Chapter 56: Sovereign Mind

Unaware of everything that had happened after he left, Zephyr felt a hint of dizziness as his figure finally appeared in B City. He felt nauseous, his head as heavy as lead.

Around him, hurried footsteps echoed as countless powerful Espers shouted orders, directing the newcomers arriving through teleportation from the Association’s main branch and various other branches into the chaotic scene to reinforce the B City branch before sending them toward the battlefield.

Others called for people to move out and join the fight, while some shouted for the guides to come and guide the Espers who had corrupted and depleted their energy.

The distant clash of battle filled the air, accompanied by the thunderous roars of monsters and cries of ordinary civilians.

The land Zephyr stood on was trembling, accompanied by the sounds of buildings and houses collapsing in the distance. A strong scent of blood permeated the air.

Breathing heavily, Zephyr raised his head, indifferently reaching out a hand to slowly wipe away the drop of blood trickling from his nose. It dissipated on his fingertips.

Just moments ago, he had been angry.

Not at the emergency team.

Not at the people who pitied him.

Not even at Eleven’s mocking words.

He had been angry at Erick.

For leaving him behind.

For not trusting him, even after Erick had gone out of his way to become his friend and had even accepted him into his team despite the objections of everyone around him. And when that happened, Zephyr had felt a strange frustration stirring within him.

This time, he had wanted to go with Erick, not only to protect Lucien but also to help the man who had become his first friend.

To think, he had actually wanted to prove that he could be useful to someone once again, after so long since they had become friends. Yet Erick had left him behind with nothing more than an apology, as though Zephyr were incapable of doing anything.

Zephyr knew he was blind. He knew that, to everyone else, he was only a B-Rank Esper.

He knew that no one had discovered his true strength or powerful skills yet. And he knew that Erick had made the right choice.

Yet, he was still hurt.

Hurt because he had genuinely believed Erick would take him along. After all, Erick had not said anything when Zephyr arrived.

He had simply let Zephyr stand with the others, never telling him that he would be left behind, even though he had been right beside him. He could have simply told him from the beginning... But no, it was only when everyone was ready to leave that Erick finally told him he could not come.

Zephyr almost wanted to laugh at himself.

Once again, he had allowed himself to care.

Hadn’t he promised himself that he would never care about anyone again in this life?

Only Lucien.

He only needed Lucien.

He should have known better. Even his own family had always considered him useless.

So how could he expect someone who had only just gotten to know him, someone who could clearly see that he was blind, to think of him more just because Erick was kind to him and they had once been classmates?

Perhaps Eleven and his lackeys were right.

Erick, that S-Rank Esper, had only been kind to him because he felt sorry for him. Maybe being accepted into Erick’s team had never meant as much to Erick as it had to Zephyr.

Zephyr’s fingers slowly curled into a fist.

He did not blame Erick.

He blamed himself.

He was still so foolish.

Foolish enough to want to prove himself.

Foolish enough to hope again.

Just like always.

These dark thoughts had filled his mind completely earlier like a shadow, feeding the fury that had been building within him.

That anger pushed his mind beyond its limits, if only for a moment. And without realizing it, he tapped into the knowledge left behind by the Gaya System within his consciousness. And from that vast pool of knowledge, Zephyr unlocked another skill.

Yes, a new skill.

It was the very skill Zephyr had used to make that Esper obey his command and immediately teleport him to B City.

Sovereign Mind (A-Rank) — A powerful mental-type skill that allows the user to impose their will upon lower-rank targets, influencing their thoughts and actions. The user’s intelligence must be higher than the target’s for the skill to work. If the target is exhausted or has depleted their power, the skill can still control their actions even if their intelligence is higher than the user’s.

With this, Zephyr now had five skills.

Corrosion Manipulation (SSS-Rank)

Lie Detection (A-Rank)

Psychokinesis (S-Rank)

Divine Restoration (SS-Rank)

And the one he had just learned today:

Sovereign Mind (A-Rank)

Zephyr’s eyes flickered with coldness.

Now, it was time to show his strength.

Not to prove himself to anyone.

But to gain a foothold in this world that valued strength above everything else.

At that moment, an unfamiliar Esper suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder, speaking between hurried breaths.

"Hey! I have been calling you for hours! Which city did you come from? If you’re an Esper, get to the battlefield! Just follow me! We still haven’t evacuated all the civilians!"

Zephyr tilted his head toward the person holding his shoulder. It had only been a few seconds since he had arrived in B City, but the dizziness had left him unable to hear or process what was happening around him.

Well, it was, after all, his first time experiencing teleportation.

The dizziness was only natural.

He quickly steadied himself.

The next second, a small amount of his mana spread outward as he activated his Psychokinesis skill, allowing him to sense his immediate surroundings. Calm returned to his eyes as he nodded toward the Esper.

"Okay. Lead the way."

The Esper was in too much of a hurry to notice the emptiness in Zephyr’s gray eyes.

He only registered how much shorter he seemed compared to the tall, strikingly handsome man in front of him. Hopefully, this one wasn’t another useless rich Esper who had nothing but a good face to show!

He immediately turned and ran, his hurried voice sounding directly in Zephyr’s mind through the telepathy skill he possessed.

"Alright, follow me! My name is Han. My two teammates, Sara and Felix, are helping kill the strange monsters near a school where some little kids are still trapped. Hurry up! The Dungeon Break this time is really weird. So many monsters came out all at once!"