The once thick layer of iron sand protecting her had nearly all melted away, molten droplets pattering onto the ground.
As gaps appeared in her protective shell, Misaka-senpai's body became exposed to the intense heat.
Even her electromagnetic barrier, capable of deflecting all sorts of attacks, grew increasingly useless against the sweltering temperatures.
Within mere seconds, an unnatural flush spread across Misaka-senpai's face, her body temperature skyrocketing.
Fortunately, the continuous downpour of water spheres around her created vast plumes of steam, absorbing a great deal of the heat.
The red-haired magician took a few steps back, his black cloak rustling sharply as he leaned forward, settling into a posture ready for swift movement.
With a sudden push off his feet, his figure instantly shot back several meters. A few scattered rune cards fluttered to the ground, and blazing flames instantly erupted all around him.
"Bring the flames to my hand. Its form is the sword and its role is execution!."
The frenzied flames grew even more soul-shaking. The fire in Stiyl's hands coalesced, following his chant, into a blade of intensely hot flames.
The sword lengthened, barring Misaka-senpai's intended path. Its extreme heat acted like a barrier, cleaving the area into two separate realms.
He hadn't wanted things to escalate this far, but the situation had long since spiraled beyond his control.
Though he held himself back from using magic on ordinary people, he also possessed a cold ruthlessness to achieve his goals by any means necessary, making him a formidable opponent.
Tongues of fire surged as the red-haired magician swung his flame sword toward Misaka-senpai.
The high temperature sliced a huge gash in the ground, exposing water pipes buried underneath, their surfaces already completely melted.
Well, I guess I don't need to worry about the follow-up issues with those underground pipes anymore.
Putting the water pipe issue aside, the expression on Natsume Sonoko's face remained blank, yet a massive sword of frost materialized in the air, its target squarely the top of the magician's head.
Though the magician moved quickly, Natsume-san's great sword was faster.
With a simple sweep, it caught up to Stiyl, who was brandishing his flame sword, forcing him to turn and counterattack.
A thirty-meter flame sword. A thirty-meter frost greatsword.
The two clashed violently above a nearby pavilion, scraping against each other and sending up a visible wave of fiery light. Chunks of falling ice pitted and dented the pavilion's roof.
The scene instantly became grand, the two opposing forces beginning to move at high speeds, now fighting without restraint.
It was at this moment that Misaka-senpai successfully retrieved Meigo Arisa and moved the older girl away from the immediate battle.
Trees fell in rows, benches and stone stools for rest were overturned by shockwaves, and the area was a complete mess to behold.
She had no interest in deliberately damaging public property, but Natsume wouldn't let such things tie her hands either.
Her combat experience, considerable among the student body, kept the certain bun-girl exceptionally calm in the face of the enemy. She knew clearly that protecting everyone and defeating the foe were the top priorities now.
However, the frost greatsword shattered upon contact, the intense heat causing the blade to continuously emit steam, making it look like the ice itself was on fire.
Natsume-san stood firm mid-air, controlling water dragons that continuously merged into the frost greatsword, replenishing the parts being evaporated by the extreme heat.
A spectacular clash of colossal weapons unfolded over the park. Some onlookers tried to approach, only to be affected by the 'Opila' rune placed at the exits.
But there was more than one exit, and the crowd gathering around was actually growing larger and larger.
Fortunately, the Judgment officers had arrived on the scene, followed by the Anti-Skill troops. Given the situation, they had even mobilized several armored vehicles.
The certain bun-headed girl instantly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed everything was starting to develop in their favor.
Within Academy City, the magical side was undoubtedly the weaker party.
But then Natsume-san felt a flicker of surprise—she spotted Index and the others among the crowd.
Hadn't Kamijou-senpai and Index already gone back?
"Stiyl, what are you doing?!"
A spiky-haired boy emerged from the crowd, rushing hurriedly into the fray between the two combatants.
A fireball flew unceremoniously right toward his head, but it was immediately blocked by that right hand of his.
Meanwhile, Index ran over to Misaka-senpai's side, gazing up worriedly at the two figures in the sky.
The magician named Stiyl merely furrowed his brows, then scanned the numerous Anti-Skill officers nearby.
Seeming to come to a decision, the red-haired magician then turned and moved without looking back toward the direction where his 'Opila' rune was set.
This made Natsume-san pause too; she hadn't expected this senpai's deterrence to be so strong.
But without a second thought, Natsume-san also began to chase after the retreating flame magician.
She still hadn't figured out what was happening, only that the problem seemed serious.
Natsume-san really wanted to resolve this incident, to find the mastermind threatening the Misaka Sisters, just like many of the problems they encountered daily.
The moment she passed through the exit of the park, the protective amulet Natsume-san wore on her person emitted a burst of light, and she passed through the barrier without any hindrance.
The sudden glow from beneath her clothes also gave the bun-headed girl a start, causing her speed to falter for a moment.
But after a careful look at the amulet, Natsume-san found that nothing seemed to have changed.
Following closely behind the red-haired magician, Natsume-san had long since discarded the frost longsword, instead controlling air currents to disrupt his movement.
Whether it was mirages or any other magic, the red-haired magician couldn't shake the certain bun-headed girl, because she could clearly distinguish the real from the false.
"It had no effect?!"
A look of confusion crossed Stiyl's face, his peripheral vision still catching the relentless pursuit of the meatball-headed girl.
Even if Index was on their side, lacking any mana herself, it would take some time for her to dispel the magic.
And if it was Kamijou Touma using his right hand to nullify the 'Opila,' then the one who should have chased out after him would be Kamijou Touma, not this esper.
Seeming to realize he couldn't shake her off quickly, Stiyl actually slowed his pace, the scorching fireball taking shape once more in his hand.
Having investigated some information beforehand, he had a certain level of understanding of several of Academy City's espers.
Though maintaining such high temperatures constantly drained his mana, when facing an esper who could control the air, Stiyl had to maintain the presence of this massive fireball.
Still, the situation wasn't terribly bad yet. After only a slight hesitation, Stiyl began arranging magical runes in his hand.
He pulled out some rune cards. This time, they weren't inscribed with the fire-summoning runes from before, but with some even stranger symbols.
Beyond fire runes, Stiyl had actually mastered all the original runes and had even created six new magical runes.
A more accurate title for him than Flame Magician would be Rune Magician, though he used flame magic most often in daily life.
These runes combined with each other, forming a set of binding rune arrays.
While evading his pursuer, Stiyl changed direction and ran into a nearby dark alley.
He hadn't gone more than a few steps when the runes in his hand suddenly vibrated, guided by Stiyl's mana, briefly affecting the bun-headed girl in mid-air.
However, these runes seemed to have cost Stiyl a great deal of mana, leaving him visibly winded and weakened.
"My body... it's hard to move. Even my thoughts have slowed down."
A sense of unreality pervaded. Everything around her seemed to slow down, making her feel deeply uncomfortable.
It felt very similar to the abilities of the Mental Out system. Natsume-san felt as if an invisible force was restraining her movements, a force that seemed to come from within herself.
Her body moved as if in slow motion. Natsume-san tried to raise her hand, but the speed was like that of a rusted robot.
The effect on her brain was also significant. But for Natsume-san, the impact was like her ability dropping from Level 5 to Level 4.
Though the drop was substantial, it didn't hinder her basic control over her mind.
And just like before, the amulet inside her clothes glowed again, but this time the light seemed even brighter.
--+--
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.