Esper X Family – Chapter 114 – I Can’t Wait That Long

“I can run by myself.”

“Then run farther! I’ll keep an eye out and make sure nothing hits you!”

Ye Yao turned around and left, but in reality, she was looking for a suitable vantage point.

Shi Dun watched the girl disappear from his sight before rejoining his squad.

The fierce battle continued to rage.

By now, Ye Yao had run to a high vantage point.

She could observe the entire battlefield from here.

Ye Yao looked into the distance.

With the support of his teammates, Zhou Qing was engaged in a direct confrontation with Sequence 077.

Logically, Zhou Qing had experience in defeating the enemy before, so it shouldn’t have been this difficult.

Moreover, he had grown stronger in reality, surpassing his former self.

Yet, Sequence 077 still seemed to be overpowering Zhou Qing.

This was completely outside Zhou Qing and Li Muhua’s memories.

“To buff the boss’s stats for the sake of a plot kill ¹ Scripted defeats in games. … You’re really playing dirty, Wu Mi.”

Ye Yao muttered a complaint, her gaze fixed intently on the scene.

From her position, she could faintly hear their voices.

Amid the intense battle, no one held back their shouts.

Li Muhua: “Captain! The combat data is off! This Sequence 077 is stronger than the one we killed in reality!”

“I expected as much! Give it your all, push your limits to the extreme!”

Zhou Qing’s tone was unwavering.

Li Muhua gritted her teeth.

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“It’s definitely replicating our original outcome. No matter how much stronger we become, Sequence 077 only grows stronger.

The other three teammates will still die. This cycle must have happened more than once.”

After seeing the hint on the wall during the day, the astute Li Muhua had already guessed some truths.

If everything resets after tonight, then they were merely replaying their pyrrhic victory at that time.

No matter how hard they fought, it was meaningless.

Sequence 077 couldn’t be defeated without casualties.

Shi Dun and the others would all make the ultimate sacrifice.

At this moment, neither of them avoided the three resurrected from their memories.

Even if they were destined to die in the cycle, they could still communicate as they did in their memories.

After seeing the hint during the day, Zhou Qing and Li Muhua had already told them the truth.

Perhaps because they were fabricated people, their reactions lacked fear of death.

Instead, they were filled with joy.

“If we can kill him, that’s enough! The Countermeasures Bureau is in dire straits!

Exchanging us B-rank Espers for an A-rank like Sequence 077 is a bargain!”

“What does the cycle matter? Why resist an inevitable fate? If we can take down Sequence 077 before the end, we’ve already repaid the Bureau’s nurturing. We have no regrets!”

“It was a necessary sacrifice. Captain, Vice-Captain, it’s an honor to fight alongside you again.”

Zhou Qing knew that these were the most heroic moments of his teammates in his memories.

Their resurrected versions naturally shone as heroes.

They had no flaws, no hesitation.

After all, in Zhou Qing and Li Muhua’s memories, those who died heroically were definitely fearless.

“It’s not meaningless.”

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The scorching air seemed to burn Zhou Qing’s lungs.

Sequence 077’s fists slammed into his chest like red-hot steel.

Zhou Qing was sent flying, leaving a trail of cracked ground.

“ Hoo —”

The burly man exhaled a puff of hot air, his eyes growing more determined.

Ability,【Iron Will】.

The more dire the situation, the more he could surpass himself.

Whenever his resolve to fight surged, all his attributes would greatly increase.

At A-rank mental power, his ability could steadily boost his attributes, including mental power, by two to three hundred.

If he could maintain his resolve in desperate situations, the effect would double.

With this ability, he was the most likely to grow stronger in battle.

Zhou Qing ignored the burning sensation in his body, his golden eyes fixed on Sequence 077.

“I finally understand why my mental power had somehow increased.”

“What are you talking about? You dare to chat while fighting me? Are all Countermeasures Bureau people this stupid?”

Sequence 077’s response was as sarcastic and infuriating as ever.

Zhou Qing vaguely remembered being thrown off by the trash talk back then.

He was too young, lacking practical experience, relying solely on talent to carry him.

But after that mission, his will could no longer be shaken by anything.

Even after knowing that this was an endlessly cycling world.

“It was in the battle with you that I broke through my limits back then.

A powerful enemy.

Fighting alongside former teammates.

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The ultimate goal etched in my mind.

A cycle I must break no matter what.”

Zhou Qing casually scraped off a piece of his burning flesh.

“You’ll still die tonight, and perhaps you’ll still kill my three teammates, but it’s not meaningless.”

“When I opened my eyes here, I feel my mental power inexplicably increase.”

“Normally, significant increases in mental power can only come from the mental training pod, battle, or sudden enlightenment.”

Ye Yao, who had been sneaking closer, was momentarily shaken.

Bro, WTF!?

This…

Zhou Qing continued to speak as he fought Sequence 077.

Even with multiple injuries, his tone remained steady.

“The cycle’s power wants us to relive the pain of helplessness, but you’ll be disappointed.

This world can reset time and memories, but it can’t reset the mental power I’ve gained in desperate situations.

Each cycle makes me stronger. I may have limits, but how could this world not have its own?

By then, I’ll break the cycle and defeat you, Sequence 077, without a scratch!”

As he spoke, Sequence 077 unleashed an overwhelming burst of power.

The burning flames radiated extreme heat.

Zhou Qing and the others were blasted back.

The three teammates suffered extensive skin carbonization from the terrifying explosion.

Li Muhua, who was analyzing data and giving commands from the back, was relatively unharmed.

Sequence 077 gasped for air, its arms twisted, blood spilling from its mouth.

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“Defeat me without a scratch? You’re joking! If you want to kill me, it’ll cost three or four lives!”

Both sides had reached their limits.

Zhou Qing’s mental power cap was rising significantly.

By the next cycle, he would be even stronger.

His grievous injuries would heal.

Even if his memories reset, his increased mental power cap would remain.

“I’ll break the cycle my way. The sacrifices of my teammates will only fuel my rage.

A pyrrhic victory won’t shatter my will. When the time comes, the cycle will no longer be able to bind me.”

Zhou Qing charged at Sequence 077 again, ready to deliver the final blow.

Sequence 077 was about to self-destruct, aiming to take everyone with it.

From the shadows, Ye Yao finally understood why Zhou Qing and the others were unfazed by the truth of the cycle.

They were using the cycles to level up, to slowly weaken the cycle’s effect.

They would wait until their mental power reached the level where they could resist the cycle.

Then, they would rally other colleagues for a full-scale assault on the world of cycles.

“An interesting plan. It’s indeed feasible, but…”

Ye Yao stepped out of the shadows, black mist gradually enveloping her body.

“It’s too inefficient. I can’t wait that long.”

A terrifying surge of mental power erupted on the battlefield.

A new force had entered the fray!

Author Note

I’ve been busy moving, so the recent updates are a bit irregular. Sumimasen ² 私密马赛sumimasai, gibberish but sounds like the Japanese sumimasen (sorry) ! Text: As long as I act stupid

No one will know that I’m actually an idiot