Chapter: 90. Task Officially Begins (3k)
When the door of the VIP Room No. 3 was pushed open by Meisa, what greeted their eyes was a lavishly decorated room. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, its light cut into dazzling shards that fell upon the silver-gray velvet carpet and gold-trimmed leather sofas. A faint scent of white orchid lingered in the air.
Yet, the room was empty.
On the round coffee table in the center, unopened bottles of alcohol and pristine wine glasses were arranged neatly. The sofa cushions were perfectly aligned, their surfaces smooth as new, without even a single indentation to indicate that anyone had perched upon them.
It was not that “someone had just left,” but rather, “no one had ever been here.”
—Could it be the wrong room?
This thought crossed the minds of both Nagi and Meisa almost simultaneously, but was quickly dismissed.
They sensed an unusually familiar aura.
It was not emanating from within the room, but rather pervading the air; they had previously overlooked this subtle presence because they were too focused on VIP Room No. 3—
That was the atmosphere of “The End.”
As an X-level esper, Meisa naturally couldn’t fail to recognize it.
But she also sensed something unusual.
This aura was not as intensely oppressive as the actual embodiment of “The End,” nor was it the same as that of individuals who had once harbored “fragments of The End.”
It was a distinctly different, much thinner, yet exceptionally pure power of The End—
……
……
—Tian Yu…?
Unlike Meisa’s confusion, Nagi immediately confirmed the owner of the aura.
It was her half-sister from her past life, Tian Sheng Yuan Tian Yu.
The appearance of this aura made Nagi’s heart sink.
She wouldn’t be naive enough to believe that the other party had “just happened” to be here.
—Could it be that the person who invited the Iron Knight for a meeting is Tian Yu?
—Did she assist Nikuō in creating another β system? No, wait… something feels off.
Although this guess could explain why Nikuō had enough resources and technology to independently construct another host framework for the β system outside Starlight Academy, if Yu were indeed on Nikuō’s side, the embodiment of The End would not have been completely unaware; it would have informed her from the start.
Not to mention, Nikuō’s current task was to eliminate the ace Iron Knight discreetly.
If Tian Yu was truly allied with Nikuō, this task should have been communicated to her in advance.
In other words—
What Tian Yu represented was neither Nikuō nor the united team.
But rather, a third-party force hidden behind this incident.
—Tian Yu… what exactly do you want to do?
As Nagi pondered silently, Meisa reacted quickly.
She raised her finger and pressed the communicator switch by her ear, her tone cold and decisive: “This meeting is a diversion; the target has already escaped.”
As she spoke, Meisa scanned VIP Room No. 3, a hypothesis flashing through her mind.
This nightclub called “Night Mist” often hosted wealthy businessmen, politicians, and other powerful individuals, where people conducted shady deals and dealings. In other words, this nightclub had more than one secret passage leading underground, extending to various regions of Tokyo.
Thus, the other party pretended to choose this place to meet the target.
The intention was to spread the forces of the united team thin. With numerous secret passages in the nightclub, each ace-level esper had to be responsible for a specific area, forming a circle, which diluted their strength.
As Meisa unraveled the other party’s plot, on the other end of the communicator, Shirayuki seemed to have realized it as well.
“It seems we were set up; we were exposed to their eyes the entire time.”
Upon hearing this, Meisa seemed to instinctively feel something pulling at her attention, her gaze returning to a corner of the room.
It was an edge area that should have been illuminated by spotlight; yet, it appeared to have swallowed all the light, subtly radiating an abnormal darkness.
In a daze, that shadow seemed to writhe as if it had a life of its own.
“…It’s a shadow,” she murmured softly.
“What did you say?” Shirayuki on the other end of the communicator immediately inquired, her tone laced with evident tension.
“It’s a shadow! The target escaped the nightclub through the shadows!” Meisa quickly held the communicator, her voice cold and clear. “The other party possesses the power of ‘The Shadow of The End!'”
Can it be said that Meisa truly deserves to be among the elite ace-level espers? With just a few seconds of observation, she sharply discerned Tian Yu’s means of escape.
“The residual magical energy at the scene is extremely weak, and considering the other party is moving with the target, the range of shadow transportation shouldn’t be too far! Everyone on the periphery of the nightclub, immediately pay attention to the fluctuations of magical energy nearby, especially the reactions related to The End!”
Just as she finished speaking, a low and cold voice came through the communicator:
“I found it; it is the essence of The End.”
At this moment, Kanade’s attribute of “absolute nemesis of The End” unexpectedly proved effective.
Even if the other party was not the actual embodiment of The End, his sensitivity to the essence of The End still exceeded that of others or any devices.
“The coordinates of the target are—”
Shhh—
Before the words finished, there was a sudden piercing noise from the communicator.
Communication was forcibly interrupted.
Both Meisa and Nagi realized almost simultaneously that all contact with the united team was severed.
“I see…” Meisa reacted swiftly, turning around while briefly explaining the situation to Nagi. She took off the communicator in her ear and threw it down onto the floor, crushing it with her foot with a crisp snap.
“What is this—?”
“The other party has been eavesdropping on our channel, indicating that they have long since hacked into our communication system,” Meisa replied calmly. “During the ‘Starlight Event,’ the enemy used similar tactics to breach the security network of Starlight Academy and even manipulated the operational systems of ‘Judgment Light’ at one point.”
“I should have realized that since the person meeting the target might be the mastermind behind the ‘Starlight Event,’ their hacking skills are likely far superior to ours.” As she spoke, she pulled out a personal terminal from her pocket and, without hesitation, broke it in half with a decisive motion, the device becoming instantly inoperative with a crisp crack.
“These electronic devices would become their eyes and ears, and even the street surveillance cameras may have been hacked long ago. We can’t rely on any electronic communication methods anymore.”
“From now on, we can only depend on our judgment on-site.”
Nagi silently watched everything, then imitated Meisa, removing her headset and terminal before destroying them right in front of her.
However, she did not take out the “Cosplay-kun No.1” hidden in her pocket.
Even if the enemy had truly taken control of all nearby devices, Nagi still had other means to evade their surveillance.
The current situation was precisely what she hoped for—
Once communication was lost, all judgments would have to be made by her on-site, and the initiative would naturally fall into her hands.
“Kamishiro, you’ll be okay alone, right?”
Meisa noticed the fighting spirit in Nagi’s eyes, knowing that this combative newcomer ace-level esper would not be content to just wait.
She asked quietly, her tone laced with a hint of confirmation.
In the face of an unclear target, splitting up to act would certainly be more efficient.
Moreover, both of them were ace-level espers, the “trump cards” among espers, and all “trump cards” possessed combat capabilities on their own.
“Yeah, I’m fine. You should be well aware of my strength, Miss Meisa.”
Nagi responded with a light laugh, her voice tinged with confidence.
“…That’s just me being too careless.” Meisa averted her gaze, walking briskly towards the window at the end of the corridor.
Just as she stepped onto the windowsill and prepared to leap out, her body paused slightly.
Then, without looking back, she left a faint remark.
“…Remember… to come back alive. I haven’t personally avenged last time’s grudge yet.”
As soon as she finished, she didn’t wait for Nagi’s response and leaped into the Tokyo night shrouded in fine rain.
Watching Meisa’s departing figure, Nagi smiled wryly and replied, “Sure, sure~”
The next moment.
She changed to a more serious and solemn expression.
Nagi pulled out the hidden “Cosplay-kun No.1” from her bosom, her fingertips gently touching the surface of the screen. After selecting the target outfit, she slowly channeled her magical energy.
In the next instant, a soft glow quietly passed over her body.
The original sexy and glamorous nightclub dress vanished, replaced by a tight-fitting, jet-black bodysuit.
The highly extensible black fabric clung to Nagi’s body like a second skin, perfectly detailing her curves and sensuous contours.
At the same time, her face was concealed by a mask shaped like cat ears that covered her eyes.
In an instant, her entire aura underwent a drastic transformation.
This outfit, known as “The Female Phantom Thief” in the Shiraishi change system, was perfect for her at this moment, even though Nagi was unsure why Shiraishi had put this costume in the dressing system; it was indeed suitable for her… though it was a bit embarrassing. Despite not revealing any skin, wearing this perfectly body-contoured bodysuit evoked a sense of shame as if she were wearing nothing at all.
The good news was—at this moment, Nagi’s attire allowed her to blend seamlessly with the shadows, making it difficult for anyone to discern her figure.
Confirming that everything was ready, she slowly walked to the window at the end of the corridor.
The glass reflected her partially concealed stunning features.
Outside was the unique night scene of Tokyo.
Neon lights swayed gently through the rain, as if the entire city was immersed in a silent dream.
On the streets, vehicles splashed through the puddled surfaces, sending up circles of water, while the reflections of traffic lights rippled with the waves, appearing especially ethereal. Between the high rises, the lights from advertisements refracted through raindrops, spreading rainbow-like hues into the air.
However, hidden among rooftops, utility poles, streetlights, and every corner were cameras watching closely over every illuminated area.
But Nagi didn’t care.
She was not worried that Nikuō or the β system was monitoring her.
Because what she was about to do was the task assigned to her by Nikuō… at least, that was the surface intent.
This was a prime opportunity to win Nikuō’s trust and get closer to him.
Following Meisa without hesitation, Nagi also leaped from the window at the end of the corridor—
