Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:MvM Chapter3 (section)

===Part 5===

“Gwoahhhh!!!!”

The nonhuman trafficker shouted from the dust cloud.

Mikoto actually tensed in response.

That woman still had it in her to yell after receiving a rush of attacks from the #3. Specifically, the nonhuman trafficker had held out her palm to activate several layers of thick compressed air shields, which had slightly diverted the Railgun’s path. The Railgun could of course break through any number of those shields, but its path shifted slightly when piercing each layer, adding up to enough of an error that it had shifted a full shoulder width horizontally.

This was a skill system entirely different from Academy City’s espers.

It was another world’s magic.

“S Wind!!”

Wind twisted together into a spear thicker than Mikoto’s torso and shot out.

It didn’t end with just that. The nonhuman trafficker made a snap of her wrist.

“Spread Wind!!”

The motion produced a loud cracking sound.

However it worked, a whip made of vacuum gathered a flexible power and drew out a physical curve as it brutally tore away the ground at the girl’s feet. Orange sparks scattered, revealing the whip’s outline.

“You have some nerve disparaging Tornado Candyfloss, a midlevel Body Tamer and user of wind magic.”

But the wind and vacuum weapons were not what Mikoto found so odd.

The #3 girl was mildly surprised by how easily she was accepting everything happening here.

She was a resident of Academy City on the science side. Ordinarily, she would frown and reject an occult term like magic. But here it pierced right through the usual intellectual rejection to lodge itself deep in her mind.

Because it was reasonable to find it ''here''.

She would need a specific reason to question it.

(The #5’s power doesn’t even work on me, so what is this?)

The nonhuman trafficker roared with a belligerent smile.

She was a threat that used magic, which was commonplace in this world.

“Yes, yes. My slave is my property, my dignity, and my possession. You have no right to question me on that. I felt sorry for that poor slave who was going to waste without anyone using her, so I invested my own money to give her a place to work! I did her a ''favor''! Harming me for ''that kindness'' is simply unacceptable!!”

“…”

“When I was little, I saw some elves when I looked out the window of my carriage on the brick road.”

Her eyes sparkled.

Instead of scorn, those sick eyes were filled with duty and purpose.

“They had no collars and no masters and no one providing them a roof for shelter. Oh, those poor elves. That was when I decided I would gather enough power to make it on my own and then mercifully and charitably rescue them from their filthy primitive lives!!”

They were nothing but merchandise to her.

Mikoto recalled hearing that people unfamiliar with rabbits could accidentally break their skinny bones when holding them. She also recalled how dogs bred to be extremely small could damage their legs if they were taken on too many walks.

And this person saw that as the only form of happiness.

She saw the elves living in the forest as an abnormality and truly believed that they would be happier if a human tamed them and gave them a “proper” life.

The fool who couldn’t even imagine a viewpoint different from her own gave Mikoto a mocking grin.

“What will you do now? I hope you knew what you were getting yourself into picking a fight with nobility. Your fate is now mine to choose and I will not even let you be a slave. A vacuum whip can easily strip the flesh from your bones. My whip will peel away your skin and strip away the flesh so I can see your bo- gyah!!?”

The young woman hopped straight up before she was finished.

Mikoto winked with electricity scattering from her bangs.

“Now, I don’t know how you control the wind, but it looks like you have to give it the shape of a sword or a whip or whatever first. I can produce electricity in a vacuum.. You might be able to increase the insulation resistance a bit by compressing the air, but that won’t protect you unless it actually hits my attack. Did you actually think you could deflect ultra-quick electric attacks with a weapon that only covers the width of a stick?”

And it didn’t end there.

The #3 girl flicked an arcade coin up with her thumb.

Immobilized by the previous electric shock, the nonhuman trafficker had tears in her eyes.

Mikoto didn’t care.

“You caused all this tragedy!! You’re a shitty vortex that drags in the lives around you by your mere presence!!!”

The air was scorched orange at three times the speed of sound.

The nonhuman trafficker spun through the air before slamming into the ground. She had been knocked over by the Railgun shooting past her, not a direct hit.

A direct hit would have obliterated her body.

“Misaka-saaan.”

Shokuhou sighed while holding the elf slave close.

But ''not'' to scold Mikoto for going too far.

“Don’t kill her too quick. If an unrepentant monster doesn’t suffer as much as they deserve, there’s no enjoyment ability in it☆”

“Shut up. And you ''aimed your remote at my head when I fired the first one, didn’t you''? I fired a Railgun along with the lightning spear and iron sand sword. This would’ve been over in seconds if not for the weird headache that gave me!!”

“Why would you want to ruin your life in seconds, murderer? Misaka-san, why don’t you stop and think about what you’re saying here?”

“Huh?” Mikoto tilted her head.

A few seconds later, a chill crawled up her spine.

…If Shokuhou hadn’t interfered with her remote and Mikoto’s attacks had continued without a hitch, what would have happened to the nonhuman trafficker?

People’s lives didn’t seem to carry much “weight” in this world. Almost like defeating your enemy was simply a routine way of earning money and experience.

(This isn’t good. I might really kill someone if I don’t focus on what I’m doing and stop myself.)

“So what do you want to do with her, Misaka-san? Are you really going to treat her like a sandbag until she dies?”

“I-I’m not as obsessive as you.”

“Then allow me to take care of the dirty work☆”

Shokuhou aimed her remote at the woman.

The nonhuman trafficker’s body jerked in a way that was clearly different from what the electricity made her do.

The evil ringlets woman opened her eyes wide.

“Wh-what is…happening to me? I can’t stand up!”

“What is happening? It seems to me you will have to live out the rest of your life crawling on the ground like a dog. Oh, and lift your butt more☆”

“Ugh!”

Sweat soaked the woman as she took a humiliating pose.

Perhaps it is kinder to not provide an accurate description of said pose.

“And you will serve this girl until the day you die. If she has any heavy luggage, you can carry it on your back. Getting a precious trunk dirty deserves ''punishment'', isn’t that right? And when her little legs are tired, you can be her chair. Hee hee☆''Can you already tell you have no way of fighting this''?”

“Shokuhou, the girl doesn’t want this.”

Why would you terrify the elf here, idiot?

After Mikoto’s exasperated comment, the #5 girl sighed and pressed her remote’s button again.

The nonhuman trafficker collapsed unconscious to the ground like her own power button had been hit.

“Then I’ll do this the peaceful way. I’ve erased ''only'' her business knowledge and skills, so any future attempts at business will mean a string of failures that leave her too occupied to even think about enslaving any more elves☆”

“You’re a real monster.”