The interior space of Endymion was far more vast than one could imagine.
Just the level closest to the ground floor already covered an area larger than a third of School Garden.
The space elevator's walls weren't built using conventional concrete and steel reinforcement; instead, its main structure was made of lightweight alloy materials, overlaid with a high-strength glass.
Because of this, no matter which floor you were on, looking out through the walls offered an unobstructed panoramic view of the scenery below.
Yet this seemingly transparent glass effectively blocked the invasion of the cold light, allowing only a tiny fraction to seep into the elevator interior.
Besides the main reception hall and various rest and leisure areas, this level also housed more than twenty elevator shafts, using specially designed vertical rail trains to travel between space and the ground.
On some of the lower floors closer to the ground, there were also pedestrian skybridges spanning across, linking the different sections together.
As the space elevator rose higher, there were no more sightseeing floors—just a direct route to outer space.
The uppermost space station was where the opening ceremony was scheduled to take place. If everything went smoothly, that was where Meigo-senpai would hold her concert.
But right now, the entire space elevator's management system had entered an internal lockdown. That meant without proper authorization, no one could use those rail trains.
"How are we going to get up?"
The earlier tension had suddenly vanished, replaced by a strange sense of clarity. Natsume-san stared blankly, murmuring to herself.
Gazing up at this structure, like something straight out of myth, even Natsume-san's eyes couldn't see where it ended.
In the face of technology—or rather, the power of human intellect—the individual felt incredibly small. Natsume-san never stopped admiring science.
"We'll take that one."
Misaka-senpai pointed toward one of the rail trains.
Unless someone cut off the entire space elevator's power supply, no one could stop Misaka-senpai from hijacking a train's access rights.
"Mhm."
Natsume-san nodded firmly, a flush of excitement coloring her slightly pale cheeks.
Honestly, she really wanted to ride it.
Misaka-senpai was so reliable—Natsume-san loved working with people who knew what they were doing.
With both hands pressed against the train's glass, Natsume-san gazed out absently at the passing view.
As the elevator climbed higher, the cold light outside seemed to grow denser, turning everything into a monotonous wash of white.
Uncertain of the situation on the upper levels, Misaka-senpai had gathered a large amount of iron sand, piling it around the train as they ascended.
Because of that, this rail train carrying only two people was unusually overloaded.
Just after Natsume-san and the others boarded the train and began their ascent, a few suspicious characters showed up late to the party.
But none of them had a top-tier hacker like Misaka-senpai among them, so they had to find their own way up.
--+--
The uppermost space station of the elevator.
From the ground, it looked like nothing more than a hazy halo of light, but up here, one could see countless stark white rings of light clearly scattered around the station.
On these rings of light, various incomprehensible symbols were arranged in patterns.
A figure as delicate as a doll lay collapsed on the floor, surrounded by scorch marks and the heavy scent of fire.
Not far away, the shattered remains of a metal puppet lay scattered.
But on this doll-like girl—including her Gothic Lolita-style dress—there wasn't a single burn mark to be seen.
"Sixth time being set on fire. Last time was in Britain, if I recall."
Her body trembled slightly, her vocal cords returning to normal.
Ladylee Tangleroad lay on the floor, coughing a few times before tilting her head to look at Stiyl.
Her hollow eyes held an emotion difficult to comprehend—no one in this world could truly understand what she felt.
For someone who longed for death, any form of punishment was meaningless.
"For a goal like this, you'd destroy the entire Northern Hemisphere?"
Stiyl tossed his cigarette butt to the floor, furrowing his brow as he considered possible solutions.
This was tricky.
The mastermind magician was stubborn and unyielding—or in science-side terms, just mentally unstable.
Capturing her had taken less time than searching for her throughout the elevator. She was so weak she could only fight using metal puppets.
Just as Stiyl was pondering his next move, Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Kanzaki Kaori, who had been out inspecting the magic circle, arrived late, followed by a few other magical girls.
"What's the situation?" Stiyl asked, frowning.
"I'm not entirely sure what kind of magic this is—it's such a jumbled mess it's giving me a headache."
Tsuchimikado adjusted his black sunglasses, his expression relaxed but not particularly flippant.
"But one thing's clear: this spell is designed to absorb the life force from people, and it's the most powerful kind. If this magic is fully activated, a lot—a whole lot—of people are going to die."
He shrugged helplessly, not quite sure how to describe it, but his tone grew serious.
Maybe "insane" was the right word—this plan left no room for survival.
Fortunately, magicians were beings who converted life force into magic. Even exposed directly to this cold light, they wouldn't face immediate danger, especially shielded by the high-density glass.
As for his boss, Kanzaki Kaori—it mattered even less to her.
"But there's still a chance. The enemy hasn't fully activated the magic circle yet."
"At first, I didn't understand why. They already found a replacement for Meigo Arisa, after all… until I saw that."
Shrugging, Tsuchimikado slung an arm over Kanzaki's shoulder.
Even though she was a Saint—the strongest in combat—in a situation like this, that power didn't seem especially useful.
More than fighting, what often mattered more was the ability to gather intelligence. It was why Natsume-san always tried to keep her own capabilities under wraps.
The cosmic space station was circular. The outer ring housed sightseeing walkways, while the central section contained a massive broadcasting room.
Just setting foot here gave one the distinct sensation of being in outer space—a feeling both physically and mentally soothing, if not for those magical rings of light outside.
And at one point among those rings, a brilliant pillar of light extended all the way to the station's broadcast room.
By now, the broadcast room had become a sea of radiance.
A spacious stage had already been set up—only the performers were missing.
Unlike the cold light outside, this glow carried a quiet, peaceful power, completely different from the life-absorbing chill beyond.
--+--
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.