With a deafening boom, a violent gust of wind whipped up, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
The massive wave of dissipated heat instantly scattered the nearby onlookers, leaving a radius of several dozen meters completely deserted.
Retracting her invisible wings, the swirling air dissolved into chaotic eddies.
As her feet landed firmly on the solid ground, a look of dawning comprehension crossed Natsume-san's face.
This magician who'd suddenly appeared—was his magic focused on controlling flames?
It made sense then, using the intense heat of flames to create mirages. Those fire creatures were probably his handiwork too.
Natsume Sonoko had had her share of memorable encounters with magicians.
Different magicians specialized in different types of magic, which seemed somewhat similar to how espers worked.
This scene felt like running into a colleague from the magic world. But unlike a certain bun-haired girl, this guy was using proper fire magic, not just simple temperature control.
While the practicality of his magic might not measure up to her own ability to cool or heat things, flames exceeding thousands of degrees Celsius naturally posed a serious challenge to that bun-head's power.
It didn't just severely disrupt Natsume-san's control over airflow; it also easily altered the ambient temperature, causing her ability to fall short of its intended effect.
Her thick wind walls could stop a truck in its tracks, or strip a rifle bullet of most of its kinetic energy.
Yet, they disintegrated instantly under the assault of several fire snakes—the extreme heat was disrupting her command over the wind itself.
Still, it wasn't that big a deal for Natsume-san. More of an inconvenience, really. After all, fighting wasn't exactly her forte.
Even if she truly couldn't win, snatching Meigo and making a run for it was always an option. That certain bun-head had her own unique expertise when it came to escape. Despite how strong others might perceive her to be, the girl seemed to hold a rather different opinion of her own capabilities.
The only ability that truly nagged at Natsume-san, perhaps, was that of the perpetually lethargic-looking girl from [ITEM]—what was her name... Takitsubo Rikou or something?
The intense heat persisted, Natsume-san's thermal radar blaring constant warnings.
Thankfully, the multiple layered temperature zones surrounding her within a meter radius provided continuous protection.
In her field of view, the black-clad, red-haired magician conjured a bright crimson light in his hand, the radiated heat causing Meigo's face to flush.
Seemingly concerned the scorching temperature might harm Meigo, the red-haired magician took a deliberate step forward. Yet, from start to finish, the flames remained dancing around him.
The burning fire was a startling sight, making Natsume-san instinctively furrow her brow.
Speaking of fire-based abilities, in Academy City they'd be called Pyrokinesis, but the temperature of a Pyrokinetic's flames paled in comparison to what this man controlled.
Her own Temperature Control ability, along with Pyrokinesis, were both classified by Academy City under the broader category of Thermokinetic Espers.
In theory, she could develop flame control just like a Pyrokinetic, similar to how she'd effortlessly mastered cryokinesis, another ability within her system. It should have been straightforward.
But when it came to Pyrokinesis, while Natsume-san's enthusiasm was high, reality was harsh.
Pyrokinetics could generate flames freely, a change brought by their Personal Reality. She couldn't. She could only manage it through indirect methods.
The Pyrokinesis she'd managed to develop wasn't particularly useful, far less convenient than controlling air currents or ice, sitting at roughly the same level of impracticality as her earlier attempts at electrokinesis.
For one, her ability couldn't reach the ignition points of combustibles like hydrogen, methane, or propane in the air.
Secondly, even after painstakingly gathering enough of these gases from the air to sustain combustion, she still had to generate high temperatures through air friction to ignite them.
The efficiency was nowhere near that of simple heating or cooling.
Though, Natsume-san actually had another idea for producing flame, far more efficient than igniting combustible gases, but the development difficulty skyrocketed.
The essence of flame is an exothermic reaction.
Air molecules around the reaction area, heated to high-speed motion, produce the phenomenon of light emission.
As long as the released heat is sufficient to make the air glow incandescently, you essentially have fire.
Like the instant a nuclear bomb detonates, the released black-body radiation heats the air and all nearby matter to plasma temperatures, forming the brilliant white initial fireball.
But to achieve that level, harnessing the energy within atoms—atomic energy—was still necessary. So, it all came back to further developing her control over atoms. [A/N: This is giving me a headache, my physics is weak.]
Natsume Sonoko's fateful journey with the atom was just beginning; she was striving diligently towards that more microscopic world.
Snapping back to reality, the certain bun-head stopped pondering whether the target was Misaka-senpai or Meigo.
Because whichever senpai it was, Natsume-san couldn't just stand by and do nothing. She was an esper girl who bore the title of Judgment member (and concerned citizen!).
Overthinking this would just tie her brain in knots. Better to focus entirely on dealing with this eccentric magician.
That barcode on his face was particularly striking, though. Natsume-san felt like she'd heard someone mention something about it somewhere.
Natsume-san took a step forward. The mist around her settled once more, condensing into tiny droplets on the ground.
Water was the best cooling material. She'd heard nuclear power plants used water for cooling too, albeit purified water.
If there were a river nearby, this fire magician in front of her wouldn't be a concern at all.
Once again, the science-side girl was applying her common sense to magic. Though, judging by the current situation, it didn't seem to be causing any major issues.
Actually, doing this in the city was somewhat similar, though the repercussions might be a bit worse.
Steeling her resolve—even if it meant plunging District 7 into another water shortage crisis—she would rescue Meigo-senpai safe and sound.
And she'd also repay him for interrupting her dinner and making her go hungry all this time.
A sudden look of determination flashed across Natsume-san's face. She glanced towards Misaka-senpai, and the two nodded at each other in unison.
Gathering the water streams together, a coiling water dragon formed beside Natsume-san. It grew larger and larger, shaped and held aloft by countless invisible hands of air.
It looked imposing and exceptionally ferocious.
Misaka-senpai also recalled the mountain of iron sand previously used to trap the fire creature. The iron sand enveloping her body grew denser and thicker.
Under her magnetic control, the air imperceptibly filled with countless fine iron sand particles.
However, their opponent seemed well-prepared. The iron sand melted into liquid form as it approached the area of intense heat.
"How unfortunate," the red-haired magician spoke up, using his flame to light a cigarette.
He took a satisfied drag, exhaling a white ring, his body seemingly emanating a scent of nicotine and tar. "My disciples, seeking to impress me, took it upon themselves to attack you. It forced me to start the operation ahead of schedule."
"Just what is your goal?" Natsume-san, now shrouded by the water dragon, asked seriously.
"Fortis 931."
He suddenly uttered these incomprehensible words, causing the certain bun-head to start, pondering their meaning before quickly realizing—
That sounded like a magical name. She'd heard Kanzaki-san and Index talk about them.
There was also the saying that declaring a magical name signified the intent to use magic. It seemed he had no intention of explaining himself to her.
"Mmm, although Jane and the others suffered a major setback on their first field mission," he muttered to himself, as the fireball in his hand began to expand violently, covering an area three meters above his head, "it might be a good lesson for their growth in life. Could teach them to shed their habit of underestimating opponents."
The fireball's intense heat made the surrounding air waver and roll. Natsume-san's control over the air near the red-haired magician completely failed.
"Misaka-senpai, look out!" Natsume-san urgently warned the other girl. She really disliked people who started fighting in the middle of a conversation.
She'd initially planned to create illusory magicians, but the tiny ice prisms couldn't last long in this heat, making light refraction difficult to control.
With a mighty roar, the air crackled and popped. The fireball shot forth in a straight line, squarely covering the path ahead of the two Tokiwadai students.
--+--
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.