The Clash of Magic And Science

(Hmm? Does Selene's power count as science? Whatever, it doesn't matter. Selene is the ace of the science side, after all.)

"Selene, please save Index." Seeing Selene, Kamijou Touma looked like he had found a lifeline.

After hearing his explanation of what had happened, the eager (and itching to fight) Selene didn't hesitate to offer her help.

Even though the [Disperse Crowd] suggestion magic ensured that no one was around, Selene confirmed with Kamijou Touma again that there was no one else in the dorm. With this double assurance, Selene could finally act without reservation. "Kamijou, don't blame me if I end up destroying your house."

"It's fine..." Kamijou was momentarily stunned by her warning, then resolutely said, "...as long as you can save Index."

"Alright, don't worry, I'll compensate you for any damage..." Selene disappeared before Kamijou could react. With a loud boom, half of his house was blown away. "What the..."

Remembering that Index was still inside, Kamijou shouted in shock and ran toward the destruction.

...

"Tsk, she's even taller than Kanzaki..."

Seeing the spiky-haired boy being saved by a tall girl after jumping from the seventh floor, Stiyl couldn't help but comment on the rescuer's height. He glanced around but couldn't be bothered to wonder how she bypassed the [Disperse Crowd] suggestion magic. He decided to take Index and leave.

After all, his goal was only to retrieve Index, not to insist on killing Kamijou Touma.

"Hmm... Speaking of which, I hope the elevator isn't out of order?" He suddenly recalled hearing that elevators might stop during emergencies.

This troubled Stiyl. He was on the seventh floor, and carrying an immobile girl down the stairs would be a struggle. He wasn't as strong as Kanzaki.

"Well, let's give it a try." As he thought this, about to pick up Index, alarm bells rang in his mind. He quickly grabbed the unconscious Index and dove away.

Boom!

Before landing, Stiyl felt a massive explosion and a terrifying gust of wind behind him.

Using his body as a cushion for Index, Stiyl, lying on the hallway floor, looked gravely at the figure in the smoke. As the dust cleared, his eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that... physical strength?!"

Just as Stiyl spoke, the sound of the building collapsing reached him.

Looking down, he saw cracks spreading all over the hallway floor, and the nearby dorm room was already reduced to rubble.

The spreading cracks resembled parched earth during a severe drought.

Seeing this sent chills down Stiyl's spine, and he swallowed hard.

By now, Stiyl was drenched in cold sweat. He realized that the girl in the summer uniform was far beyond his ability to fight, perhaps only Kanzaki's Saint-level power could match her.

The smoke cleared to reveal Selene, wearing her Tokiwadai uniform with a layer of white light armor on her limbs. Seeing the stunned look on Stiyl's face, she taunted arrogantly, "Where's your little flame? Come on, magician from the magic side!"

"How do you know?" Stiyl took a step back, his eyes flashing with caution. "An esper from Academy City? Damn it, why didn't the [Disperse Crowd] suggestion magic work?"

"Magic is nothing!" Selene, firmly on the side of science, mocked the magic side, even if she didn't fully understand whether her powers were scientific or otherwise. "This is Academy City; this is my home ground!"

"Tch! Don't underestimate us! Watch closely, esper, this is the power of magic." Whether angered by Selene or intimidated by her presence, Stiyl knew he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Oh, bringing a hostage too? Is this what a magician does?" Selene knowingly taunted.

Ignoring Selene's verbal harassment, Stiyl gently placed Index aside, looking serious.

"Conjure one of the five great elements of the world, the great primordial flame..."

"Maximize! Innocentius (King of Witch Hunters)!!!"

With Stiyl's incantation came a thunderous roar as the flames consumed oxygen, forming a massive fireball around him.

At the center of the intensely burning red flames was a pitch-black, tar-like "human-shaped core."

Commanding the "King of Witch Hunters" to attack Selene, Stiyl picked up Index, ready to escape.

He knew the magic wouldn't hold for long. Although he appeared calm, his mind was in a frenzy. "Kanzaki, you must be nearby. Please hurry and help, or you'll have to clean up my corpse!"

With a roar, the flaming giant expanded rapidly. The over 3,000-degree Celsius heat began to melt metal objects in the hallway.

Its burning eyes locked onto Selene as it accelerated, appearing before her with a giant flaming cross, swinging it down with both hands.

Facing the "King of Witch Hunters" attack, Selene neither dodged nor used any supernatural power, charging straight at it. After all, standing still and casting spells didn't compare to the thrill of punching your opponent directly.

Selene launched a swift, powerful straight punch at the descending cross.

Boom!

The hallway, subjected to another massive shock, finally gave way with a crash.

The flaming cross shattered under Selene's punch, and her fist continued its trajectory, slamming into the giant's "human-shaped core."

With a bang, the flame giant's black humanoid figure burst like a water balloon, dissolving into bubbles that scattered to the ground.

Under the force of Selene's punch, the remaining flames were pushed back as if driven by an invisible force, rushing toward Stiyl like a fiery storm.

Facing such an attack, Stiyl neither abandoned Index nor dodged. Instead, he shielded her, generating a fiery red magical barrier around them, resembling a "Ring of Fire Resistance," spreading flames in a circle to meet the oncoming storm.

Despite the powerful pushback, Stiyl couldn't avoid being forced backward. The intense friction between his shoes and the concrete left black marks on the ground.

Gritting his teeth, Stiyl struggled against the attack. The magic, beyond his limits, left his body in pain, but thinking of Index behind him, the girl who embodied his lifelong belief, he couldn't give up!

"Argh!!!"

With Stiyl's roar, the flame shockwave overwhelmed Selene's punch, pushing back the walls of the seventh floor and shattering them.

"Is this... a berserk mode?" Selene, maintaining her restraint, didn't plan to kill them. She was caught off guard by Stiyl's outburst. "Isn't this supposed to be the protagonist's thing... I'm not a villain..."

Well, maybe I am. Selene shrugged off the thought, easily subduing Stiyl's resistance, grabbing them both, and leaping down.

She casually tossed them to Kamijou Touma, who hadn't yet ascended due to the broken elevator. "Here, they're all yours... Oh, take this. I can teleport back anytime." She handed Kamijou a purple crystal.

"You really care about her... But why put on such an act?" Selene glanced at Stiyl, groaning in pain, and remarked coldly.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Stiyl feigned surprise.

"You know if you're really enemies, don't you?" Selene glanced at Stiyl as if she saw through him. "Since I got here, you've glanced at her with concern over ten times and protected her with your life. Do you think I'm as blind as Kamijou Touma?"

"Why did you attack her then? What's your real goal? Are you some sadistic pervert?"

"Hmph!" Realizing his true motives were seen through, Stiyl stubbornly turned away, unwilling to admit it.

"What? You mean this guy cares about Index? How..." Kamijou asked in shock.

Suddenly, Selene sensed something. "Hmm, here comes your sword-wielding friend."

Ignoring Kamijou's shock, Selene jumped up, standing nearly vertically on the dormitory's facade, gazing into the distance. "Playing with fire doesn't suit you; she's a worthy opponent."

A few hundred meters away, atop a building, a tall figure with dark (purple or black) hair and a sword at her waist stood calmly. Feeling Selene's gaze, she looked alertly in her direction, locking eyes with her.

"Kanzaki Kaori..." Seeing her target, Selene smiled.