Reiko's face flushed slightly, her body curling in on itself almost imperceptibly. Her restless hands instinctively moved to smooth down a few stray strands of her own disheveled hair.
Two similar hearts thumped in unison, a primal tension washing over them and dulling the anger that had burned there moments before.
Even though she knew full well those pitch-black projectiles couldn't really harm her, Natsume-san's heart still fluttered with a trace of panic each time one whistled past her.
It wasn't about the actual outcome—most of those shots were never going to hit her—it was just human instinct.
Natsume-san did her best to calm herself, to trust the calculations completely and avoid any unexpected deviations.
"Those dark energy masses are part of the AIM diffusion field itself. To excise them, I'd need to sever their connection to Misaka-senpai as well."
"But a full-area bombardment to physically remove them is impossible; the sphere's volume alone is beyond my ability's scope. The most feasible plan still hinges on Misaka-senpai herself… meaning the real target for excision should be her," Natsume Sonoko thought.
Dodging two more attacks in quick succession, she darted through the temporary safe zone carved out by her own Meltdowner beams.
Only a few seconds had passed since the direct confrontation began, yet she had already closed the distance by ten meters, inching ever closer to Misaka Mikoto.
Even confident in her own surgical precision, Natsume-san maintained extreme caution, continuously refining her surgical plan in her mind.
Nothing in life was a hundred percent guaranteed. Beyond thorough preparation, one could only hope for a stroke of that elusive thing called luck.
The young bun-lady coordinated her normal vision with her new perceptual sense, her brain rapidly processing a kaleidoscope of bizarre scenes into coherent, understandable images.
In Natsume-san's mind, Misaka-senpai had transformed into a person embedded within a bubble of AIM diffusion fields.
Parts of this bubble had even morphed from their original state, evolving into various tools attached to Misaka-senpai's form—like the strange wings sprouting from her back, or the three angelic rings extending from her forehead.
Near these rings, two distinct types of AIM fields fused into one, acting like a compass needle, constantly drawing energy from the phase of the field.
This merged energy was then channeled into the dark sphere.
Having clearly mapped the real-time distribution of the AIM field, Natsume-san felt a surge of confidence.
First, separate Misaka-senpai from the dark energy sphere.
Then, sever the connection between the Misaka Network and Misaka-senpai.
While there was a logical sequence, the "surgery" could be performed simultaneously.
To prevent the negative energy from backlash affecting her senpai, Natsume-san needed to meticulously orchestrate the exact steps of the procedure.
"Accelerator's containing the bulk of Misaka-senpai's energy output. Otherwise, the bombardment would be far more intense than this."
As a white beam ahead obliterated a corrupted version of a Railgun shot, clearing the last of this wave's assault, Natsume-san gained a clearer understanding of the limits of what Misaka-senpai could currently throw at her.
This intelligence significantly hastened Natsume-san's advance, allowing her to see through the Personal Reality of this semi-finished Level 6.
Even if Misaka-senpai could handle two Level 5s, the amount of force she allocated to counter each was different.
Accelerator, who was shaking the very foundation of the dark sphere, naturally drew the majority of her power. Natsume-san, who chose to avoid the sphere and whose movements were relatively less aggressive, was relegated to second priority.
Furthermore, Natsume-san had never intended to get within a hundred meters of Misaka-senpai, currently hovering around two hundred meters away.
This paled in comparison to Accelerator's head-on, point-blank assault. The difference in proximity also translated to a difference in the level of attention they received.
In a way, this was another form of Accelerator drawing fire for her.
Lacking sufficient adaptability and cognitive ability in her current state, the present Misaka-senpai couldn't discern the true intentions of her two opponents.
Or perhaps, simply no one knew what Natsume-san was planning, so there was no reason for special countermeasures.
"Open your eyes wide and look properly! Standing before you is Accelerator!"
Accelerator tore through the dark dimension, charging straight up to Misaka Mikoto. A fist the size of a small pot shot directly towards the luminous figure that seemed to contain a vast sea of stars.
The intense aura radiating from the veteran villain forced even the Level 6 to momentarily recoil.
But the fist stopped just short, grazing Misaka-senpai's cheek before smashing into the wings behind her.
Upon contact with his skin, the wings physically shattered, their energy scattering uncontrollably and leaving a large, chaotic void.
The tornado-like wings he'd used for propulsion were utterly shredded during his advance. Using the recoil from his punch, he pushed himself back, putting a stable distance between them.
The overly frequent use of his ability was taking its toll; Accelerator's breathing grew increasingly ragged, starting to affect his condition.
'The last time I was this embarrassing… must've been that pitch-black night, when I ran an oddly high fever for half the night.'
This sudden turn of events was more or less within expectations, yet the bun-girl felt her eyelid twitching uncontrollably.
Accelerator's actions had severely disrupted the AIM field environment around Misaka-senpai, causing large swathes of static in Natsume-san's new perception.
This disruption brought a flood of minute changes, forcing Natsume-san to readjust her surgical plan once again.
Truthfully, this kind of adjustment was also within Natsume-san's anticipations, as these field aggregates were in a constant state of flux themselves.
It was at this moment, however, that Natsume-san glimpsed something, though it pertained more to Accelerator himself.
Accelerator's reflection was powerful, but it certainly wasn't insurmountable.
Overwhelming it through sheer volume of attacks was theoretically possible—it would just require an astronomical amount of computational power.
Moreover, if one could find the equilibrium point of his reflection's activation, attacking each time with the minimum necessary energy while covering the maximum possible surface area of his skin, that astronomical figure could probably be compressed.
Just how much it could be compressed depended on one's understanding of Accelerator.
With the loss of her wings, the defenses on Misaka-senpai's back were suddenly laid bare.
While Natsume-san didn't need to confront her senpai face-to-face, this still reduced the potential resistance she might face when extracting her.
Thanks to Accelerator's forceful suppression, the scattered Railgun shots that had been pinning Natsume-san down largely dissipated. A period of defensive weakness emerged as Misaka-senpai diverted more firepower to deal with the immediate threat right in front of her.
Natsume-san let out a quiet sigh of relief, pushing forward successively through the dark sphere's peripheral radiation until her ability could finally reach Misaka-senpai.
"Let Meltdowner end this."
Natsume-san's red eyes, back in her original body, locked onto Misaka-senpai a hundred meters away.
Before Accelerator could launch another attack, Natsume-san acted decisively.
Hundreds of pale white beams materialized simultaneously from all directions around Misaka-senpai, instantly piercing through vast clusters of the aggregated AIM diffusion field.
--+--
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.