The three-hundred-meter radius was a zone deeply irradiated by the dark energy sphere.
Here, scattered AIM diffusion field fragments mingled with massive, solidified electrical currents.
Together, they formed powerful arcs of materialized lightning that roamed the area aimlessly, driven by instinct—a single strike enough to reduce a person to ashes.
Her expression long since set into one of absolute seriousness, a certain bun-haired girl meticulously manipulated her thermal control ability, attempting to craft some form of effective defense.
Her first thought was to create a pseudo-vacuum environment around herself to prevent those solid lightning bolts from approaching.
Reiko provided ample computational power, and with her newly acquired microscopic perspective, she could fashion an unprecedented vacuum—instantly stripping away over ninety-five percent of the air around her, retaining only the components she needed.
But the moment she tried, a flood of adverse feedback forced Natsume-san to abandon the idea.
Even though electricity shouldn't conduct in a vacuum, the voltage here was simply too immense. Influenced by the field, it even carried a material property, easily piercing through the bun-head's vacuum environment.
Without an effective defense, even approaching required immense effort from Natsume-san, making her seem far weaker compared to Accelerator's effortless ease.
Quietly retreating several dozen meters, Reiko's hold on her main body unconsciously tightened.
By now, Natsume-san had pretty much given up on the idea of wresting control of electrons from Misaka-senpai.
Just like the situation faced by the Meltdowner formula, Natsume-san needed time to construct a new formula for controlling free electrons.
Controlling electrons within atoms and free electrons had similarities, but their respective formulas were certainly not interchangeable.
Being able to observe the microscopic level was just a change in perception; to translate that into her own means via her Personal Reality, Natsume-san still needed to build the necessary formulas.
The difference was, with the help of the microscopic perspective, the formulas Natsume-san built could target the core directly, avoiding masses of useless or harmful data and calculations. Given enough time, she could gradually simplify the formulas to their most efficient form.
Struggling to stabilize her posture within the electronic storm, Natsume-san looked towards Misaka-senpai and noticed the senior turning her head, silently gazing towards a certain problematic area.
Although Misaka-senpai couldn't directly detect Natsume-san's presence, the AIM diffusion field was an extension of her brain. The moment they made contact, she quickly noticed the anomaly within her controlled domain.
An invisible enemy had appeared behind her.
"Misaka-senpai has already detected me."
This thought surfaced in her mind, and the bun-haired girl's nerves tightened instantly.
Against the current Misaka-senpai, any fantasy of avoiding a fight was pointless. She had long prepared herself mentally to confront her senior.
Yet, a sense of sorrow lingered in Natsume-san's heart—this wasn't how Misaka-senpai was supposed to be.
In an instant, the dark energy sphere emitted intense waves of electromagnetic fluctuation, and parts of the field were torn away by their master.
These torn field aggregates were used as projectiles. At Misaka-senpai's whim, they instantly transformed into enhanced versions of the Railgun, brimming with immense kinetic energy.
Unrestrained by material limitations, these projectiles could continue along their trajectory as long as internal propulsion remained.
A dense shower of dark projectiles rained down beside Natsume-san, blanketing the entire anomalous area.
It didn't matter if she couldn't find the enemy; saturation coverage would do the trick. Kihara Gensei had used this very method to disarm the bun-headed girl earlier.
The current Misaka-senpai was brimming with killing intent, showing no intention of holding back—or perhaps, the person before them was merely a shell of vengeance wearing Misaka-senpai's form.
The dark projectiles started at multiple times the speed of sound, instantly scattering vast numbers of free electric charges and leaving behind clear, semi-transparent trails of light.
The air barrier Natsume-san hastily erected was immediately breached; kinetic energy conversion was ineffective against the AIM field aggregates.
Natsume-san tried to change her position but realized in that moment her speed was no match for these projectiles possessing Railgun-like properties.
Eyes wide, fixed on Misaka-senpai's direction, the bun-headed girl activated Meltdowner without hesitation.
This newly acquired move turned out to be the best way to counter the saturation bombardment.
Her original plan had been to sneak closer and complete this surgical strike before Misaka-senpai could react, but that seemed unrealistic now.
Her proudest methods weren't suited for combat at the Level 6 stage, which left Natsume-san somewhat disheartened.
The AIM diffusion fields she emitted had become the perfect means for the Level 6 to locate her.
Once locked on and faced with saturation fire, Natsume-san's crisis had arrived.
A white beam, brilliant like fireworks, brought a splash of light to the gloomy sky.
The dazzling flash was fleeting, the lingering electrons briefly forming a barrier that cleared out a safe zone.
Especially where the Meltdowner and dark projectiles annihilated each other, a large area of strange, shimmering emptiness remained, pulsating with a mesmerizing beauty.
This 'scalpel' was remarkably effective. In terms of sheer offensive power and destructiveness, the ability borrowed from the #4 was undoubtedly superior to the Railgun.
But Natsume-san clearly wasn't here to fight Misaka-senpai. Yet, breaking through her senior's defensive net was truly difficult, unless she intended to engage in a prolonged battle of attrition.
"How interesting. To think you'd divide your attention to deal with someone else when your opponent is me. Your courage seems to have grown along with your ability."
"Since you're determined to take revenge on Academy City, before that, what about this executioner drenched in the sisters' blood? Are you planning to turn a blind eye to me, Railgun?"
"So, before you destroy Academy City, try your hardest to kill me first. Otherwise, your revenge is nothing but a complete joke."
A vicious, villainous grin spread across his face, savage and terrifying, his eyes devoid of emotion, cold as machinery.
Accelerator's voice propagated through the air, clear and audible even hundreds of meters away.
"He's creating an opportunity for me."
Reiko's pupils shone with an unusual light, and a strange feeling welled up in Natsume-san's heart.
No matter how bad their relationship had been before, at this moment, their ultimate goals were completely aligned.
Earlier, Natsume-san had used controlled air vibrations to communicate unilaterally with Accelerator, but only to warn him that the energy sphere might undergo a mutation.
Like a possible instant explosion, worried that he might be caught off guard and unable to suppress the energy and kinetic shockwaves in time.
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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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.