It is widely known that mages are akin to artillery—perhaps their defense isn't formidable, their speed unremarkable, and their reflexes sluggish, but their offensive power is absolutely devastating. Any spell cast by an Earth-rank mage is terrifying, and if they unleash an ultimate forbidden spell, the resulting destructive force might far exceed their inherent power level… Legends that mages can destroy worlds are not entirely baseless.

Yet, at this very moment, a catastrophic forbidden spell unleashed by an Earth-rank powerhouse was abruptly halted by a single bolt of celestial lightning, and even more incredibly… with just a casual flick of a finger, that massive sphere of light, brimming with infinite destructive power, simply vanished?!

Seeing this spectacle, whether it was the young women from Sky City or the red-haired woman and her companions near the Gate of Heaven, everyone froze. Their gazes immediately locked onto the person who had delivered the snap strike… what they saw was a girl with short, chestnut-brown hair, occasional sparks of electricity crackling around her body. She tilted her head up, gazing forward, the corner of her mouth curved into a faint smile, her right fingertip casually brushing across a lock of her hair, an arc of electricity zapping brightly.

That air of ease and composure, neither forced nor deliberate, was naturally manifest. The girl's identity was... Mikoto Misaka!

"Mikoto!" "Sparky!" "Misaka!" "That one!" "..."

Upon seeing her, everyone from Sky City, the Floating City, and the Gate of Heaven erupted in surprised cries. Touka Rin and others were stunned by Mikoto’s sudden appearance… She had vanished from Sky City over a month ago and hadn't returned since. While they had been concerned initially, as time slowly wore on, they naturally became engrossed in their own cultivation and pushed her matter aside. In the midst of this battle, they had almost forgotten about her entirely, utterly unprepared for her reappearance at such a critical juncture.

Uiharu Kazari and the others felt a surge of relief at Mikoto’s timely intervention… That mage’s forbidden spell was terrifyingly potent; if it had connected, let alone one Floating City, perhaps the entire Sky City might have been reduced to ash. They had already braced themselves for certain death, but Mikoto’s strike had gifted them a reprieve. Amidst the joy of surviving disaster, they were also perplexed by the sheer magnitude of Mikoto's current strength.

As for the red-haired woman and her group, they were astounded by Mikoto’s terrifying power… When the red-haired woman arrived in this world, she hadn't sensed the aura of any Earth-rank experts, which allowed her to unleash her 'masochistic' side without restraint. But now! Even she would find it difficult to block that forbidden spell cast by the mage. Yet, Mikoto had dismissed it with such casual ease, annihilating it in one blow. If she wasn't Earth-rank, they would never believe it!

At that moment, every eye gazing upon the chestnut-haired girl shone with disbelief.

However, this state of stunned silence only lasted a few seconds. The mage’s ultimate trump card had been nullified by a single gesture. Although shocked into a stupor, as an Earth-rank expert, he possessed a core discipline. He immediately reinforced his absolute defense field and swiftly retreated… As a mage, engaging in close combat with an expert of equal standing was suicidal.

On the other side, the Black Spearman, after snapping back to reality, immediately raised his spear and lunged toward Mikoto, his attack radiating a fierce, overwhelming might akin to a volcanic eruption, instilling an unavoidable sense of momentum.

But facing such an assault, Mikoto didn't even spare it a glance. Instead, she turned her head toward the Floating City. "Hey, don't go attempting self-sacrifice, things like that are best avoided. Even if your sacrifice saves others, the ones you save won't be happy about it… that's just some firsthand experience from a senior who once pulled a similar foolish stunt."

"Ah!" Uiharu Kazari immediately froze upon hearing those words. She knew perfectly well who Mikoto was referring to. When the strongest cannon trajectory was established, the anti-matter energy had already begun to backlash against the Floating City. The terrifying energy fluctuations made it obvious that the city was on the brink of collapse.

At this moment, Uiharu didn't have the mental space to ponder the meaning of Mikoto’s words. In her panic, she forgot the miracle of Mikoto extinguishing the forbidden spell moments ago, and she cried out in alarm, "Be careful, that guy is Earth-rank..."

"Earth-rank? I don't really care about things like that," Mikoto interrupted before Uiharu could finish, waving dismissively behind her. "I've temporarily halted all the armaments on the Floating City. You all should head back to Sky City first."

"Huh?" Uiharu’s mouth dropped open. She instinctively checked the status of the Floating City and was shocked to find that all its armaments had indeed been shut down—except for auxiliary functions, they carried no offensive power… including the anti-matter cannon trajectory she had just set up!

Crack!

Just as Uiharu was about to question this, a deafening thunderclap suddenly roared from the opposing side. She quickly looked up and saw that Mikoto had already engaged the Black Spearman.

Facing the Spearman's ferocious assault, Mikoto seemed utterly unconcerned. This wasn't deliberate contempt, nor did she display any disdain; it was born from her absolute confidence in her own power, inherent to her very nature, much like when she faced those Level 0s in Academy City—willful and forthright.

With electric light flashing, her gaze settled on the charging Black Spearman. Mikoto merely raised her left hand to block at her side. The next instant, something incredible occurred.

Clang!

With a slight, crisp sound, the long spear was stopped. The tip of the spear stabbed against Mikoto’s finger and could advance no further… Yes, just a single finger. That peerlessly sharp strike was completely halted by Mikoto, and even the rampant, domineering aura the Black Spearman released vanished without a trace because of that one digit.

"This... How is this possible?!"

Seeing this, everyone was petrified, their shock reaching an unimaginable degree, especially the Black Spearman himself. From the moment Mikoto appeared and neutralized the mage's forbidden spell, he knew this girl was incredibly strong, so he attacked with his full strength. But he never expected that she could block his killing blow with just one finger. This… was preposterous!

The first to react was Uiharu Kazari, not because she possessed the best composure, but because as Mikoto blocked the Black Spearman, a massive force surged toward the Floating City, pushing it toward Sky City. Snapping back to awareness, she immediately called up the combat analysis data and was stunned to find that Mikoto’s current strength had actually surpassed that of Eilean… at least numerically, it was more than double Eilean's!

"What kind of drug did she take?" Such power surprised her immensely, but also filled her with profound confusion. Mikoto, who was only Mid-Spirit rank, had leaped to over Mid-Earth rank in just over a month—a full major realm leap, moving faster than a rocket. It was unimaginable what she had accomplished in that month; unless she was popping pills, it was too much to believe.

Of course, beyond the bewilderment, there was greater excitement. She was certain that with Mikoto’s current strength, she was undoubtedly the strongest in this world! Thus, Uiharu didn't hesitate to push the Floating City to maximum speed toward Sky City… To remain here now would only make her a liability.

Inside Sky City, Touka Rin and the others were struck speechless. The expressions on their faces fully conveyed the enormity of their shock; perhaps it could no longer be described as surprise, but rather—alienation!

Setting aside the girls' astonishment and growing unfamiliarity, on the battlefield where the eyes of the entire world were focused, the Black Spearman snapped out of his daze. He immediately retreated, swung his spear to readjust his attack, and charged toward Mikoto once more… Even at the Low-Earth rank, his strength was formidable; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived the previous war outside the Gate of World. Therefore, he refused to believe that anyone could block his attack with a single finger—even a Mid-Earth rank expert couldn't achieve that!

Simultaneously, the mage above began chanting an ancient and resonant incantation. A magic power too vast to be quantified instantly took shape in his hands, condensing into a six-element light sphere even larger than the previous one. With a shout, the sphere hurtled toward Mikoto.

Both Earth-rank masters were clearly operating beyond one hundred percent of their capacity; they were fighting in earnest—one at range, one in close quarters; a warrior and a mage. This combination would require even a Mid-Earth rank expert to proceed with caution. Yet, Mikoto maintained her nonchalant demeanor.

"This world, though somewhat monotonous and boring, allows each of us to live without constraint, without being tied down." Completely ignoring the attacks from both opponents, Mikoto looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, a trace of liberated amusement in her eyes. "Because there are things we wish to protect, because there are reasons we must fight, because we hope everyone can look toward the future with smiles, in this singular refuge..."

Zap! Crack!

As she spoke, Mikoto raised both hands. The immense light sphere was once again extinguished by a single point of her finger. The sharp spear tip was clamped between two of her fingers, and then, with a flick of her right hand, the Black Spearman was flung away like a rag, slamming heavily into the mage… Both men realized in horror that they were unable to exert any force!

"Things that one person cannot achieve, as long as everyone works together with one heart..."

Clink!

While speaking, a coin flipped high into the air.

"Like now, haven't we guarded it, this world... I apologize, I arrived a little late."

Boom!

The ultimate Railgun was fired. A straight, brilliant beam of orange-red light instantly pierced the Black Spearman's body, breached the mage’s absolute defense net, then pierced the mage’s body again, rocketing straight toward the heavens.

Finally, the Railgun grazed the red-haired woman’s cheek and struck the massive Gate of Heaven dead center.

CRASH!

Amidst an earth-shattering explosion, the Gate of Heaven... shattered!

The Age of Lightning has arrived, please vote!