Chapter 121: The Smirk

Carrying Jyorta with a hand, the lady exited the room, wrapping a layer of light around the two. Suddenly, her speed intensified, the situation unknown to Jyorta carried within it, his vision shielded by the barrier of light.

He readily activated his psychic arm, intending to course it through the barrier of light. His psychic arm was blocked, unable to pass through it, the feeling similar to being obstructed by a mountain.

"Don't bother; any psychic arm below the level of a Ground Controller can never hope to pass through my light barrier." The lady said, flashing a smile, her curiosity piqued upon seeing Jyorta's unflustered gaze.

His psychic arm was just a cover, the result expected by him the moment the light barrier enveloped the two of them. The blue soul in him chanted the verse of the creepy-haired man, creating two temporary Soul Corneas, directing them towards the lady.

He didn't bring them out of his body, only keeping them ready for retaliation should the lady attempt to do something. Though, considering the difference in their strength, he didn't even have the confidence in scratching her. No matter the case, he wanted to be prepared nevertheless.

His permanent Soul Cornea exited his body and flashed towards the barrier, passing through it without trouble, gazing at the rapidly changing scenery.

'So, typical barriers designed to block psychic energy are useless against my Soul Cornea. Also, she is fast to the extent I can't even properly inspect the changing surroundings.'

"How is Heima?" The lady's expression turned solemn, "The Madam must have summoned you here for definite reasons. Don't worry; I won't put you in the spot by asking you about it. Just tell me about Heima's condition."

Jyorta paused for a second, thinking it through. He chuckled, speaking in a brisk tone, "She's fine."

He neither went into detail about Heima's condition nor mention about her stipulated recovery time. He didn't know of the reasons for her question, whether she hoped for Heima's recovery or her demise. Without knowing of her stance on the matter, he didn't want to say anything unnecessary and create trouble that might hinder Heima's recovery.

After all, the other party was from the Light Family. Even though he didn't know of her pedigree, judging by her young age and at her strength as a Shifter, he could guess that she wasn't a regular Shifter. Moreover, when she carried him and dashed along the dining area, no one intended to stop her. This fact alone spoke volumes about her.

A barrier appeared around her, blocking her path. It was made by morphing a psychic arm into a cage. The lady lifted her free hand, emitting a flash of light, impacting the psychic cage. A crack formed before her, soon widening to her body size.

The lady disappeared from her confinement, continuing with her sprint. A psychic arm coiled around her leg, seeping into her muscles, vouching to take control of them despite the tremendous resistance.

The lady gushed out a torrent of light from her captured leg, similar to a brook, with each particle apparent, shaped into a blade. They diced and grated the coiled psychic arm, breaking its inherent structure.

Feeling the constriction loosen up a bit, the lady lifted her leg, the exerted force snapping the psychic arm, dissipating the remainder into a waft of psychic energy. She then noticed a figure standing before her, unleashing four psychic arms, with one of them inscribed with mysterious symbols, flashing in and out like a phantom.

The three psychic arms appeared beside her, binding her limbs, suppressing the flash of light she had emitted. The psychic arm with the mysterious symbols hovered next to her, shining a beam of light onto her body, finding the weak spots of the light she emitted the moment they formed, making use of them before she rectified the loophole.

Within a matter of seconds, the lady was bound by the psychic arms, allowing Jyorta to escape from her hold, giving him the reprieve to hide behind Anruk Light. Glancing at the lady having dropped her resistance, he diverted a psychic arm to make a quick inspection of Jyorta.

Noticing that he was unaffected, Anruk Light heaved a sigh of relief, retracting the psychic arms that bound the lady. "You shouldn't mess around like that, Anusha. I was this close to getting killed by Madam for failing to look after Jyorta."

"I was just curious about Heima Bone's state," Anusha Light clenched her hand into a fist, regaining control in them. "Now that I am privy to her condition, I can relax."

"Okay," Using his psychic arm, Anruk Light made note of Jyorta's facial expression and his body's emotional state when Anusha replied to him. On concluding that she hadn't interrogated any sensitive information out of him, Anruk Light mentally heaved another sigh of relief.

He created three psychic arms and coiled them around each, masking their vision for a couple of seconds. Anusha didn't mount any resistance, allowing the psychic arm to wrap around her body.

Jyorta felt his vision obstructed for a couple of seconds, feeling a slight amount of inertia. When he regained his vision, he found himself standing in the dining section, occupying the same spot as before. An empty plate had appeared in his hands before he realised, holding a fork and a spoon.

'How was he able to suppress the laws of inertia while moving my body at high speeds from a state of rest?' Jyorta wondered, unable to make heads or tails of the situation. He decided to put the topic at the back of his head and later inquire about it with Madam Mila.

"Let us have dinner; you would have to report to Madam first thing in the morning." Jyorta heard a voice in his ears, the sounds from the surroundings filtered out once again. He observed a psychic arm fixed around his ears, similar to a headphone, blocking out all sounds.

He nodded in response, directing his gaze to the food items layered on a long table. There were food items of all types, most of which he hadn't even seen to date. They all looked colourful and seemed to beckon him, bewitching his palate.

His mind wasn't able to make a choice; so, Jyorta left the decision to his nose, allowing him to be directed to the food of his preference based on his sense of smell. Trailing after a pleasant aroma amid the numerous fragrances, Jyorta arrived before a certain food item—placed within a large bowl, simmering with heat. This was the food item that beckoned him the most, almost forming an affinity with his hunger.

Spotting a ladle placed on the table, next to the large bowl, Jyorta inched his hand towards it, only to find a psychic arm pause his movement.

"Its nutrient content will overwhelm your digestive system. Most of the items here are made to be consumed by Tier 3 and Tier 4 individuals; hence, their nutritional value exceeds what you can digest." As the voice resounded through the psychic arm covering his ears, he saw Anruk Light point towards a certain corner.

Placed in the pointed spot was a food item, lacklustre to the extent it formed a certain effect in its perimeter, preventing anyone from approaching a metre around it.

"That is probably the only food item a Line Controller can digest without problems."

"What if I have the Trait of Efficiency?" Jyorta replied, gazing at Anruk Light's face lighting up in surprise. He then let out a chuckle, waving his hands for Jyorta to drop his joke.

"You have barely been in the military academy for 2 weeks; you wouldn't have even become used to it, not to mention accumulate enough Credits to exchange for something precious. If my memory serves right, the Trait of Efficiency requires 12,000 Credits to exchange."

"Yes, that is true." Jyorta nodded, "You can cross-check with the military academy. There are two of us who have managed to exchange for it."

"Are you serious?" Anusha Light exclaimed, looking pleasantly surprised. Irrespective of their pedigree, everyone journeyed through the same education system, finally ending up in the military academy where they fought for benefits solely based on their individual capabilities.

So, they were all privy of the enormous Credits required to exchange for each Trait, not to mention the struggles required to accumulate them. The fact that someone managed to accumulate enough Credits in the span of two weeks since joining the military academy sought to unnerve them.

Anruk Light closed his eyes, unleashing his domain, ensuring to not overlap with the people seated in the dining section. Ten seconds later, he opened his eyes, showing genuine praise. "It's true."

"There hasn't been anyone who had scored more than you in their first month at the military academy." Anruk Light gazed at him as if he were a monster, realising the reason Atika Light summoned him to Grapple Force.

'Does she plan to nurture him from the early on? But, he's an Esper. It should be impossible for him to Nurture her Skills. Then, why was he invited here? Is it to take a look at Heima?' Anruk Light felt confused, unable to find the reason as to why Jyorta was brought to the headquarters of Grapple Force.

"If you have the Trait of Efficiency, then you can consume some of them." Anruk Light pointed at some food items, having made preliminary inspections through his psychic energy. He sent the thought to the back of his head, unwilling to ponder on the matter until Atika Light informed him.

Seeing that the delicacies he preferred were among the ones Anruk Light had pointed at, Jyorta was satisfied. Filling his plate to the brim, Jyorta followed after Anruk Light, seating himself on an empty spot, occupying a round table bereft of anyone else.

Anusha Light too followed suit, taking a seat to his left, beginning to converse with Anruk Light on certain matters of addressal. All along, he was unable to hear their topic of conversation. He also noticed a faint psychic barrier around his body, preventing him from summoning his psychic arm out.

Moreover, when he glanced at their faces, he noticed their mouths were blurred. It was to prevent him from understanding their topic of conversation should he know of lip reading. Jyorta didn't comment on the matter, acting like one who could read the situation, choosing to have zero intentions to eavesdrop.

The blue soul in him stirred up, sending the Soul Cornea outside his body, allowing it to transmit the contents of their conversation back to him. Jyorta continued to eat, relishing the food upon each mouthful, sporting an expression of bliss. Having consumed the food at the military academy, he felt like his taste buds were beginning to die. Only now did he sense their revival.

The blue soul in him collected the contents of their conversation, segregating it into distinct memory fragments. Also, any other topic of conversation the Soul Cornea could catch was also sent to the blue soul. After all, information could be capitalised into power.

Having overlaid the unfinished false persona—one of calm, optimism, and filled with focus—Jyorta prevented a smirk from forming on his face.