Misaka 10000 (Toaru fanfiction)

Chapter 24

The night enveloped the surroundings in a velvety black shroud, with the last vestiges of daylight fading into obscurity. The once-vibrant cityscape, bathed in the glow of neon lights and streetlamps, now lay beneath the tranquil embrace of the moonless sky. The nearby airport, typically bustling with activity, had settled into an eerie calm, its runways extending like dark, empty corridors.

The airport's runway lights stretched into the distance, forming a path that seemed to lead to an uncertain destination. The hum of aircraft engines and the faint whispers of the night breeze added an eerie backdrop to the unfolding clash, contrasting the serenity of the airport against the turmoil of the confrontation.

Oriana knelt on the hard, unyielding ground, the cold seeping through her body as she watched in stunned silence. Awe and fear washed over her as a wave of fierce collisions and cascading electricity filled the space around her. She wasn't able to see the cause, but she knew who was behind it.

After a violent sonic boom explosion near her, a familiar figure appeared once again in front of her, its back turned toward her. Kanzaki Kaori stood there with a frowning face, gripping her weapon, a two-meter-long Nodachi called "Shichiten Shichitou."

Her gaze was fixed on Misaka on the other side, The clone's long white hair dirtied with dark red blood. her whole naked body was filled with cuts, which were healing as she exchanged glances with Kanzaki.

The dark concrete around Misaka was now filled with blood, but only her own blood. 

"..."

Misaka lowered her gaze momentarily, catching a small rock from the debris of the earth shattered between her toes, before throwing it up to her hand.

She immediately threw it toward Kanzaki, breaking the barrier of sound with it.

In an instant—truly only an instant—Kanzaki's right hand blurred and disappeared like a bug in a video game, and the rock became dust mid-air, but it was just bait. Misaka closed the distance between them in less than a second.

With Kanzaki's weapon slightly down, Misaka's hand was aimed at the woman's head.

"The rock was aimed for Oriana, huh?"

"...?"

Kanzaki was aware that the attack was meant to hit Oriana if she dodged it, but if she didn't, Misaka would take advantage of it to attack.

Kanzaki quickly flipped her sword up, using it to catch Misaka's fist as it sped toward her. The girl's hand sliced through the blade, but Misaka didn't stop. She used the force of the attack to send Kanzaki stumbling back a few steps.

Without a moment's pause, Misaka tightened the grip of her other hand and launched it towards the kneeling Oriana on the ground, aiming to finish her. The pale Oriana's desperate look met Misaka's eyes just as the electrified fist closed in.

"Oh, you will not!"

Kanzaki managed to return in the nick of time to intercept Misaka's attack on Oriana. With a swift strike, she sliced through Misaka's extended hand before it could reach its target. 

Next, Kanzaki's blade was aimed at the clone's whole body, but Misaka agilely dodged. Kanzaki continued with a series of rapid slashes from her two-meter-long nodachi, and Misaka deftly avoided each one, sliding back on the concrete ground. A few sword cuts, however, managed to cut through her skin, leaving her with shallow wounds.

"Incredible," Oriana mumbled with wide eyes. 

Kanzaki was now guarding her once again, standing between her and the clone on the other side.