"A Level 5 esper from Academy City. Ugh. Running into one of Academy City's aces on the outskirts really is bad luck."
Stiyl pursed his lips and his expression instantly became serious.
Originally he had only been pretending to be an evil magician in order to secretly protect Index. As long as any forces on the magic side were aware of this situation, no one would dare touch Index and provoke the Puritan faction.
Over the past year there had indeed been wandering magicians who attempted to seize Index, but all of them died before they could even get within ten meters of her.
Index herself had only been alarmed by those incidents, believing they were merely conflicts between evil magicians competing over the 103,000 grimoires.
In this country, the only people who would dare to recklessly interfere were the espers from Academy City.
Seventy percent of the world's population remained unaware of the existence of magic, and that included the espers of Academy City.
Stiyl also knew about the Level 5 espers of Academy City. It was said that even the weakest among them could defeat a fully equipped army of a thousand soldiers and still escape without injury.
At the very least, Stiyl himself could not accomplish something like that. Even when facing a hundred fully armed soldiers, he would still need to take the situation seriously.
"Run. He is about to speak his magic name. That is a name only used when facing an enemy. Are you out of your mind?" Index glared angrily at Arata, who looked eager to fight, while anxiously trying to pull him away.
She felt completely confused. What was wrong with this person? He was not a magician and did not have a magic name carved into his soul, yet he inexplicably wanted to fight a magician.
"Just stay quietly behind me, alright? Did you hear what I said earlier? I am a Level 5 esper. I have never lost before. If this guy really is chasing a cute girl like you, then I will teach him a proper lesson."
Arata pulled Index behind him protectively while cracking his knuckles. He squinted toward Stiyl whose expression had gradually turned darker.
Although Stiyl was not actually an enemy, his appearance alone was enough to make people feel like he deserved to be punched.
"You are such an unbelievable person. You are not listening to me at all." Index became so angry that she started hopping in place. Her calm expression showed almost no fear for her own safety. Instead she was more worried about the innocent person standing in front of her.
"Ignorant esper. It seems I have truly been underestimated. If this were inside Academy City, I would not dare fight you. But outside the city... heh. I would like to see what is so impressive about these so called esper abilities."
Stiyl's face darkened and he bared his teeth like a mad dog while glaring fiercely at Arata. He threw the tarot cards in his hand upward into the air.
The tarot cards scattered like flower petals drifting through the air. Some landed on the road, some stuck to telephone poles, and some even fell near Arata's feet.
"Throwing trash around will get you fined in Academy City, you know." Arata smiled as he looked down at the tarot cards. Each card carried the same strange symbol. They were clearly rune characters.
I should properly study magic someday. Compared to esper abilities, magic seems to have a much broader future.
"Hmph." Stiyl sneered with disdain. In his eyes Academy City was full of arrogant and ignorant people who believed only in science and did not even realize that magic existed.
"My magic name is Fortis931. It represents the meaning of strength. Although I personally find it strange that magicians announce their magic name before killing someone, it seems to have become a tradition. So..."
He spoke as casually as if he were introducing the name of his pet cat. Then his eyes suddenly narrowed and a murderous aura froze the surrounding atmosphere.
He removed the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it forward. A streak of orange light flashed through the air before the cigarette landed at Arata's feet.
The moment the cigarette butt touched the ground, Stiyl whispered a short incantation. Flames erupted instantly like a camera flash. A pillar of fire three meters high swallowed the position where Arata had been standing.
The surroundings looked like a volcanic eruption. Walls two people high shattered from the heat. Waves of scorching air spread outward along with bursts of light, explosions, and thick black smoke.
"Ah." A frightened scream came from within the flames. It was clearly Index's voice.
However Stiyl was not worried. The nun's habit she wore contained a church level defensive barrier. Even someone with the combat ability of a Saint would not easily break through it.
That was precisely why he and Kanzaki Kaori, while pretending to be evil magicians, could attack her without holding back.
"Is that all? The so called Level 5 could not even defend himself. It seems that the strongest espers of Academy City are only this impressive." Stiyl muttered to himself with disdain while looking at the blazing fire and scratching his head.
But if I accidentally kill or cripple a Level 5, will Academy City come looking for trouble?
"Isn't this a little excessive?" The flames continued burning fiercely. Black smoke and fire completely blocked the view. These were not ordinary flames. Their temperature reached nearly three thousand degrees, enough to melt steel almost instantly.
"The Level 5 of Academy City should be stronger than this. You could not even break through my defense. I am actually a little disappointed."
A calm voice suddenly came from inside the flames. Stiyl's expression instantly stiffened.
With a loud explosion, the flames and smoke were suddenly torn apart as if crushed by an invisible force. The fire scattered outward like exploding fireworks. Neither Arata nor Index had suffered even the slightest burn.
"How is that possible." Stiyl was completely stunned.
"My ability completely isolates temperature. Even if I swim in lava I would not be injured. Now it is my turn."
Arata smiled confidently as his eyes suddenly became sharp.
Stiyl felt his mind freeze. His expression went blank and his vision rapidly pulled backward. A sharp pain suddenly exploded in his back. The last thing he saw was the ground rushing toward him as the bricks in his field of view became larger and larger.
Then everything went dark.
"I did not expect it to end in a single move. That is really disappointing." Arata could not help shaking his head.
It had only been a simple telekinetic attack, yet it sent Stiyl, a young magician considered a prodigy, flying over a hundred meters before crashing into an abandoned apartment building and burying him within the rubble.
"Wow. You are amazing." Index exclaimed in surprise. She lifted the hem of her nun's habit and ran happily toward Arata while looking at him with innocent admiration.
"Of course. Someone at that level is no match for me," Arata said proudly.
"What is your name, cute nun?"
"My name is Index. But we need to leave quickly. That magician has a very powerful companion..."
"That companion has already arrived." Arata immediately covered Index's mouth while looking toward the darkness behind her.
...
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