What blazed across the sky was the roar of a certain esper, layer upon layer, boundless and endless.
Intertwining and climbing over one another, countless serpents of lightning clamped down fiercely upon that windowless building.
The massive heat released by the large-scale electrical discharge instantly caused the surrounding air to continuously heat and expand, producing deafening, dull roars. Spreading outward with lightning speed, it achieved an effect akin to a natural disaster.
An esper's power is limited, but by taking just one small step upward, even if still far from Level 6, it seemed to produce a world-shaking transformation.
This change reached several dozen times the scale of Misaka-senpai's original output, and it appeared to be continuously increasing.
This lightning storm, comparable to a true force of nature, was an attack from a certain esper—something impossible to guess for anyone not in the know.
Merely a fraction of what an Absolute Level Esper could wield, it far surpassed the previous tier. That state of perfection was the product so desperately sought by Academy City's many scientists: using a mortal body to reach the realm of the gods.
Viewed from the perspective of pioneers, these mad scientists were exploring one possible path of human evolution.
But for the lab rats used as sacrifices, they merely hoped the people they cared about could survive the experiments.
Right and wrong were not so clear-cut; it was just a difference in position. Both sides were going further and further down the path of using any means necessary.
Even if subsequent espers could enjoy the benefits brought by these experiments, those who died in the experiments would never return.
The intensity of the lightning strikes had reached a level impossible to ignore. The high temperatures generated in an instant alone could rapidly age and damage the construction materials of an ordinary building.
Yet, faced with this windowless building, physical attacks of this degree couldn't even give its surface a polish.
The astonishing structural strength of the building.
Ever since incorporating some of the technology reverse-engineered from the #1 Level 5, which allowed it to neutralize external attacks in the form of vibrations, this building had basically no risk of being breached head-on by physical attacks.
However, among Natsume-san's acquaintances, a certain someone named Shirai, read as 'pervert', with her Teleportation ability, could probably dismantle this building with ease. Of course, that was limited to just dismantling the building.
The electronic interference raging outside didn't seep into the building in the slightest, as if nothing had happened at all.
The long-haired figure suspended upside-down in the transparent glass container maintained a normal complexion. Bubbles continuously passed through his hair. Seeming to perceive something, he suddenly opened his eyes.
An attack of this level simply couldn't affect this life-support system he used. His mind naturally wasn't on this attack; he didn't even have any intention of pursuing the attacker.
However, his gaze seemed to extend, through some kind of observation device, to the events unfolding not far away.
Speaking of which, this was the first time the Board Chairman had opened his eyes today, even though it was already well into the afternoon.
If the job of Academy City's Board Chairman was just taking baths and sleeping, a certain bun-haired young lady felt she could do it too, and probably do it even better.
"Ladylee Tangleroad."
The Board Chairman seemed to finally be getting to work. The technological products around him whirred to life. Responding to his soft call, a solid-looking video screen materialized in front of him.
The screen connected to an important facility in a certain School District.
A securely imprisoned lolita girl appeared on the screen. Her face was familiar, after all, she had orchestrated a spectacular show just a few days prior.
The walls around the girl were all made of soft materials, and even the furniture had its corners rounded off and was embedded into the walls.
The area above her head seemed empty, allowing her to look up and see the entire sky. But if someone were to float up about five or six meters and try to touch it, they would find a layer of glass there.
However, compared to her life-or-death desperation a few days ago, this girl was now much calmer.
She seemed to be enjoying this sensation of slowly aging, even though her bodily age was only around ten years old.
"Ladylee, freed from the bonds of immortality, able to convert the life force within your body into magic... Your Greek Astrology should now be capable of prophesying certain future events."
Aleister's voice came through, sounding somewhat neutral, almost like a synthesized machine voice.
"I can see fragments of the future. But for now, it's limited to people I have a deep connection with."
Ladylee shook her head, a complex expression on her face as she looked at the upside-down man on the screen.
She had originally thought that after her imprisonment, she would most likely be secretly executed or studied as a test subject. But the Board Chairman before her had been exceptionally lenient.
Apart from the necessary confinement, he even allowed her to continue controlling her external funds and influence, though the strength of the Orbit Portal Company had plummeted overnight.
And because she could contact the outside world, she had recently anonymously donated funds to both Natsume Sonoko's dormitory and her club through the Black Crow Unit, as an insignificant token of her gratitude.
However, she didn't want Natsume-san to know of her existence.
Despite so many years having passed, that Shrine Maiden's successor had still fulfilled her promise, though everything was already completely different.
Her previous resentment and dissatisfaction towards the Shrine Maiden had turned back into gratitude, even extending to a certain bun-haired girl.
After her magic power was restored, Ladylee had actually managed to catch glimpses of Natsume-san's future through astrology.
But they were just insignificant fragments. She couldn't achieve stable observation of a single future event.
Even with ample magic power, it was the same, because prophecy magic like astrology was more like making an educated guess about one possible path of the world's operation.
"Board Chairman-sama, is it truly impossible for the Shrine Maiden to return?"
A trace of bewilderment inexplicably appeared on her face as Ladylee spoke in a low tone.
Although she was very grateful for the help from the girl named Sonoko, she cared more about the Shrine Maiden who had spent time with her.
She was a strange one, fond of traveling everywhere and also fond of causing trouble everywhere.
"The Shrine Maiden's resurrection is no longer feasible. After reincarnation, there was simply no place left for her within that soul."
Aleister spoke, not particularly concerned whether the little lolita magician on the other side could understand. However, his speech slowed somewhat, as if he was thinking about something.
Actually, solving this problem was quite simple. One just needed to clear out a space. As for memories and personality, magic that could reverse time wasn't nonexistent.
Furthermore, in the world of magic, there existed something like the Ars Magna.
With that miraculous magic, simply knowing the specific method and process of resurrection, bringing someone back wasn't difficult to achieve. But a person cannot exist separated from their soul.
After all, no matter how advanced a robot becomes, it cannot turn into a human.
"Determined to knock the native deity from its pedestal, steadfastly adhering to her own moral compass, acting always according to her true heart. As the price, after losing everything, the demons held back by the prototype control in the Shrine Maiden's hands will come sweeping forth."
"Then, using unknown methods, she created the world's forbidden fruit, thereby mastering an ability seemingly capable of perceiving the operation of the world's rules. This Shrine Maiden had sufficient qualifications to achieve True Will and walk her own path."
"But this successor... she cannot truly follow her own heart. She's timid, hesitant, and full of doubts. And Ladylee's prophetic fragments are rather an accident."
As his words fell, many thoughts flashed through Aleister's mind, and a trace of an unreadable emotion appeared in his gaze.
Ladylee's cooperation with him was a matter of course.
On the very first day of her imprisonment, he had a good talk with this old acquaintance. Academy City wasn't lacking a room to hold a prisoner.
Aleister himself was quite knowledgeable about prophecy.
His former teacher had once prophesied something of great importance to him. But some prophecies could be avoided, while others transformed into immutable fate.
Ladylee's prophecies naturally fell into the category that could be altered, as immutable fate was an extremely rare thing.
Of course, for the subject of that immutable fate itself, it was something that would happen 100%.
However, Aleister did not plan to interfere in the events foretold in the prophecy. He even tacitly allowed Tsuchimikado Motoharu to inform Kihara Gensei about this successor's situation.
That Shrine Maiden's successor would awaken a portion of her past power today.
This sudden awakening meant that the successor would attempt things she originally wanted to do but didn't dare to. That was how Aleister interpreted the prophetic fragments.
Towards that Shrine Maiden's successor, Aleister had actually maintained a somewhat detached attitude.
If she hadn't actively become entangled in his plan, forcing him to modify it, he wouldn't have done anything unnecessary.
After all, a successor doesn't necessarily inherit the predecessor's legacy. A Shrine Maiden who studied magic and an Academy City esper were two completely different products. At least, that's what Aleister had led the world to believe.
The greatest value of Academy City to him was to attract the arrival of that Imagine Breaker, all for the purpose of completing his own plan. It seemed that no matter who it was, they never lacked plans in their head.
And when it came to plans, there were always countless variables. But as long as one continuously revised the plan, converging all the diverging possibilities onto the same path, one would ultimately achieve their goal.
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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!
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