Chapter 322: George’s Value (Third Update)

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"Could he have neutralized the blood surging with electricity? If that's the case, then take this—Big Sister's Death Hug Suplex!"

Oriana refused to believe that George had withstood her spell purely through physical resilience. She assumed he had used some form of electrical current to counteract her magic. Without hesitation, she lunged forward and threw her arms around him.

In addition to being a magician, Oriana was also a close-combat expert—skilled enough that even most knights couldn't match her in a melee fight.

She had deliberately closed the distance earlier in order to cast her spell, and now she seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack at close range.

"Oh my, is she actually throwing herself at me?"

George didn't dodge. Instead, he grinned and gave her a playful wink.

From the speed at which Oriana had fled and her performance in combat, he had already determined that her physical capabilities were still within the limits of a normal human. No matter how skilled her combat techniques were, she couldn't possibly injure him.

Since she was charging into the lion's den of her own accord, all he had to do was open his mouth and wait.

Oriana dashed in, grabbed George tightly around the waist, and performed a textbook German suplex.

"A-ha!"

George's head and neck slammed hard into the ground, taking the full brunt of the impact.

"Got him!"

Oriana released him and stood up, turning to look at George lying on the ground—only to see him staring up at her with wide eyes, completely unphased.

"Was that fun?"

"Impossible!"

The ground beneath George's head had cracked from the impact, yet he appeared completely unharmed. Oriana was stunned all over again.

Just then, a flash of electricity surged from George's body. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her, unleashing a billion volts of high-voltage electricity.

"Aaahhh!!"

Oriana's body convulsed violently as the electricity coursed through her. Her eyes rolled back, and she teetered on the edge of unconsciousness.

But as expected of a seasoned combat courier, she held on. In the final moment before her mind gave out, she forced herself through the paralysis and unleashed her ultimate, most powerful spell.

"Elemental Convergence!"

All of the cards in her hands shattered simultaneously. The gathered elements condensed into a brilliant white sphere—like a miniature black hole—that began devouring everything in its path, including George and his unleashed lightning.

Seizing the opportunity, Oriana turned and sprinted toward the underground stairwell exit.

She knew this spell wouldn't hold him for long. She had to escape—there were still hours left before the plan reached completion. Getting caught now was not an option.

"Impressive magic... too bad the one casting it isn't strong enough."

George spread his hands apart, and a plasma cannon shot out with explosive force, instantly blasting the white sphere to pieces.

Oriana's magic had been formidable. While it wasn't a true black hole, it bore a striking resemblance. If their power levels were even remotely close, it might have posed a real threat.

"Damn it! Are Level 5 espers really this strong? 

At this rate, I won't be able to stall until the star appears…"

Despite the numbness seizing her limbs, Oriana forced herself to run as fast as she could toward the exit. Her face was filled with anxiety.

It felt like even facing a Saint wouldn't be much different from this.

"Ah—!"

As soon as Oriana stepped out of the underground stairwell, a nearby metal utility pole twisted like a serpent and instantly coiled around her. A surge of high-voltage electricity followed immediately.

This time, the voltage was even more ferocious. In just one second, Oriana was electrocuted into unconsciousness.

"Since you won't tell me, I'll just take a look myself."

George appeared before Oriana and gently tapped her forehead with his finger.

Five minutes later, he slowly opened his eyes.

"So that's how it is."

He then relayed Oriana and Lidovilla's true plan to Aleister.

It turned out Oriana the Courier and Lidovilla of the Roman Orthodox Church were actually close friends. Oriana's goal wasn't to deliver anything, nor was it to plant the Apostle's Cross in Academy City. Her real mission was to serve as a distraction—to draw the attention of Academy City and the Anglican magicians.

The true Apostle's Cross had been with Lidovilla the entire time. She was hiding in a hotel outside Academy City, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Because the Apostle's Cross had an effective radius of 47,000 square kilometers, it could encompass the entire Academy City even if activated outside its borders.

However, triggering the Apostle's Cross wasn't simple.

The Cross was a high-grade spiritual artifact powered by celestial constellations. To activate it, they first had to calculate which of the 88 constellations would align best with a specific location. Then, they could only launch the ritual on the night when that constellation appeared in the sky.

The activation process couldn't be interrupted, and the ritual itself caused considerable disturbance. Furthermore, the same location could only be used once per year.

If Lidovilla activated the Apostle's Cross too hastily outside the city, the ritual would almost certainly be detected and disrupted by Academy City and Anglican magicians.

That's why Oriana acted as the decoy, drawing attention while Lidovilla remained hidden, waiting until nightfall to initiate the Cross and cast its influence over all of Academy City.

Even if they were discovered at that point, the magicians and espers wouldn't have time to react in time to stop it.

"Good thing you found out. Otherwise, it really would've been a huge problem."

After hearing George's report, Aleister—suspended upside-down in his life-support pod—narrowed his eyes slightly.

If Lidovilla's plan had succeeded, Aleister would have been forced to leave his life-support device and risk exposure to stop it. There was a real possibility of falling into her trap.

At that moment, Aleister began to realize George's true value.

For routine matters, the organizations under his control were sufficient. But in cases like this—high-stakes and high-risk—they simply weren't capable enough.

The seven Level 5 espers of Academy City were powerful, but each had problematic personalities. Most of them refused to follow orders and acted according to their own whims.

Even when Aleister needed to mobilize them, it always required careful scheming to manipulate them into serving his goals.

But George was different—immensely powerful, versatile, and equipped with a perfectly concealed identity.

As long as he was willing to share magical knowledge, George was happy to take action on Aleister's behalf. This spared Aleister from exposing himself and lowered the risk considerably.

"It's still daytime. There are three hours left before the Apostle's Cross is activated. Should I go and bring Lidovilla back?"

Lidovilla was hiding in a hotel somewhere outside Academy City, though Oriana didn't know exactly which one.

Aleister's Misaka Network surveillance system only operated within Academy City, meaning it couldn't search for her beyond the city limits.

But that didn't matter. Now that George had learned Lidovilla's name, he could use a tracking spell from the Harry Potter magic system to locate her.

As for Lidovilla's combat ability, intel classified her as a missionary from the Roman Orthodox Church. While she held the title of bishop, her magical strength likely didn't match that of the battle-hardened Oriana.

(End of Chapter)