1 The Terror of the Stars (2/2)

Within moments, Alessia appeared in the sky before landing by Miles's side, her white exo-suit was scrapped and scratched while a small trail of blood leaked from her mouth. The fact that she retracted her exo-helmet into her suit to reveal her long golden-blonde hair told Miles that her helmet was probably damaged during the battle.

When Miles opened his mouth to speak to her, he was instead interrupted by her slightly irritated voice.

”For your information, I'm actually fine by the way. Just focus on the bigger picture.”

Alessia was right, Miles had to focus on the bigger picture.

But just because he had to didn't mean that he necessarily liked it.

”I'm going to be honest with you... When I heard that I'm going to need to use 'that' against Cynthia I was actually hoping that Cynthia was nowhere near this damned planet.”

When Alessia heard what Miles had to say, she only sighed sombrely before she turned to him and replied.

”Out of everyone, it just had to be you that was gifted with your type of psionic power.”

Miles's type of 'psionic power' in particular being the power to siphon the psionic energy of other psionics whom he touches, enhancing his own latent psionic power for a short time period in the process.

However, psionic energy was comparable to the 'soul' of a person and siphoning psionic energy would often end with harmful side effects to the victim depending on how much psionic energy was siphoned.

And for a threat like Cynthia, the government of the United Planets of America came to the conclusion that Miles would need to siphon all of the psionic energy of a B-class psionic.

A B-class psionic like Alessia.

However, siphoning all the energy of a psionic will only lead to one fate.

Death.

In other words, Alessia would have to essentially sacrifice herself.

Although, Miles argued and pleaded with his superiors, trying to come up with working alternatives such as siphoning the energy from multiple C and D-class psionics, he was able to convince no one.

In the end, he was forced to concede to this solution.

There was simply no time for an alternative.

Although his eyes were becoming dewy, Miles was able to keep the tears from falling out.

While he knew that he should be acting as quickly as possible, his raw emotions just did not allow him to do so.

With those dewy eyes, Miles kept his mouth pressed together and instead sent a transmission to Alessia's head.

”Forgive me...”

Alessia only shrugged casually when she responded to Miles. As if what he was going to do was 'no big deal.'

”Apology accepted.”

Like Miles, Alessia also kept her mouth shut as she instead chose to reply with transmissions. And just like Miles, her eyes were dewy too.

”Now do your damn job already. I have a feeling that we don't have anymore time.”

Although the green lightning didn't seem to be moving, there was no way that Miles could take risks.

He had to end this.

He had to end this now.

With a heavy heart, Miles slowly grasped Alessia's head with his hands.

With no time to waste, he began the siphoning process.

The moment he started, Alessia's eyes widened as she gasped in pain, her face frozen in a permanent fixture of agony.

The veins in Miles's hands and fingers started to glow a light pale blue as he siphoned Alessia' psionic energy and soon, her skin started to turn paler and paler while her eyes were turning glassy.

Within moments, Alessia stopped gasping altogether before she fell backwards onto the floor limp.

She was dead.

But Miles had no time to mourn.

With the power of two B-class psionics within him, Miles began to gather all the psionic energy into his hands while at the same time, aiming his hands at the source of the green lightning.

Soon, a dim ball of blue light formed itself in his hands.

This was the ultimate technique taught to psionics like him.

Condensed light.

Light strong enough to obliterate anything and everything in its path.

In an instant, Miles released that light, which quickly turned into a blinding light show that awed all those who were present.

Miles felt his muscles strain as he struggled to keep that light directed towards the enemy.

The light itself was so huge that it obscured almost everything in Miles's sight.

However, that light disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.

Having exhausted all of his psionic energy, Miles's hands immediately fell limp by his side as he somehow managed to mutter to himself over his heavy breaths.

”Is... is it over? Did I win?”

When looking into the distance, the silhouettes of the enemy has disappeared and the green lightning was nowhere to be seen.

That could only mean one thing.

Miles just won.

Although it cost him everything, in return, he saved everything else as well.

And that was something that Miles can rest happily with.

Just before he could properly celebrate however, a sudden voice came up behind him.

A calm, soothing voice that sounded as if it belonged to a young healthy woman.

”A commendable effort... However, you forgot one very important crucial detail.”

”Guagh!”

Before Miles could even react to the sudden voice, he felt a sudden pain in his chest.

When he glanced down at the source of the pain, his eyes widened in both shock and disbelief.

He saw his own bloody heart, which lay in the grasps of an equally bloody metallic hand that protruded through his chest.

As Miles felt blood clog up his throat, the voice behind him once again spoke up.

This time, 'she' spoke in a much less friendly manner.

”The flesh is weak.”