Chapter 446: Magician?

"Imagine Breaker?"

"That's right, it turns out I've seen this troublesome ability..."

The group of girls turned to look at him curiously, and of course, Yuki was not stingy and explained.

Imagine Breaker is the ability to nullify anything of supernatural origin or that is not from the original world. It can nullify magic, esper powers, divine powers, etc.

Anything that is not from this plane of natural existence will be nullified by Imagine Breaker. The laws of the world are being used by this ability. Likewise, spatial, temporal, reality, and destiny attacks are also nullified by this ability. It could be said that Imagine Breaker is a terrifying super ability, which is one of the strongest weapons in Academy City.

"Incredible..."

The girls took a deep breath and swallowed saliva, as this ability forces all espers to be ordinary humans, which for those accustomed to using their computational powers is disastrous.

"Of course, not everything is as it seems, as it has a great weakness..."

Winking, Yuki explained again. Just as Imagine Breaker is powerful, it also has great limitations. It no longer nullifies natural attacks, such as a bullet or an arrow. Likewise, beneficial supernatural powers for its bearer are nullified, such as Luck, not to mention that the effect of Imagine Breaker is limited to a specific part of the body, leaving the bearer of the ability vulnerable to attacks in other parts of his body.

Similarly, its bearer is a Level 0 boy, without supernatural powers, so even a trained human in combat can defeat him. For example, Yami without an ability could sweep the floor with this boy.

Yami's statistics are much higher than those of this spiky-haired boy, so Imagine Breaker is useless in hand-to-hand combat.

"So that's how it is..."

Sighing in relief, the girls looked at each other. At first, they thought that someone with such a terrifying ability would be invincible in this city. However, upon hearing that he is only a Level 0 boy, their concerns vanished.

As Yuki said, Imagine Breaker is powerful, but it has limitations. Just one bullet is enough to kill.

"Wait... Did you say Magic? Really?"

Suddenly, Kuroko asked, having heard some strange words about Imagine Breaker nullifying all supernatural powers, including magic.

"Magic?! Does that really exist!?"

With Kuroko saying these words, the girls quickly became interested, especially Saten, whose interest in adventure and the unknown was the highest. Her eyes sparkled, and she placed both hands on the table.

Mikoto didn't say anything because she knew that magic exists. However, she still looked at Yuki, wondering if it was a good idea to tell her friends such things. Yuki didn't worry, with Under_Line destroyed, he no longer had to be so cautious, at least not for the moment, until Aleister created another information network.

"Please, Saten-san, it's obvious that magic doesn't exist..."

Shaking her head, Kuroko smiled mockingly, finding it amusing that Yuki would entertain such stupidity.

"If esper powers exist... Why not magic?"

Of course, Yuki ignored Kuroko's gaze and responded calmly.

"In fact, Kuroko, you have already met a magician or something similar..."

"Eh?"

Blinking in confusion, Kuroko frowned. She didn't believe she had already met a magician, especially in Academy City, where technology reigns.

"Who? Is it you? If so, it's not fun..."

"No, I'm talking about the Joker..."

"...!!"

Opening her eyes in shock, Kuroko couldn't help but stand up, and the other girls did the same, opening their eyes in disbelief.

"Impossible!"

"It's not impossible. The Joker is not someone from the side of science, so he is not an Esper. He is a species similar to a Magician. His abilities lack an AIM field and are also quite versatile for an ability developed in Academy City..."

The more Yuki talked, the more Kuroko suspected. Every word described the Joker and made a lot of sense. After all, this would explain why the Joker was so elusive and why he couldn't locate him. It turns out he is not an esper; he is a magician.

"That circus clown!"

Thinking about this, Kuroko's expression sank. The existence of magic would literally change greatly how she viewed the world from now on.

Yami, who was next to her, looked at her for a moment. She didn't know what Yuki was planning by telling these girls about his other identity, but she didn't intervene. Whatever it was, Yami's only job was to follow his orders.

"Joker-san... Is a magician?"

Even Saten was surprised by such a discovery. It's not that she doubted Yuki's words; he had no reason to lie to them. Besides, this would explain many things about the Joker.

"And not just the Joker, in the whole world, the number of magicians is very high. There are even powerful groups related to magic, such as the Anglican Church, etc..."

Yuki wanted to continue telling more about this, but he stopped. There was no need for these girls to know too much about magic, at least not for now, as this involves a war in Academy City against the magical side.

"Anyway, if for some strange reason you see strange runes drawn on paper, stay away. Also, stay away from the nuns; it's dangerous... Especially for you, Ruiko. Magicians are not as friendly as you think. The Joker is a special case, and not all of them are like him."

Giving this final warning, Yuki didn't speak anymore. It was up to the girls to believe him or not, but he really wanted these girls to be curious and get closer to the truth, especially Saten, who had been looking for clues about the Joker in alleys. Fortunately, Yuki had ordered his subordinates not to touch her. Otherwise, this girl would be a feast for those gangsters...

*Gulp...

"I'll keep that in mind..."

Sweating cold, Saten nodded...

-----

A few hours later, as the sun was setting and curfew was approaching, the group split up. After Yuki revealed the existence of magic, the girls returned to their dormitories. They had to assimilate everything that had happened; there were many uncertainties.

Yuki shrugged; the first step of his plan was already underway. He needed to free these girls from their common sense. As Mikoto's friends, he didn't want to leave them in the dark and ignorant. Therefore, before opening their eyes to the truth of this city, he needed to start with the basics, and that was magic.

"Is it okay?"

Walking beside him, Yami asked as she took a bite of a Taiyaki. Revealing this to the girls, who were normal students, was not good.

"It's fine. From now on, it will depend on them. Whether they want to be with us or remain ignorant..."

Ignorance is bliss, but being treated like lab rats is also not good. That's why Yuki would give these girls a chance. If they wanted to venture into the unknown and ignore his warning.

The decision was theirs. To continue with their normal lives or to excel. Whatever the result, Yuki would protect them as he does with Mikoto, as long as he is in this world. After all, this city is a ticking bomb that is about to explode, and Mikoto would be sad if one day one of her friends dies.

"So don't worry..."

Stroking Yami's head, Yuki smiled. This cute little person was his weakness. Having her close was always healthy for his soul; she was simply like a beautiful little animal in search of his affection.

"Oh..."

Yami, on the other hand, lowered her head shyly and refused to look him in the eyes. It felt quite good to be touched with tenderness; her heart pounded strongly, and her cheeks flushed.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Yuki's steps stopped, and he looked ahead. There was a magical barrier blocking his path. Yuki blinked; this magical barrier was special; it was meant to keep onlookers away, which was quite interesting.

"Yami, go home without me. There's something interesting to see..."

"Um!"

Yami didn't ask about what was interesting and left directly; she needed to prepare for her next mission, so resting wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Now then... Who is the magician? Hihihi, this will be interesting..."

Walking towards the barrier, Yuki wanted to know who was so bold as to create a barrier in this city. With how much Aleister detested magic, this was truly unexpected. But he also thought that with Under_Line no longer in operation, these things would happen sooner or later...

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Author's Note: The more you know about Toaru, the more headache you feel for how broken the characters are.

TN: Yap Yap Yapper