"Cough... impossible. Even with the brainpower of ten thousand people, they're all low-level espers. There's no way she should be this strong!" Misaka Mikoto's face darkened as her latest electrical strike was once again nullified by Kiyama Harumi.
"Yeah, I'll admit it—Level 5s really aren't easy to deal with. If it weren't for the serum, I probably would've lost by now." Though Kiyama's tone was calm, her appearance told another story. Dust and scrapes covered her body, her lab coat long gone—she was clearly at her limit.
"Serum? What do you mean by that?" Misaka asked sharply.
In truth, under normal circumstances, Misaka Mikoto's raw power far outclassed Kiyama's. In Academy City, Level 5 was the great divide—an entirely separate tier of existence. Just as a Level 5 could never comprehend Level 6, no one below Level 5 could truly grasp the power gap. Even with the combined mental output of ten thousand brains, Kiyama's processing capacity would only place her on par with a high Level 4.
But now, enhanced by the Schicksal Research Institute's strengthening serum, that shortcoming had been remedied—allowing her to fight evenly against a Level 5. That was the true source of her newfound power.
"What did you mean by serum—" Misaka began, but before she could finish, several streaks of glowing green light pierced through the smoke and debris, lancing toward Kiyama.
Zzzzt—!
Though the aim was poor, the destructive power was unmistakable.
Where the beams struck, the concrete remnants of the bridge supports melted like wax, dripping molten orange liquid that glowed like lava. The massive, perfectly round holes they left behind looked eerily similar to those carved by Misaka's Railgun.
But Misaka was standing right there—so it couldn't have been her. Which meant there was only one possible explanation.
A haughty female voice echoed through the smoke, brimming with arrogance, like a predator cornering its prey. "Hmph, Kiyama Harumi... I finally found you!"
Out of the haze stepped a tall, fashionably dressed woman with chestnut hair and a striking figure. As she emerged through the ruined gap Misaka and Kiyama had torn open, both espers turned to face her.
Kiyama's expression darkened instantly. "Level 5, ranked fifth—Meltdowner, Mugino Shizuri."
Of course. The fight had dragged on too long. Kiyama shot an annoyed glance at Misaka. So much for efficiency... this naive girl's delay has already attracted the Dark Side's hounds.
She realized now that Misaka Mikoto, Academy City's fourth-ranked Level 5, was far too innocent—too unacquainted with the city's darkness.
With confident strides, Mugino stepped onto the battlefield, her high heels clicking sharply against the broken asphalt. She casually held a phone to her ear, speaking as if none of this chaos mattered. "Yeah, don't worry. Just a small job. I'll handle it myself... Mm-hm, talk later."
Hanging up, she tossed her hair and muttered with irritation, "Tch, even with new equipment, those Anti-Skill losers are still useless. Something this simple and they still need us to clean up. Anyway... what the hell did you do to make the higher-ups pay this much for you?" Her gaze finally shifted toward Kiyama and Misaka.
Kiyama stayed silent, meeting her eyes coldly.
Mugino clicked her tongue. "Whatever. Not my business. Let's just finish this and get paid."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean—are you looking down on me?! She's my opponent!" Misaka shouted, unable to understand their exchange but catching the tone perfectly. She could sense Kiyama's desperation, and there was no way she'd let Mugino take her away.
"Oh? Didn't expect the sheltered little princess to be taking freelance work too..." Mugino smirked mockingly. "What's wrong? You planning to steal my target?"
"Freelance work? I have no idea what you're talking about! All I know is, I'm taking her in today!" Misaka shot back.
"Oh, is that so? Then I guess there's only one way to settle this." Mugino's grin widened as she raised her hand casually. A massive beam of neon-green energy erupted from her palm, blasting straight toward Misaka. "You don't seriously think being ranked higher than me means you can win, do you?!"
From her tone, it was clear—Mugino Shizuri had never gotten over being ranked below Misaka Mikoto.
"You'll never know until you try!" Misaka Mikoto didn't understand why Mugino Shizuri was so hostile toward her—but faced with that kind of attack, there was only one possible answer: fire back with a Railgun.
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, another massive crater tore open in the already devastated bridge.
"Not bad," Mugino said calmly, unshaken. That blast was nothing but a probe—if Misaka couldn't even withstand one shot, she wouldn't be worthy of being a Level 5.
"Let's see how you handle this!" Raising her hand again, several streaks of neon-green light burst forth from her fingertips, firing one after another like a volley of lasers from a cannon.
Misaka refused to back down. Electricity surged wildly from her body, distorting the green beams midair and scorching the nearby bridge supports with smoking black marks.
"What about this?!" Mugino's smirk widened as she spread her arms. Dozens of emerald orbs materialized around her, each pulsing with volatile energy. With a sharp motion, she sent them all forward, unleashing a tidal wave of atomic light that cascaded toward Misaka like a sea of destruction.
A veteran of countless Dark Side missions, Mugino knew her weakness—precision. Her aim wasn't great, so she compensated with volume. Each beam might not hit perfectly, but the sheer number was enough to suppress her opponent. Her goal wasn't to win this fight quickly; it was to buy time and capture Kiyama Harumi.
As her barrage lit up the battlefield, Mugino darted straight toward Kiyama.
"Hahaha..." Kiyama suddenly laughed, her voice echoing through the chaos. The wild, manic edge in her tone sent chills through the air. "As expected... those bastards up top would never let me reach my goal!"
Her eyes turned a deep, glowing crimson. "You want to capture me? Fine—come and try!!"
The instant she screamed, her AIM field erupted into physical form. The space around her trembled violently, and a thunderous rumble followed. The ground cracked as if the world itself were breaking.
Centered on Kiyama, the entire elevated highway within a hundred-meter radius began to collapse. Chunks of concrete flew through the air in a storm of destruction—indiscriminate and overwhelming.
The scale of her power had already surpassed that of a typical Level 4.
"Damn it!" Mugino snarled, retaliating with a flurry of atomic beams. "Let's see how strong you really are, you brain-stealing scientist!"
Kiyama laughed again, her tone laced with venom. "Hoh? So the mighty Level 5s look down on lower-level espers, huh?" As she spoke, a transparent barrier materialized in front of her, reflecting Mugino's beams effortlessly.
"What?!" Mugino's eyes widened in disbelief. That technique—it was reminiscent of Vector Manipulation. "That's... Vector Control?!"
"Not quite. Your ability manipulates 'ambiguous-state electrons,' right? You use their dual particle-wave properties to create lingering particle disintegration. Impressive, truly. With that kind of offensive power, it's no wonder they say you surpass the fourth-ranked Level 5. If not for your poor accuracy, you'd probably be the closest to those three monsters at the top."
Kiyama's gaze sharpened, almost academic in its focus. "Don't look at me like that. My specialty may be brain physiology, but I've studied the data on you Level 5s extensively. Did you think I wouldn't come prepared?"
As she spoke, countless aluminum objects materialized around her. With a single gesture, they all launched toward Mugino, accelerated by gravity particles.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Mugino had no choice but to retreat, firing atomic beams wildly to vaporize the flying cans. Still, given her poor precision, some inevitably slipped through.
Suddenly, a sharp metallic clink sounded behind her. A can—teleported right behind her.
"Spatial ability?! Damn it—!"
Before she could react, a blinding flash split the air. A surge of blue-white lightning obliterated the can midair.
Mugino turned her head slightly, realizing who it was. Misaka stood behind her, smoke rising from her fingertips.
"Cough..." Emerging from the rubble, Misaka met her gaze and gave a curt nod.
Mugino exhaled sharply, then nodded back in acknowledgment. She might have her issues with Misaka, but she wasn't the type to ignore help in battle. For now, an unspoken truce formed between the two Level 5s.
Seeing this, Kiyama couldn't help but chuckle darkly. "Tch tch... how flattering. To think I'd earn the combined attention of two Level 5 espers... I'm truly honored!"
Her pupils glowed crimson once more, her body trembling with chaotic emotion. "Why?! Why do you always have to stop me?! I just want to save my students! Is that so wrong?! WHY?!"
Her screams tore through the night as chunks of concrete all around began to shake violently—then rise into the air, suspended by her power.
But before the mass of debris could come crashing down—
A strange stillness swept over the battlefield.
Snow-white feathers began to fall from the sky, each one glimmering faintly as it touched the air. Wherever they landed, the massive stones disintegrated into dust.
Then, with a thunderous crash, a figure descended from above—six radiant wings unfurled behind them, scattering light and smoke across the ruined city.