The night was deep.
In an open space under a large bridge, three figures stood. The girl was enveloped in blue electric arcs, and the person standing in front of her smiled slightly, provocatively beckoning her to come at him.
Spiky Hair, the boy, looked lost and self-doubting, saying, "Why did I have to come along?"
Rod and Misaka Mikoto chose to ignore Kamijo Touma's presence.
"Don't underestimate me, bastard old man!" Seeing Rod's provocation, Misaka Mikoto's lightning surged around her, and fierce, surging electric arcs pounced on Rod like wild beasts.
"Honestly, you drawing me is really the worst possible luck." Facing the surging electric arcs, Rod unhurriedly raised the cursed tool: shinbu kai tightly held in his hand.
The lightning struck the cursed tool: shinbu kai in Rod's hand head-on, yet it was like mud entering the sea, causing not a ripple. The lightning was completely absorbed by the cursed tool: shinbu kai in Rod's hand.
In fact, if Rod wished, the cursed tool: shinbu kai could even begin to absorb the electricity stored within Misaka Mikoto's body.
Rod had considered such childish play before agreeing to it. His goal was to make this little girl, who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, understand her own lack of strength.
Don't always rush into duels without first understanding the difference in strength between both parties.
"What is that?" Realizing that all the lightning she released was absorbed by the strange ITEM in Rod's hand, Misaka Mikoto couldn't help but ask.
"Technique disclosure? Well, never mind. What I hold in my hand, in common gaming terms, can be called a 'Divine Artifact'. Its name is cursed tool: shinbu kai, and it can absorb and manipulate the power of lightning, just like this." Rod explained, simultaneously swinging the cursed tool: shinbu kai downwards with his palm. A concentrated burst of intense lightning struck Misaka Mikoto.
Misaka Mikoto, who instantly received a strong electric current, frowned and shouted in dissatisfaction, "What's that? Isn't that cheating!?"
"Cheating? Well, well, well, if that's the case, I don't mind putting the cursed tool: shinbu kai away." Rod shrugged indifferently, provoking her with a hint of mockery.
"Hmph! I don't need it! Don't think that just because electricity doesn't work, I can't deal with you!" A vein throbbed on Misaka Mikoto's forehead as she retorted in annoyance.
Then, Misaka Mikoto showed a confident smile and asked Rod, "Hey, do you know about Railgun?"
"Ah, I do. It's a weapon that uses a super-strong electromagnet to launch a projectile made of a conductor." Rod answered casually, which made Misaka Mikoto's expression stiffen.
She had intended to show off and explain, but who knew the other party already knew this information?
"Cough, cough, well, that's it. Anyway, this is also one of my Items. Try to take this Move." Misaka Mikoto pulled a game coin from her pocket, then flicked it up. As the game coin slowly fell, an extremely powerful lightning glow emanated from Misaka Mikoto's palm.
A sound like a cannonball being fired suddenly rang out. A game coin, shining with brilliant light, came at Rod with unparalleled power.
"Release," Rod whispered, raising his hand. An invisible slash struck the game coin head-on, splitting it in two. They flew to either side, creating two huge splashes on the lake surface.
"My Railgun was cut!" Misaka Mikoto exclaimed in astonishment, completely unprepared for her ultimate Move to be so easily neutralized.
"Getting a bit boring, aren't we? Do you have any other Moves?" Rod yawned, finding Misaka Mikoto's Moves somewhat uninteresting.
"You!" Misaka Mikoto's small face turned crimson with anger. Lightning gathered around her again, but instead of directly attacking Rod, she used magnetism to mobilize all the iron sand in the soil within a two-hundred-meter radius, gradually forming a jet-black blade in her palm.
"Iron sand, huh? Interesting. Are you planning to engage me in close combat?" Rod teased with interest.
"Hmph, who says a sword must always be for close combat? It can also be used like this!" Misaka Mikoto snorted, then swung the blade in her hand. The blade transformed into a whip, striking at Rod.
Facing the incoming iron sand whip, Rod clasped his hands together, and a vivid crimson light shot straight out, like a bloody meteor, piercing directly through the iron sand whip and shattering it into pieces.
"What!?" Misaka Mikoto exclaimed in astonishment, clearly not expecting her Item to be so easily neutralized again.
"Where are you looking now?" Suddenly, Rod's voice came from behind her, causing cold sweat to break out on the girl's forehead. She instinctively looked behind her, only to feel a pain in the back of her head, making her cover it and cry out in pain.
"It hurts so much!" A tear, caused by the pain, streamed from the corner of the girl's eye. Coupled with her flushed, pretty face, it made her appear even more delicate and adorable.
"Hey, little girl, let me ask you a question." Rod ignored the girl's angry glare and then casually asked.
"What?" Misaka Mikoto was also interrupted by Rod's question and asked back.
"Why are you so weak? It's completely beyond my imagination. Are you really a Level 5?" Rod looked incredulous, his words sounding genuinely inquisitive rather than mocking. This made both Misaka Mikoto and Kamijo Touma freeze.
However, Kamijo Touma soon saw Misaka Mikoto, like Pikachu charging up, continuously accumulating electricity. As if responding to Misaka Mikoto, there was a rumbling of thunder in the sky. Accompanied by the low thunder, cold sweat streamed down Kamijo Touma's forehead. He started to Move, no, he started to run. His sixth sense strongly warned him that although he wouldn't die, this bolt of lightning would definitely be 'very pleasant'.
So, he had to escape!
"Heh~ You actually think I'm not a Level 5? Hahaha~ That's really funny." Misaka Mikoto's lips curled into a smile. She straightened up like a zombie, her eyes revealing immense anger.
Rod's words, though devoid of any mockery, were precisely what infuriated Misaka Mikoto. Wasn't this blatant contempt!?
"Yes, why else?" Rod smiled, raised his hand, and in an instant, gripped Misaka Mikoto's slender neck, lifting her up. This caused Misaka Mikoto, who was about to unleash her Item, to gasp for breath, and intense pain wildly warned her brain.
Misaka Mikoto's legs, clad in bubble socks, thrashed wildly. Her hands pressed against Rod's, continuously releasing electricity in an attempt to break free from his grip.
"Why can I easily crush you like an ant?" Rod's expression was no longer casual and lazy; instead, it turned cold. The killing intent in his eyes made Misaka Mikoto stop thinking. For the first time in her life, Misaka Mikoto faced death so closely.
It was as if in the next second, her neck would be easily broken, and she would fall into death. A strong sense of crisis wildly warned Misaka Mikoto.
Drops of clear liquid fell onto the grass. Seeing this, Rod was momentarily stunned, revealing a subtle expression. He released his grip on Misaka Mikoto and turned his back.
He sighed, covering his forehead, thinking, 'I went too far...'
Misaka Mikoto snapped back to reality, quickly covering her skirt. Her face was crimson with humiliation, an unprecedented humiliation. To be so scared that she wet herself, what a joke!