The imposing physique and devastating offensive power of the Nine Hells Bone Dragon plunged ABER into an intensely defensive position. While Excalibur was capable of inflicting meaningful damage on the Bone Dragon, it required charging; a simple slash could at best scrape off a thin layer of white dust.

But how could one find the time to charge amidst such a battle? In terms of pure defense, it undoubtedly surpassed a great many Heroic Spirits.

With every roar, the Bone Dragon’s attacks carried an overwhelming aura of terror, giving the sensation of being trapped in the depths of hell. Its attacks were simple and straightforward—only sweeping, slamming, and striking—yet these basic movements possessed an extraordinary destructive force, tearing the air and shattering everything.

She desperately dodged the Bone Dragon’s onslaught; she wasn't so arrogant as to believe her own defense could withstand such terrifying destructive power. What pressed down on ABER even further was that while controlling the Bone Dragon, Xi Ge was simultaneously directing the black mists to launch a fierce assault upon her.

Although these mists couldn't inflict significant harm—she could eliminate them with a mere slash—their advantage lay in sheer number. They seemed endless, attacking from tricky angles with bizarre methods, throwing her into a frantic state.

Within the battlefield, the Bone Dragon was monstrous, the black mists were bizarre, death qi raged, and demonic energy surged toward the heavens. The petite figure of the Pure White Knight swayed precariously under the enemy’s savage assault, like a small skiff tossed in a stormy sea.

Anyone could see she was fighting at a disadvantage. Just how powerful a Walker truly was is hard to quantify in specific terms.

However, making a rough comparison using the power levels from A Certain Magical Index: setting aside passive aura attributes, Saints are stronger than Level 5s, and Angels are stronger than Saints. By that logic, the strength of a Level 3 Walker surpasses that of an Angel.

Of course, this power comparison isn't entirely accurate. After all, within the same tier, individuals possess varying strengths.

Even setting aside the factor of attribute counters that appear between Level 5s and Saints, the few Angels seen so far exhibit significant differences in power among themselves. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that Level 3 Walker Xi Ge’s strength places him absolutely among the highest tiers in Index.

Perhaps he is comparable to Aihwaz. Facing such an overwhelmingly powerful foe, fear was inevitable.

Even with so many formidable allies like ABER, Accelerator, and Railgun, Lin Luo remained uncertain about their ability to defeat him. After all, the original host of the Fallen Heart, that Black Angel, possessed strength equal to, if not greater than, ABER’s.

Yet, she was cornered by Xi Ge, with no escape, ultimately being forced to self-destruct in despair. But… fear is one thing; action is another.

Zzzzzla Endless currents coiled around his body surface, and within him surged a feeling of hot blood about to erupt—an even greater surge of electrical power running rampant, continuously increasing... One billion volts...

Two billion volts... Three billion volts...

Receiving processing power relayed from the highest echelon of the Misaka Network by two Level 5s, Lin Luo’s computational capacity reached an unprecedented peak. Electricity exceeding three billion volts gathered within him.

He knew from the previous attack that standard electrical shocks would be ineffective against the Level 3 Walker; his power was too immense, easily neutralizing even his full-power Railgun. Utilizing the strength of No.

0 and the Extra individuals would offer little substantial help and might even put them in extreme danger. Therefore, Lin Luo had no intention of having them engage directly, only requiring them to transmit computational power to him via the Misaka Network.

Thus, Lin Luo’s current power was equivalent to the sum of three Level 5s, but the result did not equal three times that amount. (A slash can completely annihilate the black mist, making it vanish.

It seems these mists aren't permanently bound; they must be like energy blocks that diminish with each hit. The ten-billion-volt Heavenly Thunder failed to disperse the mist completely—it simply lacked sufficient power.

So…) The electricity, exceeding three billion volts, erupted from his body, condensing entirely into his right hand. With a slight flick of his thumb, a massive, orange-red beam sliced through the barrier of black mist, surpassing the limit of Mach 3, and shot straight toward Xi Ge’s face.

“Hmph, mere petty tricks!” With a cold snort, Xi Ge slapped his palm forward. Bang!

The Railgun was blocked once more, but this time, it was clearly not as effortless as before. His body subtly swayed.

He spread his palm, revealing a faint bruise across its surface. “Very good.

Your fangs have finally grazed my body. As a mere Level 1, I should commend you…” While saying this, Xi Ge’s face was filled with contempt.

However, before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a change in the surrounding air. “Hm?” Accelerator manipulated the wind and atmosphere of this world, forming several colossal tornadoes that roared violently as they surged toward Xi Ge from all directions.

The churning gales enveloped Xi Ge, seeming intent on tearing his body apart. But… “Roar!” The Nine Hells Bone Dragon let out a sky-shaking roar that made space tremble.

Accelerator’s wind tornadoes instantly dissipated into the air. Following this, its long skeletal tail whipped out and struck Accelerator.

“Tch!” Accelerator, capable of reflecting any vector, did not attempt to evade, allowing the furious attack to strike him. Bang!

Struck, Accelerator stood rooted to the spot without moving. Conversely, the Bone Dragon staggered from the impact of its own force, its footing becoming visibly unsteady.

Xi Ge’s face immediately showed surprise. But there was no time for him to react.

Seizing the moment when the Bone Dragon lost its footing, ABER gave a soft cry and shot forward like a flash of light, moving faster than the naked eye could perceive, instantly appearing before the Bone Dragon. Excalibur swept down diagonally.

Crack! ABER, having finally accumulated sufficient power, succeeded in severing one of the Nine Hells Bone Dragon’s claws with a single strike.

But for an undead creature, such damage had little effect. With a furious roar, the Bone Dragon swept its tail again, this time targeting ABER.

At this moment, ABER was caught between expended force and new strength, having just completed her attack and unable to adjust her posture. Dodging or defending was clearly impossible, and she lacked Accelerator’s reflective ability.

Just as she was about to be struck, a black tide suddenly surged up from the earth before her, rapidly coalescing… Bang! A violent impact.

A black wall, dozens of centimeters thick, materialized in front of ABER—the Iron Sand Barrier. In the fray, the only Level 5 Esper who had yet to act, Misaka Mikoto, blocked the Bone Dragon’s attack for ABER in the nick of time using her ability.

ABER, without hesitation, used the momentum to flash around—not to retreat, but to attack the Bone Dragon’s other claw. Even if the Nine Hells Bone Dragon was immortal and felt no pain, severing its four limbs would minimize its threat level considerably.

Zzzt, zzzt… Boom, boom! Dark clouds churned in the sky, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

Lin Luo summoned the most violent forces of heaven and earth once more. Dozens of thick bolts of lightning, carrying the might of thunder, split down toward the Bone Dragon… It was unwise to engage two enemies simultaneously; it was better to combine forces to eliminate the Bone Dragon first, focusing on one target at a time.

Although the Bone Dragon was not significantly weaker than a Level 3 Walker, it was clearly much easier to deal with. Simultaneously, countless black torrents continuously rose from the ground… Misaka Mikoto manipulated all the iron sand within a radius of several hundred meters, forming an immensely large iron sand whip that lashed viciously at the Bone Dragon.

Accelerator spread his hands wide, compressing all the atmosphere above him to form a giant vortex of air currents… “Th-this… this is terrifying!” At the periphery of the battlefield, Shokuhou Misaki stood with No. 0 and the Extra individuals, watching the battle among the five in the center, so shocked they could barely close their mouths.

In such ultra-high-level combat, not only had they never witnessed it, they had never even heard of anything like it. Lin Luo, Accelerator, Railgun… three Level 5 Espers, and one being comparable to an Angel.

This concentration of power, even in minor skirmishes, could threaten the survival of an entire nation. Yet now, each of them was exerting nearly 200% of their strength, and their target was singular—the Level 3 Walker Xi Ge.

No, perhaps it was better stated as the Bone Dragon under his command. But they could all see that even with such a formidable concentration of explosive power, they were not gaining the upper hand; they were barely managing to fight Xi Ge to a stalemate.

How terrifyingly powerful was this man? (There shouldn’t be anyone in this world so powerful as to have no weakness.

Even if someone appears flawless, they must possess some vulnerability somewhere… Should I try it?) Shokuhou Misaki watched the distant battle, deep in thought. Although this fight had nothing to do with her—no one would blame her if she left right now, as one more Esper probably wouldn’t make a difference in this situation—still… (Then I’ll give it a try.

Perhaps mental power truly is his weak point…) Regarding this, Shokuhou Misaki lacked much confidence. Previously, her abilities had proven useless against Lin Luo, Misaka Mikoto, and Accelerator.

Therefore, she assumed it would likely be ineffective against someone stronger than them. But what was the worst that could happen?

Failure? At least she would have tried and wouldn't have a guilty conscience later.

With this thought, Shokuhou Misaki channeled her mental power toward Xi Ge’s brain domain. It met no resistance; her mental power successfully entered his domain.

She immediately felt a surge of joy and was about to rewrite his personality, when suddenly… “Waa… Ahh!” A large mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips. Her body swayed precariously.

At this moment, Shokuhou Misaki’s face was ashen white; in her eyes, nothing remained but sheer terror. In that instant… she saw hell.