Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week

The Will-o'-the-wisp Hypnotic World created a Different Space built upon the illusion of the world. As long as the hypnosis on the world remained effective, the space would not disappear. Aozawa could also grasp everything happening within the space. He saw prisoners scattering and running away, and noticed that a few of them seemed exceptionally calm—evidently the extremely vicious type.

The backdrop of this Different Space was simply designed by Aozawa based on scenes from *Berserk*; the Lion Bull Monster was Sotoku's Angel Envoy form. The hypnosis settings didn't need to be supplemented one by one. Instead, they were selected from related memory settings in his mind. Only the aspects he wished to change could be manually manipulated. Moreover, Aozawa could create characters within the hypnotic space that he could directly control. Will-o'-the-wisp would grant him an experience akin to that of a creator, a very powerful superpower.

Aozawa withdrew his hand. He wasn't in a hurry to create characters to play with, as he still needed to train with the Kendo club. For now, he allowed the Lion Bull Monster to roam free.

「At that moment, at Black Hive Prison.」

As a prison housing felons, the staff configuration, from the warden to the guards, was permitted to carry firearms. High walls were topped with electrified barbed wire. Watchtowers, equipped with machine guns, were built on all four sides to ensure their firing range covered the prison's interior courtyard. In the event of a prisoner riot, the warden could directly suppress them with armed force. Such extensive arrangements were in place to guard against a few criminals who were beyond ordinary people. For those individuals, it was difficult to control their actions without a forceful approach.

With such rigorous defense, Black Hive Prison had not experienced any incidents for ten years—until today.

Warden Shirakawa Yu rushed to the prison corridor, glanced around, and said with a look of shock on his face, "What on earth is this?"

"I—I don't know. But ever since this thing appeared, all the prisoners in the prison have vanished!"

The guard quickly explained, his face full of panic, "It was time for mealtime, and I was going to let the prisoners go to the mess hall for lunch. But when I pressed the door open button, not a single prisoner came out. When I went to check, I was met with this scene!"

Shirakawa Yu's face darkened as he stared at the entrance of the cell, where there was a jelly-like membrane. Through this semi-transparent membrane, he could see the utterly empty cells inside. A single prisoner might have been playing tricks, but every cell displayed the same phenomenon. Such a sight clearly transcended the comprehension of ordinary people. Let alone the guards, even Shirakawa Yu did not know how to handle this, nor did he dare to touch it. In movies, surely someone would be curious and reach out to touch, but ordinary people in reality would never entertain the idea.

"Damn it," Shirakawa Yu cursed, then reluctantly said, "Report it to the higher-ups."

"Warden, we have no signal here, the internet is down, and the phones can't get through!"

The guard said in utter panic, "What on earth is going on?"

Hearing this, Shirakawa Yu's face also showed a hint of panic. "You guys stay here," he said. "I'll go outside and contact the higher-ups."

"Warden, if you're leaving, let's go together!"

The guard wasn't foolish. Facing a situation that was clearly beyond normal, it was obviously not safe to stay there. He would rather lose his job than stay in this spine-chilling place. The prisoners had disappeared; soon it might be the guards, and eventually, the entire prison could vanish like a bubble rising into the air. The semi-transparent membrane gave off a strong, ominous vibe.

"Cowards, what are you afraid of?" Shirakawa Yu shouted angrily.

The guards kept silent, expressing their stance through their quietude. If they were not brought along, the warden could forget about leaving the prison either.

The eerie silence forced Shirakawa Yu into deep thought. Between life and authority, he still opted for authority. Within this Black Hive Prison, he was the Emperor. If he lost his position as warden, even if he survived, life would be no different from death. Those who had tasted power would never willingly relinquish it.

"Let's retreat to the outer wall first."

Shirakawa Yu softened his tone and swiftly led the guards out of the prison cells to the outermost wall of the prison. The sky was as gloomy as his mood. "Saburo," Shirakawa Yu said, "take the motorcycle to a place with a signal and call our superiors. Ask them how to handle this situation and request their support. The rest of us will stay here and hold the fort. Any objections?"

The decision was accepted by the guards. They were panic-stricken, but with Shirakawa Yu willing to stay, they were also willing to remain.

Shirakawa Yu secretly cursed them as bastards, then suddenly noticed something approaching from afar.

"Hey, what is that?"

Someone immediately looked through binoculars and shouted, "Warden, that's a military helicopter."

"Military? Are our people coming?"

Shirakawa Yu frowned slightly, feeling that something was off. Based on his understanding of how the Self-Defense Forces operated, it was impossible for them to arrive so quickly.

"Be careful! It could be the enemy in disguise!" Shirakawa Yu yelled, instructing the guards present to be on armed alert.

The machine gun was aimed directly at the sky, ready to shoot down any approaching helicopter at a moment's notice.

The helicopter approached with a ROARING sound. The people aboard also noticed the prison guards' tension and shouted through a loudspeaker, "Uncle Shirakawa, this is Okayama Buji. What's happening at Black Hive Prison now?"

Shirakawa Yu heard the familiar voice, his heart relaxed, and he waved his hand, "Don't be afraid, they are our own people."

The helicopter landed in the courtyard where the inmates used to exercise.

Leading a group of prison guards, Shirakawa Yu approached and began to vent, "Buji, my nephew, you've come at just the right time! All the inmates in the cells have disappeared. We can't establish contact with the outside world either."

"Uncle Shirakawa, there are some things I shouldn't say outright, but you need to know that I'm here specifically to deal with this issue. You all should evacuate immediately."

The first thing Okayama Buji did was to clear the area. He spoke in a grave tone, "Someone is outside to meet you."

"Okay."

Having worked in the government, Shirakawa Yu knew there were some things it was better not to know, to avoid bringing trouble upon himself. Clearly, the authorities had somewhat anticipated the strange occurrences in the prison, which were probably related to a recent series of abnormal events. Such a serious event was not something a minor warden like him should get involved in.

All irrelevant personnel from Black Hive Prison were evacuated. The special task force and SAT personnel took control of the maximum-security prison.

Morimoto Chiyoda glanced at her phone. Since entering the prison area, the signal on her phone had dropped to zero. It was being interfered with by a much stronger signal. And the source of that strong signal was the prison cells.

Is this an enhancement to Dio's superpower? A hint of contemplation appeared on Morimoto Chiyoda's face. At this time, if I'm not mistaken, Aozawa should be practicing Sword Dao. He couldn't possibly have had the chance to tamper with anything here. Alternatively, this newly manifested superpower might not require Aozawa's control and could be a set-it-and-forget-it type of ability. This judgment is based on the assumption that Aozawa is Dio and that he's responsible for this incident. Of course, if I'm wrong, then my speculation is naturally incorrect.

"It's hard to say now, especially since it's happening on a Monday, a critical juncture," Emily said, chewing on her thumb.

She couldn't determine whether the incident was related to Dio. Dio wasn't the only Superpower User; it might have been the doing of another. It might also be related to the Paradise that Dio was chasing after.

"Anyway, let's go in and take a look, but be careful!" Morimoto Chiyoda said.

"Yeah." Emily nodded.

Morimoto Chiyoda also nodded.

In the center of the courtyard stood a square building, which was where the inmates were confined. The group entered cautiously. Morimoto Chiyoda scanned the long corridor, with cells on both sides. The open doors were draped with a semi-transparent film that completely covered them. The cells were empty.

With a thoughtful look, Emily waved and said, "Katerina, Kitanotake, you and three SAT members go in and check it out. The rest of you wait for a minute before entering."

"Okay." Katerina nodded without hesitation. She was fully armed with a submachine gun, grenades, flares, smoke bombs, and a combat knife.

She stepped into the semi-transparent film and was instantly pulled in. Both she and the space around her seemed to experience a spiraling distortion. The soul-tearing agony was brief, too fleeting to fully process, and then it vanished.

Katerina stood on the ground, checking her equipment first, which seemed to be in order. The air was fresh. She looked up at the dusky sky and then at the desolate ground ahead, devoid of green vegetation. A withered, leafless tree stood ahead, bodies hanging from its branches. Thatched huts were to its left and right, and one stood behind her as well. Not far off were human limbs and large footprints that clearly didn't belong to humans. They looked like lion's footprints, magnified several times over.

Crouching down, Katerina examined the prints and murmured to herself, "What kind of monster could leave such huge footprints? And what place is this?"

Kitanotake scratched his head and said, "This desolate place fits the image of Hell quite well."

"Hell, huh? The people locked up here are all felons, so heading to Hell seems about right," Katerina replied, stopping her analysis of the scene. Thinking isn't my strong suit; this kind of thing is better left to Emily.

Soon, Morimoto Chiyoda, Emily, and others appeared from the void in front of the thatched hut.

"Where are we?" Morimoto Chiyoda looked around. This can no longer be explained by superpowers, she thought. It's as though we've arrived in another dimension or world.

"With such desolate scenery, could this really be Hell?" Emily looked around, deep in thought. She then ran toward the withered tree to inspect the hanging dead.

She tore off a piece of cloth, rubbed it in her hands, and as the fabric disintegrated like sand through her fingers, she commented, "This has been here a while, doesn't look like modern clothing."

Morimoto Chiyoda turned her head, her expression solemn. "What's that sound over there?!"