It was a battlefield.
It was a battlefield created by a single girl.
The location was right beside a certain building. If Shirai remembered correctly…on the 31st of August, there was an accident where some steel pillars collapsed. The steel pillars had been removed, and the remaining parts had been investigated thoroughly; now they were on the process of reconstruction.
A small bus was lying sideways in front of the entrance of the building.
The glass was shattered, and all the items in the bus were scattered. But there was no one inside.
The people who were originally sitting inside the bus had all escaped into the building. It seemed that they wanted to look for some form of protection from the metal pillars.
There were about 30 men and women. Some were armed with guns, and some were espers of Academy City.
(That gun…I remember clearly! Those guys that I knocked unconscious were also using those guns…!)
Looking out from a shadowy area, Shirai couldn't help but feel surprised. Not only were the guns that they were using the same, even their posture was the same.
In contrast, Misaka Mikoto was just standing openly beside the flipped bus.
(That woman mentioned that Onee-sama has a deep connection with that briefcase, and now Onee-sama is going to fight with that organization full of people holding those kind of guns. This means…)
According to the situation, these people should belong to the organization that wanted to export the 'remnant' out. As for why espers would betray Academy City, well, no one knew.
At this moment, Shirai saw another familiar face.
Musujime Awaki.
There were no obstacles in front of Mikoto at all. There was clearly a small bus flipped beside her, but Mikoto didn't intend to hide behind it. Based on common sense, facing several men armed with long range weapons with this attitude would be too daring.
But the Railgun's power could defy any common sense.
A flash was emitted from Misaka Mikoto's fingertip.
A small coin was shot out at 3 times the speed of sound, cutting the thick and heavy pillars. The armed men were terrified by the shrapnel that was falling due to the pillars being shot. The espers who were standing in a higher story were aiming at Mikoto's head, but lost footing due to the pillars breaking and fell down. The railgun slammed into 20 steel pillars before slamming into another building, causing a crack in the wall before the energy was completely lost.
Some of the flabbergasted men tried to back away, but Mikoto's lightning wouldn't let them off so easily. The blue and white sparks that were emitting from her forehead hit a steel pillar, and the electricity instantly flowed through the entire building. All the men who touched the pillars jumped in shock. The tower had seemingly become a steel cage, as some of the electricity shot inwards from every steel pillar, electrocuting some people who weren't touching the pillars as well and causing them to collapse to the ground.
The remaining espers who survived due to various reasons tried to counterattack, but it was too late. The distance between them was too great. The vacuum blades that the Aero Shooter esper shot out vanished upon contact with the railgun. The numerous wooden sticks that the Telekinesis esper fired exploded under the high voltage. And the esper who had a similar type of electrical power to Mikoto fainted in fear.
An overwhelming victory.
This one-sided battle seemed to only prove why a Level 5 had the right to be called a Level 5.
This was the power of only 7 people in Academy City.
In Shirai's eyes, the most unbelievable thing was that such destructive power still didn't kill anyone. If she didn't consider her own attack, the enemy's movements and the consequences of the destruction, she wouldn't be able to hold back like this. Though she held back very hard, the rag tag group of several people were completely defeated.
Shirai recalled that once she had finished treating her wounds and had returned back to the room, she had noticed that the coin box on the short cupboard at the bed was open. That coin box was shaped like a safety deposit box, and there were arcade coins inside which could be used as railgun bullets.
"Come out, you coward. It's despicable of you to use your own comrades as a shield."
From the beginning till now, Mikoto hadn't moved one step. She just stood there, looked at the remains of the battlefield, and spoke in a contemptuous tone.
"Why say it in such a disgusting manner? This is what I call not letting my comrades sacrifice themselves without any meaning."
The voice that replied to Mikoto was also rather still.
Musujime Awaki. She was holding onto a white luggage bag with one hand, smiling, appearing at the third level formed by the steel pillars. There were several men who were electrocuted and unconscious, and these people were instantly teleported to her, blocking the electrical voltage. Her right hand continued to swing a military flashlight.
"You're really naïve. Do you think that you have beaten the Railgun just because you avoided 40 seconds of attack?"
"Nope, I'm not so naïve, you know. You can level this place to dust if you're serious, but so what?"
Musujime secured the luggage bag on the steel structure and then sat on it.
"Come to think of it, you're rather impatient. Last time, you used to just play the role of a spy. Though you have immense power, you never used the power of the Railgun and violence to interfere with the 'experiment'. Are you that afraid that the 'remnant' would be rebuilt? Are you afraid that the Tree Diagram will be successfully rebuilt and working throughout the entire world? Are you afraid that a few facilities will restart the experiment?"
"…Shut your mouth up. You can't even back your claims."
PAM! Mikoto let out some sparks from her bangs.
Musujime was still sitting on the luggage bag, swinging the military flashlight around as if she was waving hello.
(…)
Shirai was standing inside the building, turning her head around and peeking outside, confirming again that the enemy that Mikoto was facing was Musujime. Though she didn't know what was going on, both of them looked like they were going to draw swords anytime.
Shirai remembered what Musujime had said a while back,
"Didn't you know? To be used like this while not knowing anything…no way? Tokiwadai's Railgun shouldn't be that sort of person."
(Seems like…this isn't the first time that they met…)
From the way both of them were speaking, it didn't seem like they were only meeting for the first time. Maybe they had been enemies for quite some time, and it was only now that Shirai met both of them together.
(To face off against Onee-sama that long, and yet she isn't knocked out?)
Though it was a face-off, it didn't seem like it was a direct conflict. With Musujime's personality, she would try and attack from a blind spot (Of course, Shirai's knowledge on Musujime's personality was limited).
But no matter what, to go against the Railgun and still stand unscathed, it was mystifying.
Shirai was speculating over what action she should take. Her ability couldn't match Musujime, so she couldn't just rush into battle recklessly. No matter what, she couldn't let Mikoto get hurt because of her.
"Hoho, why do you care so much about the weak? 'Those things' that you treated as your babies were originally created for the 'experiment', so what's wrong with them being destroyed according to the plan?"
"Are you joking? Or do you really think that way?"
"What am I joking about? Anyway, you are fighting for yourself regardless, so you're like me, huh? For your own benefit, using your own power to hurt others in your favorite way. What's wrong with that? Not using the things that you have is a weird thing, isn't it?"
The woman who had used her companions as a shield and continued to laugh like nothing had happened said this in a mocking tone.
Basically, everyone was using violence for their own benefit.
Since both of them were of the same type, what did one side have that allowed her to rebuke another?
"That's right."
In contrast, Mikoto just slightly raised her jaw.
Not just her bangs, her entire body was emitting blue and white sparks.
"I am mad. I'm so mad that the blood vessels in my brain are going to explode. That's right, I'm angry that the remnants of the Tree Diagram were found, and some people are trying to steal it for selfish reasons, and the possibility that the 'experiment' that everyone worked so hard to stop may be restarted. I'm really angry about these, so angry that I want to sneak around and destroy all these groups thoroughly."
Mikoto continued to glare at Musujime Awaki intently.
"However, I'm more angry about something else."
At this moment, Shirai was thinking of how she could avoid hindering Mikoto and assist her. But on hearing Mikoto's words, Shirai's thoughts were attracted.
"…That idiot, she thought that I wouldn't discover it? Her name's not in the 'returned' registry, the room's in a mess, the first-aid box is missing, the sound of someone moaning in agony from behind the bathroom…the conditions are so obvious, how can I miss them…?"
Shirai took a deep breath.
She understood the reason why Mikoto was so angry.
"Getting my kouhais involved is the one thing that'll get me really agitated. That idiot didn't think of finding a doctor, and even when she's injured, she isn't willing to retreat, not caring about her own safety, and even saying those words that'll make me worried! How can I have such a stupid kouhai, this makes me really angry!"
Deep inside, Shirai's heart trembled.
Mikoto's words would probably confuse Musujime. And Tokiwadai's Railgun didn't know that Shirai was beside her.
Then, who on earth was Mikoto trying to talk to? Mikoto hadn't told Shirai anything about this.
She just wanted to stall by using a stupid reason like 'finding a little decoration'.
She used ambiguous words like 'the weather may turn bad' several times to warn Shirai.
She normally acted alone.
The old Misaka Mikoto, and the current Misaka Mikoto standing here, what sort of beliefs did they have?
"That's right! I'm angry because of my selfishness! I'm angry that this perfectly stupid kouhai, and the damned woman in front of me who hurt that kouhai, and myself, who got involved in this!!"
Mikoto roared in agony, the voice sounding as if someone had stabbed her in her own chest.
Mikoto's only wish was to prevent both sides from fighting because of the Tree Diagram.
"Since the trigger of this incident was that 'experiment', I have some responsibilities. If it wasn't for me, that stupid kouhai wouldn't be hurt, and YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO HURT THAT STUPID KOUHAI! IF SO, I HAVE THE DUTY AND RIGHT TO STOP YOU!!"
Shirai understood now.
Why after Shirai and Musujime had their battle, that Mikoto would choose to settle the problem alone.
Because she wasn't Shirai's ally, nor was she Musujime's enemy.
In order to prevent the people involved in this from taking action, Misaka Mikoto could only choose not to work with anyone.
She could only settle this alone.
She could only face this nightmare of hers.
"I want to settle all these. You people shouldn't have gotten involved because of my 'experiment'."
Dangling her leg and sitting on the luggage bag, Musujime Awaki laughed.
"You're too kind. You didn't create the silicorandom. You have no need to get into battle, you just need to stay put and be a victim."
"No, it's our 'experiment' that led you to the battlefield. No matter whether it's the Level 6 Shift project or the earlier Radio Noise project, if this is the case, I won't sit around and do nothing."
(Level 6 Shift? Radio Noise?)
These two mysterious terms confused Shirai as if she was in some sort of white fog.
However, Musujime understood what she was saying.
"It's not your 'experiment', but the 'experiment' about the Sisters and the strongest esper, right? Of course…those 'comrades' of mine who were taken out have already told you the 'reason' why I'm involved in this battle. If so, you're an esper, and you understand…that I can't fail here. No matter who I sacrifice, no matter the means, I have to escape."
Musujime's last words sounded very serious.
Shirai hid behind the corner of the building, mentally calculating 'the largest movable distance' that Musujime could do.
Mikoto slightly narrowed her eyes and said,
"…Can you really use that weak Level 4 ability of yours to escape my lightning strike?"
"Oh my, the speed of lightning is as fast as light, so it's true that I can't avoid it on sight, but so what? Once I see the signs and move quickly…"
"It's not possible."
Mikoto firmly interrupted her words.
"This isn't the first time I'm fighting you. I'm sure you know that your ability has a weakness. Though you can move several items, you can't move your own body. I can understand that. If for some reason, you accidentally teleported yourself into a dangerous area like the wall of a building or the middle of a road, everything would be over. For someone like you who would even sacrifice others to protect yourself, even if it's the slightest hint of danger, you might exclude the thought, right?"
"…"
"Why aren't you saying anything? Did you think that I didn't discover it? You normally use your Move Point to teleport your companions' bodies or various blockades in front of me to block my sight, yet you would escape on foot. No matter how slow I can be, I can tell that something isn't right."
Mikoto coldly sighed.
"Also, the situation is already disadvantageous to you, so normally, you would be running away, right? Don't tell me you have some tricks that you haven't used yet? Anyone can tell that you are at your wits' end."
Musujime Awaki calmly laughed.
But anyone with good eyesight could tell that all the fingers on her hands were trembling unnaturally.
"Maybe the recorded incident in the library is one of the reasons, huh? You can teleport anyone or anything else, but you can't do the same thing to your own body with the same attitude, huh? For instance, when you're teleporting your own body, you would re-check your calculations several times over, causing a 2 to 3 seconds delay in your actions."
Mikoto paused for a while, then continued,
"How many lightning strikes can I fire in 3 seconds?"
"…You can even check this sort of thing in the library catalogue?"
"Don't make me repeat the same thing over again. Maybe the library isn't that clear, but I can guess it through your expression and your battle style."
On hearing this, Musujime Awaki revealed a radiant smile.
She stood on the steel structure with both feet, her body leaving the luggage bag that she was sitting on, gracefully standing up. The front of the military flashlight that she was waving slightly was now fixated on a point.
"But…"
―Teleporting something else beside my own body won't make me hesitate one bit.
After saying this, about ten bodies appeared before Musujime. These were all people who could be rendered unconscious by Mikoto's attack. There were adults and children. There were people from inside Academy City and outside.
The ten bodies formed a human shield.
However…
"That shield is full of holes!"
Mikoto's bangs let loose those sparks without mercy. The human body wasn't flat like a metal plate, so no matter how they were packed up, there would be holes between them. Mikoto's electricity could accurately pass through those holes.
A shot of 100 million high power voltages.
Just as the electricity was about to shoot out from Mikoto's bangs, Musujime, who was standing on the other side of the shield, laughed and said,
"Guess!"
Her tone was unusually cheerful.
"Among these people, how many of them are ordinary citizens who are completely unrelated to us?"
"What?"
Mikoto panicked and hurriedly held back her power.
Mikoto hesitated and didn't fire, 3 seconds passed.
After that, Musujime Awaki disappeared together with the luggage bag.
The people who were floating in mid-air collapsed onto the ground, and every one of them was unconscious. They were all the people that Mikoto had taken down. Musujime hadn't used a single ordinary citizen as a shield.
"Cheh!"
Mikoto's jaw dropped as she frantically looked around. As one might expect, Musujime hadn't teleported to a place she could see. As it was point-to-point movement, there were no traceable paths. This was the toughest thing about a teleporter.
In an instant, Shirai saw Mikoto's expression.
Mikoto most probably didn't expect anyone to be looking at her. If not, she wouldn't be looking so distraught that she was about to cry.
Shirai Kuroko was hiding behind the building, leaning her back against the wall, staring at the empty front.
(It's my turn now, Onee-sama.)
As a fellow teleporter, Shirai knew where she could teleport to avoid Misaka Mikoto's attack.
At the same time…
Shirai knew that, after escaping the Railgun's attack, the enemy would be extremely happy and relaxed.
(Sorry, Onee-sama. After your stupid kouhai heard your words, though I know how worried you are, my will to fight on to the bitter end hasn't wavered one bit.)
To be able to teleport around freely, a person able to ignore the roads and the thickness of the walls.
Only a person with similar abilities could catch her.
"Got to go, Shirai Kuroko. In order to survive, you have to go to the deepest part of the battlefield."
She took the Judgment armband and wrapped it around the sleeve of her uniform.
The next second, after reaffirming her mission, she vanished into thin air.