Holding a piece of meat Wu Yan had just grilled, Hinagiku slowly nibbled on it while looking rather strangely at Wu Yan and Mikoto, her heart filled with confusion.
Ever since waking up, Hinagiku had felt that the atmosphere between the two of them seemed somewhat different.
Hinagiku could not see anything unusual about Wu Yan. He grilled meat when it was time to grill meat, and when he spoke, he was still as frivolous as ever. But Mikoto's behavior was truly too strange.
Whenever Wu Yan looked at Mikoto, she would immediately turn her head away within two seconds, not daring to look at him even once. Yet whenever Wu Yan turned away to do something else, Mikoto would secretly shift her gaze back onto him. Then, within another two seconds, she would desperately shake her head and look away again.
Though she looked away, it would not be long before her gaze drifted back to Wu Yan once more, then away again, then back again, endlessly repeating the process.
Such unnatural behavior made Hinagiku feel as though a cat were scratching at her heart. She desperately wanted to ask what exactly had happened.
After everyone finished eating, Wu Yan pointed at the ring of fire, and the flames suddenly vanished. He picked up the fire ring and tossed it into his Space Ring before turning to look at the two girls.
"All right, let's go. There shouldn't be many monsters left in this place. After all, the number of monsters we wiped out yesterday was no small amount..."
Wu Yan's words reminded Mikoto and Hinagiku of the monsters piled high enough to form a mountain. Both of them nodded seriously.
Seeing their reactions, Wu Yan maintained the same expression on the surface, but inwardly, he was delighted.
If the two girls had still not adapted, it really would have been detrimental to the battles ahead.
"There is only one passage here!" Wu Yan stretched out his hand and pointed at the broad road ahead. "So we can only move forward!"
"Let's go. Let's find that Celestial Jade quickly and get out of this hellhole!" Mikoto said with a hint of excitement. It was not only because finding the Celestial Jade would let them leave this place. More importantly, there were definitely more demons and monsters ahead, and where there were demons and monsters, there was experience!
After Wu Yan's explanations and reassurance, Mikoto appeared as though she did not care about the Misaka Sisters anymore. But in truth, she had already taken the matter to heart.
Even though Wu Yan had said that her world was still frozen and time had stopped, so the Sisters would not be in danger, Mikoto was still somewhat anxious.
She only wanted to grow stronger as quickly as possible, stronger than Accelerator, so that she could save the Sisters!
Of course, anxiety was unavoidable. Wu Yan was already very satisfied. Compared to the original story, where Mikoto had seemed helpless and despairing, her current condition was undoubtedly far better.
Part of the reason was that time had stopped, and another part was that, unlike in the original story, she was not completely without hope!
In the original story, Mikoto simply could not save the Sisters. Though Mikoto was the Third-Ranked and Accelerator was ranked first, making the gap between them seem small, that was wrong. The difference between them was like heaven and earth!
In the original story, Mikoto had once briefly fought Accelerator in order to save one of the Misaka Sisters. But against Accelerator's monstrous ability, she had been completely overwhelmed and suffered a crushing defeat at his hands.
On top of that, there were people from the board of directors pulling strings in the shadows...
That was why Mikoto had wanted to save the Sisters by sacrificing herself!
But things were different now. Mikoto, who originally could never have defeated Accelerator, had become Wu Yan's summoned character. As long as there was enough battle, she could continuously grow stronger until she surpassed Accelerator!
Regarding the Misaka Sisters, after Mikoto had pushed him away with a flushed face last night, Wu Yan had spent the entire night explaining the truth behind the matter to her, including the Misaka Sisters' true purpose of being used, Aleister's plan, and the board of directors' support.
That made Mikoto feel somewhat dispirited. Becoming enemies with all of Academy City, becoming enemies with the place where she had always lived—how painful that would be went without saying.
Of course, Mikoto had already made her preparations. She had possessed such resolve even under the circumstances of the original story, let alone now.
But this also made Mikoto understand that as long as Accelerator was defeated, the Sisters would at least be safe for a while. Aleister would not allow a key part of the center of his plan to go wrong. That much was certain.
As for what they should do after defeating Accelerator, Wu Yan's words—"There will definitely be a way in the system"—finally put Mikoto at ease.
Without a doubt, compared to the Mikoto in the original story who had fought alone to the bitter end, the current Mikoto was much happier. She had someone whose life was intertwined with hers supporting her, someone she could trust absolutely helping her!
Still, she was as stubbornly competitive as ever...
Urged on by Mikoto's impatience, the three of them once again set out in search of the Celestial Jade.
The environment was still exactly the same as before. Rocks and stone walls were everywhere, without even a drop of water. As the three walked along the path, which could easily become visually monotonous, their vigilance did not lessen in the slightest.
Compared to the carefree mood they had when they first entered, Mikoto and Hinagiku had undoubtedly changed greatly. Everything from yesterday was still deeply etched in their hearts. That kind of battle where it was either kill or be killed had toughened their minds considerably.
There was just one thing they had not quite adapted to...
Watching Mikoto and Hinagiku walk with such caution, their legs pressed tightly together, Wu Yan was speechless.
They had worn safety shorts for years, yet once they took them off, their behavior changed this much? What was he supposed to say about them?
Mikoto and Hinagiku were gritting their teeth in frustration as well. Normally, neither of them was particularly delicate. It was precisely because they did not want to constantly worry about what was in front or behind them that they had chosen to wear safety shorts. Having to keep minding their skirts was simply exhausting for girls as boyish and active as them.
So after getting used to safety shorts, suddenly changing back now was really... awkward!
And they had to guard against the wolf behind them too...
The two girls knew that if they accidentally exposed themselves, the shameless wolf behind them would definitely watch openly and without restraint!
Yet once battle started, such things were impossible to avoid. They had no choice but to swallow their grievances.
If Wu Yan knew what they were thinking, he would definitely laugh and say, "What is there on your bodies that I haven't seen? Do I really need to pay attention to two pairs of panties?"
What Mikoto and Hinagiku did not know was that their "close-fitting guards" were currently lying quietly inside Wu Yan's Space Ring...
What was shameless? This was shameless!
"Look, there seems to be light ahead!" Hinagiku raised Bai Sakura in her hand and pointed down the path. There was a faint glow there, as though it were an exit.
Wu Yan's expression tightened. He quickly stepped in front of Mikoto and Hinagiku and said, "We don't know what is ahead, so everyone be careful. We can't rule out the possibility that there are monsters up there!"
Mikoto and Hinagiku nodded solemnly. After yesterday's battle, they had long since prepared themselves mentally.
Mikoto had even quietly calculated the formulas for her esper ability in her mind, ready to use it at any time to face battle. After all, Wu Yan was the leader here, but she was the strongest!
Passing through the corridor, Wu Yan, Mikoto, and Hinagiku immediately felt the scene before them brighten. Then, a circular plaza appeared before them.
Compared to the previous area, this place was far larger, so much so that it hardly seemed man-made. The surrounding walls were covered in evenly sized holes. They were not deep, and even from the floor of the plaza, Wu Yan and the others could clearly see their bottoms. At first glance, it looked like a beehive.
At the highest point directly before the three of them was a hole much larger than the others. In front of it sat a broad dragon throne. Though made of stone, it still looked rather imposing.
When she saw this, Mikoto's expression darkened. Wu Yan and Hinagiku could not help but be stunned.
"What's wrong, Mikoto..." Hinagiku walked over to Mikoto's side and asked.
"Look!" Mikoto frowned and raised a finger toward the dragon throne. "That is a dragon throne, right?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Wu Yan rolled his eyes. Anyone could tell that it was a dragon throne.
Receiving Wu Yan's eye roll, Mikoto immediately glared back at him. "Idiot, what kind of person gets to sit on a dragon throne?"
"Isn't it an emperor..." Wu Yan suddenly stiffened, beginning to understand what Mikoto meant.
"You mean..." Hinagiku opened her mouth wide, staring at the lofty dragon throne, unable to speak. It seemed she understood as well.
"That's right!" Mikoto looked at Wu Yan and Hinagiku. "There are only these small holes here, and we can see straight to the bottom of them at a glance. That includes the large hole behind the dragon throne. This means there are no other paths. This is the innermost area!"
After saying that, Mikoto's little face tightened. "Since this is already the innermost area, where did that army of monsters from before come from?"
Pointing at the holes one by one, Mikoto said, "There is only one answer. Those holes are the monsters' nests, and that..."
Moving her finger to the large hole behind the dragon throne, Mikoto said with a faint smile, "is the nest where the king of these monsters lives!"
Rumble... As Mikoto's words fell, the ground suddenly shook violently. Railgun, who had just been brimming with confidence, immediately revealed her true colors. The shaking threw her body off balance, and with a small cry, she fell into Wu Yan's arms. A blush instantly spread across Mikoto's face.
Hinagiku beside her was also knocked off balance by the sudden tremor and fell into Wu Yan's embrace. Wu Yan welcomed them both, sweeping them into his arms and using the force to steady himself.
The ground began to crack, and stones rolled everywhere amid the shaking. Some even rolled toward Wu Yan.
Wu Yan was startled and hurriedly leaped into the air while holding the two girls, dodging one rolling stone after another. When he truly could not avoid one, he stepped on it and used it as leverage to spring upward.
The tremors grew increasingly violent. Just as Wu Yan began to worry whether the cave would collapse, a vine suddenly burst from the cracked ground. Moving as fast as a gale, it reached Wu Yan in an instant and lashed him before he could react.
At that moment, a ripple surged through Wu Yan's mind. It passed through his thoughts and spread across the surface of his body. Just as the vine struck him, the ripple suddenly changed, transforming into an invisible dragon-shaped suit of armor that blocked the blow.
A muffled impact rang out. The vine's attack was stopped by the dragon-shaped armor, which swayed once and vanished as soon as the attack was blocked.
Only then did Wu Yan react. He hurriedly stomped on the vine, flipped through the air, and landed on the ground, a drop of cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
If Dragonscale Armor had not protected him, that strike would have at least seriously injured him!
Having failed in one strike, the vine retreated. Yet even more vines began shooting out of the ground. In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred vines had emerged, and a massive tree rose from their center. A face was carved into its trunk, its mouth stretched wide as it stared at Wu Yan and the two girls.
Was this a Treant? Or a tentacle monster?
Before you continue