Academy City's Weather Report! (Toaru)

Chapter 460: Academy City Weather Report! - 460

Including restrictions on Judgment's operational scope and increasing the number of security robots in public areas, Academy City had, whether intentionally or not, rolled out a series of rules aimed at restraining and controlling the actions of espers.

At its core, these measures also considered weakening the actual combat capabilities of espers, thereby reducing potential desires for conflict.

Even so, capable fighters among the espers in Academy City were still a dime a dozen.

Not to mention several of the iconic Level 5s were experts in brawling and scuffles; even among the young ladies of Tokiwadai Middle School, where ojousamas were everywhere, there was no shortage of individuals who were quite skilled when it came to throwing down.

Stepping forward from the crowd, the leader of the assailants wore a visibly unsettled expression. Just moments ago, she had lost contact with Yumiya Iruka's side.

This meant they could potentially face a fierce counterattack from another Level 5.

As Yumiya Iruka's close friend, she was well aware of the other's abilities. But losing all contact so soon after the plan began indicated that their scheme to pin down the #8 had likely already run into trouble.

No plan was guaranteed success—she knew full well the risks of confronting two Level 5s simultaneously.

Whether it was the #5 or that newly advanced #8, her attitude had always been to steer clear.

Yet this time, she had taken the desperate gamble of thoroughly provoking both, driven by a reason she couldn't ignore.

"Having come this far, there's no place for me at Tokiwadai anymore. Neither the members of Shokuhou's clique nor the #8's supporters would allow me to stay."

"But for my brother's sake... all of this is worth it."

She drew a deep breath, steeling herself to devote her entire being to the coming fight.

The middle school third-year named Houjou Arei reined in her emotions, striving to appear as calm as possible.

In the next instant, her left leg slammed forcefully against the floor, the power making her shoes creak and groan.

Propelled by a tremendous force, she charged straight toward the Rampage Dress user ahead, who seemed lost in a fervent state.

She had to capture Shokuhou Misaki before any potential reinforcements arrived, fulfilling that person's instructions.

Though Houjou Arei didn't know what grudge existed between that person and Shokuhou, it wasn't her concern—this was merely a mission, a transaction.

Whether it was the #8, whose condition was unknown, or the school's security forces, neither she nor these young ladies beside her—bewitched by the Indian Poker—stood a chance against them.

She wasn't sure if the #8's condition had deteriorated as intended, but logically, if the #8 had temporarily lost her eyesight as planned, even a Level 5 would be plunged into a perceptual fog.

And that fog might just last long enough for her to pull off this kidnapping.

'What a heavy punch.'

'Her strength has increased this much?'

The moment their forces collided, an involuntary daze flickered across Houjou Arei's face. Her body was sent flying backward, her wrist bending unnaturally from the impact. She barely managed to stabilize herself.

Simultaneously, an intense pressure weighed down on her body.

Beneath her standard Tokiwadai uniform, she wore a physical enhancement device similar to the one Komaba Ritoku had used before. However, it wasn't the outdated, heavily flawed version he had, but a specially improved new model.

Even though it was an enhanced version of the Hard Taper, the immense constricting force still assaulted her bones and muscles—the price for gaining physical strength far beyond an ordinary person's.

Only with this could a low-level esper like her have the confidence to face a higher-ranked opponent.

But no matter how strong the opponent's power was, physical enhancement espers had glaring weaknesses. The simplest method was to separate them from the ground.

An elephant on land, a shark in the sea—once stripped of the environment that empowered them, they were nothing.

Of course, that didn't apply to those freaks who could kick off mid-air and soar skyward.

"Hey, spacing out in a fight is just rude, you know?"

Hokaze Junko, standing opposite, frowned. She had nearly cleared a path to break through. Now, her goal was to press the attack, suppress all the assailants in one go, and lead everyone out of the clique building.

But in the very next moment, Hokaze Junko-san's body lurched uncontrollably forward, a stunned expression on her face.

The forward momentum concentrated in her feet now produced a troublesome inertia, causing her to crash heavily onto the floor.

A flat-ground fall? How absurd. This wasn't some manga plot.

'The coefficient of friction was altered.'

'There's an esper among the assailants who can change the friction coefficient.'

The thought flashed through Hokaze Junko-san's mind. Instinctively, she tightened her hold on her Queen, twisting her body to take the full impact of the fall.

Seeing her Queen's unscathed profile, Hokaze Junko-san felt a wave of relief, immediately followed by tension—she had been too careless.

Though she had broken through the attackers' formation, she had now landed herself in a different kind of encirclement.

"Junko-chan, they're so sneaky!"

"Using an ability like this only now."

The fuming ghost girl materialized above Hokaze Junko-san's head, her cheeks puffing up with displeasure as she anxiously surveyed the situation.

Just when she was about to see Junko-chan unleash hell and freely vent her destructive impulses, someone had to go and ruin it.

She tried to seize control of the assailants opposite, but it wasn't as simple or effortless as invading Junko-chan's mind. Instead, she immediately encountered resistance.

The ghost girl wasn't entirely sure what factors determined the difficulty of her intrusions, but individuals like Junko-chan—who'd had a certain blonde bully traipsing in and out of her mind for years—were clearly a rare breed.

"My head hurts..."

The series of violent movements had disturbed Shokuhou-senpai's rest—essentially, she'd been jostled awake.

However, having previously read memories that caused mental contamination, her mind remained foggy and muddled.

"Queen, are you alright?"

Temporarily unable to find leverage, Hokaze-senpai, lying on her side, glanced worriedly at her murmuring Queen held in her arms.

"Incoming, from behind."

Houjou Arei, standing not far away, suddenly stiffened. Swinging her left leg backward in a powerful sweep, she dispersed a gathered mass of turbulent air currents.

A lingering sense of dissatisfaction and hostility had been hovering around her; the moment the opponent chose to strike, she sensed it.

She could perceive the other's emotions, but couldn't pinpoint the timing or method of the attack.

Barely registering the anomaly in the air behind her, she relied on her superhuman reflexes to react instantly.

What surprised her, however, was that this subconscious defensive move had actually been effective.

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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL