Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item3 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 10===

Satou Lycaon clicked her tongue as she realized what the information-sharing via group call meant. She kept up her quick movements to make sure she was never caught between Frenda and Kinuhata.

“Eyesores. I should have blown up ''your phones'' right at the start instead of saving them for the perfect moment!!”

“Whoops.”

In addition to her phone, Frenda removed and tossed away the pouch that contained all her electronic detonators. They didn’t even have a chance to reach the frozen floor. Half a second later, a white light erupted from within them.

“Can a bomber like you really super throw out all your detonators like that?”

“You must be joking. There are plenty of other ways to do it. Every explosive has its own method. Some are ignited by impacts and others detonate when two chemicals react. Or you could just light a fuse the old fashioned way.”

Whatever pocket you kept your phone in, it was always in close contact to the body, so most people would suffer some broken bones or organ damage if theirs exploded. That made it Satou Lycaon’s greatest trump card, but she also only had one chance at it. Frenda could understand why she would want to wait until the ideal time to use it.

Of course, none of that mattered if she missed her chance.

It was an unscientific way of thinking, but invisible tides and winds were the deciding factor in dark side battles.

Frenda spoke as casually as she did when greeting her 7-year-old sister.

“In the end, she’s all attack and doesn’t have any defensive moves, so I say we rush in and beat her to death.”

“Super got it.”

“You will regret underestimating me, eyesores. Reactive armor – set up!!”

“Do you really know what that means? In the end, I know it sounds cool, but I just have to steal your oxygen away with a fuel-air bomb.”

Without any warning at all, the metal container to the side was turned to Swiss cheese by fearsome beams of light and the giant pile collapsed with its support missing.

“!?”

Tiny ice particles flew into the air like a cloud of dust as something approached Frenda and Kinuhata.

Inoue Fox fled this way wielding a sword of light.

More of Mugino’s Meltdowner beams shot in after her.

Inoue Fox swung her light sword while falling back, but she couldn’t actually deflect or cut down the beams. The most she could do was slice through the piles of boxes and containers in the area so Meltdowner would pierce them and be diverted ever-so-slightly off course.

“Hey, what’s the matter!? Out of tricks already, execution squad!? The detective was better than this. Show me something I’m not expecting here. You carry this city’s justice on your shoulders, don’t you!?”

Swing Shield could apparently deflect even Meltdowner, but on the other hand, that was all it could do.

Since that girl couldn’t actually attack, they could ignore her for now.

Item would first kill the other three and deal with Tanaka Jackal once she was on her own. Then they could take their time seeing what kind of attacks worked, like freezing her or burying her alive.

Mugino aimed her palm straight ahead and fired more brutal Meltdowner beams while sneering. Her battle freak side was on full display.

“Are you all Level 3? Or maybe Level 4? …Don’t make me laugh, you wannabe elites. Did you really think that was enough to defeat a Level 5!?”

While Mugino had Inoue Fox and Satou Lycaon stopped, Frenda was free to launch some explosives straight up.

More container piles collapsed and even the steel beams up by the ceiling were damaged.

A tongue click echoed loudly down from there.

Yamada Coyote and Tanaka Jackal skillfully jumped down from the containers and boxes to reach the frozen floor.

Which put them at risk of being targeted by Meltdowner.

The execution squad was gradually gathering in a single location.

Were they planning to use Tanaka Jackal’s Swing Shield for protection?

But if Tanaka Jackal moved out ahead to guard the others, she would be pinned in that location. Then Frenda or Kinuhata could attack from the side to eliminate a member of the Judgment execution squad.

And just as Mugino prepared to step forward while firing further, Takitsubo shouted down from the ceiling, sounding panicked.

“Wait, Mugino!!”

More than that, the track suit girl, who was supposedly unathletic and not a fighter, jumped down from the metal beams to a pyramid of containers and then down to the frozen floor.

But she was a moment too late.

“Illuminate Fencer – light source active. Pumping Bomb – external energy received. Perfection Hit – target locked. Swing Shield – heat and shockwave protection established. Sequence complete – final check complete.”

By then, Inoue Fox was already speaking under her breath. And she finished.

She raised her head and her voice.

“Get ready!! Commence ''Asteroid Destruction Strategic Defense Laser Attack''!!!”