Adapting to Max Elephant, the Strongest Slow-Out Bug Fist!

An oppressive force so intense it was hard to breathe radiated from Mahoraga. Misaka Mikoto felt the same agony as when Rod had first gripped her by the throat.

Kiyama Harumi, to say nothing of her, had already fallen unconscious.

"Go, Mahoraga. Adapt to as many of those abilities as possible." Rod had not summoned Mahoraga to defeat the AIM Burst. He could have slapped that thing to death himself.

He needed Mahoraga to endure as many abilities as possible, record them, supplement its computational capacity, and then analyze the physical laws of this world.

The world of A Certain Magical Index consisted of a physical universe—the fundamental physical phase—with countless religious and mythological phases layered atop it.

Magic could manipulate energy from other phases. Since those phases did not follow physical laws, Accelerator in his normal state could not reflect them perfectly.

The concept of phases could be compared to animation layers. The physical universe was the original layer, upon which new layers could be added to make alterations.

When Rod had first arrived in Academy City, he had analyzed the energy of Aiwass's phase when Aiwass defeated him.

Aiwass was an angel of the fundamental physical phase. Now, if Mahoraga could adapt to the physical phase, then should he fight Aiwass again, a Mahoraga adapted to that phase could become one of his trump cards.

Following Rod's command, Mahoraga slowly walked toward the AIM Burst, its heavy footsteps plunging the surrounding space into silence.

Only the explosive sounds of the AIM Burst roaring and launching fierce attacks at Mahoraga remained. Countless abilities poured down upon Mahoraga's body.

Yet after only a few seconds, Mahoraga's unresisting body began to heal, and the speed of that healing only continued to increase.

Mahoraga had already begun adapting.

Adapting to all phenomena—the strongest slow-starting bug punch!

All anyone could see was the horrifying sight of two grotesquely posed monsters tearing into each other and roaring in fury, their flesh reduced to a bloody mess before rapidly repairing itself.

Everyone instinctively stopped attacking and stared blankly at the bizarre scene. It was as absurd as watching Godzilla fight King Kong.

"From darkness, born of darkness; darker than darkness, purge all impurity." Rod recited the incantation as a barrier spread out from around him and expanded.

In the blink of an eye, a "Curtain" that enveloped the entirety of Academy City had fully unfolded.

Rod had imbued the Curtain with the technique of Idle Transfiguration, using it to confine the souls within the barrier. Once he gathered roughly ten thousand souls together, it would prevent them from leaving Academy City.

"Hey, mister, what exactly are you doing!? Everything you're doing right now makes you look exactly like a big villain!?" Misaka Mikoto pointed an index finger at Rod and spoke with righteous indignation.

A vein bulged on Rod's forehead. He turned to look at Misaka Mikoto, raised his right hand, and beckoned for her to come over.

Misaka Mikoto unconsciously walked toward Rod. For some reason, she did not think Rod would do anything to her.

"Ugh, that hurt!" Misaka Mikoto clutched her forehead after taking another flick. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye from the pain, her pretty face flushed red, and she glared at Rod in dissatisfaction.

"I can't be bothered explaining it to you. Just know that although what I'm doing involves the souls of ten thousand people, they'll all wake up unharmed in the end," Rod replied unhurriedly.

"Oh. I understand." Misaka Mikoto answered pitifully, looking just like a wronged young wife, and said nothing more.

Time slowly passed. The damage inflicted upon Mahoraga's body by the various abilities grew weaker and weaker, while the AIM Burst was instead being relentlessly beaten down.

"That should be enough," Rod muttered.

He stepped toward the AIM Burst. Understanding Rod's intention, Mahoraga raised its fist, gathered strength, and threw a savage punch. The terrifying force, accompanied by crushing wind pressure, shattered the AIM Burst's body apart.

As the AIM Burst slowly began to re-form, Mahoraga seized its core before it could heal, pinned it to the ground, and held it down as it wailed and screeched without end.

"What is that bastard old man doing?" Shirai Kuroko gritted her teeth as she watched Rod walk toward the AIM Burst.

"All units, stay alert!" Yomikawa Aiho shouted.

"Boom!" Emerald-green beams struck at Yomikawa Aiho's feet one after another. She looked toward Mugino Shizuri, whose contemptuous expression carried a hint of mockery.

Yomikawa Aiho gritted her teeth and raised a hand, signaling everyone to stand by.

Surging cursed energy gathered in Rod's right palm. He bent down and pressed his hand against the ground, and a dazzling purple light abruptly appeared.

"Idle Transfiguration."

The purple light gradually engulfed everyone and spread into the sky. A strange mark was engraved above Academy City.

"Mu... Mugino, I feel terrible..." Takitsubo Rikou sensed something wrong. She could clearly feel thousands upon thousands of strange energy bodies continuously gathering in the direction of the AIM Burst.

Thinking of one possibility, even Takitsubo Rikou—who had seen plenty of darkness in the underworld—turned pale. Covering her mouth in physical discomfort and forcing down the nausea in her stomach, she tremblingly voiced her guess.

"Rod... no, that person seems to be gathering the souls of those ten thousand Level Upper users."

"What did you say!?" Mugino Shizuri was stunned as well.

"Hahaha, that's super impossible. What kind of joke is that?" Kinuhata Saiai laughed awkwardly, but seeing the grave expressions on the other two faces, she fell silent and secretly swallowed.

"Hm? Uiharu? What's going on? The Level Upper users suddenly died!?" Shirai Kuroko received a call from Uiharu Kazari. Upon hearing this shocking information, her expression went blank.

"I understand!" Yomikawa Aiho received the same information at that very moment. At the same time, Kuroko and Yomikawa Aiho exchanged looks before both turning toward the AIM Burst—or rather, toward the culprit, Rod!

"Stop him!" Yomikawa Aiho shouted as she simultaneously raised her gun and attacked Mugino Shizuri's group.

"Got it!" Shirai Kuroko leaped down. Kinuhata Saiai was a step too slow because she had to protect Takitsubo Rikou, allowing Shirai Kuroko to break free and leave.

"Kuroko?" Misaka Mikoto was startled when Shirai Kuroko suddenly appeared before her.

"Onee-sama, hurry and stop that bastard old man!? If this continues, ten thousand people will die!?" Shirai Kuroko's trembling voice carried a sob.

For some reason, the thought of Rod—the elder who had laughed and joked around with them—committing such an unforgivable crime filled Kuroko with unbearable anguish.

Though she constantly spoke ill of Rod and called him a bastard old man, deep down, Kuroko held him in extremely high regard.

Now, so-called justice and friendship had been placed upon opposite sides of the scales, leaving Shirai Kuroko flustered and unable to choose.