An F-Rank Boy is Actually the World’s Most Powerful Person

“…Who are you?”

“Shut up, you don’t have the right to know.”

Mikoyuki gulped at the sight of the deadly intent near the window.

A cold, low voice came from behind. The person was likely a man.

Mikoyuki wanted to turn around and see the person’s face, but the knife at his neck prevented him.

“…Judging by the look of you, you’re not just some thug… Are you from the Dark Division?”

The Dark Division, also known as the “Anti-Special Ability Assassination Squad,” was an organization created to kill ability users. Its headquarters were unknown, but rumors said it was a secret unit created by Russia.

“Who knows… But I can tell you this: I’m also an ability user. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get in here.”

The man kept his guard up even during the conversation.

Mikoyuki remembered what Reese had told him before.

“Listen, if you ever have to fight someone stronger than you, remember these three things: First, never let them get behind you. Second, don’t let them take control. Third, don’t let them cut off your communication with the outside world. Well, ideally, I’d want you to run away as soon as you meet them.”

(Sorry… Reese. I’ve already broken two of them.)

Mikoyuki was in a dire situation, with his back taken and control lost.

He had to at least keep the third rule and not let communication be cut off.

“Hmph… I’ve heard you’re the strongest ability user, but you’re just a child. No match for a professional.”

A professional… The word made Mikoyuki glance toward the window.

The gravel scattered in the wind. As the wind blew, Mikoyuki—

“What are you doing here?”

“I was hired to kill you. It was predicted that you would come to this place… Now, enough talking—”

“That’s a lousy lie.”

“What?”

The man sounded suspicious.

Mikoyuki spoke as he watched the gravel disappear.

“A person like you wouldn’t leave such a mistake. Your ability… It’s probably shadow manipulation, right?”

“…Yes. But how did you know?”

“The reason is simple. I activated my ability as soon as I entered the room. My ability is to know the details of a target, a very inconvenient power… I used it throughout the room and found nothing.”

“…I could have hidden well.”

“No, that’s impossible. I have absolute confidence in my ability. But I didn’t use it on myself. I didn’t think you were hiding in my shadow.”

“……”

The man fell silent.

Mikoyuki moistened his tongue with saliva to speak the next line.

This was the crucial moment.

“But if that’s the case, something’s odd. If you were simply here to kill me, you wouldn’t choose this place. You’re a professional, right? It would be easier at night.”

“But you attacked me here and now. Why? The answer is simple: you didn’t come here to kill me.”

Mikoyuki spoke to the hooded man reflected in the window.

“You came here for this room. Your client is probably from ‘Collad Bomb,’ and you used shadows to get here. When you finished your business and were about to leave, I arrived. Realizing you couldn’t move carelessly, you opened the window and set this up to lure me here… Am I wrong?”

“You talk a lot… I suggest you take up detective work.”

The knife blade lightly cut Mikoyuki’s neck.

A sharp pain ran through, and a bit of blood dripped from his neck.

A little more force and his head would be severed from his body.

They say consciousness remains for a few seconds even after decapitation.

Mikoyuki didn’t like the idea of seeing his own corpse… He sighed softly.

“You’re quite calm… Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

“I’ve faced many such situations… And I’ve crushed them each time.”

At those words, the man fell silent.

A few minutes passed— The sun was still shining.

The wind carrying the summer heat brushed Mikoyuki’s bangs. At that moment—

“…!?”

Things around—the knife, to be specific—attacked the man.

The man twisted his body to the left, barely dodging. Taking advantage of the moment, Mikoyuki distanced himself from his opponent.

“There were no knives in this room… You prepared them in advance.”

For the first time, Mikoyuki got a clear look at the man’s appearance.

Wearing a black cloak, his face was not entirely visible, but his white hair was. He seemed to be in his late twenties… His cold eyes suggested he didn’t care about human life.

“…”

Mikoyuki held the knife that had flown at him in his right hand.

The man reluctantly took out an all-black knife.

Both glared at each other. There was nothing in this room. And probably, neither wanted to dirty the room much.

“—Kamishiro Mikoyuki.”

The man lowered his stance and charged.

A knife attack from below. Mikoyuki matched the blade with his own knife.

In the stalemate, the man continued.

“Sixteen years old. Doesn’t attend high school. No parents, completely alone. Presumably living by yourself now, but I couldn’t find your address…”

The stalemate was broken by Mikoyuki’s upper kick.

Kicking through the cloak, the man threw himself out the window. Looking outside, Mikoyuki saw the man moving along the shadows, embedding his lower body in the shadow and crossing to the roof of a nearby building without regard to gravity.

(If he gets away here, it’ll be a problem…)

Kamishiro Mikoyuki activated his ability and took a step outside.

Then, as if there were an invisible floor, Mikoyuki ran through the air.

The man who was watching threw several knives at Mikoyuki.

While deflecting them with a knife, Mikoyuki used an invisible force to pick up the falling knives and gather them behind him.

“…It’s me. We’ve got a bit of trouble.”

The man, fleeing along the shadows in front of him, wasn’t going to escape for long with Mikoyuki’s speed. While pursuing, Mikoyuki took out his phone and made a call.

The call was to his superior, Reese Eric.

“I already know. It’s a Dark Division operative. Can you handle it?”

“I can. I’ll send the data to you now, and the rest is up to Mio.”

“Understood. But as I always say, don’t do anything reckless.”

That was the end of the call. Mikoyuki put away his phone and looked at the knives behind him. The knives began to tremble as if gathering strength.

“Fire.”

With that command, the knives were launched at a terrifying speed towards the man in front of him. The man tried to dodge to the right but was hit in the leg by one of the knives.

The man tumbled on the rooftop but managed to stand, pulling the knife from his leg as Mikoyuki arrived. Glaring at Mikoyuki, the man cursed him.

“Persistent guy.”

“Sorry, but this is my job.”

“The Paranormal Division, huh? It’s been a year since it was established, but you haven’t achieved much, have you?”

The man dropped his knife and pulled his robe tighter.

“You seem to know a lot about me.”

“Of course. People like you sell valuable information. Especially your ability.”

“My ability? You’ve experienced it enough. Telekinesis.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Could ordinary telekinesis do all this? Did you create a wall of air? The knife attacks earlier were also absurd.”

The man pointed his blade at Mikoyuki.

“As expected of someone from ‘The House of Dawn.'”

At those words, Mikoyuki hesitated slightly. The man didn’t miss this chance and thrust his knife towards Mikoyuki’s neck.

Mikoyuki narrowly avoided the blade and immediately counterattacked. The sound of clashing blades echoed. Their skills were evenly matched, each maintaining a cautious distance and attacking at the edge of their range.

“The ‘House of Dawn’ is an orphanage in the Third City that takes in children without families… but it was actually created for a certain experiment, wasn’t it?”

“You…”

The knife fight intensified.

“The ‘Absolute Evolution Summon Shift’ project. A plan to artificially evolve abilities to SSS rank. The ‘House of Dawn’ supported this plan. But…”

The man leaped back, his shadow stretching behind him in the sunset.

“A few years ago, ‘The House of Dawn’ burned down, halting the project. We initially thought it was due to foreign pressure, but we were wrong. On that day, there were two people inside—Kamishiro Mikoyuki and Alicia Edelhart. The fire started from inside. So, who caused it?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s no longer my concern. But now I understand what you were after in that apartment.”

Mikoyuki glared at the man. The rooftop battle was nearing its end. Mikoyuki lowered his knife and spread his arms wide. The man, ready for any attack, pointed his blade at Mikoyuki.

A gust of wind blew. Mikoyuki moved his wrist, reflecting the sunlight off his knife.

“Guh…”

The man flinched. Mikoyuki charged, closing the distance. But the man was a professional. He controlled his shadow, expanding it widely. Mikoyuki stepped into the shadow.

“What!?”

From the shadow, spikes rose. Mikoyuki twisted his body, a shadow spear grazing his side. He glanced at his side, seeing blood. The wound was deep, likely to the bone.

Trying to move recklessly might expose his organs.

“No problem.”

Ignoring the pain, Mikoyuki continued the fight.

“I thought this would make you retreat a bit… Do you not fear death?”

“Unfortunately. And neither do you, right?”

“Heh, I underestimated you as a kid, but you’re one of us.”

Mikoyuki kicked off the air. The man’s right arm blocked the high kick, minimizing damage while readying a counterattack but not overcommitting.

(As expected of a professional…)

Mikoyuki was swept by a low kick. He steadied himself and aimed a kick at the man’s neck.

“Damn it…”

The man blocked it with his arm, reducing the impact. The wind from the kick blew back the man’s hood, revealing his face in the sunlight.

“Argh!”

The man’s shadow wrapped around Mikoyuki’s arm, tightening. Bones creaked, and Mikoyuki’s body faltered. They were on the rooftop, at the edge near the helipad. The shadow extended from the fence.

With his foot caught, Mikoyuki was thrown into the air.

“You saw my face… This time, you win. Savor the moment… and die.”

Mikoyuki’s last sight was the man covering his face with his left hand, looking down at him before vanishing into the shadows.

“Ugh!”

Mikoyuki’s body was falling. From the high-rise rooftop to the ground, it would take only seconds.

Mikoyuki activated his ability, floating and defying gravity. His breath was ragged, his heart pounding. The unbearable pain made him grimace.

“A professional indeed… capturing him alive was impossible.”

Clutching his wound, Mikoyuki decided to head to the hospital, muttering a rare curse.