Blade Crater.
With Oriana as the center, the power was transferred to the patterns, like bricks engraved on the wall, or like capillaries around the eyeballs that were filled with blood.
The vacuum blades started to swing about wildly.
There were numerous patterns depicted on the ground. The grooves were facing upwards like a pickaxe facing upwards. The blades swayed from down to up, and the total number of strikes was 208. Like a spider web extending outwards, the world of blades sliced through anything that was above it.
(…! You little idiot!!)
Oriana Thomson gnashed her teeth.
On first glance, it looked like an attack that was randomly set up, but she had actually intended for the blades to avoid where Kamijou was standing. However, Kamijou ignored this, and stepped outside.
Oriana originally intended to use the vacuum blades that were coming out of the ground to surround Kamijou, making him unable to move before rendering him unconscious. Like how she didn't kill off the professional magician, Tsuchimikado, in the first place, Oriana found that having someone dead would affect her own 'work'.
At the same time Kamijou stepped out, the spell started to activate.
The vacuum blades shooting out from the ground avoided the safety zone that didn't have anyone in it. The 208 vacuum blades started to cut the billboards and bicycles that were above the patterns mercilessly.
However, he ran out of the safety zone, and jumped into the vortex of blades. Besides getting cut, blood spilling out, and death, there was nothing else waiting for him.
However.
"!!"
Kamijou's body wasn't cut.
The numerous blades shoot upwards from below the ground, and the 208 guillotine blades sliced the surrounding air—yet it was ineffective on him. He just so happened to jump into the area where there were less blades shooting out. Where Kamijou was standing could be considered as a second safety area that Oriana prepared. Oriana didn't know how he figured it out, or whether it was all a coincidence.
(If so!!)
Oriana used a standby spell. To be able to escape the field of blades, whether she actually prepared it or not, the entire area was separated by the blades, so what Kamijou did was to just run from a hole in the hive nest to another hole.
He wouldn't be able to escape.
However, Oriana's predictions were wrong again.
"WOOOHH!!"
Kamijou, who was roaring, waved his right hand at the vacuum blades in front of him. On first glance, it looked like a stupid act that would get his arm sliced off, yet the vacuum blades were shattered.
Not only were the blades in front of him shattered, all the blades that Oriana had released were shattered.
Crack! A moment later, the sound of something breaking could be heard.
At this moment, Kamijou had already taken a step forward.
Three steps left. The distance between them was about to become zero.
(What…!? To think that that right hand is able to negate it to this extent…!!)
Oriana, who was unable to understand what was going on, focused on the enemy in front anyway. She bit on the flashcard that had yellow command text written on it.
This time, the spell was called 'Drop Rest'. It looked like a compressed air gun, and when it hit directly, would turn the target's consciousness inside out. It was an attack that would knock out others without hurting them. She originally intended to let the airgun pass through the blades and hit the target that was surrounded by the blades. This could be said to be something completely unexpected.
Even if it was completely unexpected, Oriana fired it without any hesitation.
"Take this—!!"
Before she finished speaking, Kamijou's right fist had already punched away the front of the 'Sleeping Wind'. The destroyed gun flew around pointlessly and vanished into thin air.
(Wh…why…!?)
While she was still shocked, Kamijou took another step forward. Two more steps left. Oriana was in a situation where she was unable to understand what was going on. The enemy was in front of her, yet she didn't know how to react.
(How is he able to respond!? Even if he has a special right hand, how can an amateur predict my attacks!? There must be some sort of reference material, that's…)
The enemy stepped forward. One more step.
In Oriana's mind, an answer appeared like an electric shock.
(Oh yeah. I'm unable to use the same magic over and over again! In other words, there won't be a similar attack coming from the same direction! So he knows the answer…)
Oriana Thomson could not re-use the same spells that she had used before.
In other words, each place that was attacked wouldn't be attacked the same way.
Of course, a place that was attacked by a flame sword could be attacked with ice bullets. But the scope of attack for both the sword and the bullets were different, and so such a difference would create a 'loophole'.
What Kamijou did was to move along those places that were attacked. Since there wouldn't be similar attacks, in other words, he just needed to worry about attacks other than it, and responding to attacks would be much easier. It seemed like somebody taught him that while the next attack would contain, there were 'escape channels' to be taken advantage of.
(What? I originally continued to use the same spells in order to seal off all the dead ends and let the enemy be unable to think of a countermeasure. In the end, this…)
Oriana's lip twisted inadvertently.
She didn't know what kind of smile that was, but she knew that it was a smile.
(…ends up being a dead end instead, and I ended up giving the enemy a hint on how to counter it! Haha, such a good boy. This nee-chan loves this kind of creativity the most!!)
In an instant, both of them were within range of each other.
Right now, Oriana didn't have the luxury to use her flashcards. She swung the billboard that she was holding on the right side downwards, and this time, she aimed for Kamijou's head.
However, Kamijou Touma dodged to one side. With one foot as the axis, Kamijou dodged aside. The billboard grazed Kamijou's nose, creating a 'whoosh' sound that could be heard, and slammed onto the asphalt.
(…!!)
Oriana Thomson was speechless, as she just looked in front.
At the same time, the boy's right fist fired in from point blank range.
"WO—"
Kamijou roared, exhaling all the air in his lungs.
"—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Gathering all the strength and speed of his body into his right fist, Kamijou aimed for the center of Oriana Thomson's face. The shock from the impact reverberated from his tightly-clenched fist to his wrist, hand, and shoulder.
Crack!!
With this loud and heroic sound, Oriana's body flew backwards.
Just like that, Oriana, who was surrounded by this force that was aided by Kamijou's momentum, fell and rolled on the ground.
With the wind, the billboard fell out of Oriana's loose hand and landed beside Kamijou.
Kamijou felt that his right fist was somewhat numb.
(I succeeded…? Did I manage to prevent the deal of this 'Stab Sword' magic tool from taking place?)
Anyway, what Oriana had been carrying was in his hands. Though he was still worrying about the unconscious Tsuchimikado, and the trading partner who snuck into Academy City, it seemed like they had averted the greatest danger, no?
"Ho…"
Just as Kamijou was thinking about all this, he heard this laughter that moved with the wind.
Kamijou frantically turned back and looked.
"Hoho, you're really rude. See, my button came off!"
Oriana, who was lying on the ground, raised her upper body like how someone finishes taking a nap. Her right hand, which was originally holding onto the billboard, was now pressing down near her breasts, since her work clothes were wide open now.
(No…no effect!?)
Kamijou was somewhat stunned. In contrast, Oriana didn't seem to mind.
"Ugn. This nee-chan isn't a fighting queen that's full of muscles, but your movement wasn't straight, and the trajectory was somewhat off. You're hurt, so your sense of balance is somewhat off as well, so the impact wasn't as big. Oh yeah, overall—"
She paused, and then proceeded on,
"—considering that it's a punch from an amateur, it's not too bad. But to nee-chan, who's used to facing off against others who'll read these attacks and counter, this standard is somewhat unsatisfactory."
After saying this, she pulled the flashcard in her left hand near her mouth.
Kamijou placed his entire body on alert, but the physical pain of his bruises worked up out of a sudden. The gathering of the pain prevented his body from moving momentarily.
"!!"
Seeing Kamijou's face getting distorted due to the pain, Oriana happily tore off another page.
Unexpectedly however, she didn't launch another attack.
A gust of wind surrounded Oriana, and in an instant, she was taken away by the mini-tornado.
In a second, Oriana passed through the gap between the ceiling of the arcade and the buildings, and reached the top of the building.
Even though the billboard that she left behind was at Kamijou's feet.
On the other hand, the 'Stab Sword' was an important trading item.
Oriana was standing at the edge of the roof, as she turned around and tore off a flashcard with her mouth.
"I'll leave that thing to you. However, don't think that this is over yo? The real action will heat up later."
The whisper-like voice clearly reached Kamijou as if it had been conducted through the air. He looked at the 'Stab Sword' on the ground, then turned to look at Oriana, who was on the roof.
"…Why?"
He raised a doubt, and though it was soft, the voice seemed to reach Oriana's ears.
"Why ask why?"
"The 'Stab Sword' is in my hands. And yet you're not forced into a tight corner, so why are you pulling back so easily…?"
Oriana softly laughed,
"Why, huh? Isn't guessing the reason somewhat interesting?"
She jumped towards the center of the building, such that Kamijou, who was looking up, was unable to see her due to the angle.
Oriana's figure vanished from the gap between the ceiling of the arcade and the wall of the buildings.
"Wait a sec! The spell that you set on Tsuchimikado—!!"
Kamijou suddenly shouted out, but Oriana had already vanished. The ceiling of the arcade covered the sky completely. She may be hiding inside the buildings, or she might have jumped off to another building.
All he heard was a voice,
"The spell only lasts for 20 minutes, and will stop working after that. You're really an esper who likes to worry."
After she said this, nothing else could be heard.
Kamijou looked around. Oriana's figure and voice were completely gone.