The iron sand gathered by magnetic forces scattered across the ground, spreading out in all directions like a black tide.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, the two elite espers of Tokiwadai made their dazzling entrance.
Trying to stand firmly on the space station's metal floor again, a certain bun-girl seemed to be gradually regaining her energy.
Only now did she have a chance to properly take in her surroundings; everything here filled her with curiosity, but now was clearly not the time for a leisurely tour.
Though it was just a few steps away, it felt like crossing into another world.
Her body was still enveloped in light.
But the closer she got to the broadcast room, the chilling aura within the light vanished, replaced by a soothing power, as if becoming one with nature itself.
Two completely opposing forces shouldn't exist in the same place, yet here they were, happening right before her eyes, like a volcano choosing to erupt in the middle of the ocean.
Standing on such a 'volcano,' Natsume Sonoko's mood grew calm along with this power.
Well, honestly, it just felt a lot more comfortable.
"Yo, good afternoon, you two Tokiwadai ojou-samas."
Raising a hand with five fingers spread, Tsuchimikado Motoharu looked back towards the entrance of the broadcast room.
His smile was bright, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.
"I've heard Maika mention you. Really, you can't judge a book by its cover. Forgot to introduce myself. First time meeting you. I'm Maika's brother, Tsuchimikado Motoharu."
Tsuchimikado Motoharu was acting quite familiar, ignoring the impending major disaster nearby and chatting amiably with the bunned girl.
"And this one must be the famous Tokiwadai Railgun, I presume?"
Tsuchimikado said with a laugh, scrutinizing the two through his dark sunglasses.
"Nice to meet you."
Her face showed a hint of bewilderment.
Natsume Sonoko clearly hadn't expected this somewhat non-mainstream looking guy to be the brother Tsuchimikado-san mentioned, and he seemed to know her too.
But what did he mean by 'can't judge a book by its cover'? It was kinda annoying.
Her gaze swept over Stiyl Magnus, who was guarding the entrance. Natsume didn't have much fondness for him.
In Natsume's mind, she'd only called a temporary truce with him.
Spotting Ladylee under the watch of the magical girls, Natsume felt a wave of emotion. Kanzaki-san and the others' efficiency was really impressive.
"Kanzaki-san, we're here to help."
Misaka Mikoto nodded politely.
Kanzaki Kaori seemed somewhat surprised by Natsume and the others' arrival but quickly welcomed them.
Unlike Tsuchimikado and Stiyl, who had ridden up before the elevator sealed, she had climbed all the way from the very bottom with three magical girls in tow.
"It must have been quite tough."
Kanzaki Kaori empathized, nodding slightly to welcome Natsume and the others to the group.
Tsuchimikado Motoharu was still searching for a suitable way to break the magic circle, while Kanzaki Kaori took some time to explain the situation to Natsume and Misaka.
Though this 'magic' stuff was still as confusing as ever, they finally understood what was happening.
"So, to stop the big magic circle outside, we have to stop the small one inside this broadcast room first."
Natsume Sonoko summarized Kanzaki's explanation, then seriously began pondering, chin in hand.
Factoring in the time it took to get here from Judgment Branch 177 and the trip up the space elevator, the original thirty-minute deadline was now less than half gone.
"If that's the case, I know someone pretty capable who might be able to help."
Habitually raising her right hand, Natsume Sonoko felt like she was back in a Tokiwadai classroom.
If stopping magic was the goal, that Senpai's right hand would be useful.
Having briefly crossed paths with that Senpai, she had a vivid impression of that right hand.
"You mean Kamijou, don't you? That guy sure is popular."
A light smile appeared on Tsuchimikado's face. How could he not think of his classmate?
In fact, he'd thought of him immediately.
But this situation was particularly special. So special that even destroying the 'Achilles' Heel' in this room might not be enough to stop the 'Tower of Babel' outside.
"Kamijou-kun's right hand certainly can destroy the magic circle before us. In fact, if it were just simple destruction, we could manage that too."
Kanzaki Kaori shook her head, explaining further.
Facing the 'Achilles' Heel,' Kamijou Touma's right hand would indeed work.
Unlike the Tower of Babel, the scale of this massive magic wasn't so vast that a single right hand couldn't erase it in time.
"But the biggest problem now is, even if the 'Achilles' Heel' stops, we already have energy leaks at a Saint-level, and the crack in the artifact is still releasing power. We can't even keep the large-scale magic outside in its current state."
"If we ask Kamijou to help, the more likely outcome is that upon contact, he'd destroy both the 'Achilles' Heel' and the artifact inside simultaneously. If Kamijou's right hand can't erase all the energy within the wooden bow at once, the consequence would be the magic circle activating completely."
"At this point, the best outcome we can hope for is to halt the magic circle's spread."
Tsuchimikado Motoharu sighed, clearly not having expected things to become so troublesome.
Although Kamijou Touma's right hand could negate all supernatural powers, it only worked from his wrist to his fingertips.
If the power needing negation was too immense, even with the wooden bow as a vessel, that right hand might not be able to cancel it all.
"Destructive magic with sufficient power is the same. In fact, those spells themselves could potentially become a new power source," Kanzaki Kaori added.
"Perhaps we can contact the Church. The Archbishop might have a solution."
Stiyl straightened up, stepping into the middle of the group to offer his opinion.
"There's no time. There isn't enough time left to prepare a counter-ritual now."
"I think the best solution right now is for someone to enter the 'Achilles' Heel,' forcibly remove the artifact wooden bow from this space elevator's vicinity. Then let Kamijou destroy it."
"At least that would prevent the situation from worsening further. We'd have to leave the subsequent problems to others."
Tsuchimikado Motoharu said, furrowing his brow.
As long as it was outside this space elevator, destroying the wooden bow wouldn't be a problem.
The parts of the magic circle already activated couldn't be stopped; they'd just have to find another way later. But that was still better than affecting the entire Northern Hemisphere.
As for a solution to this massive magic circle, Tsuchimikado Motoharu leaned towards completely dismantling the space elevator itself.
While everyone was discussing strategies, a certain bun-girl's gaze was drawn to the pillar of light and the object within it.
Staring somewhat transfixed at the wooden bow enveloped in the light, Natsume Sonoko couldn't help but walk towards the edge of the light pillar.
Misaka Mikoto quickly stepped forward and grabbed Natsume's arm.
Although she stopped Natsume from advancing, she noticed Natsume seemed to have entered that deep, trance-like state she'd seen before.
Regarding this wooden bow, she remembered seeing it before at the Orbit Portal headquarters. Ladylee had even asked her to take it down from the display counter.
It hadn't felt unusual at all back then. But now, looking at this glowing wooden bow and the strange power emanating from it, that familiar, déjà vu-like feeling washed over Natsume Sonoko again.
What a strange feeling.
Just as Natsume Sonoko fell into this peculiar state, Ladylee, who was being guarded by the three magical girls, wore a dazed expression.
If, fourteen years ago, that person had fired that arrow sooner, perhaps Ladylee would have fallen into eternal slumber by now.
That strange shrine maiden from back then, wearing ancient robes from who-knows-what era.
She was particularly insistent on going early to bed and early to rise, carried a milk-filled canteen year-round, and had a special interest in all sorts of youkai, non-humans, and espers.
While other shrine maidens were busy serving so-called 'gods,' that rebellious shrine maiden dared to shoot her arrows at those very deities without a second thought.
But, what's past is past. That shrine maiden was gone for good.
Yet Natsume Sonoko's soul was like a link, connecting the two through a peculiar bond.
--+--
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.