The Level 5 Intruder

"Cough, cough... How is this possible? Even with the combined brainpower of ten thousand low-level espers, the power shouldn't be this strong," Misaka Mikoto muttered, her expression growing more serious as her electric attacks were once again neutralized by Kiyama Harumi.

"Yes, I take back what I said earlier. A Level 5 is not easy to deal with. If it weren't for the serum, I would have already lost," Harumi admitted. Despite wielding the collective brainpower of over ten thousand minds, she was battered, covered in dust and scrapes, her lab coat long gone.

"What serum?" Mikoto asked, narrowing her eyes.

In the original story, Misaka Mikoto's power level would have far surpassed that of Kiyama Harumi. In Academy City, Level 5 is a critical threshold, and no matter the type of ability, reaching Level 5 means being exceptionally strong.

Just as a Level 5 cannot fathom the concept of a Level 6, those below Level 5 cannot truly comprehend the capabilities of a Level 5. Even with ten thousand minds behind her, Harumi was at best a Level 4 in terms of computational ability.

However, thanks to the enhancement serum from the Destiny Institute, this gap was somewhat bridged, enabling Harumi to hold her ground against a Level 5.

"What do you mean by that...?"

As Mikoto was about to press for more information, several beams of green light pierced through the smoke and rubble, aimed at Kiyama Harumi.

Zzzt!

Though the accuracy was lacking, the power was undeniably formidable.

Under the onslaught of the green beams, the edge of the collapsed bridge appeared to melt, with orange-red liquid resembling flowing lava trickling down.

The numerous fist-sized, perfectly round holes left on the bridge made it seem as if a few Railgun shots had been fired.

However, with Mikoto present, it was clearly not her doing, leaving only one conclusion.

A haughty female voice echoed through the ruins, "Heh, Kiyama Harumi, finally found you!"

Looking towards the voice, a stylishly dressed, tall woman with long brown hair appeared in the breach created by Mikoto and Harumi's battle.

Seeing the newcomer, Harumi's expression darkened, "Level 5, the fifth-ranked, Meltdowner, Mugino Shizuri!"

Fighting like this is wasting too much time, Harumi thought, silently cursing her underestimation of the "naive heiress" Misaka Mikoto, whose obliviousness to Academy City's darker side had led to the current predicament, attracting the attention of these dark-side hunters...

Harumi realized that the fourth-ranked Railgun was a "naive girl," likely unfamiliar with the city's dark underbelly, far too innocent.

As footsteps echoed closer, Mugino Shizuri walked confidently onto the battlefield, casually finishing a phone call as she approached Harumi, "Yeah, don't worry, it's just a small job. I can handle it myself... okay, bye."

"Tch, even with new equipment, those Anti-Skill are useless. Such a simple job and they need us to step in. But... what did you do to make the higher-ups offer such a high price?" After ending the call with her ITEM teammate, Mugino finally turned her attention to the wary pair.

"..." Harumi remained silent, staring intently at Mugino.

"Whatever, I don't care about your business. Let's just finish the job and get paid," Mugino shrugged dismissively.

"Hey! What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me? She's my opponent!" Mikoto protested, feeling the need to stop Mugino from taking Harumi.

"Oh? Didn't expect a sheltered rich girl like you to take on assignments..." Mugino remarked, somewhat surprised, "So, you want to steal my prey?"

"Assignment? I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm taking her down today!" Mikoto insisted, shaking her head.

"Really? Then I guess we'll have to fight," Mugino said, unimpressed. She casually pointed a finger, unleashing a thick green beam at Mikoto. "Don't think just because your rank is higher, you'll win!"

It was clear that Mugino harbored resentment over being ranked below Mikoto.

"We won't know until we try!" Mikoto retorted, unleashing a Railgun shot in response.

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, the already ravaged bridge was further scarred with a massive crater.

"Impressive," Mugino commented, her expression unchanged. This was merely a test; if Mikoto couldn't handle a single attack, she wouldn't deserve her Level 5 status.

"Again!" Mugino raised her hand, sending multiple green beams cascading forward like waves from her fingertips, which seemed more like cannon barrels than mere fingers.

Mikoto, undeterred, unleashed a torrent of electricity, bending the green light and leaving scorched marks on the nearby bridge supports.

"What about this!" Mugino decided to get serious, creating a massive array of green orbs around her. With a gesture, a barrage of green beams surged toward Mikoto like an overwhelming tide.

As a Level 5 with years of dark side experience, Mugino knew her ability's weakness—poor accuracy. Therefore, she used sheer volume to suppress. Although the power was lower, her goal was achieved—to distract Mikoto.

In such a short time, Mugino didn't aim to defeat Mikoto; her objective was clear—capture Harumi and complete the assignment.

After releasing her barrage, Mugino charged directly at Harumi.

"Hahahahaha..." Facing Mugino's predatory gaze, Harumi, who had been silent, suddenly laughed maniacally. "Of course, the scumbags at the top won't let me succeed!"

Her eyes turned blood-red as her ability fluctuated violently, her entire demeanor turning maniacal. "You want to capture me?! Try it!"

With that, Harumi entered a state of overdrive, her AIM field manifesting physically. As her power surged, a rumbling roar echoed.

The entire overpass, within a hundred meters of Harumi, began to collapse, hurling chunks of concrete indiscriminately at everyone within range.

The power exceeded that of a Level 4!

"Damn it!" Mugino was infuriated, firing a volley of atomic beams at Harumi. "I refuse to believe a researcher borrowing others' powers can be that strong!"

Harumi chuckled, "Oh, so the high and mighty Level 5 looks down on other lower-level espers..."

A transparent barrier materialized, reflecting all the atomic beams.

"What?" Mugino was incredulous, reminded of Accelerator's vector manipulation. "Is this vector control?!"

"Not at all. Your power forcibly manipulates 'ambiguous state electrons' as an attack method, creating a 'stasis' effect with particles and waves. It's indeed powerful, capable of disintegrating anything known. No wonder it's rated higher than the fourth in attack power. If it weren't for the poor precision, you'd probably be closest to those three monsters."

"Don't look at me like that. Though I specialize in brain physiology, I've studied a lot about you Level 5s. Did you think I'd come unprepared?"

With a gesture, numerous aluminum objects appeared around Harumi. With a flick of her finger, they shot toward Mugino, accelerated by gravity particles.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Reluctantly, Mugino had to retreat, avoiding the exploding aluminum cans. As she backed away, she fired atomic beams to melt the cans, but given her aim, some inevitably slipped through.

Suddenly, Mugino sensed something behind her. An aluminum can had been teleported to her rear. "Spatial ability?! Damn it!"

Just then, crackling electricity reduced the can to ashes. Mugino realized it was Misaka who had intervened.

Coughing and brushing off debris, Misaka emerged from the rubble and acknowledged Mugino's gaze with a nod.

"..." Although Mugino was hot-tempered and had issues with Misaka, she didn't repay kindness with hostility. She nodded back, acknowledging Mikoto. After all, they hadn't had any major conflicts yet.

Seeing the two Level 5s seemingly united against her, Harumi couldn't help but laugh. "Tsk, tsk... Who would've thought? I'm being honored with the attention of two Level 5 espers! Truly flattering!"

In the next moment, Harumi's pupils turned completely blood-red, her emotions spiraling out of control as she shouted frantically, "Why must you always stop me?! I only want to save my students! Is that wrong?! Why?!!"

With each anguished scream, the concrete debris within hundreds of meters began to tremble violently, rising into the air.

But then, the unexpected happened!

Just as the debris threatened to engulf the area, a cascade of white feathers descended from above, reducing the stones to dust.

With a resounding crash, a figure adorned with three pairs of white wings descended gracefully, enveloped in a cloud of dust.