Misaka Mikoto watched as Arata walked toward her with a faint smile. She swallowed unconsciously, but instead of fear, a surge of excitement rose within her. She clenched her fists and spoke in a firm, almost aggressive tone.
"What happened? Can telekinesis really counter the Railgun?"
Her Railgun wasn't just a simple application of the Lorentz force to accelerate metal. It also carried a voltage reaching one billion volts, enough to instantly melt steel and concrete. Combined with an impact speed exceeding three times the speed of sound, its destructive force surpassed even that of the most powerful sniper rifles.
Even if it was another Level 5, telekinesis alone shouldn't have been able to stop it.
And yet, the result was right in front of her.
"Well, I'm not telling you. You already used your signature move. The sparring match is over, and you've already lost," Arata said as he approached her, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"Huh?" Misaka Mikoto froze, blinking her large brown eyes in confusion. What kind of response is that? Wasn't he supposed to explain it with some smug confidence?
A sudden wave of irritation rose in her chest, and she quickly retorted.
"Wait a second. What do you mean I've already lost? Don't decide that on your own. I haven't even gotten serious yet."
Lost? Those two Railgun shots didn't even reach half of her full output.
This guy hadn't even been taking the fight seriously, yet he casually declared her defeat. That alone was enough to annoy her.
"No. You've already lost," Arata replied, crossing his arms as if stating an obvious fact.
"What did you say?" Misaka Mikoto snapped instantly, her expression turning fierce as her hands clenched tightly.
"The Railgun is your signature move, right?" Arata said, looking at her with a relaxed expression.
"That's true, but..."
"Then that settles it. You used your strongest move, and I neutralized it effortlessly. Meanwhile, I haven't even used mine. There's no argument here. You've lost," Arata said in a completely matter-of-fact tone.
"What kind of ridiculous logic is that?" Misaka Mikoto shot back angrily. Sparks crackled from her forehead as her fingers twitched, ready to attack at any moment.
"If you have a special move too, then show it. Let me see if it can compare to my Railgun."
"Fine," Arata replied with a casual shrug.
Misaka Mikoto's expression immediately became serious. She stepped back and took a guarded stance.
"I don't usually use my special moves against people. Honestly, I think they've already reached the minimum threshold of a nuclear explosion," Arata said calmly.
"Nuclear explosion?" Misaka Mikoto's eyes widened instantly. A video she had once seen online flashed through her mind, and a chill ran down her spine as she stared at him.
"You're joking… right?"
"You'll understand once you see it," Arata replied.
He gathered his telekinetic power into his right hand. In an instant, a powerful current of air surged outward, forcing Misaka Mikoto to take two steps back.
The air around his hand twisted violently, turning visible as a white distortion. A nearly spherical mass of compressed air formed, wrapped in dense AIM diffusion field interference, enveloping his fist.
It's different from before. More efficient. About thirty percent output is enough to form this telekinetic projectile.
"Is that your special move?" Misaka Mikoto stared intently at the distorted sphere. The air itself looked warped, as if reality were being bent.
"That's right. Telekinetic Cannon."
A bead of cold sweat slid down her temple.
Wait. Isn't that the Seventh Ranked Level 5's ability name?
"Heh." Arata chuckled softly and launched the telekinetic sphere straight into the sky.
The surrounding air roared as it was displaced, forming a violent gale. The pressure alone felt similar to standing near a rocket launch site.
"What is that?" Sogiita Gunha stared upward, eyes locked on the white projectile that had shot into the sky in an instant.
A few seconds later, a deep, thunderous explosion echoed above.
The clouds were violently blown apart, forming a massive circular gap in the sky. Sunlight poured down through the opening, dazzling and intense.
Shirai Kuroko's eyes widened to their limit, her mouth hanging open in shock.
Uiharu Kazari had the exact same expression.
"Amazing," Sogiita Gunha said sincerely, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. Even he couldn't have blasted something that high and torn open the clouds like that.
Index blinked as she stared at the sky and murmured, "It's like the kind of magic that manipulates celestial phenomena in Eastern Taoism."
"he actually blasted the clouds apart…" Misaka Mikoto thought in astonishment. Instead of fear, her competitive spirit flared up again. For a Level 5, this kind of feat wasn't impossible. Given the right atmospheric conditions, she could achieve something similar by directing large-scale electrical discharges into the sky.
"Hahaha! I can't hold back anymore. Now it's my turn to show my guts!" Sogiita Gunha burst out laughing, unable to contain himself any longer. He leaped into the air, bounding several times before landing heavily between Arata and Misaka Mikoto.
As he stood up, colorful smoke like blue, yellow, and red energy trails erupted around him, twisting into vivid ribbons that disturbed the airflow. He clenched his fist and pointed it at Arata.
"Hahaha! Witness my super amazing, invincible, magnificent, ultimate power! Super Powerful Punch!"
"...Seriously?" Arata's eyelid twitched slightly. This hopelessly hot-blooded idiot.
Without hesitation, he gathered telekinetic force into his fist and threw a punch forward.
Boom!
A deafening explosion of compressed air erupted.
...
The match ended abruptly due to the massive and inexplicable explosion in the stadium, leaving everyone with a strong sense of unfinished business.
...
Sogiita Gunha was that kind of person. He would never refuse a challenge or a request for help, but his reckless enthusiasm often led to situations like this.
Looking around, the stadium's roof had been completely destroyed. Debris was scattered across the field, turning the entire area into a mess.
Security personnel and Judgment members rushed over immediately after receiving reports. Arata teleported away with Index without hesitation, while Shirai Kuroko, still furious, dragged Misaka Mikoto away from the dangerous scene.
Only Sogiita Gunha remained behind, scratching his head in confusion.
Why did everyone leave? Weren't we in the middle of a fight?
Moments later, he cooperated quite willingly as the guards placed him in restraints and escorted him into a vehicle.
...
Shirai Kuroko brought Misaka Mikoto to a nearby park, the same place where she often got drinks from the vending machines. After that, Kuroko hurried off to handle the aftermath by forging reports and paperwork.
"They actually destroyed the stadium…" Misaka Mikoto muttered, patting her chest as lingering fear set in. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead. Was that Seventh Ranked guy insane? I really hope the Anti-Skill officers don't come after me.
And then there's that Arata… declaring I've already lost like that, completely on his own terms. That's infuriating.
She walked up to a vending machine and kicked it hard.
Today was unbelievably frustrating. What was with those flashy techniques? Did they really think something like that would scare me?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She stomped her foot against the vending machine again.
"He's just showing off. So annoying."
...
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guilt_free_daoist
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