Not A Saint, A Fallen Angel

"...Are you ready for the second half?!"

Boom!!

As soon as the words were out, Selene pushed off with a terrifying acceleration, breaking the sound barrier multiple times within a hundred meters and instantly swept her leg across Kanzaki Kaori's abdomen.

Like a soccer ball being kicked, Kanzaki was sent hurtling backward at a speed far exceeding Selene's, crashing violently into an apartment building behind her.

Boom! Kanzaki's body smashed through the apartment building, causing it to shake violently under the tremendous force. Even the reinforced concrete structure couldn't withstand it, raining down chunks of debris and rubble.

Even a layperson could see that the building's foundation had been shattered. With successive loud crashes, the apartment building began to collapse.

Behind the apartment building, the street partition wall was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, teetering on the brink of collapse, as though it might fall at any moment.

At the center of these cracks was Kanzaki Kaori, coughing up blood. Her clothes were torn from the friction, leaving her in a "damaged" state. It seemed Selene's attack had hit her quite hard.

Though Kanzaki Kaori looked quite battered, Selene knew she would recover quickly. A Saint wouldn't be defeated so easily!

Selene calmly retracted her right foot, standing with her hands behind her back. For some reason, she couldn't stop the thrill inside, her face showing excitement. "I hope you're not so easily defeated. Get up and continue the fight!"

"Cough, cough..." Pulling herself from the wall, Kanzaki wiped the blood from her lips, her gaze fixed on Selene ahead of her, her body emitting blue particles. "If that's the case, then I'll go all out."

With those words, Kanzaki Kaori crouched slightly, and in the next moment, she dashed toward Selene like a blue flash, leaving the wall behind her crumbling under the strain.

Clang!

At the sound, seven slashes shattered the asphalt around Selene, explosions resounding from all directions, scattering debris like bullets.

Thud!

Once again, their fists and blades clashed, each collision causing the ground beneath them to crumble.

As their speeds increased, each exchange turned into a blur, no longer visible to the naked eye.

Their speeds reached nearly a hundred meters per second. Kanzaki's sword shadows appeared in the air simultaneously over seven times, but Selene was even more formidable, her sheer force reducing everything in her path to ruins.

Boom—boom—!

The two figures dashed through the street, tearing through everything like a demolition crew. Wherever they went, buildings crumbled, and concrete flew.

Their battle moved from the ground to the sky, leaving afterimages as they raced up a skyscraper. Kanzaki sprinted lightly over the glass, sending one slash after another at Selene behind her, slicing through the glass façade with the ease of cutting tofu, creating a strange beauty.

This was Kanzaki Kaori's strategy to buy time and wear down Selene's stamina. Facing her head-on was a losing battle; her ordinary slashes couldn't break through, and "Yuisen" was strong but a single-target attack that required charging. Selene kept engaging in close combat, giving her no chance.

As for Selene, chasing from behind, she truly embodied the spirit of a demolition team, each step leaving a massive crater, each punch echoing with a boom. The skyscraper's glass shattered like confetti, littering the ground with shards alongside broken aluminum window frames.

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have limited myself. Pure physical strength feels a bit lacking." Selene realized this wasn't working. Lacking martial techniques, she had only basic strength, constitution, and speed, but no leverage, making it hard to catch Kanzaki.

If that's the case, Selene decided to change her strategy. Hmm? Using the floors as leverage could work.

She kicked through a layer of glass, flipping inside, and propelled herself through the floors at incredible speed with booming steps.

Seeing Selene dive into the building below her, Kanzaki felt a bad premonition. "This is bad..."

Next moment, crack!

Predictably, the glass wall under Kanzaki shattered instantly. With a powerful gust, Selene burst through the window, her right hand clenched, and delivered a punch toward Kanzaki.

The sound of air being crushed roared as the punch tore through, thickening the air with tension, roaring like a storm surge.

What terrifying power! Kanzaki couldn't help but think. This seemed less like a punch and more like a massive meteor crashing down.

"No time to dodge!"

With her footing destroyed, Kanzaki couldn't evade and had to take the hit head-on.

Thud!!

The blow struck Kanzaki's blocking sword, bending it alarmingly, making one wonder if it could endure.

With a thunderous crash, Kanzaki was sent flying from the collapsing skyscraper by Selene's blow.

Standing on the collapsing skyscraper, Selene bent her knees, using the last of its structure for another leap, launching herself like a beam of light.

Selene's body tore through the air with a whistle, her fist mercilessly targeting Kanzaki once more.

With nothing to brace against, Kanzaki felt like a meteor was crashing into her, and she was sent plummeting back down as a streak of blue light.

After knocking Kanzaki away, Selene was about to pursue when she sensed some familiar presences approaching quickly. "Hmm?"

...

Meanwhile, on the nighttime street, Kamijou Touma hurriedly walked towards the site of Selene and Kanzaki's battle, carrying Index on his back, followed by a tall red-haired magician in a black priest's robe.

After Selene left them here, thanks to some friendly "convincing" by Kamijou, Stiyl had a change of heart, realizing his mistakes, and decided to accompany Kamijou to stop the battle between the two.

"No wonder she's so strong; she's the ace of Academy City..." Through their conversation, Stiyl learned who Selene was, the top Level 5, and remarked as they walked, though still a bit stubborn. "But I believe Kanzaki will..."

Before Stiyl could finish, a loud explosion boomed from the nearby skyscraper, sending plumes of dust skyward.

Kamijou and Stiyl exchanged glances, both exclaiming simultaneously, "Oh no!"

In sync, they rushed towards the scene, understanding it as a misunderstanding.

...

On the other side, after Stiyl and Kamijou left, with the [Disperse Crowd] suggestion magic fading, people quickly noticed the ruins of Kamijou's dormitory.

Soon, countless emergency vehicles, firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars arrived, flashing red lights. Search and rescue teams immediately began combing through the rubble.

Among the crowd, Misaka Mikoto blended in, staring blankly at the ruins of the dormitory. This seemed to be Kamijou's dormitory...

Could he be buried inside? For some reason, the thought struck Misaka, causing her cheeks to flush.

"My dear sister!"

"Hmm?" Just as Misaka Mikoto was lost in thought, the familiar voice snapped her back to reality. It started far away but seemed to reach her in an instant. Her arm was suddenly hugged tightly by the teleporting Shirai Kuroko.

"I knew it, my dear sister doesn't need summer school. It's just an excuse for a night walk." Kuroko clung to her sister's arm, speaking sweetly, making Misaka Mikoto shiver with goosebumps.

"Kuroko," Misaka sighed helplessly, "What makes you think I'm out for a night walk?"

"Isn't it obvious? Passing through here on the way back to the dorm is definitely taking the long way around." Misaka underestimated Kuroko's (obsessive) dependence on her. Kuroko knew her sister's routine inside and out; such a flimsy excuse couldn't fool her.

"Uh... I actually had something to take care of here." Caught, Misaka blushed slightly and changed the topic quickly, "By the way, Kuroko, what brings you here?... uh."

Seeing Kuroko's Judgment armband, Misaka realized she'd asked a silly question.

"Yes, my dear sister, I'm here for my work as a Judgment officer." Noticing Misaka's gaze, Kuroko released Mikoto's arm, sighing slightly.

"This situation... it doesn't look natural. Seems to be caused by some ability." Looking at the ruined dormitory, Kuroko's face turned serious.

"An ability..." Mikoto lifted her head, falling silent for a moment.

"By the way, we've made some progress on the [Level Upper] case... Selene and I caught a [Level Upper] seller." Kuroko's voice grew excited. After all, it was a lead.

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Mikoto perked up, "Did you get any useful information from him?"

"We got a bit of info, but it's all Selene's fault for being so rough. The guy's half-dead, making it hard to question him for long..."

As Kuroko spoke, a thunderous boom erupted from the nearby skyscraper, followed by a series of crashes, with flashes of sharp blades cutting across the sky.

"What's that... a terrorist attack?!" Seeing the upper floors of the building collapse, the crowd was stunned. Witnessing this, Misaka broke away from the panicked crowd, rushing towards the scene.

"My dear sister! This is a job for us Judgment officers..." Before Kuroko could finish, Mikoto had already dashed away. Kuroko stomped in frustration but sighed, resigning herself to following.