overwhelming battle, but how long can you keep going like this?"

It's like the principle of water dripping on stone until it wears away.

To Accelerator, these zombies were utterly insignificant; he could easily take down this bunch of trash even if he just stood still.

But how long can he maintain this situation?

The first electrode has a time limit, and he is also being interfered with by the surrounding electromagnetic waves. Now, he is unable to use the same wide-range killing moves as before, and can only deal with the zombies that keep appearing in front of him one after another.

But exactly how much time has passed?

ten minutes.

The strongest superpowered user, whose original 30-minute limit was reduced to only 15 minutes of battery life, how long can he maintain this state now?

This is the Phantom's plan.

"You can't find me. This isn't just some simple optical camouflage; it's a soul-level power that completely replaces my existence—the ability to manipulate souls. This is the truth behind my control over these zombies; this is my true trump card."

"No matter how strong you are, your power can only be used against those weak zombies. As for me, your attacks can't even hurt a hair on my head. I have nothing to fear."

"In other words, all I need to do is stay here quietly until your attacks can no longer continue, and that will be my victory."

The first ability user clicked his tongue in displeasure.

Another minute passed.

There were only four minutes left, yet he still hadn't even figured out the enemy's exact location.

"Is this really something a coward like you would do? Do you really enjoy hiding in the shadows, trembling with fear?"

"Excuse me, but I said it a long time ago: I am a qualified human being. What makes humans truly powerful is their wisdom. I am completely different from a monster like you who only knows how to destroy everything."

Although I hate to admit it, that's the reality.

The first person knew very well that if he couldn't find the Phantom's actual location and defeat him, then his chances of winning would be over.

Damn thing!

"Mr. Fangfang...!"

Hatsune Miku, who was straddling the Phantom, immediately showed a worried expression.

Although she was indeed standing next to the Phantom, from her perspective, she simply appeared to be sitting astride the rooftop. Even she had no idea where her true self was.

If things continue like this, Accelerator's chances of winning will be infinitely close to zero.

We absolutely have to do something!

'But... what can I actually do?'

Hatsune Miku does possess incredible power, but it's only enough to stop zombies for about three seconds.

She increasingly felt that she was nothing but a burden.

"no…"

The girl gritted her teeth and racked her brains with all her might.

There must be something you can do yourself.

I can definitely help Accelerator with my own abilities... but how exactly do I do it?

Even if she unleashed her full power, she could only stop the zombies from moving for three seconds at most; that level of power was practically nothing.

"...Huh?"

She suddenly realized something.

The power of Hatsune Miku's voice is to stop a zombie from moving for three seconds.

—But is that really all there is to it?

Ultimately, it's just because Hatsune Miku has only ever given the order to stop the zombies.

If the Phantom and what she said can be heard by Accelerator, then it means that these zombies can definitely hear what they say as well.

All you need to do is change your approach.

Besides simply stopping other people from doing things, I might be able to do other things as well.

"If it were me...!"

Hatsune Miku has made a decision.

She quickly bumped into the phantom beside her and stood up abruptly.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The phantom's eyes widened, and without hesitation, he used the blade in his hand to stab Hatsune Miku.

But until then.

"Listen to my command... zombies, attack the one who controls your souls!!"

Phantom did mention that before.

His ability is at the level of manipulating souls, and this applies to zombies as well.

The command has taken effect.

Boom—!! The zombies that were originally planning to attack Accelerator all stopped their actions.

He turned around and lunged in a certain direction.

—That was not far from where Accelerator had started.

“Asshole…!!”

Phantom immediately raised his hand, his deep blue eyes shining again, and in one breath he subdued all the zombies in front of him.

The zombie, whose soul had been controlled, floated up like a puppet and was then thrown away by him.

But it was too late.

"—Is it right there?"

A demonic voice came from there.

By the time the phantom came to its senses, the first monster had already stomped the ground apart.

He easily kicked a pebble, which instantly struck the spot where the zombies had originally rushed.

Thump—! A muffled sound exploded instantly.

Although the pebble did indeed streak across the horizon like a missile, a human figure was revealed in the process.

That was Phantom, and a solid bloodstain instantly appeared on his arm.

"asshole!"

He glared at Hatsune Miku beside him; his position had been completely exposed.

The phantom raised the katana in its hand and slashed down mercilessly at Hatsune Miku's delicate neck.

But before that, an ominous white had already descended.

Bang——! !

Accelerator's unique sound effect, the reflected sound effect, rang out.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! The blade of the katana twisted instantly, like burnt maltose, and blood spurted from Phantom's arm. He was sent flying by the reflected force.

"Guwaa ...

The blade in Phantom's hand was ruined, and his hands were nearly broken. He knelt on the ground, clutching his hands tightly.

General.

"Damn it, if it weren't for that woman... if it weren't for that woman!!"

"Have you had enough of these useless tricks? You're so despicable."

The phantom suddenly looked up.

And just like that, the monster stood before him.

The strongest, number one, reigns supreme here.

"Then I'll show you just how far I'm capable of!"

——————————————————————————————————————————

The battle is over.