Just like that old riddle about fitting an elephant into a fridge, any truly insane plan never really needs that many steps to carry out.
The simpler it was, the more it cut straight to the heart of the matter, making the timing of its execution all the more critical.
Natsume-san and the others weren't concerned with the specifics of the enemy's plan. They only knew that if they confronted the target directly, the outcome would likely be decided in an instant. All that mattered was speed.
The preoccupied girls wove through the bustling crowds of the lakeside park, scouring every possible nook and cranny, hoping to find a certain corrupted young woman who was most likely hiding here.
Natsume Sonoko was confident she'd recognize that woman in the purple nurse uniform the moment she laid eyes on her.
Who else would choose to dress so strangely, after all?
"A lot of these people look familiar, like I've robbed them before," Sonoko remarked, her voice flat as she spotted numerous faces that stirred a sense of déjà vu among the gathered delinquents.
The bun-girl's expression turned slightly serious, as if recalling her own past 'good deeds'.
Well, the girl who preferred to do good deeds without leaving her name figured those things were better left in the past. Besides, she'd returned everything to each and every one of them.
"Senpai, do you really think that Kouzaku Mitori plans to use these Skill-Out members to launch an attack?" Natsume-san asked quietly, her eyes observing the poorly-equipped and largely unprepared group below.
Couldn't they at least get a 3D printer to run off a few dozen AKs? This just looked unprofessional.
"There shouldn't be any mistake," Shokuhou-senpai replied, glancing at the bun-girl before answering with considerable certainty.
She had her own secretly planted agents within the Armed groups, allowing her to learn of their movements and notice that something was off with a portion of their members.
But just as Sonoko had said, what use were these people if they weren't even carrying weapons? With them, they probably couldn't even handle one squad of powered suits.
Even the standard-issue powered suits used by Anti-Skill were designed with the goal of suppressing Level 3 "Strong" ability users. They weren't comparable to the shoddy knock-offs some shady organizations secretly produced.
By the lake's edge, next to a stone path, traces of a makeshift barbecue setup still remained on the grass.
The cosplay enthusiast in the purple nurse uniform sat silently in an inconspicuous corner of this area.
Although the strain of using the Exterior was something even an ordinary person could withstand, to prevent someone from secretly deactivating her account while she was logged out, the girl named Kouzaku Mitori had no choice but to maintain her connection to the Exterior continuously, draining her mentally and physically.
Stuck being unable to log out of the Exterior, her condition had deteriorated to a point of severe exhaustion.
Therefore, the current Kouzaku Mitori planned to launch another assault on the Board of Directors before her body gave out completely—during this final period where she still retained control of the Exterior.
"Only 263 ability users have gathered on site. During the Daihasei Festival, this level of movement won't attract Anti-Skill's attention. But with this number, even using Kihara Gensei's technology to link their brains into a synchronous brainwave network can only temporarily boost the Exterior's power by about one level. Compared to the power wielded by the Board of Directors, it's still just a drop in the bucket."
"Even if I could breach a few key facilities, the fully mechanized units would likely purge us very quickly."
Thinking this, Kouzaku Mitori gazed calmly at the azure lake. Beside her lay a half-eaten strawberry bread and an unopened bottle of pineapple-celery flavored soda. Her weariness gave her a somewhat languid air.
If one ignored the tablet in her hand displaying feeds from multiple surveillance cameras, she looked no different from an ordinary tourist.
"But if I alter the original plan and use these 263 ability users as ability mediums instead, the chances of success might be higher."
"Only one account can log into the Exterior at a time, but this restriction has a major loophole: the same account can be used by multiple people. In practice, as long as the commands issued by the same account don't conflict, the Exterior can process them all."
She took a bite of the strawberry bread to replenish her strength, her mind working.
"Then the plan is feasible. I can use Kihara Gensei's technology to allow these ability users to also use the Exterior. This way, I won't need to be the direct attacker. I just need to disperse the ability users and continue using the Exterior through them."
"Simultaneously, I can break free from the limitation of my own location, projecting the Exterior's power over a wider area. In other words, if the ability users are positioned correctly, I can use them to swiftly attack every location in Academy City, forming an extremely wide-range Mental Out network across the city."
Her expression shifting slightly, Kouzaku Mitori carefully pondered her new plan.
In simple terms, Kouzaku Mitori intended to use the ability users to wield the Exterior's power remotely, eliminating the need for the Mental Out user herself to be physically present.
The main point of caution, however, was the ability users themselves. But if she simply put their consciousnesses to sleep before connecting them to the Exterior, and took direct, real-time control of them herself, she wouldn't have to worry about any potential backlash.
It was the same principle as before: a Mental Out user who had lost consciousness couldn't resist another user of the same system. Applying this logic to Exterior users was similar.
Furthermore, to avoid exposure, once she gained further control over the ability users, she planned to constantly change her own location.
Kouzaku Mitori took a deep, steadying breath, a look of resolve flashing across her face.
Less than a day had passed since she'd conceived this plan and begun preparing to execute it. She had revised it several times during this period, and now it seemed to have a sliver of potential for success.
As a former member of the Dark Side, this Nurse was acutely aware of Academy City's formidable power, and she knew both the great weaknesses and the great advantages of the Mental Out ability.
A Mental Out user whose true body couldn't be found was the one who could truly unleash the ability's unmatched, overwhelming force.
By dispersing these ability users throughout District 1, Kouzaku Mitori could use Mental Out across the entire district for a short period. This was her next objective.
"Provided the Board of Directors members are in District 1."
Kouzaku Mitori stared blankly at the cluster of skyscrapers in the not-so-distant District 1, completely disregarding whether her body could withstand the strain of such an undertaking.
The Exterior was ineffective against that windowless building, and she couldn't find any traces of the Board of Directors members, which was why she had chosen this scattergun approach.
In a sense, Shokuhou-senpai had guessed correctly.
"Shatter, reality."
A sudden, monotone female voice pierced Kouzaku Mitori's eardrums. The can of pineapple-celery soda beside her suddenly shot out a violent jet of liquid.
A powerful burst of pressurized air erupted from the exploding canister, striking Kouzaku Mitori's arm with the force of a high-speed soccer ball and simultaneously knocking the tablet and a remote-control-like object from her hands.
In just an instant, the contest was decided.
--+--
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.