Smoke from the scorched surroundings mingled with the white plume he exhaled from his mouth. Stiyl casually straightened his somewhat disheveled black coat.
A sharp, twisting pain shot through his stomach again, making him frown involuntarily.
This really hurts. Do all the kids in Academy City fight this hard?
Speaking of fighting prowess, the performance of his own disciples was just embarrassing.
He was only thirty or forty meters away from where the three magical girls were being held. So close, yet so far—because they were suspended mid-air, he had little confidence he could actually rescue them.
Even if he used magic to move at high speed, he couldn't be sure the three figures in his sight were really his disciples.
They were more likely illusions conjured by an opponent using something like a mirage ability.
Things had suddenly gotten a lot more troublesome. He always found headaches when facing opponents with similar tricky abilities.
Fortunately, the situation had shifted again. With Kanzaki Kaori's arrival, their side had gained a Saint—though it was hard to predict what choices someone of her temperament would make.
After all, this Saint not only possessed the spirit of an ancient Yamato Nadeshiko, but she was also serious, principled, and adhered strictly to common ethics and morals.
She never killed, nor allowed anyone to be killed before her eyes. She would even extend a helping hand to those beyond saving.
Back when she was trapped in that magic circle, she'd chosen to spend months setting up a seal rather than kill its core—Conan.
She was very different from Stiyl, who was purely pragmatic.
As long as the objective was achieved, he would execute any command, no matter how gruesome, if the benefits outweighed the costs. He was the perfect executioner.
"That magician seems to know Kanzaki-san, but even if they're acquainted, I'm not just going to stop here."
As she surveyed the wrecked corridor and the ruined Judgment Branch 177 office, Natsume Sonoko thought uncharitably, even though half of this was definitely someone else's fault.
Alright, fine, Natsume-san was partly to blame too, but she'd take responsibility properly!
Even when she got into fights in public, she always cooperated fully with the Anti-Skill officers' investigations—though she'd never actually been made to pay for anything. Her meager scholarship wouldn't have covered it anyway.
"Shirai-san, is everyone alright?!"
Uiharu Kazari's voice called from afar, accompanied by the whirring sound of robot wheels moving.
Dozens of cleaning robots had gathered around the building's ground floor. Uiharu, holding a PDA in her hand, shouted up worriedly toward Shirai Kuroko, who was still in the air.
Saten Ruiko, having somehow procured a baseball bat, stood guard nervously beside Uiharu.
"Of course we're fine. Have you managed to contact Anti-Skill?"
A mere second later, Shirai-san's wheelchair met the ground with a firm thud, her expression serious.
Misaka Mikoto landed gracefully nearby, her own gaze sharp as she scanned the area.
"We have, but…" Uiharu hesitated, her eyes darting around the unnervingly quiet streets.
It was supposed to be a busy district, yet there wasn't a single unrelated person in sight. For Uiharu, who had never witnessed magic before, the silence was deeply unsettling.
"It's alright. We have the advantage right now," Shirai-san reassured her.
The moment the culprit showed themself, Shirai-san was confident she could subdue them—as long as it wasn't just another shadow like before.
The existence of a spatial ability user was a natural counter to physically frail opponents.
"Wait, sensei can't let you go out!"
Not far from the building, Komoe-sensei's frantic voice rang out.
At the same time, Meigo Arisa stumbled into view, bracing her hands on her knees as she gasped for breath.
"I'm sorry."
"All of this… it's happening because of me. I can't just hide away. No matter what happens, I'm the one who should face it."
Her eyes held a mix of stubbornness and sorrow as Meigo Arisa straightened up, her resolve plain for all to see.
Whether on the streets or anywhere else, her dream was simply to sing.
To fulfill her own purpose in existing while bringing happiness to others—not to let people get hurt because of her.
"But it's too dangerous, Meigo-senpai, you really should…"
The Tokiwadai Ace, the Railgun herself, looked rather disheveled: her uniform was singed and yellowed, her hair was a mess of stray locks, and her skin was flushed an angry red.
Hearing Arisa's determined words, Misaka Mikoto frowned and immediately moved to object.
Their target was this very senior. No one else was in as much danger as she was.
"Onee-sama."
Shirai Kuroko reached out and tugged gently on Misaka Mikoto's arm, shaking her head to stop her.
Onee-sama could be so bad at reading the mood sometimes, especially when the other party had stated their position so unequivocally.
If this high school senior had already made up her mind, short of restraining her, there wasn't much they could do.
"In that case, let's face it together then! Whether as a fan or a friend, I'll always stand by Arisa's side!"
Saten Ruiko declared fearlessly, swinging her baseball bat through the air for emphasis.
"Oh, right. Where's Natsume-san?"
Scratching the back of her head, Saten-san began looking around.
BOOM.
The two connected walls shuddered violently once more, shaken by a massive shockwave of compressed air.
The figure of a red-haired magician tumbled down from one side, saved from further injury only by the thick shroud of flames enveloping him.
A certain troublesome bun-girl had seized the moment he was chatting with Kanzaki-san to launch a swift ambush.
No—calling it an ambush wasn't quite right. It was a legitimate move.
They were still in the middle of a fight, and he was the one dividing his attention.
Spitting out his cigarette butt, Stiyl, who had only been grazed by the shockwave's edge, felt as if he'd been struck by a sledgehammer.
But he wasn't a magician who relied on physical prowess. The rune cards in his hand blazed with intense light, instantly conjuring a dense sea of flames at his side.
Using that brief moment, he rearranged some runes, his body propelled dozens of meters to the side as he used the intense heat to mask his trail.
"Tch, you think just because you're hiding in a fire I can't find you?!"
Natsume-san's aggressive shout echoed in everyone's ears, a stark contrast to the usually proper, gluttonous, and lazy girl they knew.
"Is that really Natsume-san?" Uiharu asked hesitantly, seeming unsure.
"It should be. You know, ever since that girl became a Level 5, her temper's gotten worse and worse. She's even started ignoring me when I talk to her."
"It's only natural. Not every esper is as gentle as Onee-sama, after all," Shirai Kuroko nodded as if it were obvious, taking the chance to subtly disparage the bun-girl who kept trying to steal her Onee-sama.
"Is that so?" Uiharu blinked. Could it be that she only acts that way toward Shirai-san? Their relationship really is complicated.
"Enough. Everyone, stop this at once."
Kanzaki Kaori leaped down from the second floor, nodding politely toward the group of girls not far away.
Even without using magic or instruments, Kanzaki Kaori's vision was sharp enough to clearly observe objects 600 meters away, and she could perceive the patterns of air currents around her.
Capable of short bursts at supersonic speeds, the long sword she wielded could cut through lightning, flame, and water. She could even slice a missile in half and emerge completely unscathed.
Kanzaki Kaori, whose true prowess lay in her physical mastery, rightly deserved the title 'Sonoko's Natural Counter.'
Well, to be fair, Sonoko had quite a few 'natural counters,' which was precisely why developing Natsume-san's own supersonic flight ability was absolutely essential.
Holding onto the wish to set everything right, Kanzaki Kaori charged into the sea of fire. Her long blade, still sheathed, already began extinguishing the flames' ferocity.
A massive wave of air erupted from the inferno, churning the earth outward and smothering the remaining fires. With a single stroke—still sheathed—she shattered the rampant ocean of flame.
Several of Stiyl's mirage clones were instantly dispersed, revealing his real body not far away.
"So strong."
Natsume-san couldn't help but blink, a suitably impressed expression appearing on her face.
Kanzaki-san really was incredibly powerful.
Faced with a slash like that, unless Natsume-san reacted in time to counter, even she would be tracked down.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.