A two-meter long blade slid from its sheath, stirring the air around it.
With a sharp, hissing sound, a faint, illusory figure materialized amidst the dying embers and scattered flames.
Stiyl's mirage technique also relied on heating the air to alter light refraction, so losing control over the air easily broke his concealment.
Just like Natsume-san, no matter how dire the situation, even if it meant exhausting her computational power, she would never relinquish control over the air.
As the pressure steadily intensified, the red-haired magician could no longer withstand the overwhelming force of the blade's aura, his body gradually fading back into visibility from its invisible state.
At the same time, he clutched a handful of rune cards tightly, ready to activate his magic at a moment's notice.
His face remained eerily calm, betraying no anger over his companion's apparent betrayal.
Yet, in the next instant, Kanzaki Kaori sheathed her longsword instead, as if she had only drawn it to extinguish the surrounding flames, but her stance was clear.
She would not raise her hand against her own comrade. Drawing her blade was simply her way of preventing both sides from escalating the conflict further.
This world never seemed to run short of strife, even when sitting down to talk could resolve the issue.
She also wanted to know what the Church had discovered that would justify allowing the situation to escalate to this extent.
It all stemmed from that initial order. The Necessarius wanted to investigate whether Meigo Arisa was a Saint, so besides Stiyl's group, they had also dispatched a genuine Saint to conduct the inquiry.
Thus, Kanzaki Kaori, who had only returned a few days prior, found herself assigned another mission to Academy City.
But just as Stiyl had said, not long ago, within the Church, someone had given Stiyl an order behind Kanzaki's back.
They had even issued instructions for Kanzaki Kaori to cease involvement with Meigo Arisa, likely fearing the Saint might complicate matters.
The wind died down, the smoke of battle growing thin.
The fighting here seemed to have ceased, but the 'Opila' barrier was still active outside.
Several Anti-Skill vehicles, responding to the emergency call, were stuck outside the cordoned area, causing a significant traffic jam.
Only Yomikawa-sensei, pushing through her own intense discomfort, managed to drive an armored vehicle into the zone.
This teacher hadn't just received the emergency call; her close friends and some students were caught up in this mess.
Coupled with her responsibility to protect Meigo Arisa's safety, she certainly didn't qualify as one of the 'uninvolved.'
However, when she arrived at the Judgment Branch Office 177, she found the scene strangely harmonious.
A certain bun-girl had retrieved Konori-senpai's bicycle, and upon seeing the Anti-Skill teacher's arrival, waved cheerfully.
"Thank goodness! The Anti-Skill teacher is finally here."
In the distance, Uiharu and the others also spotted the armored vehicle, and they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
From the moment Kanzaki Kaori drew her sword to extinguish the flames, implicitly siding with Natsume-san's group, the fight was essentially over.
Stiyl now fixed his gaze on Meigo Arisa. This time, he made no move to attack, instead lighting a cigarette with a grave expression.
"Can you tell me what exactly the Church found out?"
Kanzaki Kaori leaned against a wall, resting on her sword, her tone becoming serious.
"For the specifics of this matter, you should really ask Tsuchimikado. I only received some basic intelligence."
"That 'Tower of Babel'... from the very beginning, it was a structure that defied common sense. Someone intends to incorporate a Saint into it, using this to activate a spell capable of covering the entire Northern Hemisphere."
Stiyl said, frowning as the pain from the earlier punches and shockwaves slowly subsided.
"So, the order given to you was to destroy the core of the magic circle."
Kanzaki Kaori tightened her grip on the longsword, speaking with gravity.
"Correct."
Stiyl nodded, his face unreadable.
"But, is it alright to tell them all this?"
Stiyl glanced at the Academy City espers standing nearby.
Since this was an internal matter for the magic side, he didn't see the need to inform the science side.
But given the current circumstances, there weren't many choices. The most crucial core, Meigo Arisa, was on their side.
Moreover, the other side had a Teleporter. If they decided to flee with Arisa, his chances of success were virtually zero, and his own backup was unwilling to assist.
Clunk.
Putting down the kickstand, Natsume-san deftly parked the bicycle next to the flower bed—though the flower bed was now utterly destroyed.
The three magical girls were still captives. The bun-girl showed no intention of releasing them just because the fighting had stopped, at most she'd just set them on the ground.
Her gaze also drifted worriedly towards Kanzaki Kaori. Kanzaki-san had said she would provide an answer satisfactory to everyone, which is why Natsume-san had agreed to remain quiet for now.
"So dizzy…"
"Master, I'm scared of heights…"
Placed near the flower bed, the magical girl named Jane still had spirals in her eyes.
She'd been knocked out earlier when Natsume-san hit her with a 'Great Breakthrough' tornado, spun dozens of times inside the whirlwind, which also incidentally put a large hole in the branch office's wall.
She looked a bit younger than Natsume-san, wearing a bear-shaped witch's hat that made her appear quite adorable.
Natsume-san looked somewhat awkwardly at this magical girl, suddenly feeling like she'd been bullying a child, even though she wasn't that much older herself.
Meanwhile, the only Anti-Skill officer on site, Yomikawa-sensei, successfully linked up with Komoe-sensei, who had also accomplished her mission of protecting Meigo-senpai.
Everyone started explaining the course of events to Yomikawa-sensei all at once. The perpetrators of these two attacks—the criminal named Stiyl and his juvenile crime syndicate—firmly entered Yomikawa-sensei's field of view.
Unexpectedly, however, Stiyl, who she assumed had illegally entered Academy City, possessed a high-level Academy City access pass.
This pass granted them entry to almost any non-classified facility and even came with a stipend for activity funds.
"Just who are you people?"
Yomikawa-sensei asked sternly, sensing something amiss.
If they had such high-level clearance, why would they attack students and the Judgment branch office? Was there some hidden conspiracy at play?
"Let's just say we are cooperative partners of Academy City."
Stiyl brushed the dust off his clothes, his expression blank.
"We will compensate for all damages caused this time. At the same time, we have also brought very important information."
After a moment's hesitation, Kanzaki Kaori politely nodded to Yomikawa Aiho before continuing.
If what Stiyl said was true, then this crisis was no longer solely a matter for the magic side. It concerned the entire Northern Hemisphere.
In that case, informing Academy City of the severity of the situation was justified, especially since the two sides were still cooperating.
Before Yomikawa-sensei could even relay the information from the scene, her phone received corresponding orders: to cease the arrest and investigation of Stiyl and the others.
--+--
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.