"It's Psycho Power! And there's a lot of them!" Guile said gravely. He'd already pulled his military dog tags from his pocket and started doing pre-combat stretches.
"Seems Bison's already noticed us," Chun-Li's gaze sharpened. "How did they find this place?"
"Don't ask. Big data surveillance, obviously." Cloud stood up and rolled his wrists, an excited "finally, some action" expression crossing his face. "Perfect timing—I've been wanting to personally experience what this so-called Psycho Power actually is."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The safe house's reinforced steel door was being hammered from outside, brute force leaving massive dents in the specialized alloy!
The next second—BOOM!—the entire door was kicked clean off its hinges!
Over a dozen fully-armed soldiers poured in, surrounding the three of them.
These soldiers were completely different from the common thugs Chun-Li had been tracking.
They were larger, clad in sleek black powered armor with a sci-fi aesthetic.
Their eyes glowed with an inhuman purple light, and faint purple flames emanated from their bodies.
"Shadaloo enhanced soldiers!" Chun-Li's expression turned grim. "Their bodies have been injected with low-grade Psycho Power—their strength and speed far exceed normal humans!"
"Orders received: Three targets. Terminate with extreme prejudice!" The squad leader spoke in a flat, emotionless synthesized voice, issuing the command.
"Kill!"
All dozen enhanced soldiers simultaneously raised their Gauss rifles and pulled their triggers without hesitation!
Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!
Blue energy bolts rained down on the three like a storm!
"Look out!" Guile roared, crossing his arms in front of his chest. A massive Sonic Boom blade formed instantly, blocking their group!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Energy bolts collided with the Sonic Boom, producing violent explosions and blinding flashes.
"Chun-Li! Get him out first! I'll cover the retreat!" Guile gritted his teeth, maintaining the energy barrier as he shouted.
In his mind, though Cloud was mysterious, he was ultimately just a martial artist. Against this kind of high-tech firepower barrage, he'd definitely be at a disadvantage.
But Cloud just yawned.
"Cover the retreat? No need for all that." He raised a finger and wagged it. "For dealing with these 'spirited' little fellows, I've got a more professional approach."
As he spoke, his figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.
"Where'd he go?!" Guile was startled.
The next instant, Cloud's form appeared like a ghost in the middle of the enhanced soldiers' formation!
"Kagura-Style Ancient Martial Arts—Style 212: Divine Speed Blessing!"
His speed had become impossible for the naked eye to track!
"What?!" The enhanced soldiers clearly hadn't reacted either. They frantically swung their rifles around, trying to aim at this enemy who had suddenly materialized in the center of their formation.
But it was too late.
"Let me show you what real Psycho Power looks like."
A flash of pink-purple light gleamed in Cloud's eyes.
A gentle yet ocean-vast mental energy erupted from his body!
"Psychic Telekinesis!"
Hummmm—
The telekinetic power he'd obtained from Athena Asamiya instantly enveloped all the enhanced soldiers!
They discovered in horror that their bodies were floating into the air, completely beyond their control!
"Wh-what is this ability?! Anti-gravity device?!" For the first time, something resembling "panic" crept into the squad leader's synthesized voice.
"No, this isn't technology." Cloud hovered in midair like a god controlling everything, smiling at them. "This is magic—oh wait, I mean psychic powers."
He extended both hands and made a "wringing towel" motion.
"Spiral Impact!"
"AAAAAAHHH!"
The dozen-plus enhanced soldiers were sent spinning through the air like they'd been tossed into a front-loading washing machine, twisted into high-speed rotating "twists" by an invisible force!
Their powered armor groaned under the massive centrifugal force, straining beyond their limits!
"Let me add a little extra seasoning."
Cloud's other hand pointed at the Gauss rifles spinning wildly through the air.
"Psychic Manipulation!"
The dropped rifles all swiveled their barrels around—aiming at their former owners!
Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!
Blue energy bolts poured out once again!
Only this time, the targets were the enhanced soldiers spinning at high speed!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
In an instant, the entire safe house became the stage for a bizarre fireworks display of "shooting yourself."
Chun-Li and Guile were completely dumbfounded.
Their jaws dropped as they stared at the man hovering in the air, elegantly orchestrating everything like a symphony conductor.
They'd thought this would be a hard-fought battle.
The result...
The fight ended within thirty seconds of starting, transformed into a one-sided "artistic performance" filled with aesthetic flair (and absurdist humor).
"This... this is also one of your abilities?" Chun-Li swallowed hard, feeling her worldview getting rewritten yet again.
"Basic stuff. No need to freak out." Cloud shrugged.
The psychic power he'd obtained from Athena was natural-type psychic ability, emphasizing the application of the "spirit" itself.
Shadaloo's Psycho Power, meanwhile, was the product of using technological means to forcibly convert negative emotions into energy—filled with violence and instability.
Though both were called "Psycho Power," they were fundamentally on completely different levels.
It was like comparing a naturally gorgeous beauty with an assembly-line plastic surgery face.
Both technically looked good, but the quality and depth? Miles apart.
THUD THUD THUD!
Finally, under the triple assault of spinning impacts, collision damage, and friendly fire, the enhanced soldiers dropped from the air like dumplings being poured from a pot—powered armor shattered, sparks flying everywhere, completely incapacitated.
Only the squad leader remained barely conscious.
Cloud slowly descended before him.
"Now it's your turn."
He extended his hand and placed it on the squad leader's helmet.
"Let me check what exactly this so-called Psycho Power of yours is made of."
A massive surge of mental energy flooded into the enemy's mind.
...
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