Chapter 323: George's Value
"Could it be that he neutralized the surge of blood with electricity? If that's the case, then prepare yourself for Big Sister's death suplex!"
Oriana couldn't believe that George had resisted her magic with just his body. She assumed he'd used some kind of electric current to break her spell. Without hesitation, she rushed forward and threw her arms around George.
In addition to being a mage, Oriana was also a close-combat expert. Even most knights couldn't match her in melee combat.
Just earlier, in order to cast that spell, she had deliberately closed the distance. Now was the perfect moment to launch a close-quarters attack while he was off guard.
"Aiya, is she really throwing herself into my arms?"
George made no attempt to dodge. He simply smiled and winked.
From Oriana's speed when she had tried to escape and her performance in battle, he had already judged that her physical capabilities didn't exceed the limits of an ordinary human. No matter how skilled her fighting techniques were, she couldn't possibly harm him.
Since she was rushing to him like a sheep to the slaughter, he might as well just open his mouth and wait.
Oriana dashed to George and wrapped her arms around his slender waist, then executed a textbook German suplex.
"Ah-ha!"
George's head and neck slammed straight into the ground, taking the full brunt of the impact.
"Done!"
Oriana released him and stood up, turning to look at George lying on the ground—only to find him staring at her wide-eyed.
"Was that fun?"
"Impossible!"
Oriana was stunned again. The ground around George's head was cracked, but George himself appeared completely unscathed.
At that moment, a flash of lightning burst from George's body, and he was suddenly in front of Oriana, unleashing a billion volts of high-voltage electricity.
"Ah!!!"
Oriana's body convulsed as electricity surged through her. Her eyes rolled back, and she looked about to lose consciousness.
But she was truly a veteran delivery agent. In the final moment before her awareness slipped away, she resisted the paralysis and released her final and strongest spell.
"Elemental Convergence!"
All the cards in her hands shattered. Various elements gathered and fused into a white orb of light, like a black hole devouring everything, pulling in George and the lightning he had released.
Taking this chance, Oriana immediately turned and fled.
She knew her spell wouldn't hold him for long. She had to escape now. There were still several hours until the plan was complete—she couldn't be caught at this critical moment.
"Nice magic. Too bad the caster wasn't strong enough."
George spread his arms, and a plasma cannon blasted forward, dispersing the white orb in an instant.
Oriana's white light sphere was impressive—not quite a black hole, but close in some aspects. If the power gap between them weren't so large, it might've been difficult to break.
"Damn it. Are Level 5 espers really this strong?
If this keeps up, I won't make it until the stars come out."
Oriana gritted her teeth and ran as fast as she could toward the underground stairwell exit, her face filled with panic.
She felt that even encountering a Saint wouldn't be this terrifying.
"Ah!"
Just as she stepped out of the underground stairs, a nearby metal pole suddenly coiled around her like a snake and wrapped her tightly. High-voltage electricity surged again.
This time the current was even more ferocious. In just a second, she was completely electrocuted and passed out.
"If you won't tell me, then I'll just see for myself."
George appeared in front of Oriana and placed his hand on her forehead.
Five minutes later, he slowly opened his eyes.
"So that's how it is!"
He then relayed Oriana and Lidovia's true plan to Aleister.
As it turned out, Oriana the delivery agent and Lidovia from the Roman Orthodox Church were actually close friends. Her real objective wasn't delivery, nor was it to implant the Apostle's Cross in Academy City, but rather to draw all attention from Academy City and the Anglican magicians.
The real Apostle's Cross was already in Lidovia's hands. Lidovia herself was holed up in a hotel outside Academy City, lying in wait.
Since the effect range of the Apostle's Cross reached up to 47,000 square kilometers, triggering it outside Academy City could still affect the entire city.
However, activating the Apostle's Cross came with conditions.
It was a large-scale spiritual device powered by the constellations. The user had to pre-calculate which of the 88 constellations was most suitable based on location, and then activate it on a night when that constellation appeared.
The activation couldn't be interrupted, and the ritual was highly conspicuous. It could only be used once per year at a given location.
If they recklessly activated it outside Academy City, they would surely be discovered and stopped by the city's forces and Anglican magicians.
Thus, Oriana served as the decoy, drawing attention away, while Lidovia would activate the Apostle's Cross under the night sky, covering all of Academy City.
Even if they were discovered then, it would be too late for anyone to stop them.
"Good thing you found out, or this really would've been troublesome."
Upon hearing George's report, Aleister, suspended in the life-support device, narrowed his eyes.
If Lidovia's plan had succeeded, Aleister would've had to risk exposing himself by leaving the device to stop her—something he was unwilling to do.
In that moment, he truly recognized George's value.
For ordinary events, his subordinate organizations could handle them. But for more complicated and dangerous matters—like today—those groups simply weren't enough.
And the seven Level 5 espers in Academy City all had problematic personalities. Most of them wouldn't obey his commands, acting only according to their own natures.
Even mobilizing one of them took immense calculation and planning to guide them toward his objectives.
But George was different—powerful, resourceful, and capable of disguising himself without being detected.
As long as he was willing to share magic, George would help Aleister take care of such matters, eliminating the need for Aleister to act personally and minimizing the risk of exposure.
"It's currently daytime. There are still three hours until the Apostle's Cross is activated. Do you need me to go retrieve that Lidovia?"
Lidovia was in a hotel outside Academy City, but Oriana didn't know exactly which one.
Aleister's aerial surveillance system could only operate within the city and couldn't extend beyond its borders.
But that didn't matter. Since George now knew Lidovia's name, he could use tracking magic from the Harry Potter universe to locate her.
As for Lidovia's strength, according to intel, she was a Roman Orthodox missionary. Though she held the title of bishop, her magical power was likely inferior to the combat-experienced Oriana.
(End of Chapter)