The nickname "eternal #2" originally came from Izumi.
And now—
Seeing Kakine Teitoku in person, Mugino Shizuri didn't hesitate to throw that same insult right at him.
The moment those words left her mouth—
Kakine snapped.
"You've got a death wish!!"
His expression twisted with fury as killing intent surged.
"#4… do you really think joining Talent Workshop puts you on my level?!"
With a violent flap of his wings—
A compressed blade of air tore through the sky, slicing straight toward Mugino.
Mugino didn't flinch.
Instead, she sneered.
With a casual wave of her hand, countless green energy spheres materialized behind her, densely packed like a swarm.
After half a month of intense development—
She could now push her ability to its limits.
The spheres rapidly converged, fusing into one—
And in the next instant—
A massive beam of Meltdowner roared forward.
BOOM!!
The two attacks collided, detonating in a violent explosion.
But Mugino's attack didn't stop.
It tore straight through Kakine's slash—
And continued toward him.
Kakine's eyes widened.
"How is that possible?!"
He hurriedly dodged to the side.
The emerald beam shot past him, piercing into the sky—
Before exploding high above the clouds.
In that instant—
The entire district was illuminated in green.
A dazzling, overwhelming light.
"HAHAHAHA!!"
Mugino burst into laughter.
"You really think I'm the same as before?!"
"Don't underestimate me, you eternal #2!"
She was exhilarated.
The growth she'd achieved over the past half-month—
Was real.
And seeing Kakine's stunned expression only fueled her excitement.
Kakine's face darkened.
"…Tch."
Without hesitation, he attacked again.
His white wings scattered—
Transforming into countless feather-like blades that rained down like swords.
Mugino responded instantly.
With another wave of her hand, a storm of green projectiles surged upward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In that moment—
The clash between two Level 5s erupted in full force.
Shockwaves rippled through the surrounding area, shattering windows across nearby buildings.
Fortunately, Talent Workshop was located away from residential zones—
Otherwise, the collateral damage would have been catastrophic.
Behind Mugino—
The rest of ITEM watched, whispering among themselves.
Frenda clicked her tongue.
"So this is the #2?"
"He seems kinda underwhelming."
"Seriously? That's it?"
"He can't even beat Mugino?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"If Takitsubo went up against him… do you think he'd last even a minute?"
Kinuhata Saiai crossed her arms, thinking.
"No idea about a minute…"
"But if Takitsubo just takes control of his Personal Reality…"
"He'd instantly become useless."
They all knew just how terrifying Takitsubo Rikou's power had become.
When she sparred with Mugino—
She had effortlessly sealed Mugino's ability.
Completely.
If she wanted—
She could even strip Mugino of her power entirely, turning her into a Level 0.
Her ability was nothing short of monstrous.
She had even experimented—
Temporarily elevating Kinuhata to Level 5.
At this point, Takitsubo Rikou could be considered—
The true apex of Academy City.
The one who could control all esper abilities.
Nearby—
Takitsubo herself yawned lazily.
"So sleepy…"
"Can we finish this quickly… I want to go back to bed…"
She rubbed her eyes.
And then—
She activated her ability.
Mid-battle—
Kakine suddenly froze.
His movements stiffened unnaturally, as if something had interfered with him.
The wings behind his back—
Began to disintegrate.
"What—?!"
Kakine's expression twisted in shock.
"My power… it's not responding?!"
Panic surged through him.
Something was terribly wrong.
Mugino raised an eyebrow.
She clearly wasn't pleased that Takitsubo had interfered—
But she said nothing.
Things were different now.
Takitsubo was no longer someone she could push around.
Without hesitation—
Mugino fired.
Her attack pierced straight through Kakine's limbs.
"Gahhh—!!"
His body fell from the sky—
Crashing heavily onto the ground.
BOOM!!
"—Cough…!!"
Falling from over ten meters high—
He didn't die immediately.
But he was completely incapacitated.
If not for his residual ability cushioning the fall—
He might have died on impact.
That, too, was Takitsubo's doing.
At the last moment—
She had released her interference, allowing him to survive.
Just like that—
The battle ended.
Effortlessly.
Frenda and Kinuhata exchanged glances.
"…That was instant."
Takitsubo let out another long yawn.
"I'm going back."
"Handle the rest…"
"I'm really sleepy…"
With that—
She turned and walked back into Talent Workshop, disappearing from sight.
Frenda and Kinuhata approached Kakine's broken body.
Kinuhata lightly kicked him, frowning.
"Instant defeat…"
"So troublesome."
"And now we have to clean this up…"
She grumbled in annoyance.
At that moment—
Izumi's voice echoed in their ears.
"Bring him to the lab."
"Then go get some rest."
"He still has research value."
Kinuhata pouted slightly, clearly displeased.
But she didn't argue.
Grabbing Kakine like a lifeless sack—
She dragged him back inside.
Mugino snorted coldly and followed.
And just like that—
The incident came to an end.
The "eternal #2"—
Had been captured.
Elsewhere—
Aleister Crowley had been watching everything.
And even he—
Was surprised.
Takitsubo Rikou had truly grown.
Things were becoming… interesting.
"The Magic Side has already begun infiltrating Academy City…"
Aleister muttered softly.
"In that case…"
"Let's accelerate the plan."
"Spread modern magic."
Izumi had already handed over the development and adjustment of CADs to him.
Mass production was complete.
Now—
Anyone with aptitude could use magic with just minimal training.
Aleister's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Let's begin."
"Tomorrow… modern magic will be unveiled."
"I wonder what expressions those from the Magic Side will make…"
He paused briefly.
"And the Index has arrived in Academy City…"
"Let's give it to him."
"I'm sure he'll be quite interested in this world's magic."
"Perhaps…"
"We can even use modern technology…"
"To recreate all one hundred thousand grimoires… through modern magic."