A Misunderstanding?

"Cough, cough..." Kanzaki Kaori lay in the crater created by her impact, feeling weak and numb, with every part of her body in pain.

"Did I lose..." Kanzaki was a bit dejected. As a Saint of the magical side, even if she hadn't used her full strength, a loss was still a loss.

In this battle, Kanzaki had underestimated her opponent. Not activating her Stigma right away was the root of her defeat. This decision left her physically outmatched by Selene, and the intense pressure of close combat was suffocating.

Although Kanzaki was more skilled than Selene, the overwhelming force and speed left her with no opportunity to counterattack. Her regular attacks couldn't penetrate Selene's defenses, and even a glancing blow from Selene dealt significant damage.

Fighting under such conditions left Kanzaki frustrated and helpless. At the same time, she could sense that Selene wasn't using her full power. A member of Academy City who didn't use her abilities—could it be that Selene's ability was a type of physical enhancement?

"You win, I'm at your mercy... Hm?" Noticing someone approaching, Kanzaki initially thought it was Selene, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was Stiyl and hurriedly shouted for him to leave. "Stiyl, run! Don't worry about me, just go!"

At this moment, Kamijou Touma, carrying Index, finally arrived with Stiyl, both of whom were beyond shocked by what they saw.

Although Selene and Kanzaki hadn't used large-scale techniques and had restrained the power of their clashes to some extent, the battle between an Academy City Level 5 and a Saint from the magical side was far from trivial. The commotion they caused couldn't be completely masked by the [Disperse Crowd] spell.

Under the devastation wrought by Selene and Kanzaki, this part of the city was in ruins, with not a single intact building in sight. The ground was riddled with deep, wide craters.

The district's landmark skyscraper was smoking heavily, looking like it might collapse at any moment.

Seeing Kanzaki lying in a spread-eagle position in a large crater, Stiyl was incredulous. A Saint from the magical side had lost, and so quickly! "Kanzaki, you..."

At that moment, a loud bang drew everyone's attention. Feeling targeted, Stiyl felt a chill run down his spine. "Wait, don't you recognize me? I'm not here to fight..."

Before he could finish speaking, Stiyl felt a powerful punch heading his way, leaving his mind blank. "Am I going to die..."

"Selene... stop!" At the last moment, Kamijou's shout halted Selene's fist right in front of Stiyl's nose (in their eyes, it was Kamijou who stopped Selene).

In reality, Selene had sensed their approach long before and was merely trying to scare this arrogant guy.

"Whew~" Breathing a sigh of relief, Stiyl slumped to the ground, sweating profusely. The experience of nearly dying was not one he wanted to repeat.

Looking at Kamijou carrying Index, Selene pretended not to understand and asked, "Kamijou, what are you doing here?"

"Well, it's a bit of a misunderstanding, it's just..."

After Kamijou explained the situation, Selene feigned confusion, "Your relationship is that complicated?" She pointed at Kanzaki in the crater, "Was all that fighting for nothing?"

Indeed, Kanzaki's physical abilities couldn't match Selene's, but after unlocking the [Stigma], the gap wasn't as wide. Her exceptional combat skills made her an excellent sparring partner.

Selene enjoyed the fight but couldn't let them know she acted out of boredom. After speaking, Selene turned and jumped into the crater, gathering some gentle white light in her hands as she approached Kanzaki, healing her in disbelief.

Enveloped by Selene's healing light, Kanzaki's furrowed brows relaxed instantly. Though she was temporarily immobile, she heard Stiyl and Kamijou's conversation, leaving her feeling helpless. "So it was a misunderstanding... Was my beating for nothing..."

"Alright, your external injuries are mostly healed. As for mental exhaustion, I can't help with that; just rest for a while," Selene said as Kanzaki's injuries were healed and she regained her mobility. Kanzaki looked at Selene with a complex expression.

One moment they were fighting fiercely, Selene's ferocious and wild attacks making her seem intent on killing. The next moment, she was healing her kindly. The abrupt change in demeanor left Kanzaki momentarily speechless.

Then, Kanzaki linked what Stiyl had said about the misunderstanding and inferred that Selene attacked her upon seeing the knife wound on Index's back, assuming she was the culprit.

With that thought, Kanzaki felt a bit guilty. Although something still felt off, her good upbringing led her to thank Selene, albeit looking somewhat aggrieved (Kanzaki: Sob, sob, I was the one who got beaten up. Why am I the one apologizing?).

Seeing this, Kamijou excitedly laid Index down and earnestly requested Selene to heal her.

"Oh, alright." At Kamijou's request, Selene belatedly began healing Index.

Meanwhile, emerging from the crater, Kanzaki noticed Stiyl's shocked expression and felt a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, for letting you see me like this... Stiyl, am I useless? I lost my fighting power so quickly..."

"It's nothing, I just didn't expect Academy City's ace to be so strong..." Seeing Kanzaki's dejection and retreat into herself, Stiyl quickly put away his surprise and changed the subject.

Hearing that Stiyl knew Selene's identity piqued Kanzaki's interest. Being beaten so badly without knowing her opponent seemed unfair. "Oh? You know who she is?"

"I know a bit. She's called Selene, the number one in Academy City, code-named 'Will of Honkai,' with the ability to manipulate space... Uh, what's wrong?"

Initially relieved to hear that Selene was the top-ranked in Academy City, Kanzaki felt better about being defeated by the city's most powerful. However, the latter half of Stiyl's explanation about Selene's power being space manipulation left Kanzaki feeling down again. It implied that Selene hadn't used her full strength in their fight, making her doubt her abilities. "Am I really that weak?"

"Cough, cough..." Hearing Kanzaki doubt her own strength made Stiyl choke on his cigarette, inwardly thinking, if you're weak, then what am I, a total weakling?

At this point, Index was still unconscious. Fortunately, her 'Walking Church' had been destroyed and was only patched together with safety pins. Otherwise, with the wound on her back, Index might have needed to be stripped completely for treatment.

In less than half a minute, Index's back wound was mostly healed, along with her other injuries. "Alright, she's fine now. She's just weak from blood loss; she'll recover in time."

Hearing Selene's words, Kamijou clasped his hands and bowed deeply, sincerely thanking her, "Thank you very much!"

Stiyl also stepped forward, finding himself at a loss for words. He had been Index's guardian for two years, regularly erasing her memories, but was that really the right thing to do?

Seeing Kamijou risk everything to protect someone he'd known for less than a day made Stiyl question his methods. Was there no other way? Was the Church hiding something?

"Alright, enough gratitude. People are coming; don't you plan on hiding?"

"Huh?"

Selene's words reminded everyone present that three of them were "undocumented" in Academy City, lacking ID cards. Getting caught would be problematic.

Moreover, Selene didn't want to be interrogated repeatedly. The situation was likely being monitored by Aleister, so she could report to him later.

With Judgment officers and Anti-Skill still on their way, it was best to leave quickly. Opening a portal, Selene motioned for everyone to make their escape. "Let's go, before the authorities arrive..."

...

"What happened here..." Moments later, Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko finally arrived, panting, only to find the street resembling a demolition site, empty of people.