“Sir, what are you talking about?”
“What is an Emanator of Elation?”
“Kai has no idea.”
Faced with the man’s accusation, Kai blinked her wide, watery eyes and wore an expression of perfect innocence.
“I only came here because I wanted to tour the IPC headquarters.”
“Aventurine and Topaz can prove it.”
Her words seemed to carry an invisible pull.
The moment Kai finished speaking, Aventurine and Topaz began nodding.
They quickly stepped forward to defend her.
“Director Diamond, Kai only entered the building because she was curious.”
“She is just a confused young woman who did not understand how serious this was.”
“She has already admitted her mistake.”
“Please do not punish her.”
Diamond’s expression darkened.
What overwhelming power of suggestion.
An Emanator of Elation was every bit as troublesome as he had expected.
“Hmph.”
Diamond gave a forceful snort and lightly waved one hand.
Golden energy surrounded Aventurine and Topaz.
After several moments, clarity returned to their eyes.
As they realized what had just happened, shock spread across their faces.
They were both members of the Ten Stonehearts and carried fragments of an Emanator’s authority through their Cornerstones.
Yet before Kai, they had been completely helpless.
There was no question about it.
Kai was far beyond their ability to handle.
Neither of them hesitated.
Aventurine and Topaz immediately moved behind Diamond.
Kai brought both hands together in front of her chest.
The tips of her index fingers lightly tapped against each other as she pouted.
Her expression was a carefully crafted mixture of loneliness, fear, and wounded betrayal.
“Aventurine.”
“Topaz.”
“Are you abandoning Kai?”
“Does Kai have to be alone again?”
She lowered her head and began to sniffle.
Aventurine and Topaz still felt a pang of sympathy.
However, with Diamond’s power protecting them, they managed to resist the urge to rush forward and comfort her.
Diamond studied their reactions, and his heart sank.
Even under his direct protection, they were still being affected.
That meant this Emanator of Elation might possess greater power than he did.
His wariness of Kai immediately increased.
Diamond was currently the only Emanator stationed at IPC headquarters.
Under ordinary circumstances, several powerful figures would have been present to defend Pier Point.
Unfortunately, one of them had recently departed alongside a fleet transporting construction materials intended for Qlipoth.
Two and a half hours into the voyage, the entire fleet had abruptly lost contact with headquarters.
The ships, the cargo, and the Emanator escort had all vanished without sending a single distress signal.
The remaining Emanators had traveled to the sector where the fleet disappeared to investigate.
That left Diamond alone to oversee the IPC headquarters.
Before Kai arrived, he had never seriously considered the possibility that Pier Point itself might be attacked.
Only a handful of factions in the universe possessed the courage to openly oppose the IPC.
Even fewer would dare strike at its headquarters.
Compared with that possibility, the disappearance of an entire fleet and its Emanator escort had seemed far more dangerous.
Then Kai arrived at the exact moment Pier Point’s defenses were at their weakest.
Worse still, she was an Emanator of Elation.
Preservation, damn it.
Of all the possible disasters, it had to be this one.
Diamond silently cursed his luck.
Unfortunately, there was no point in dwelling on it.
He had to deal with the crisis in front of him.
The more dangerous the situation became, the more important it was to show confidence.
If he displayed even a hint of fear, an Emanator of Elation would only become more reckless.
Diamond released an imposing wave of power and spoke with deliberate calm.
“That is enough.”
“Stop acting.”
“As long as I am here, you will not manipulate them again.”
Kai’s heartbroken expression disappeared instantly.
“Hehe.”
“As expected of an Emanator of Preservation.”
“You really are impressive.”
…
Kai vanished from her position and reappeared atop the rooftop wall.
She crossed one leg over the other and rested her cheek against one hand.
Her other hand continued playing with the purple trigger.
A cheerful smile spread across her face as she watched the three IPC executives.
“You might be able to protect those two.”
“But can you protect the entire IPC headquarters?”
Diamond’s composure cracked.
“What did you do?”
With Pier Point itself at risk, even Diamond could no longer remain completely calm.
Kai did not answer.
She stood on the wall, turned her back to them, and gazed down at the enormous complex below.
“Wow.”
“This building is enormous.”
Several seconds later, she looked over her shoulder and revealed an impossibly sweet smile.
“Kai thinks the whole thing would make a wonderful fireworks display.”
Aventurine and Topaz stared at her in disbelief.
Such a horrifying statement sounded even more disturbing when delivered with such cheerful innocence.
They had known she was dangerous.
They had not expected her to be this unhinged.
Even Diamond was briefly stunned.
He had anticipated that an Emanator of Elation might behave unpredictably.
He had not expected Kai to threaten the IPC headquarters with total destruction.
This was no mischievous prankster.
This was a walking catastrophe wearing a charming smile.
Under their horrified gazes, Kai slowly moved her finger toward the purple trigger.
At that moment, a dimensional portal opened beside her hand.
Numby lunged through it, clamped its teeth around the trigger, and immediately vanished back into the portal.
Another opening appeared beside Topaz.
Numby emerged and proudly presented its prize.
“Excellent work, Numby.”
“Chirp.”
Topaz crouched and affectionately rubbed Numby’s head.
She removed the purple trigger from its mouth and hurriedly handed it to Diamond.
With the device secured in his hand, Diamond regained his confidence.
“Your plan has failed.”
“Surrender peacefully.”
“Has it.”
Kai smiled.
“What made you think I only had one trigger?”
She extended one hand.
Another purple trigger appeared in her palm.
Then she snapped her fingers.
Dozens of identical triggers materialized on the rooftop in front of her.
They formed a small purple mountain.
Everyone fell silent.
Topaz cautiously looked down at Numby.
“Numby.”
“Can you steal all of those?”
“Chirp.”
Numby stared at the mountain of triggers.
Then it looked at Kai’s wicked smile.
The Warp Trotter froze.
Steal dozens of triggers from an alert Emanator of Elation.
Me.
Numby took two small steps backward and began trembling.
Every survival instinct it possessed warned that the friendly-looking woman in front of it was extremely dangerous.
Kai had clearly heard Topaz’s request.
Instead of becoming angry, she smiled and beckoned to Numby.
“Do not be afraid, little Numby.”
“Kai would never hurt you.”
“I promise.”
“You can test that promise yourself.”
Her reassurance only made Numby tremble harder.
The Warp Trotter became convinced that approaching her would end with it being captured and served as someone’s interstellar dinner.
It was just an innocent little creature.
Why was it being asked to face an Emanator?
Overcome with terror, Numby opened a dimensional portal beneath itself and escaped.
Topaz sighed.
She could not exactly blame it.
“What a shame.”
“Numby is so adorable.”
“Kai only wanted to pet it.”
“Am I really that frightening?”
“I am just a sweet, harmless, and completely defenseless young woman.”
Silence.
Not one person on the rooftop believed her.
Sweet and harmless people did not casually threaten to turn IPC headquarters into a crater.
Diamond glanced toward the pile of triggers and narrowed his eyes.
A plan formed almost instantly.
He gave Aventurine and Topaz a subtle signal.
Both of them understood.
Without drawing attention to themselves, they quietly took out their Cornerstones.
The three of them suddenly attacked.
Their target was not Kai.
It was the mountain of purple triggers.
Three streams of golden energy shot across the rooftop.
Each carried a slightly different radiance as it wrapped around dozens of triggers and pulled them toward their respective owners.
Within moments, the entire pile had been taken.
Kai remained motionless throughout the operation.
She did not resist.
She did not even appear surprised.
Diamond could hardly believe how easily it had worked.
Had they actually succeeded?
A clear round of applause echoed across the rooftop.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
“You managed to take every single trigger.”
“As expected of the famous Director Diamond.”
“That was truly impressive.”
Kai’s smile widened.
“However.”
“Who told you those triggers were connected to the explosives?”
“Hehe.”
◉◉◉◉◉
Save to library!