Michelle was in despair .
She had been betrayed by Jegyll, the one friend who she trusted and could be real with .
Her body could not move .
Her brain had been disconnected from it, and now her own body felt like it was far away .
Ah, I’m so tired—Michelle thought .
When the ideals that her father had dreamed of were shattered, Michelle decided to live while hiding her true feelings .
As a leader, she decided to prioritize the values of the majority over her own .
Save those who needed to be saved, even though it came with sacrifices .
You couldn’t save everyone, but save those that you could .
And in the worst-case scenario, you might have to sacrifice a hundred to save one . She had that resolve when it came to politics .
Kill your emotion and only act based on the logic of numbers you could trust .
It was people who could do this that were fit to lead .
So, no matter how much she agonized over something, she didn’t complain in front of anyone .
She had always acted as if what she was doing was right . And she would lead them with pride .
—However, it had been different with Jegyll .
And now she was betrayed . It dealt more damage to Michelle than she could have ever imagined .
And that was why the lock to the door had broken .
(I don’t care about what happens now…)
She muttered without a voice .
Despair and then resignation . It seemed natural enough .
But…
–Don’t give up, Michelle . If you give up, the Mobius System will become uncontrollable—
Her father’s voice awakened her consciousness .
(Yes… It’s too early to give up…)
Even though she could not move her body, her mind was healthy .
The Mobius System was already running, but she could still…
Besides, there was something strange about Jegyll’s betrayal .
(Yes, now that I think about it…)
When she thought back on it, Jegyll had seemed odd .
Her voice and movements were the same as usual . Michelle had occasionally said things that referenced their past as they talked . And Jegyll had reacted properly every time .
And so Michelle assumed that the strangeness she had felt must be nothing . However, now she considered the possibility that something she wasn’t aware of was at play here .
The ‘brain’ was an important organ and was protected in several ways . That meant that hypnosis and brainwashing should not work, but she couldn’t be completely confident about it either .
After all, something similar was happening to herself currently .
Perhaps Jegyll had also had her ‘brain’ isolated from her body and had the information stolen—in spite of knowing very little, Michelle was able to make a guess that was very close to the truth .
(If that’s true, then I cannot give up here!!)
Her fighting spirit burned anew, and she considered what it was that she could do now .
Her body wouldn’t move .
The only thing that she could do now was to pray for Jegyll and the resistance .
However…
Michelle’s consciousness was combined with overwhelming energy that overflowed from her . Her thoughts now moved silently, but faster than the speed of light, towards the hearts of those she believed in…
Michelle’s prayer reached Jegyll as well .
However, it was too late to change anything .
Karman had transformed most strangely . And Jegyll could no longer handle him .
At first, Jegyll had had the advantage with Machinery Arts, but now, none of the attacks could deal a finishing blow .
Karman had incredibly healing ability—it was superior to even the Super Beasts, and he healed immediately after Jegyll dealt any damage .
No . If anything, it seemed like his defense ability was improving every time he healed . Just as a broken bone is stronger after being healed, the Dragonic Armor seemed to react as if it were a living creature .
Furthermore, Karman showed that he could adapt to Jegyll’s movements .
While Jegyll should have been the more skilled of the two, her attacks were no longer hitting their target .
Yes, it was as if he had eyes on the back of his head . He was able to deal with attacks from all directions .
And it wasn’t just that .
She was able to place her palm on his armor, but it was poisoned .
The powerful acid would burn her hand .
The shock from the hits and the plasma that hit her upon contact . It was so bad that all of the previous damage did not seem like much to Jegyll .
The various firearms and methods of counterattack .
It was at the same level as the Machinery Four or even higher in terms of energy output .
And this perfect defense that Jegyll could not penetrate .
Karman had completely stopped Jegyll’s most powerful method of attack, End Vibration .
It took apart molecules and atoms by causing a certain area to vibrate . It was an incredibly destructive skill that was supposed to be impossible to defend against .
As far as Jegyll was aware, the only way to do this was to create a special barrier that rejected and sealed away any external forces…
Yes, Karman was using the Ether Ring Barrier .
(What’s happening? You shouldn’t be able to control the Ether Ring Barrier without the Star System… You have to create ‘ethers’ with the use of a linked particle accelerator…unless, he recreated it!? Do those strange suits they wear come with the Star System installed!?)
Jegyll could not help but come to that conclusion .
She didn’t want to believe it, but when it was happening right before her eyes like this, she did not have much of a choice .
(How could the resistance of all people have access to such technology…?)
She had so many questions, but now was not the time .
As her strongest attacks had been ineffective, Jegyll had no way of defeating Karman .
And before she knew it, Karman’s men had joined the fight as well .
They were wearing the Powered Suits that should have been destroyed as they toyed with Reiz and his men .
The Super Beasts were there as well, and the battle turned into chaos .
She could not expect reinforcements or the possibility of being revived after death .