Chapter 425: The Power of Wishes

Hearing the distant shout, the Priest smiled.

Qinggang’s Ability User had performed impressively, grasping the nature of his power in no time.

They weren’t wrong—his ability was ‘Wish.’

Using ‘Wish,’ he developed and expanded a whole array of different powers.

Having undergone professional, comprehensive training at the Technology Church and simulated numerous ability types, the Priest had always firmly believed that while the abilities in this world were diverse, ‘Wish’ was the strongest and most untouchable.

……

For as long as people exist, no matter what they do, wishes will form.

Even if he just went to get a glass of water, there would be the wish to quench his thirst by drinking it.

Even a cold bullet flying from afar would inspire the wish to have it strike the enemy’s vital spot.

His power—that was, by fulfilling these ‘wishes.’

……

Wishes granted. Wishes denied. Wishes distorted.

He could charge a fee by granting another’s ‘wish.’

Those who received his promise would find their actions bolstered by his Mental Power, smoothing the way for them.

But in exchange, a portion of their Mental Power would be siphoned off by him.

Just like when he sensed someone trailing him and didn’t rush to expose her—since her wish was simply to follow him, he satisfied her wish and, without her knowing, secured an opportunity to extract a fee.

Thus, when firing, his target would forget to dodge, sometimes even instinctively heading straight for the muzzle.

He could also refuse others’ wishes (provided their wish was related to him or in close proximity).

Those whose wishes he rejected would feel a surge of dejection and disappointment, even losing the root of their desire.

So, any ability covertly launched against him would vanish when he rejected it.

More importantly, he could distort others’ wishes…

Again, provided those wishes were connected to him or very near him.

The distortion was much like when he was besieged earlier—simultaneously fulfilling every attacker’s wish to strike him.

He merely altered and twisted the target of those wishes.

Thus, their abilities ended up affecting others.

The onslaught from ability users was, of course, terrifying.

Especially when you knew nothing about your opponents’ abilities or even their numbers.

Yet, confident in his own ability, the Priest felt no fear facing off against Qinggang’s Ability Users. In a way, he even found them laughable—those who only knew how to clean up special pollution hardly qualified as true ability users.

Even though they seemed to grasp his power almost immediately, it was all for naught.

A clash between ability users could change the tide of battle in mere microseconds.

Not to mention that his current maneuver wasn’t even a matter of microseconds anymore.

……

……

Musing over these thoughts, the Priest smiled and strode to the riverbed, raising his gun.

The high school girl and the short-haired woman were visibly panicked, trying every means to vanish from view. Unfortunately, it was useless—their wishes had been anticipated, and he could pinpoint their locations through them.

Glancing at the riverbed below, he found it empty. It seemed the high school girl had used her power to distort his vision.

Unruffled, the Priest raised his gun and aimed at an open space before a smile crept across his face.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

Bullets flew continuously from afar—likely fired in a hurry by that Spider-type Ability User hiding in the shadows.

But the Priest’s position was in a spot where bullets simply couldn’t reach.

No matter how skilled the Spider-type was, bullets never curve.

Meanwhile, another opponent—a woman who had trailed him and apparently used curses to wield her power—had already been hit. Her disrupted Mental Power rendered her useless. The remaining foes, however…

Pondering this, he raised his gun, his finger curling on the trigger.

At that moment, his view of the riverbed was completely clear—no one in sight. It wasn’t surprising; the short-haired high school girl seemed capable of warping others’ senses, so even if someone was below, she could hide them from his eyes.

But that wasn’t important.

Judging by their speed and the circumstances, he was sure they were still on the riverbed, covered by a hail of bullets.

Thus, with a barrage overhead, blood was sure to spatter below.

He had already grasped the overall situation.

……

Yet, suddenly, he realized something was amiss—there was still one more Ability User left.

The kid who had just been sitting on the bridge, intently focused on his computer.

What kind of Ability User was he?

As he mulled over this, the Priest suddenly sensed danger behind him paired with a sinister, chuckling sneer.

His face tensed, and he spun around, gun aimed at his rear.

But where the muzzle pointed, there was no one. At that very moment, he felt a kick on his rear.

The kick wasn’t especially forceful, yet it tightened the Priest’s already tensed muscles, sending him lunging forward.

He swung his gun back toward his rear, anticipating that the attacker, silent until now, would follow up with another kick or binding maneuver in the next moment.

But he hadn’t expected that as soon as he turned, his vision would turn gray for a second.

Excruciating pain shot through his eyes as a handful of dirt was thrown directly at them.

…The culprit hadn’t even tried to hit a vital spot—just flung dirt in his eyes.

It had just rained lightly; where did he get dry soil from?

……

Overwhelmed by the sudden, blinding pain, the Priest’s panic peaked as his sight was robbed from him.

Without a second thought, he discarded his gun, snapped his fingers, and shouted, “Wish Denied…”

As soon as the words rang out, an invisible Mental Force Field burst forth.

Within this field, several sounds erupted in an instant.

There were the sounds of bullets striking the soil nearby, splattering dirt.

The rustle of grass on the riverbed and the rapid footsteps of two people running.

The distant whistling of a dagger that flew and embedded itself next to his hand.

He could feel that these attacks, intended for him, had been twisted by his power.

At such moments, his only survival method was to use this ability.

To reject any wish directed at him.

It was a power of immense utility.

There was still a chance.

……

While desperately employing his ability to reject all wishes for survival, the Priest rubbed his eyes vigorously.

After just two rubs, he could barely see outlines once again.

Fortunately, the attacker had only thrown dirt and not lime.

As his vision began to clear, the Priest quickly reached for the gun beside him.

But his hand closed around empty air.

It appeared someone had taken his gun while his eyes were closed—a swift kick sending it skittering away.

An inexplicable anger welled up inside him.

Before he could vent, a tug at his right hand caught him off guard.

The Priest was startled to find someone trying to snatch his Silver Case.

A deep sense of foreboding surged through him; the power from his recent wish rejection was still active.

To his astonishment, the assailant wasn’t there to harm him but merely to steal his belongings.

Since the case wasn’t an extension of his own body, he managed to get within range to touch it.

Luckily, the attacker’s strength wasn’t overwhelming, so the Priest pulled desperately to retrieve his case.

Through his blurry vision, he saw that the one vigorously tugging on the case was none other than the kid from the bridge—the one with thick glasses who had been intently focused on his computer. But now,

that kid’s glasses glinted coldly, a mischievous smirk playing on his face—a veritable little demon.

Fuming and anxious, the Priest summoned all his strength to pull the case back.

Yet, he hadn’t expected that after channeling his true power, the kid suddenly let go.

The Priest’s pull went in vain as his own force sent him tumbling backward, rolling on the ground.

“Hahaha…”

The kid’s prank had succeeded—standing with hands on his waist, he laughed triumphantly at the Priest.

“Damn it.”

The Priest’s eyes burned red with fury.

Although usually amiable, he was never known for his broad heart when angered.

Everyday irritations kept him up at night, but now, facing these Qinggang Ability Users, he felt utterly humiliated—especially since the one insulting him was just a kid.

He let out an involuntary roar and struggled to stand as his vision nearly recovered.

Determined to show no mercy, he resolved to kill every opponent.

Then, at that moment, he saw the kid suddenly pick up a mini submachine gun.

With a wicked grin, the kid cocked the trigger in his direction.

Sweat beaded on the Priest’s forehead as he snapped his fingers once more, shouting, “Reject Wish…”

It was the second time he had unleashed this ability in quick succession.

The moment his words rang out, bullets erupted from the kid’s mini submachine gun.

“Rat-a-tat-tat…”

Bullets rained around him, splattering vast amounts of dirt.

In an instant, several bullets struck the Priest’s legs, lower abdomen, and hand—the searing pain and shock overwhelming him. He cried out as he curled up on the ground like a giant shrimp.

“Ah…”

Across from him, the kid, upon seeing the Priest’s wounds, also jumped in fright.

His hand, holding the mini submachine gun, trembled violently.

His pale face betrayed his shock, as if he hadn’t expected such a scene.

Just before the Priest almost blacked out from the pain, he caught the kid’s terrified expression and suddenly understood the problem.

……

His ability was called ‘Wish,’ though in truth it was a distortion of the subconscious.

He often let his ‘wish’ slip from his lips simply to mislead his opponents.

Some foes, thinking they’d figured out his power, would act all clever.

They knew he could reject or distort wishes, so they deliberately wished not to hit him or to avoid targeting him, hoping this tactic would cheat his power and harm him instead.

But unfortunately, they only deceived themselves.

No matter how he thought about it, deep inside, if one wished to attack, they would attack.

Even if he intentionally diverted the bullets, he secretly hoped they would strike him.

Such subconscious thoughts were immutable.

Thus, his ability to reject wishes was, in a sense, infallible.

No one can betray their subconscious.

……

This ability was nearly unbeatable in close combat—until he met this kid.

The kid hadn’t even intended to hit him.

It was all just a prank, drawing a line with bullets by his side.

Unlike those who sought to deceive themselves, the kid’s subconscious was purely mischievous, with no intent to harm.

But fate had it that his rejection of the kid’s wish caused the prank to backfire.

And so, the bullet ended up striking him.