Even if I transform, I will never be captured.

Satella's eyes widened immediately.

With blonde hair, starry eyes, and the iconic Tokiwadai lady uniform, who else in Academy City could be such a beautiful girl besides Misaki Shokuhou?

"Huh? Your Majesty? Who are you calling?" The blonde girl showed the same surprised expression as Satella.

"Huh, aren't you Misaki Shokuhou? Hmm... that makes sense."

Satella suddenly noticed that although the girl in front of her had blonde hair and starry eyes, she was actually a petite and slender loli!

You should know that the real Queen has a rather lewd figure, and her huge breasts are her signature feature!

"I have a feeling you're thinking something rather rude... Also, I am Shokuhou Misaki, but I'm not some queen, though this kind of feminine title might be worth considering~☆"

Satella wanted to say, "Don't lie to me. Just by looking at your Tokiwadai Academy uniform, I know you're at least a first-year middle school student. In the original story, the Queen was a second-year middle school student. How could she possibly grow from a little girl into a mature woman in just one year?"

However, she was interrupted before she could finish speaking.

What interrupted her was a "sizzling" sound, like roller skates scraping the ground.

"found it!"

"She has an accomplice!"

"Never mind, kill them all!"

Just like those scenes that often appear in anime, dozens of figures suddenly attacked from all directions and even from the sky.

It was a person completely encased in ferocious armor, the violent roar of the engine mounted on the armor swallowing up all other sounds in the space.

But what's more terrifying than the murder weapon is that human malice is turning into a cage.

"Eliminate the superpowered (Level 5)!"

It sounded like some kind of religious ritual; the resentful voices could overwhelm all listeners and show just how far they had strayed from the norm.

"Destroy the superpowered beings (Level 5) who have taken everything from us!"

With a deep, muffled roar, dozens of killing machines hurtled towards Satella and Misaki Shokuhou.

Author's Note:

P.S. Thanks to Stheno, the captain of the street dance team in Fran, the distant ode, the fake Bai Ze, Silver Mom's Blade, and the monthly pass. Thanks for fighting!

Chapter 18 New Driver Satella

Closely pursuing Satella and Misaki Shokuhou were dozens of veritable killing machines.

It's a bit like the equipment for extreme sports. The pursuers were completely covered in protective gear, with small roller skates similar to those used for rollerblading, covering more than 50 parts of their bodies, including their feet, knees, elbows, shoulders, wrists, waist, back, and chest.

Even more outrageous, they were equipped with two small jet engines, each 20 centimeters in diameter and about 50 centimeters in length, and an explosive-driven pile driver that resembled an anti-tank rocket launcher, carried on their shoulders.

The pursuers, adopting the forward-leaning posture typical of speed skating, surged towards them with incredible speed.

It didn't attack in the usual way, by skimming the ground.

To be precise, it was like flying over walls and rooftops—the speed definitely exceeded two hundred kilometers per hour, like a roller coaster flying through the air and disappearing into the ground!

In such a situation, even a speed-based assassin like the Bowel Hunter would only be strangled.

Academy City is far more dangerous than Re:Zero!

"But isn't Academy City supposed to be a peaceful modern society?! What on earth is going on?!?!"

Poor Satella.

Having just escaped from Shirai Kuroko's pursuit, and before she could even catch her breath, she was targeted by an even more vicious person.

Satella and Misaki Shokuhou, these two sports idiots, ran forward as fast as they could, and although they tried to choose complicated alleys as their routes, they could only cause minimal trouble for their pursuers.

As the distance between them closed, Satella couldn't help but shout, "Aren't you Misaki Shokuhou? Aren't you level 5? Hurry up and take care of them!"

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"no!"

Shokuhou Misaki, panting as she ran, replied, "What they're wearing is the [Queen Diver] specifically designed to target me. At that speed, I can't aim at them at all. Even if I do, I can only interfere for less than a second before their brains are mechanically controlled, and they launch an even more ferocious suicide attack."

In other words, this armor was originally designed to destroy Misaki Shokuhou alone.

After a pause, Misaki Shokuhou said quickly, "Their target is me. You run in the other direction."

"And what about you?" Satella asked instinctively.

There will always be a way.

"..."

To be honest, Satella's spirit wasn't noble enough to be willing to sacrifice her life for a girl she barely knew.

but……

"Even if you let me run now, I can't escape at all!"

Pursuers were closing in from all directions, and Satella was certain they wouldn't let her go just because she was pretty and cute.

Damn it!

The surrounding dilapidated apartment buildings seemed to be uninhabited. Beside them was a broken and rusty fire safety ladder. Satella opened the iron door at the entrance, crawled inside, and pulled Misaki Shokuhou along with her.

"This way!"

The two had only been inside for three seconds when their pursuers arrived quickly, and before they could slow down, they crashed into the iron gate.

Boom!!!

Orange flames exploded behind Satella and Misaki Shokuhou, the shockwave propelling them forward and causing the entire building to shake violently.

Dust fell from the ceiling in a flurry, and Satella and Misaki Shokuhou helped each other as they struggled to their feet.

"...What grudge do you have against them?"

Satella was on the verge of tears, her whole body covered in soot and dirt like a little kitten. Those who crashed into that explosion couldn't possibly have survived. To choose suicide over killing Misaki Shokuhou... that was truly...

"I'm sure I didn't provoke them!" Misaki Shokuhou also felt wronged.

But now is not the time to discuss these things.

Amidst the raging flames, Satella, pulling Misaki Shokuhou along, led her up the stairs to the roof of the house.

They were currently in an old, densely populated residential area, with the distance between each roof less than a meter, making it easy to cross.

(Those gliding armors probably aren't suited for this kind of terrain, right?)

Just as Satella was thinking this, dozens of pursuers leaped seven or eight meters high onto nearby rooftops, then bounced and approached them like fleas.

Satella: "..."

Referee! Someone's cheating here!

They are now in a desperate situation. Unless Satella activates the Rei-Illusion, it will be impossible for her to defeat the pursuers.

However, Academy City is not the Kingdom of Lugunica, and the power system of the A Certain Magical Index world is far superior to that of Re:Zero.

There are several beings below the level of the Demon God who can destroy the Earth, and for the Demon God, destroying a galaxy is as easy as playing around.

Even in Academy City, where individual strength is relatively weak, there are still several powerful individuals.

Satella was certain that once she released the Illusion, hidden masters like Aiwass, Rencha, Kazakiri Hyouka, and Kihara Brainstem would appear and arrest her, and then everything would be over!

Although she could borrow abilities from the system, Satella really didn't want to incur another debt until the very last moment.

Is there really no other way now?

No.

Satella fixed her gaze on the repair shop she had seen earlier.

Fortunately, they were now only one rooftop away from the repair shop.

The uncle who was fiddling with the motorcycle seemed to have been scared away, but the motorcycle was still parked with the key in the ignition. The straight-line distance between them and the motorcycle was currently less than 50 meters.

"Run with me!"

Like a cannonball being fired, Satella began to run with all her might, along with Misaki Shokuhou, whom she was pulling along.

"Hey! You don't mean to... slow down! I think we should prepare more before... Waaaaaaah!!"

Amidst the desperate cries of the athletically challenged Misaki Shokuhou, Satella and Misaki Shokuhou leaped from the rooftop, their movements arcing wildly through the air under the pull of Newton's gravity as they plummeted towards the ground.

"boom!"

The two crashed heavily onto the repair shop's awning. The elastic fabric cushioned the impact of their fall, but it eventually succumbed to the force and collapsed with a "whoosh."

Satella, ignoring the pain, quickly got up from the ground and mounted her motorcycle.

Turn the key, twist the accelerator, start the engine—all in one smooth motion.

"Buzz!"

Amidst the roar of the engine, Satella reached out her hand to Misaki Shokuhou, who was still in a daze. "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and get on!"

"But……"

"Don't think I'm some noble person. Actually, this is all for my own selfish desires. After all, even if I run away now, I'll be hated by them and live in danger in the future, right? So it's better to save a level 5 now, at least that way I'll have some safety... You wouldn't just abandon your savior, would you?"

As she said this, Satella smiled at Misaki Shokuhou.

—That wasn't a particularly beautiful smile.

Because at this moment, Satella's exquisitely beautiful face was covered in dust, making her look dirty and unattractive.

However, it was the most innocent and guileless smile that Misaki Shokuhou, who lived amidst deceit and treachery, had ever seen.

"If you manage to escape this time... you'll gain Misaki Shokuhou's greatest power of friendship, so be proud of it!"

"I don't think it's anything to be proud of."

Smiling as they spoke, the two girls clasped hands, and Satella pulled Misaki Shokuhou onto the back of the motorcycle.

"Sit tight and hold on tight!"

Misaki Shokuhou, who was obediently holding Satella's waist, suddenly seemed to remember something and asked without much concern, "By the way, you can ride a bike, right?"

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