(Heartfelt thanks to Kaede no Chōrei, Lei Xiang, Icebound Thunder Dragon, God of Certain Kill, and Ice Burst Nether Tiger for their donations!)
"Boom—!"
In the pitch-black dead of night, within a forest steeped in silence, a thunderous bang erupted with startling abruptness. All the resting Misaka Sisters immediately sprang to their feet. Some drew their Laser Sabers, while others raised heavy cannons, staring vigilantly toward the end of the forest path ahead.
Hinagiku, Mikoto, Ikaros, Yekusaya, Yuzuru, and the other girls also stood up and looked forward.
"What was that sound?..." Yekusaya asked hesitantly.
"Was it... an explosion?..."
"No!" A spark of electricity flashed across Mikoto's forehead as she frowned.
"That sounded like something crashing into something else!"
"Is that so?..." Hinagiku narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the poorly lit road, but ultimately gave up and turned her gaze toward Ikaros, who had remained silent at her side.
At that moment, Ikaros had one hand pressed against her ear. Illusory frames appeared in her indigo eyes, their color shifting constantly as they pulsed repeatedly like a radar.
"Wide-area radar deployed. Detection function activated. Signs of life detected. Total number: five. Preliminary judgment: humans!"
"Humans?..." The eyes of Hinagiku, Mikoto, Yekusaya, and Yuzuru immediately lit up, with a faint trace of excitement appearing in them.
Since the Three Great Empires had gathered every usable fighting force from the cities within their borders into their respective Royal Cities, while evacuating those unable to fight and ordinary civilians overseas, the girls had not seen so much as a single human figure on their journey. The only things they had encountered were isolated first-, second-, and third-order magical beasts.
Now, they could finally meet humans. That meant they could not only ask where the next city was, but perhaps even learn