The AIM Diffusion Field was merely a form of energy, but the portions that gathered in reality took on certain material properties.
For Natsume-san, slicing through these condensed force fields wasn't particularly difficult.
Simple kinetic techniques like water jets or air bullets could handle the job well enough.
But the 'gift' that Kihara Gensei had left in Natsume-san's brain was far better suited for this task than any conventional method—it could act as a far more precise scalpel now.
Meltdowner—the signature power of the #4 Level 5.
It worked by destroying the internal structure of atoms to extract electrons. These electrons existed in a strange, indeterminate state—neither pure wave nor pure particle, but something in-between.
Unable to settle on a definitive form, these raw electrons would 'stall' in place, forming a kind of wall.
Meanwhile, the tremendous acceleration generated during their release would also manifest instantly, transforming into an unstoppable wave of kinetic energy capable of shredding anything in its path.
In short, Meltdowner was not only highly offensive, but its attack vector also created a barrier-like blocking effect along its path.
Admittedly, the blocking effect was rather flawed because the dispersed electrons vanished too quickly.
But by increasing the number and precision of the electron beams—disregarding the collateral damage from wild shots—a highly effective defensive screen could still be achieved.
The cost-to-effect ratio for this kind of defense was poor, though. Covering her whole body would require a large-scale ability release.
For the #4, it might serve as a useful trump card, perhaps even giving her the confidence to trade blows with Kakine Teitoku. But for Natsume-san, it was merely a nice addition.
After all, few could even land a hit on her.
Still, she had to admit, Meltdowner perfectly suited her current needs. It could slice the AIM force field aggregates and also create a brief barrier.
If Natsume-san fired it repeatedly, she could buy herself enough time to evacuate Misaka-senpai.
'If only Shirai-san were here…'
The thought surfaced unbidden. Natsume-san sorely needed an ally right now, but the only help nearby was that white-haired guy she just couldn't see eye to eye with.
Then again, with an incident of this scale, Shirai-san had probably already heard. The girl with the bun had easily spotted several Judgment members in the vicinity.
As for the Anti-Skill teachers, they'd likely received emergency calls and were already on their way.
Fortunately, Natsume-san had a firm grasp of the situation. She was confident she could handle it—in her own way.
Everything, including that Kihara Gensei, would be resolved. She'd finally figured out why she couldn't detect him before, and many other pieces had clicked into place.
'It's the Multi-Skill. Invisibility, probably combined with some unknown thermal-system ability. No wonder I couldn't find him.'
Viewing things through her field phase perception, Natsume-san detected a mottled bubble of AIM diffusion fields. Various ability signatures interwove and merged within it, forming a bizarre, ever-shifting special AIM field.
She guessed immediately—it had to be Kihara Gensei.
When he'd hijacked her brain, he must have learned the exact sensitivity of her thermal perception.
In other words, he'd found the blind spot in Natsume-san's radar.
For instance, the maximum resolution of her thermal detection down to decimal places, the precise threshold of temperature change required to register in her awareness…
These were the intimate details of her ability—her Achilles' heel.
Armed with that data, any competent research institute could develop combat weapons specifically designed to counter her. And that wasn't even considering the fact that the exact range of her temperature control had been leaked, too.
So, for Kihara Gensei, all he needed to do was match his body temperature to the environment and continuously adjust it to ambient changes. Easy enough to drop off Natsume-san's radar entirely.
'I have to take my secrets back.'
A wave of intense revulsion swept through Natsume Sonoko. Having her brain hijacked wasn't a pleasant experience, especially by a mad scientist.
She was learning firsthand what 'by any means necessary' truly meant. Never underestimate how low an enemy would stoop.
Her secrets were hers alone to keep.
Her vulnerability to Mental Out was her greatest weakness. Usually, being around Shokuhou-senpai didn't feel pressuring, but now it weighed on her mind like a heavy mountain.
Thankfully, she'd more or less figured out a solution.
By extending her perception to the atomic level via the lightless phase, she could manipulate free electrons using the same principles behind her temperature control.
Natsume-san grew increasingly convinced that the essence of her ability wasn't just controlling molecular activity (temperature), but also included manipulating motion at the even smaller quantum scale.
A quantum could be understood as a specific quantity of a substance—an aggregate of indivisible elementary particles. It was the smallest unit that could exhibit the properties of a physical entity or quantity. Electrons, naturally, could be quantized.
Quantum motion was inherently uncertain, unlike macroscopic motion which followed observable, predictable laws. But all of that was predicated on the presence of an observer.
And now, Natsume-san possessed the ability to observe things at the atomic scale, and even smaller.
She was no longer limited to molecular-level ability development.
She had broken free from her reliance on the gross total of ambient thermal and kinetic energy in the atmosphere. She could rapidly establish control over electrons directly.
If so, Natsume Sonoko could construct her own electromagnetic barrier. A situation like today's would be much less likely to happen again.
Her method of control was probably somewhat similar to how Misaka-senpai manipulated electrons, but from the perspective of their Personal Realities, they were fundamentally different.
The applicability of Natsume-san's Personal Reality seemed broader than Misaka-senpai's, since Misaka-senpai's control was limited to electrons.
Other thermal-system ability users were likely in a similar boat. Natsume-san wasn't unique in this regard. But undoubtedly, thermal-system abilities were among those most deeply connected to the fundamental workings of the physical universe.
That didn't necessarily mean one ability was superior to the other, though. Development depth was the truest measure of an esper's power.
After all, in this certain magical and scientific world, the four fundamental forces were interconnected. Matter and energy were interchangeable. Natsume-san had simply skipped a few detours.
Or perhaps, every esper's path was different, but all their destinations ultimately pointed toward the universe itself.
'The formulas Kihara Gensei left behind are actually helping me. They're letting me master Meltdowner quickly. Combined with my microscopic perspective, I can probably surpass the #4 herself in terms of precision.'
Natsume-san knew exactly what to do. Her focus snapped back to the real world.
But there was no time to construct a new formula based on her microscopic understanding. She'd have to use Kihara Gensei's old version for now.
Just as Natsume-san always left traces in Reiko's mind, some of Kihara Gensei's information had remained with her.
This wasn't related to Mental Out—it was an inevitable consequence of someone else using your brain. Though Shokuhou-senpai usually erased such traces.
Kihara Gensei, however, had been forcibly ejected by a certain bun-girl. He never got the chance to clean up after himself.
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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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If you guys wanna check it out.