(The surroundings fell into complete darkness and silence; the phone screen went out, the red dots of the surveillance cameras vanished, and even the neon signs of the distant commercial district turned into blurred outlines. The world seemed to have its vitality drained away, leaving only the cold lines of buildings outlined by the moonlight.
"Hey! Do you hear me? Answer me! What happened?" Arashiyama, dressed in combat gear and carrying a suitcase, growled into the communicator, but there was only a hollow busy tone on the receiver. The communicator was also ruined.
Experienced as he was, his heart sank. He only remembered one person capable of causing such a massive and thorough power failure—
"The Railgun, Misaka Mikoto!" He uttered the name with a look of frustration. "This is bad. Looking at this display, she doesn't come with good intentions!"
He immediately turned to Kikorou beside him. This young lady was also carrying a specially made suitcase. Bringing her on this mission was the leader's idea to let her gain some command experience, but he hadn't expected to run into such a tough opponent.
"Young lady," Arashiyama spoke rapidly, his voice kept very low, "the situation has changed. It's Misaka Mikoto; she's here. If our goal conflicts with hers, we definitely won't stand a chance. We've also lost contact with Unit 4, so they're likely in trouble. There might even be others in the shadows. This mission... let's give it up and evacuate immediately."
Kikorou frowned, her face written with reluctance. Firstly, she knew Misaka Mikoto. Being of a similar age, having to back down just because of a potential conflict hurt her pride. Secondly, she loathed espers in her bones, considering most of them to be unreasonable lunatics. Most importantly, she hated giving up halfway, and she couldn't imagine the disappointed look on her father's face after a failure.
"Retreat? It's too early," Kikorou countered, proposing her own idea. "Let's go talk to her about cooperation. The bounty for body recovery can be split fifty-fifty. That way, at least we won't lose out, and we avoid a conflict."
Arashiyama's heart skipped a beat; he was firmly opposed to this naive idea. He knew all too well the young and aggressive espers of today; they all suffered from being stubborn and having a sense of personal heroism. In their black-and-white worldview, "cooperation" was often a plea from the weak, and "concessions" were a great humiliation. Trying to reason, cooperate, or talk about mutual benefits with such a powerhouse—especially a young one—was harder than reaching the heavens.
But he couldn't say these things directly; the person across from him was the boss's daughter, a well-connected individual he absolutely couldn't offend. He could only suppress his irritation and try to make his tone sound gentle: "Young lady, your idea is good, but... it might not be practical. The other party has the ability to take the entire bounty for themselves; why would they share it with us?"
Accustomed to getting her way, Kikorou snorted coldly. "How will we know if we don't try? What if she's reasonable?" She insisted on attempting to communicate.
Helpless, Arashiyama could only silently pray that the Railgun's mood would be somewhat normal today as he followed Kikorou with a heavy heart.
After the large-scale blackout, the panicked crowds gradually dispersed, and the streets became empty. Misaka Mikoto was no unknown figure in the Inner World and was highly recognizable; moreover, her goal was clear, and she walked straight toward the target hotel without any concealment. The two soon blocked her path.
Kikorou tried to make her attitude seem sincere: "Miss Misaka Mikoto? Hello, we are from the Defense Force. We have the same goal: Kuchiba Hiro. Perhaps we can cooperate? We can split the bounty and recovery fees fifty-fifty..."
Before she could finish, she was coldly interrupted by Misaka Mikoto: "Get lost. Don't get in my way." Her tone was firm, with no room for compromise, and her eyes showed nothing but complete disregard.
Kikorou suppressed the surge of anger and tried to push further: "We can discuss the split ratio again, as long as we don't leave empty-handed..." She tried to show flexibility.
But Misaka Mikoto clearly didn't have much patience. Her eyes were sharp as knives, and her voice carried suppressed rage: "Kuchiba Hiro killed my friend. I must take this revenge personally. If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being impolite."
Seeing the unquestionable determination in Misaka Mikoto's eyes, Kikorou knew the negotiation had completely broken down—or rather, it wasn't a negotiation at all. Enduring the humiliation, she stepped aside to clear the way.
Seeing this, Arashiyama breathed a sigh of relief—it was a blessing that they didn't start fighting on the spot.
Misaka Mikoto didn't even spare them a glance as she continued walking forward.
Just as she had walked a dozen meters away, Kikorou's suppressed anger and prejudice finally couldn't be contained. She muttered a sentence behind her in a very low but clear voice: "...Serves you right! None of the Transcendents are any good!"
This malicious whisper sounded particularly jarring in the silent night.
Misaka Mikoto's footsteps suddenly stopped.
Alarm bells rang in Arashiyama's mind, and he was just about to say something to remedy the situation—
Crackle!
A dazzling blue-white electric light tore through the darkness like a furious thunder serpent, striking directly toward Kikorou's face without warning! The speed was faster than the limit of visual capture!
In the blink of an eye, Arashiyama pressed the activation button on the suitcase, relying on his rich combat experience! The suitcase instantly unfolded and transformed, flesh and blood tissue writhing wildly, turning into a heavy Black Tower Shield with menacing bone spikes at the critical moment. The shield face expanded rapidly, barely protecting him and Kikorou behind it.
Boom!
The violent current slammed hard against the shield, letting out a deafening explosion as blue-white electric snakes scattered, scorching the surrounding ground into charred marks. A strange red light flickered on the shield's surface as if it were a living thing absorbing and dispersing this terrifying energy impact, but Arashiyama, holding the shield, was still shaken until his arms felt numb and his blood surged.
Misaka Mikoto stood where she was, surrounded by fine electric arcs, her eyes cold as frost: "Get lost!" She was clearly provoked, but she didn't intend to strike a killing blow.
However, this strike didn't scare Kikorou off; instead, it completely ignited her young lady's temper and the pride in her heart. Being insulted to her face and attacked by lightning was a humiliation she had never experienced!
"You dare—!" Kikorou shrieked, her rage breaking through Arashiyama's arm that tried to stop her. She slammed a button on the inside of her combat suit.
Buzz—!
The tight combat suit under her coat was instantly activated; it was as if countless tiny units inside the material were reorganizing and expanding, instantly tearing through the loose beige trench coat on the outside! Amidst the flow of flesh and red light, a set of gorgeously styled, sleek Pure White Skirt Armor covered her entire body.
The armor looked light, yet it emitted a cold, hard metallic luster. The joints were cleverly designed, providing all-around protection without hindering movement. Even more startling, energy patterns faintly flowed on the surface of the armor, giving the wearer an unimaginable boost in strength and speed!
Almost simultaneously, the suitcase in her other hand also completed its transformation, turning into an exaggeratedly styled Two-handed Giant Axe with a blade shimmering with cold light! The axe head was massive and looked incredibly heavy.
"Young lady! Don't be impulsive!" Arashiyama's warning was completely ignored.
Kikorou's legs bent slightly, and the power units under the skirt armor emitted a low hum. In the next instant, she shot out like a cannonball, her speed so fast she left a faint afterimage! The Two-handed Giant Axe, carrying a whistle that tore through the air, swung down toward Misaka Mikoto's head with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks!
This sudden and fierce attack far exceeded Misaka Mikoto's expectations for a "normal Battle Gang member." The terrifying power contained in that giant axe gave her a sense of substantial threat! Her pupils constricted, and the omnipresent electromagnetic force gave her a certain degree of perception, allowing her to dodge violently to the side and rear at the last moment.
Whoosh—Boom!!
The giant axe dropped, nearly brushing against her school uniform, slamming heavily into the spot where she had been standing just moments ago. The solid asphalt road was split open like tofu, with gravel and mud flying in all directions, leaving a shocking deep crater!
Misaka Mikoto landed lightly a few meters away, her short brown hair flying in the strong wind. She looked at the girl before her, covered in white skirt armor and holding a giant axe, without showing the slightest hint of fear.
"Interesting." Misaka Mikoto's eyes sharpened. She raised her hand, and an even more dazzling electric light danced at her fingertips. "It seems I can't focus on my revenge without first dealing with these annoying flies."
The battle escalated instantly!)
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