Before she arrived, lights could still be seen inside the surrounding residential buildings. Now, aside from the faint glow of the streetlights and the distant lights of the city, this entire area had fallen into darkness, as if it had been completely isolated from the outside world.
Kanzaki Kaori pulled Stiyl Magnus out from the rubble and gently placed him on the ground.
"His sternum is shattered, and four ribs are broken..." Kanzaki Kaori muttered calmly to herself. Although her voice was steady, her eyes were filled with anger. She took a deep breath and looked toward the boy standing in front of Index. The anger in her gaze gradually faded. She had witnessed the entire conflict between Stiyl and that boy. In truth, the entire incident had been caused by their own misunderstanding.
She and Stiyl had been pretending to be villains who were chasing Index. If a boy in that situation stepped forward to help Index, then even if he seriously injured Stiyl, she had no right to direct her anger at him.
However, no outsider should be allowed to interfere in this matter, especially not the forces of Academy City.
If a connection were formed between a Level 5 esper of Academy City and Index, the girl who held the 103,000 grimoires of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, then regardless of what kind of connection it might be, it would inevitably cause unnecessary friction between the magic side and the science side.
Moreover, she had encountered a Level 5 esper the moment she approached the outskirts of Academy City. Academy City was far too mysterious. It was entirely possible that it had already begun monitoring her using methods that she could not even comprehend.
She could not behave recklessly like Stiyl. If she caused trouble near Academy City, she might be judged as a threat. If that happened, they would receive no support or reinforcements.
"Disperse the idle crowd." Index grabbed Arata's sleeve nervously when she saw the terrifying female magician who had been chasing her approach step by step.
"No loitering." Arata blinked in confusion. That phrase sounded extremely familiar. There really was magic like that in the anime world, a spell that could drive away ordinary people. It was quite useful.
"Yes, yes. That evil female magician wanted to kill you, so she drove away everyone nearby and turned this place into a silent space," Index explained seriously like a professional.
Although that evil female magician was very frightening, this stranger had just defeated the male magician in a single move. So perhaps he could defeat the female magician as well.
"..."
Kanzaki Kaori felt a trace of helplessness after hearing Index's conversation with the boy.
"Young man, there seems to be some misunderstanding between us. Things are not as you imagine. However, I do not intend to explain the situation. Please hand the girl behind you over to me so that I can protect her." Kanzaki Kaori slowly walked forward and calmly looked at Arata.
"A misunderstanding? I do not think this looks like a misunderstanding. I already fought your companion and seriously injured him, which means we are enemies now. Besides, if it really were a misunderstanding, then refusing to explain it seems quite strange." Arata said while carefully observing Kanzaki Kaori.
Kanzaki Kaori's T shirt was tied around her waist, revealing her perfectly toned abdomen. Her jeans were missing the entire right leg, almost as if they had been deliberately designed to attract attention.
Her long black hair, which carried a faint purple tint, was tied into a high ponytail with a ribbon. Even so, the ponytail still extended down to her waist.
At her side hung a two meter long nodachi that radiated a chilling killing intent.
"Do not believe her. Evil magicians are experts at using sweet words to deceive people," Index said nervously.
"Do not worry. Regardless of the reason, protecting a cute girl makes me very happy. Still, it is difficult to imagine that such a beautiful woman would actually be a ruthless killer." Arata said as if he understood the situation while looking at Kanzaki Kaori with regret.
At the same time, his body quietly became tense. Kanzaki Kaori was one of the fewer than twenty Saints in the entire world. On the magic side she was essentially a humanoid strategic weapon. Her power allowed her to fight opponents on the level of archangels. Her combat ability was terrifying.
Stiyl had been defeated in one move mainly because the speed of his magic activation was too slow. In addition, Stiyl's overall combat strength was roughly comparable to a Level 4 or Level 5 esper in Academy City. If he had no time to prepare his magic, he might even lose to a Level 3.
Furthermore, Arata's telekinetic attacks were instantaneous and invisible. They were forces that could not be seen or detected.
Kanzaki Kaori was completely different. Her body as a Saint allowed her to temporarily surpass the limits of human capability and move with godlike speed. Only demons and angels could completely overwhelm her.
Although she seemed to get beaten frequently in the original story, one had to consider who her opponents were. They were either angels or Kamijou Touma, the man who possessed the unique power of Imagine Breaker that could negate miracles themselves. Kanzaki really had every reason to feel wronged.
"Sigh. In that case there is no other choice. I will have to defeat you. I apologize, young man."
Kanzaki Kaori closed one eye.
The moment she finished speaking, Arata suddenly heard the sharp sound of air being torn apart. His lips twitched slightly.
This was not funny at all. He had not even seen Kanzaki move, yet she had already completed her attack.
He slightly turned his neck and looked behind him. About two hundred meters away, two crane machines that were still under construction had been cleanly sliced apart before collapsing to the ground.
Boom. The ground trembled heavily.
"Young man, you are not my opponent. That attack just now was only a warning. It only takes a fraction of a second for me to swing my blade. With normal human perception, it is impossible to dodge it."
Kanzaki Kaori closed the distance between them until only five meters remained. She calmly looked at Arata as she spoke.
She did not want to harm a kind young man. She only wanted him to retreat.
"Wow... that is amazing. How did she do that?" Index looked at Kanzaki Kaori with fear. She had never expected the evil magician who had chased her for so long to possess such terrifying strength.
"Uh..." Arata stared at the two meter long nodachi in Kanzaki Kaori's hand. Indeed, he had not seen her swing the blade at all. A slash that could not be seen by the naked eye was something telekinesis could not easily block. Time manipulation could only interfere with physical attacks.
"I have a question," Arata said.
"..."
Kanzaki Kaori looked silently at the boy. Had he truly decided to give up after facing an opponent he could not defeat? That would only be natural.
"Would the attack you just used be considered a physical attack?" Arata asked seriously.
Kanzaki Kaori calmly looked at him while resting her right hand on the hilt of her sword.
"Wait." Arata quickly raised one hand.
Index lowered her head. Faced with such a situation, even this kind person could not defeat the evil magician. Continuing to resist would only get him killed. She forced herself to smile bravely.
Kanzaki Kaori slightly loosened her grip on the sword hilt.
"I cannot defeat you right now." Arata placed one hand on Index's back and gently pushed her forward in front of him. His expression clearly showed that he had given up.
Index looked somewhat dejected. She had fallen into the hands of an evil magician. Perhaps they would torture her or use any other cruel method in order to obtain the knowledge sealed within her mind.
"So I decided to run away." Arata suddenly revealed a bright smile.
In the next instant, both he and Index disappeared from where they had been standing.
...
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