Chapter 503 : House of Horror (3)

The girl's scream triggered a high alert among this group of Ojou-samas...

"What happened?!"

*Biri, Biri

Misaki and her subordinates turned their heads and stopped. At the same time, the crackling of electricity could be heard. Mikoto couldn't control herself, and her power went out of control, causing chaos within the group...

"Ahhh!"

"Misaka-sama!"

The girls around Mikoto were the most affected, especially Kuroko, who was embracing her...

"AAAAHHH!"

But this was to be expected. It was as if the fog had lifted, revealing a corpse in front of Mikoto—a 'Dead Nun,' or so it seemed, with a grotesque and terrifying face. This nun was holding a girl in her arms and began to drag her, as if drawn by some unknown and malevolent power...

Mikoto went into shock. After all, this nun appeared out of nowhere and scared her greatly, causing her computational power to release instinctively...

*ROAR

"Help! Save me!"

The nun roared like a demon, and her victim screamed. The girls recovered from the sudden shock, even Mikoto, but when they were about to use their powers to capture the nun and save the girl, the nun had already disappeared into the shadows, leaving a sinister feeling...

"I..."

Mikoto felt lost. It all happened too fast, and the other girls felt the same, even Misaki...

*Thud

*Ahhh!....

But it wasn't over. Traps activated from the floor, causing several Ojou-samas to be swallowed by holes that closed in the blink of an eye...

Misaki's face fell. All she heard was the screams of the girls, and her eyes shone with worry as one of her subordinates also fell into a trap...

One more step and Misaki would have been the victim of this sinister trap...

This reduced the group by a third in less than 15 minutes, making things increasingly terrible...

(This is bad, very bad....)

Misaki, understanding the human mind, knew how terrible it was to play with emotions, especially fear. For instance, the girl trapped by the nun could use her computational powers to free herself, but she didn't...

This girl unconsciously made herself believe she was a prisoner and that the nun was an invincible and terrifying monster...

Misaki had to do something; otherwise, they would all lose in this stage...

(This is not right, there must be a way out....)

No matter how much Yuki wanted to make things difficult, he would never create an impossible game, especially for this Ojou-sama contest. There had to be a way out...

(Wait...)

Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. She had been forgetting the most important thing and almost fell into Yuki's trap, getting caught in his palm and his games. She almost made the same mistake as the girl taken by the nun. Misaki wanted to slap herself for being so stupid. She was Shokuhou Misaki, the most powerful Mental Esper...

In short, she could also control human emotions...

"Queen..."

Although scared, Junko didn't abandon her duty as the Queen's guardian. Seeing Misaki so deep in thought, she became worried.

*Beep

Taking out her controller from her bag, Misaki didn't hesitate and pressed the button. Quickly, Junko and two other girls around her had their eyes change to a star pattern...

If Misaki wanted to win, the first thing she needed to do was prevent more girls from falling into the Devil's trap and unite forces. But to do that, she needed to overcome their fear, and her ability was perfect for the job...

"Hm?"

Misaki wasn't the only one who thought this way. Ayu had the same idea and controlled two other Ojou-samas...

"..."

Misaki looked at Ayu, and Ayu looked back. There was something in their gaze, as if they were looking at themselves in a mirror...

And as if the Convent could read their minds, the fog cleared, revealing three different entrances in front of the group...

"..."

Without saying a word, Ayu was the first to move with two other girls, taking the right path...

"Huh? What is she doing?"

No one answered Kongou's question, and Misaki proceeded to take the left path...

"..."

A terrifying silence fell as the two groups parted ways. Mikoto, Kuroko, and Kongou couldn't help but look at each other until Mikoto gritted her teeth and took the middle path. It wasn't that she didn't understand what these girls were doing; she just thought it would be easier to solve this round together. Unfortunately, the others didn't share her opinion...

Although unity is strength, it wasn't necessarily the case in this Convent. Misaki and Ayu concluded that it was better to be separated due to the traps, as being in a group increased the number of victims...

"If that's what they want, fine! I can do it better alone; I'll defeat the demon myself!"

With electricity sparking around her, Mikoto disappeared into the darkness. Only then did Kongou and Kuroko react. A deep shiver ran through their bodies, and they ran after Mikoto...

"Misaka-san!"

"Onee-sama, don't leave me!"

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"Hmm"

With her starry eyes scanning the surroundings, Misaki felt increasingly uneasy. This hallway led to the dormitories. There were many beds in the rooms, old and deteriorated. It was all so silent, and the candlelight only made the gloomy corridor even more terrifying...

Misaki didn't feel like she was walking through a dormitory but a creepy cave.

"He~"

Suddenly, a child's voice made Misaki stop...

Misaki turned her head, and Junko in front of her took a battle stance. However, there was no one behind them...

"Hehehe~"

The voice sounded again, and Misaki turned her head sharply, but once again, there was no one...

"Haha, I understand... It won't work, little Yuki~"

Misaki regained her composure. She knew this was simply a distraction and an echo to amplify the fear of their victims. She continued walking but had to stop again. After all, a pale, black-haired boy was blocking her path...

*SCREAM

Misaki frowned, and just as she was about to have one of her subordinates use their powers, a piercing scream came from the boy's mouth. Black tears began to stream from his eyes, and black blood dripped from his lips. At the same time, the candle flames went out, enveloping everything in darkness, and the boy disappeared into the darkness...

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Mikoto's corridor was much the same, but it led to the chapel. The worn crosses and dilapidated chairs made the trio swallow hard...

"Hm?"

However, this wasn't what attracted the trio the most. It was the black coffin on the altar, as dark as ink, and it seemed to have been there for years. The cobwebs and peeling paint were proof of this.

Just seeing it made the trio hesitate to move forward...

"Onee-sama..."

Kuroko clung tighter to Mikoto's arm in fear...

"Misaka-san.... Is that... the Devil's coffin?"

To Kongou, that coffin seemed to be the same one from the story, of the woman who sold her soul to the devil for revenge. If that was the case, then they were right in front of the Devil. If they could defeat him, it would also mean they could leave this place and win these 30 points.

After thinking about it, Mikoto and Kongou looked at each other. They didn't want to get closer, but they didn't want to give up either. Especially Mikoto, who definitely didn't want Misaki to win. So, she swallowed hard and walked forward, with Kuroko holding her arm and Kongou clutching her shirt hem...

"Alright, Kongou-san, Kuroko, get ready..."

Once in front of the coffin, Mikoto clenched her fist, and electricity began to flicker around her. At the same time, Kongou extended her fan, and Kuroko grabbed both their shirts...

The plan was simple. They were too afraid to get closer and didn't want to fall into a trap. After all, the curious always die in the movies.

Kongou would use her ability to open the coffin while Mikoto zapped whatever was inside with her lightning. If that didn't work, Kuroko would teleport them out.

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TN: Who tf is kongou

Ayu is that secret jealous yandere girl iirc?

Welp if you people remember it would be nice to explain in comments (also been a while of this cover picture got any else?)