"114: Gravitational Waves - Spatial Reversal"

Having just tried to save Stiyl and been so easily suppressed, Kanzaki had already realized that Su Mo's ability must be related to gravity. Gravitational powers were highly effective for control and restriction, especially against ordinary magicians—unexpected surges of gravity could rupture internal organs and kill instantly. However, for a Saint like herself, the sudden increase in gravity was merely an added burden. It wasn't enough to immobilize or instantly kill her, and in that sense, the battle still leaned in her favor.

Against an opponent like Su Mo, there was no point in a prolonged fight. It had to be swift and decisive. The rapid seven strikes she typically used against weaker enemies would be useless here. She needed to unleash her killing blow right away.

With that thought, Kanzaki's right hand slowly drew her blade from its sheath. "Be careful. This will be my killing strike."

After a brief warning, she took a deep breath, and in the next instant, the Stigma within her body was fully unleashed.

Shunshin.

Her body shot forward like a phantom. Moving at supersonic speed, Kanzaki's slashes created afterimages as her physical abilities soared to their peak. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of Su Mo, her katana, Seven Heavens Seven Swords, slicing through the air with several times the force of sound—each slash powerful enough to cleave through a building. Even if she avoided his vital points, no ordinary human could survive such force.

The blade reflected the moonlight, flashing in Su Mo's pupils. Yet, facing this supersonic killing strike, Su Mo remained perfectly calm. Extending just his index finger, he reached out toward the incoming blade—a move so audacious even Kanzaki hadn't anticipated it. Who would dare attempt a bare-handed blade catch against a fully unleashed Saint?

But by then, it was too late to pull back. The blade edge shimmered as it trembled violently. Kanzaki suddenly realized that, no matter how much force she applied, the blade stopped dead an inch away from Su Mo's finger, unable to move even the slightest bit forward.

She instantly thought back to how Su Mo had earlier blasted away the Innocentius. "Repulsion force?"

But the realization came too late.

"No... it's gravity!" Su Mo calmly grasped the flat of her blade with his hand. Though razor-sharp, the katana's edge never even grazed his skin; his grip on it was firm and unyielding, as though gravity itself shielded him from harm.

At that moment, Su Mo's voice sounded, sending a chill through Kanzaki. "Care for a trip to hell?"

Before his words had fully fallen, an enormous gravitational force erupted, crushing down upon Kanzaki and the entire area several meters around her. The strength of this gravity was on an entirely different level compared to what she had experienced earlier.

Boom!

Even the ground beneath Kanzaki Kaori's feet couldn't withstand the immense gravitational force. The surface instantly caved in and compressed into a deep, bottomless pit. Kanzaki herself was driven deep into the earth, buried far out of sight. From the outside, all that remained before Su Mo was a pitch-black crater, like a bottomless black hole, into which even the moonlight couldn't reach—almost as if it truly led to hell itself.

This was a technique Su Mo had developed, inspired by Fujitora Issho's gravity abilities. The overwhelming gravity was powerful enough to crush the very earth beneath him. Had it been an ordinary person, they would have been reduced to pulp in an instant. Even for someone like Kanzaki, with her monstrous Saint-level physique, it was nearly impossible to break free from gravity of this magnitude.

Unfortunately, Su Mo shook his head with a sigh as he gazed into the abyss. "The output still isn't enough. Not even close to reaching the Chandrasekhar limit or compressing to the density of a neutron star. Even just reaching white dwarf levels would've sufficed."

If he could reach that level, the gravity alone could easily obliterate a Saint, and the resulting intense magnetic fields could paralyze electromagnetic signals across the entire globe. Sadly, even as a Level 5 esper, there was a ceiling to his power. At his current stage, he couldn't push his ability to such extremes.

Just then, a voice echoed from deep within the crater. "This level of power… and you're saying it's still not your limit?" A few seconds later, Kanzaki emerged, leaping out of the gravity well, her body covered in dust but still very much alive.

As she landed, her gaze toward Su Mo was filled with newfound caution. At last, she understood—this was an opponent she might not be able to defeat even at full strength. Su Mo, on the other hand, examined her with a curious look. "To think you could actually escape from that… The power of a Saint truly is remarkable." He hadn't expected this move alone to defeat a Saint, but Kanzaki breaking free so quickly was still surprising.

Hearing his words, Kanzaki could only offer a bitter smile. It was perhaps the least comforting compliment she had ever received. "You've forced me to activate my God-Slayer Mode… Your strength far exceeds my expectations."

As a Saint, Kanzaki possessed overwhelming power. Against most magicians, her "Seven Flashes" technique was more than sufficient. Only when facing particularly renowned opponents did she need to resort to "Single Flash"—a move that temporarily unleashed a fraction of her Saint's might. Normally, "Single Flash" was an ultimate technique rarely requiring escalation, unless her enemy was another Saint.

Never had she imagined she'd one day be pushed so far that she'd have to invoke her ultimate state: the God-Slayer Mode.

"If all of Academy City's espers are as powerful as you, I can see why the Pope would choose to ally with Academy City." The thought was terrifying. If "Single Flash" momentarily unleashed her divine strength, then God-Slayer Mode required her to fully activate her Stigma and maintain that state for an extended period. In this mode, Kanzaki's power reached its absolute peak, allowing her to fight at intervals measured in hundredths of a second, trading blows even against angels.

But even her Saint physique couldn't sustain this mode for long. The burden of God-Slayer Mode made it a power that couldn't be used lightly. Yet now, she had no choice. Without it, she wouldn't have been able to escape that crushing gravity, and if she wanted to avoid being dragged underground again, she had to remain in this state.

That was what frightened her most—Su Mo's strength was only ranked third. What kind of terrifying power did the other Level 5 espers possess? She didn't dare imagine it.

Su Mo noticed the wary look in her eyes and found it somewhat amusing. "Unfortunately for you, that assumption is wrong," he said calmly. "Even among Academy City's espers, I'm quite a special case."

At his words, Kanzaki let out a faint sigh of relief, though still not entirely convinced. Thankfully, he was a rare exception. If all Level 5 espers were like him, the scientific side would completely overpower the magic side. After all, while there were several Saints on the magic side, many were civilians and couldn't be considered formal combat forces.

Su Mo, observing the drastic change in her abilities, quickly deduced her current state. "Judging by your condition, it looks like this isn't a power you can maintain for long."

Indeed, Kanzaki's movement and aura had undergone a dramatic shift. With some thought, Su Mo concluded she must have fully activated her Stigma to enter God-Slayer Mode. Still, he remained unfazed. Even before acquiring his golden finger, his esper ability had been his primary means of survival. Naturally, he hadn't stopped at simply developing its basic functions. Even against Kanzaki's God-Slayer Mode, Su Mo didn't feel the need to rely on any other power to secure victory—his esper ability alone would suffice.

The two locked eyes, each recognizing the other's determination to end the fight in the next exchange. Kanzaki sheathed her sword and took up her Iaido stance. Su Mo stood calmly, hands behind his back, as the air around him stirred without wind.

In the blink of an eye, Kanzaki's figure blurred, charging forward at a speed several times faster than her previous "Single Flash." But Su Mo merely raised one palm. "Gravitational Pulse: Spatial Inversion."

Suddenly, Kanzaki felt her charging direction twist ninety degrees without warning. With no time to react, her momentum sent her slamming headfirst into the ground.

Boom!

A massive crater formed on impact. Her body crumpled, and Kanzaki lost consciousness instantly. Just before blacking out, a bitter thought crossed her mind: Didn't I say this fight was in my favor…?