Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies Chapter 445 - 432: The Opening Ceremony

The matter of Level Upper.

Since the trail of clues was cut off midway, Haruto simply tossed the problem to Aleister.

He let her use the Stagnant Loop Line to investigate.

Today, the Daihasei Festival officially began.

Even before the opening ceremony, the streets were already overflowing with all kinds of festival advertisents.

On the giant screens of the high-rise buildings everywhere, a clock was displayed.

The countdown ticked away, and the mont it reached zero, the broadcast of the Daihasei Festival's opening ceremony would be aired simultaneously throughout the Academy City.

In fact, before Academy City had shifted into the main world, the Daihasei Festival broadcasts used to be aired worldwide.

It served both as a showcase of their scientific achievents and as a kind of global recruitnt performance.

But this ti, that was no longer possible.

Speaking of the world before Academy City's transfer—

There was sothing worth noting.

Not long ago, Aleister had reported an important piece of intel to the Foundation.

In Academy City's Imaginary Number District, there had been fluctuations of spatial power.

After further detection, it was discovered that a stable spatial passage had ford, connecting back to the original world Academy City once belonged to.

The preliminary guess was that this was caused by the AIM diffusion fields of the 2.3 million espers.

AIM fields are intangible, shapeless, and yet undeniably real.

And they contain overwhelming power.

The so-called Imaginary Number District, also referred to as the Fifth Branch, was essentially an illusory place that did not exist within the 23 districts of Academy City.

It was the materialization of AIM fields.

A district city that appeared like a mirage.

And yet under certain conditions, it could transform into tangible reality. It had always been directly controlled and strictly monitored by Aleister.

Back to the spatial passage itself.

The speculation was that the passage ford due to the collective yearning of Academy City's espers for their original world—

Or, more precisely, their longing for their families back in that world.

Because normally, the families of Academy City's students did not reside within the city. They would only co during the Daihasei Festival or other such special events. The transfer of Academy City had forcefully separated the students from their families.

That intense yearning altered the properties of the AIM field, tearing open a spatial passage.

It was unexpected, but also understandable.

Normally, the students of Academy City would never collectively produce the sa vision on such a massive scale.

After all, people differ from one another, and true like-mindedness is rare.

For everyone to be united in one shared will—this was a first.

At present, the passage was being properly managed by Aleister and Foundation personnel.

The other side of the passage was also under containnt.

However, the Foundation had not yet attempted to interfere with or explore that side in depth.

The world Academy City originally belonged to was one of the more unique among parallel realities.

It contained beings known as Magic Gods.

And the number of such beings was surprisingly large.

Their true nature was sorcerers who had pushed magic to its ultimate peak, shattering the final barrier and attaining a wholly new concept.

Put simply: Divinity.

And under divinity, the entire world was nothing but a fragile toy. They could destroy it without even aning to.

Although for Haruto, handling divinity was not particularly difficult, he simply had no desire or motivation to engage with those Magic Gods.

For this Daihasei Festival, in fact, so people from the other side of the spatial passage had been invited.

It was essentially a test.

After multiple experints, perhaps the Foundation would attempt to migrate the students' parents en masse to the main world.

High above, a massive airship slowly drifted across the sky.

On its side, a huge light-screen displayed information.

Due to the ship's sheer size, its display was visible from virtually anywhere in the district. At the mont, it showed the schedule for the Daihasei Festival.

On the first morning, from 9:00 to 10:30, was the opening ceremony.

Imdiately after that ca the first event.

The competition: Balloon Hunter.

It was one of the traditional gas of the Daihasei Festival, a high-attention event ant to instantly fire up the atmosphere.

By the ti Haruto strolled into the opening ceremony venue, a considerable number of people had already gathered.

Checking the ti—half an hour remained before the ceremony began.

The main venue for the opening was in the 15th District, Academy City's largest semi-open stadium. At its center stretched a vast green field, and upon it a high platform had been erected.

All around were circular seating stands, capable of accommodating over 100,000 spectators.

Co to think of it, this place might even be larger than Tokyo Do.

Perhaps in the future, once Academy City fully lifted its restrictions, this place could be turned into a world stage.

After all, the broadcast infrastructure was already in place.

Haruto took a seat in the front rows of the audience.

He did not have to wait long.

The opening ceremony arrived right on ti.

Massive fireworks burst over the stadium.

In the sky, they ford glowing letters: Daihasei Festival.

Then, two hosts took to the stage to deliver the traditional opening remarks.

After that ca the athletes' oath.

Surprisingly, this ti the oath was to be made by three Level 5s together. As Haruto was wondering who else besides Nishimiya Shouko and Misaka Mikoto would appear—a golden figure stepped onto the stage.

Shokuhou Misaki, dressed in sportswear, radiated youthful energy.

Especially her chest—no matter how loose the sports outfit was, it could not conceal her outstanding figure.

After stepping onto the stage, Shokuhou's eyes imdiately swept across the audience.

Her gaze quickly locked onto Haruto.

And she broke into a radiant smile.

Right after her, Misaka Mikoto stepped up, exasperated.

This girl had insisted yesterday she wouldn't co.

She even acted disdainful about it.

But the mont she heard that guy would be in the audience, she completely changed her mind.

Now she was beaming as if in full bloom, flipping her attitude faster than flipping pages in a book!

And lastly, Nishimiya Shouko stepped up.

Clearly, she was nervous.

Even though, ever since eting Haruto, her environnt, living conditions, and family life had all changed dramatically—with all the causes of her past inferiority swept away—and she herself gradually becoming cheerful and confident, suddenly speaking before such a huge crowd was still nerve-wracking.

Like Misaki, the mont she got on stage, her eyes began searching for Haruto.

And only when she spotted him among the spectators did she calm down sowhat.

As if rely seeing him granted her imnse courage.

"Athletes' oath! We three hereby swear to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship as we participate in this Daihasei Festival. We will turn lofty ideals and burning passion into the drive to move forward…"

The script for the oath had been prepared in advance.

They simply needed to recite it.

First was Shokuhou Misaki.

Then Nishimiya Shouko.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

Until—sothing terrible happened.

A certain Misaka realized she had just been too busy grumbling about Misaki—and had forgotten her lines!

The instant she realized this, Misaka Mikoto grew tense.

And as everyone knows—in a mont of extre attention, nervousness makes it even harder to recall.

On stage, Misaka's unease was visible to the naked eye.

Even though nothing bad would happen if she ssed up the oath, the sheer pressure was enough to crush a teenage girl.

Fortunately, the live caras were zood in only on the speakers.

As long as one wasn't in the stadium carefully watching, it was hard to notice her abnormal state.

But the bad news: her turn was coming next.

As she struggled desperately to recall the lines, twisting the hem of her shirt into knots, her eyes swept across the stands—and locked with a pair of glowing crimson eyes.

For a mont, Misaka Mikoto blanked out. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn NovєlFіre

But suddenly, the contents of the oath resurfaced in her mind.

As if she were once again looking at the script itself.

The cara cut.

Misaka calmly recited the oath, word for word.

Another firework soared into the sky.

Announcing the Daihasei Festival had officially begun.