"Ugh..."
Kamisato Kanzaki slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a cold, monotonous room devoid of anything.
What had happened?
Kamisato shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Right, she had come to Academy City to retrieve Index. After finding Index, she had made her move, only to be stopped by a short-haired girl. They had fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand, and then...
The cold concrete floor was covered in traces of battle.
"Though I don't know which faction of Magi you belong to, this ends here."
Kamisato coldly stared at Ram standing across from her, the blade in her hand utterly steady. The other girl's magic was strange, unlike any magic Kamisato had ever seen. It did not seem to be a spell born from a particular faith or characteristic, but rather something that possessed an unusual mechanism of its own.
But regardless, since the other party was a Magus, it meant a magic cabal was involved. In that case, she had to retrieve Index immediately and prevent her from being exploited!
With that thought, Kamisato tightened her grip on the hilt. But just then...
"Yo, you're not done fighting yet?"
A leisurely voice suddenly rang out. Upon hearing it, Ram, who had been confronting Kamisato, abruptly lowered her hands and respectfully stepped aside.
"Lord Fang Zheng, my apologies."
"No need to apologize. Hmm... I know you could have handled her, but... well, saving a little mana is still saving mana."
"Yes."
At that moment, Kamisato saw a man quietly appear beside the short-haired girl. He reached out and patted the girl on the head, then turned his gaze toward Kamisato.
"Well then, let's put an end to this farce. I'm still waiting for my late-night snack."
I'm going to die—!
The instant