The military helicopter touched down five hundred meters from the vortex.
The wind from the rotors felt like razor blades against my hypersensitive skin. Dr. Mai's potion was still active, making the fabric of my coat feel like steel wool rubbing against a sunburn.
"We are entering the exclusion zone," Detective Sae shouted over the engine noise. She was strapped into tactical gear, holding a mana-rifle. "Everyone, activate your Mental Shields!"
Ayaka Saionji sat across from me, looking impeccable in a designer combat suit. She didn't have a rifle. She had three S-Rank bodyguards and an aura of absolute boredom.
"Mental Shields are for the weak," Ayaka scoffed. "My desire is absolute. No illusion can sway me."
(That's great for you. I'm just trying not to vomit from the motion sickness.)
Runa adjusted the straps on her sword case. She looked at me with concern.
"Master? You are trembling."
"I am... vibrating," I corrected, gritting my teeth as the chopper landed with a thud that sent shockwaves of pain up my spine. "To match the resonance frequency of the Gate. It prevents the dimensional shear from tearing us apart."
"Incredible!" Runa gasped. "You are protecting the entire squad with your own body?!"
[Target Status: Awestruck.] [Desire Points Gained: +50.]
We disembarked. The air smelled of ozone and rotten flowers.
The S-Rank Gate loomed ahead. It was a tear in reality, pulsating with a sickly purple light. The sound—that haunting melody—was louder here.
"Move out!" Sae commanded.
We walked into the darkness.
Crossing the event horizon of a Gate usually felt like walking through cold water.
This time, it felt like walking into a fever dream.
One second, we were in Shinjuku. The next, we were standing on a floating island made of pink clouds. The sky was a kaleidoscope of shifting colors—gold, violet, and crimson.
"What... what is this?" Sae whispered, lowering her rifle.
Her eyes glazed over.
"Justice..." she murmured. "A world without crime... everyone following the rules... perfectly organized filing cabinets..."
(Filing cabinets? Really? That's your deepest desire?)
I looked at Ayaka. She was smiling, but it was a vacant, terrifying smile.
"Mine," she whispered, reaching out to grab the empty air. "The world... the stars... Renji... all in my collection case..."
Even Runa was affected. She dropped to her knees, hugging her sword.
"Master praises me..." she giggled. "He patted my head... twice..."
I looked around.
I waited for the hallucination to hit me. I waited for the Siren's Song to show me my deepest desire (which was probably a soft bed and a working pancreas).
Nothing happened.
The pink clouds looked like pink clouds. The sky looked like a bad screensaver. The melody was just... noise.
[System Alert: Mental Attack Detected.] [Status: Failed.] [Reason: Target has 0 Mana. The illusion has no medium to latch onto.]
(Oh. Right. I'm empty inside.)
Because I was a Mana Void, the hallucinogenic mana passed right through me like light through a window. I was immune not because I was strong, but because I didn't exist in the magical spectrum.
"Get a grip," I said, my voice cutting through the silence.
The three women didn't react. They were deep in their fantasies.
I sighed. My skin was itching.
"I said," I walked over to Sae and flicked her forehead. "Wake up."
Thwack.
"Ow!" Sae blinked, the blue glow returning to her eyes. She looked around in panic. "Where... what was I doing?"
"You were drooling over office supplies," I said dryly.
I walked to Ayaka and snapped my fingers in front of her face. "Heiress. The cage isn't real."
Ayaka shook her head, her predatory focus snapping back. She looked at me, then at the bizarre landscape.
"I... I lost control?" She looked horrified. "For a moment... I was happy."
"Happiness is a trap," I lectured, channeling my inner edgy anime protagonist. "Focus on the mission."
Finally, I kicked Runa lightly on the shin. "Stand up, disciple."
"Yes Master!" She jumped up, wiping drool from her mouth. "I apologize! The vision... it was too beautiful!"
The three of them looked at me. They saw a man standing in the middle of a psychic hurricane, hands in his pockets, completely unaffected.
"How?" Sae whispered. "Even with my S-Rank mental resistance, I slipped. But you... you didn't even blink."
"The world of desire holds no sway over the Sovereign of Desire," I lied, suppressing a cough.
"He has transcended want," Runa explained breathlessly. "He exists in a state of pure Void."
(I want a cheeseburger. I want one so bad.)
"We are not alone," I said, pointing at the sky.
The kaleidoscope clouds were swirling. Dark shapes were descending from the crimson rift above.
They looked like women with bird wings instead of arms. Harpies. But not the ugly kind. These were Succubus Harpies—creatures designed to lure men to their deaths with beauty before eating their livers.
"Hundreds of them," Ayaka noted, her mana flaring. "This is the first wave."
The Harpies screeched. It wasn't a bird call. It was a chorus of moans and giggles that sounded terrifyingly human.
"Protect me," I whispered to Runa, stepping back. "I must... analyze their frequency."
(I must hide behind you because if they touch me, I will explode.)
"Understood!" Runa drew her sword.
"Here they come!" Sae shouted, raising her rifle.
The first Harpy dove, claws extended, aimed straight for my face.
(Why me?! Always me!)
I stood still, paralyzed by fear, which naturally looked like supreme confidence.
"Kneel," I thought about saying, but I didn't have the points.
So I just closed my eyes and prayed Runa was fast enough.
SCREECH.