The green beam arrived almost instantly, moving faster than imagination could comprehend.
Boom!
The green beam, mixed with flames, illuminated the night sky. A hole several meters in diameter had been blasted through the rooftop where Su Xiao stood. The rebar and concrete around the hole glowed red-hot, showing just how high the beam's temperature was.
A slender woman in a purple dress stood in an alley several dozen meters away. She had a head of long, wavy brown hair and looked to be in her twenties. She yawned, seemingly finding the mission somewhat boring.
"It's over. This job was really easy."
The woman was named Shunri Mugino, a Level 5 Esper and the fourth-ranked superpowered individual in Academy City. Her ability was Meltdowner. She was currently a member of Item, an Anbu organization under Academy City's Board of Directors. Item was mainly responsible for suppressing riots, assassinating targets, eliminating outside intruders, and handling other unsavory tasks.
This mission was to eliminate outside intruders—in other words, to capture or kill Su Xiao. Mugino had chosen to kill him directly. She had a sweet appearance, yet was exceptionally cruel.
Two more girls stood beside Mugino. One wore an orange short-sleeved shirt with an attached hood. With both hands tucked into her pockets and the hood covering her head, her features were impossible to make out in the pitch-black alley. Judging by her height, though, she was young—perhaps a middle school student. She might even have been in elementary school.
The other girl had long, wavy blonde hair and wore a black baseball cap and a white miniskirt. Judging by her age, she seemed to be a high school student.
The hooded girl was Item member Kinuhata Saiai, while the girl with wavy golden hair was Frenda Seivelun. Both were members of