Chapter 21

(Finally, there's a proper review today, I'm happy, so I'll add a chapter)

This is by a river in Academy City. The riverbank below the bridge is usually deserted by evening, making it a good place for a battle.

Mikoto Misaka and Tsukumo Shiro stood by the river, about ten meters apart.

"Whenever you're ready, make your move." Tsukumo Shiro was not at all worried about Mikoto Misaka's power. If it were the No. 1 or No. 2, it would be a bit troublesome, but the other Level 5s posed no real threat to him.

"Don't tell me what to do, I'm coming!" As she spoke, a surge of electricity rushed towards her, but to Mikoto Misaka's surprise, the electricity disappeared right in front of Tsukumo Shiro. Upon closer inspection, an ice mirror was blocking the way.

"Hey, what's going on here!"

"Don't understand? Did I overestimate your intelligence?" Was this a routine taunt? He could have spoken nicely. "My ability is ice creation, and pure water doesn't conduct electricity, so pure ice doesn't either."

"Is that so... then how about this!" It was still electricity, but this time the current was much thicker. "If it can't conduct electricity, I'll try a direct physical impact with electrons!"

Logically, a powerful electric shock should have destroyed the ice wall, and Mikoto Misaka even adjusted the direction of the Electric Shock Spear. However, the electric shock was still blocked. "How can this be? I used the power of a Level 5..."

Hearing Mikoto Misaka's mutter, Tsukumo Shiro chuckled. "Just using the power of a Level 5 isn't enough, don't underestimate me! I am Tsukumo Shiro, my ability is ice creation, and my codename is FROZENUNIVERSE. Nice to meet you, 'senpai'~"

After a moment of shock, Mikoto Misaka reacted. "I see, so Tsukumo-kun is the new Level 5. Then let me use my full strength for the first time in a long time!" Mikoto Misaka also became excited. How long had it been since she used her full strength?

It was still an electric shock, but unlike the previous two, one with high voltage and low current, and the other with high current and low voltage, this time Mikoto Misaka used her full strength. The electricity shattered the ice in front of Tsukumo Shiro and shot towards him. Tsukumo Shiro dodged with a burst of speed and ran onto the river. Yes, onto the river. Tsukumo Shiro used his ability to freeze the entire river surface. On the ice, his power increased by at least 20%!

Facing Tsukumo Shiro standing on the ice, Mikoto Misaka was a bit annoyed. Although water conducts electricity, the top layer of ice that Tsukumo Shiro used to freeze the river would not conduct electricity. Mikoto Misaka didn't believe Tsukumo Shiro would make such a low-level mistake. She took several coins from her pocket and threw them into the air.

"Oh? Is that it?" Tsukumo Shiro watched, raising his arm. Ice pillars rose in front of him, forming a defensive barrier.

"Take my Scatter Railgun!" Dozens of coins shot forward at three times the speed of sound, hitting the ice pillars Tsukumo Shiro had already set up. The ice pillars shattered, but they still blocked Mikoto Misaka's attack.

But Mikoto Misaka didn't give up. She used electromagnetism to gather iron sand into spheres and shot them one by one. "Rapid Fire Railgun!"

Orange beams shattered Tsukumo Shiro's defenses one by one, but Tsukumo Shiro wasn't just defending. Ice pillars appeared in the air and shot towards Mikoto Misaka. Although Mikoto Misaka had great power, her body was just a human's, so she had to stop the Rapid Fire Railgun calculations and use the iron sand to form a storm, shattering all the ice pillars. Ice crystals sparkled in the air like diamonds.

After a while, both realized that long-range attacks were basically useless. So Mikoto Misaka condensed the iron sand into a sword and said to Tsukumo Shiro, "Come, let's fight on land."

Tsukumo Shiro smiled and drew the sword on his back. "Don't get hurt, Misaka. I'm coming."

Seeing Tsukumo Shiro draw his sword, Mikoto Misaka was a bit panicked but calmed down. She fired a Railgun at him, but Tsukumo Shiro didn't dodge. He sliced the Railgun in half with his sword, and the coin fragments hit the river behind him, splashing water high.

"Huh?" Mikoto Misaka was shocked. She could understand blocking it with a superpower or dodging it with speed, but slicing it in half?

Seeing Mikoto Misaka's obvious distraction, Tsukumo Shiro disappeared from her sight with a burst of speed. Mikoto Misaka's eyes widened, and she reflexively turned to block.

Bang!

Mikoto Misaka's strength was no match for Tsukumo Shiro. Her arm went numb, and the iron sand sword was shattered back into iron sand. Mikoto Misaka forced herself to concentrate, making the iron sand rotate around her body. Tsukumo Shiro swung his sword again, and a sword wind disrupted Mikoto Misaka's calculations.

"Give up."

"No way." Stubbornly, Mikoto Misaka ran towards Tsukumo Shiro, believing he wouldn't really hurt her. Tsukumo Shiro let her hug him. "Zero-distance electric shock and real lightning, taste them both!"

She summoned real lightning from the sky and released an electric shock from her body. Logically, Tsukumo Shiro should have been badly hurt, but in reality, he was unscathed. When Mikoto Misaka hugged him, Tsukumo Shiro had set up an insulating layer around himself. As for the lightning, he simply used ice to block it and carried Mikoto Misaka away.

Seeing that even this couldn't affect Tsukumo Shiro, Mikoto Misaka had no choice but to admit defeat.

"Just this time, next time... next time I'll definitely win you!"

"Sure, anytime~"

Mikoto Misaka returned to the dormitory with a sense of frustration. Tsukino Kuroko, seeing her dejected face, was very worried but didn't want to force her beloved sister.

[Only by cheering up sister in my own way!]

"Sister, Kuroko, Kuroko is really suffering!" She rushed into Mikoto Misaka's arms, naturally receiving a meal of electric shocks.

On the other side, Tsukumo Shiro returned home comfortably, enjoying the dinner that Saten Ruiko had just prepared, living a leisurely life.

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